The First Heat Wave

9:28 PM Adrian 0 Comments

...and it hasn't come a moment too soon...literally.  None of us here would have thought the summer would have dealt us these blistering temperatures this late.  It really is quite peculiar.  But we are taking our blessings, and glad that earlier this summer and the first weeks of August were as sweet, calm and cool as they were!  Doubtless if it weren't for such weather we wouldn't be procuring such excellent squash and tomatoes for y'all.

The heat does not discourage us...we are still hard at work raking in the pounds upon pounds of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and squash that this season's bounty has bestowed.  Such heat does call for perhaps a slight change in schedule....time for earlier mornings and a mid-day siesta!

Despite the heat, CSA will still be bringing it to your table.

This week:

• Garlic
• Leeks
• Candy Onions
• Zucchini
• Potatoes
• Cucumbers
• Sweet Peppers
• Hot Peppers
• Patty Pan Summer Squash
• Heirloom Tomatoes
• Cherry Tomatoes (mixed varieties)
• Mint
• Rosemary
• Apples!

Yes that's correct: apples!  Not sure which variety they are exactly, but they remind me of Pink Lady or Fuji; incredibly tart, deliciously crisp, with a pleasing sour that balances the sweet.  We have plenty of them,  and this week they started dropping like nuts.  No better time to pick them!

We hope to release more details soon in regards to Fall CSA 2013 but we are still scratching our heads as to what we will be planting to include in those deliveries...we have daikon radishes already in the ground, and the plumpest of our winter squashes are well on their way to ripening....some of them surprisingly early!  There will be enough onions to last our CSA members (as well as us) through the winter.  As for when and how to plant our leafy fall greens, we are chomping at the bit yet hesitant in the midst of such dry, brutal heat to be confident in sowing anything.  So we are waiting in the meantime, and shuffling through our ideas and plans for this year's season extension.


We will keep you updated...in the meantime enjoy our generous helping of the harvest to you!  We are proud and happy to be successfully keeping your CSA share wide and diverse.

See you at market!




Recipes

Fresh Apple Salsa (www.myrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced peeled apple (about 3/4 pound) 
• 1/2 cup diced sweet bell pepper
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro $
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 hot pepper, seeded and minced

Preparation

1.  Combine all ingredients, stirring well.

Cucumber Mint Gazpacho (www.food52.com)

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds thin-skinned cucumbers 
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 small onion or 1/2 large onion
• 5 garlic scapes (or 2-3 cloves regular garlic)
• 1 tablespoon tightly packed mint leaves (about 30)
• 1/2 cup almonds (skinned)
• 1/4 cup olive oil (not the fancy stuff)
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
• kosher salt
• 1 cup stale bread, cut into cubes. I've found challah or ciabatta to be best. You can keep on some crust, but too much and the soup will come out less creamy, more gritty

1. Rough chop the cucumber and add to the blender jar with the cold water. Puree until smooth. Rough chop the onion and scapes and add to the blender jar with the mint leaves. Puree again. Then add the almonds. oli, and vinegar, and keep pureeing until the entire mix is smooth.
2. Add the bread cubes and let them soak up the liquid for at least 30 minutes. When they have softened up, puree again until very smooth. Add salt to taste.
3. You want to serve this cold, so refrigerate for at least an hour (straight in the blender jar) before serving. The soup with thicken a bit, so you may need to add a little cold water and blend until it's the consistency you want.
4. Garnish as much as you'd like (see recipes below). Drizzle with olive oil, mint oil, and/or garlic scape oil. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and/or chopped cucumber.

Garnishes (optional)

• 1.5 cups grapeseed (or other mild oil), divided
• 1/2 cup mint leaves
• 15 garlic scapes
• 1/4 cup almonds (skinned)
• 1 small cucumber

1. Make mint oil. In a food processor, puree 1/2 C oil and mint. After letting the oil sit for a day, you can strain out the solids (or not...I didn't). Drizzle over soup.
2. Make garlic scape oil. In a food processor, puree 1 C oil and garlic scapes. After letting the oil sit for a day, you can strain out the solids (or not...I didn't). Drizzle over soup.
3. Toast the almonds until they just start to darken. Let them cool and then pulse in a food processor a few times (or chop). Sprinkle over soup.
4. Cut cucumber into tiny cubes. Sprinkle over soup. 

Marinated Cherry Tomato Salad (allrecipes.com)

Ingredients 

• 4 cups halved cherry tomatoes

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon dried parsley

• 1 teaspoon dried basil

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar

Directions

1. In a small bowl or cup measure, mix together oil, apple cider vinegar, herbs, salt, and sugar.
2. Pour dressing over cherry tomatoes in a serving dish, and gently stir to coat. Chill for at least 2 hours. Gently stir from bottom to top, coating all tomatoes, before serving.

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Please tell us if you can't identify something on the market table, don't know what to do with a particular item, have a food allergy we should know about, or if you have other questions or comments. We love to hear from you!