What's In The Box
Italian Garlic: A bit of garlic adds flavor to any summer tomato dish, raw or cooked. Add it to fresh salsa, bruschetta, or use it in a marinade for meat or vegetables to put on the grill!
Monastrell Red Onions: Monastrell is the name of a red wine grape that yields a dark red wine; hence the name was found fitting for this similarly dark red onion! Enjoy thin slices of red onion in summer salads & sandwiches. This onion also has natural sugars that caramelize when grilled or slowly sautéed!
Broccoli: Broccoli is one of those staple vegetables that pairs well with many different vegetables throughout the season. Check out this week’s recipe suggestions for a few ways to use broccoli with this week’s selection of midsummer vegetables.
Green and/or Italian Zucchini and/or Scallopini Squash: If you want to tuck away some summer vegetables to use during the winter months, zucchini is an easy one to freeze raw. If you’re going to use it in baked goods, shred it and freeze it in 1 cup portions, or whatever quantity works for your favorite baked good recipe. You can also dice it and add it to vegetable soup or stews during the winter months.
Orange Carrots: Carrots are a great companion to zucchini in baked goods, adding sweetness as well as moisture.
Red Thumb Fingerling Potatoes: This week’s potato variety was a new one we trialed. Fingerling potatoes are typically more long and slender in shape. This variety has red skin with pinkish-white flesh. It is more of a starchy potato with flesh that is more on the dry side, which makes it a good candidate for roasting and/or pan-frying. It also acts as a sponge for butter or olive oil!
Green Bell Peppers: Add thin slices of green bell peppers to sandwiches in lieu of lettuce. Thick slices of raw bell peppers are also a great snack eaten with your favorite dip!
Serrano Pepper: This week’s hot pepper is a new one for us. There is one serrano pepper in your box. It resembles a jalapeño pepper, although it is a bit more slender and longer than a jalapeño. As for the heat level, our crew members tell us they are a bit more spicy than jalapeños. Use this week’s serrano pepper to make a tasty tomatillo salsa!
Green Beans: Try something new with this week’s green beans, check out the recipe in this week’s suggestions for Oven-Fried Crispy Green Beans or Batter-Fried Green Beans!
Small Tomatoes: We’re finally starting to see more tomatoes ripening and we had enough for a full pint in every box! You will receive one of three varieties including Sun Orange, Red Grape, or Chocolate Sprinkles.
Variety of Tomatoes: The first of our assorted varieties of larger tomatoes are also starting to ripen. This week’s bag is just a little taste of more to come very soon! Store tomatoes at room temperature and monitor for ripeness.
Cilantro: We included cilantro in this week’s box as it is a natural pairing with tomatillos in salsa as well as other tomatillo preparations!
Tomatillos: This is the green fruit with an outer husk. The outer husk should be removed and discarded as it is not edible. Read more about this selection in our vegetable feature article this week.
Sweet Corn: Remember to keep sweet corn cold and eat it within a few days to preserve sweetness. There’s more value to sweet corn than just the kernels of corn! Did you know the corn silks can be used to make tea and the cobs, once the corn is cut off, are a great addition to vegetable or meat stock!
Edamame: There is a one-pound portion of edamame in your box this week. Edamame is a fresh soybean. The pod that holds the beans is not edible and should be discarded. It is easiest to shell the beans AFTER they are cooked. Check out last year’s feature article about edamame on our blog for more information.
Green and/or Silver Slicer Cucumbers or Melon: Cucumbers are back on the harvest list as our second planting is starting to produce! We are also just starting to pick the first melons. Your box will contain either cucumbers or a melon. If you receive a melon, it will either be Sun Jewel (bright yellow rind with crispy white flesh), Sweet Sarah Cantaloupe, or Sugar Cube (personal sized cantaloupe type).
Recipe Suggestions & Inspiration For This Week’s Box Contents
Vegetable Enchiladas with Tomatillo Cream Sauce
Roasted Tomatillo & Chickpea Curry
Pork Chile Verde (Pork with Tomatillo Sauce)
Greek Broccoli Pasta Salad
Beef Stir-Fry with Broccoli & Edamame
Grilled Corn & Broccoli Salad
Sheet Pan Lemon Pepper Chicken with Broccoli & Tomatoes
Morning Glory Zucchini Carrot Muffins
Zucchini Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Gluten-Free Zucchini & Carrot Breakfast Cookies
Spiced Zucchini Carrot Bread
Edamame: Cooking & Prep Instructions
Edamame & Sea Salt
Roasted Edamame
Wasabi Roasted Edamame
Fried Rice with Edamame & Corn
Cucumber & Tomato Salad
Cucumber & Edamame Salad with Ginger-Soy Vinaigrette
Garlic-Scented Tomato Salad
Garlic Herb Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Pan-Fried Fingerling Potatoes with Bacon
Cheesy Zucchini & Bell Pepper Pasta Bake
Easy Cheesy Green Pepper Dip
Grilled Zucchini & Corn Salad
Vegetable Feature: Tomatillos
Tomatillos are typically used as a vegetable, but technically they are a fruit. The fruit is hidden inside a husk that looks like a paper lantern. You know the tomatillo is ready to pick when it fills the husk nearly completely.
Tomatillos may be eaten raw or cooked and have a mild, tangy flavor that is slightly fruity. When raw, tomatillos are firm with a dense flesh. Once cooked, tomatillos soften and break apart becoming more like sauce. They contain pectin which is a natural thickener. The outer husk is not edible, so this needs to be removed before you use them. The fruit inside might feel a little sticky, which is normal. Just give them a quick rinse and you’re ready to go.
One of the most familiar ways to use tomatillos is in making salsa! Tomatillo salsa may be prepared with all raw vegetables which will give you a fresh, chunky salsa. The alternative is to cook the tomatillos in a little water before blending the softened, cooked tomatillos with the other salsa ingredients. If you cook the tomatillos first, you’ll get a more smooth salsa. Roasting tomatillos along with the other salsa ingredients such as onions, garlic, peppers and even limes cut in half will further develop the flavors of these ingredients giving you yet another version of tomatillo salsa. Tomatillo salsa is delicious when simply served as a snack or appetizer along with tortilla chips, but it can also be used to top off tacos, quesadillas, make enchiladas, or served alongside your morning eggs or stirred into a bowl of black beans and/or rice.
Salsa is not the only use for tomatillos. There are many other interesting ways to take advantage of their unique tang and natural pectin. The tanginess of tomatillos pairs very well with pork and can make a delicious stew which is thickened by the tomatillo. They can also be used to make sauces for chicken and bean dishes, blend them into guacamole, or incorporate them into soups, salads or even dessert!
Storage Tips
Tomatillos are best stored at room temperature until ready for use. They are also very easy to preserve for use in the off-season. One option is to make salsa now and either can or freeze it. Alternatively, you can freeze tomatillos whole and raw. Simply remove the outer husk, wash and dry the fruit. Put them in a freezer bag and pop them into the freezer. They don’t retain their firm texture after freezing, so don’t be surprised if they are soft when you thaw them.
Growing Information
Chilaquiles Verdes
Yield: 4 servings
This traditional Mexican recipe is a resourceful way to use extra tortillas from the day before, such that nothing goes to waste! Chilaquiles may be served at any meal of the day. Many people enjoy Chilaquiles for breakfast with fried eggs, which was the way I was introduced to them this past winter when I visited Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. We were offered chilaquiles every morning for breakfast. When I asked our crew members if they eat chilaquiles for breakfast, a few said “sometimes,” but most said they prefer it for their afternoon or evening meal served with beans or some sort of meat. It is important to add the sauce to the fried tortillas just before serving so the tortillas still have texture and are not soggy.
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| Photo from www.isabeleats.com |
1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1-3 serrano or jalapeño pepper(s) (see note)
½ medium onion
Water, As needed
½ cup cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
12 corn tortillas
4 Tbsp vegetable oil, for frying
For Serving:
Cotija cheese
Chopped cilantro
Diced Onions
Sour Cream or Mexican crema
Fried Eggs, Beans, Meat of your choosing
- In a medium pot, add the tomatillos, jalapeño or serrano pepper, onion, and enough water to completely cover them. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 8 minutes or until the tomatillos are soft.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatillos, pepper, and onion to a blender. Add the cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and salt and blend until smooth. Taste and add more salt as needed.
- Stack the corn tortillas on top of each other and cut them into eighths to create small triangle wedges. Line a large plate with paper towels and set aside.
- Working in batches, heat 2 Tbsp of the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add half of the tortillas and fry for 8 minutes, stirring every minutes or so, until they are crispy. Transfer them to the lined plate to drain and repeat the frying process with the remaining 2 Tbsp of oil and tortilla wedges.
- After the second batch of tortillas is finished, add all of the fried tortillas back to the pan and pour the salsa verde on top. Gently toss together to coat.
- Serve immediately and garnish with cotija cheese, cilantro, onions, and/or sour cream.
Note from Andrea: The original recipe called for 3 jalapeño peppers. The original recipe also recommended removing all the seeds, which helps to decrease the heat. Three jalapeños or serrano peppers is too much heat for my liking, so I recommend you adjust the amount of hot pepper in this recipe to your preference. Both our jalapeño and serrano peppers have a fair amount of heat this year, so I would recommend starting with just one pepper. You can always add more if you want more spice, but you can’t take the heat out if it’s too much!
Recipe borrowed from Isabel Orozco-Moore from her blog, isabeleats.com. If you are interested in more Mexican recipes, check out her site. She has a lot of really great recipes featuring a lot of the vegetables we have in season right now!
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