September 26, 2024 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Broccoli

 

What's In The Box

Italian Garlic: If you want to take your next batch of mashed potatoes to the next level, boil the potatoes with a few cloves of garlic and then mash the cooked garlic in with the potatoes. Alternatively, you can roast a whole head of garlic and add the roasted garlic to the cooked potatoes when you mash them.

Yellow Onions: Our yellow onion varieties are selected both for long-term storage potential as well as flavor. We like a pungent onion that also has some natural sweetness to help create a more balanced flavor. Thus, these onions serve as a “multi-purpose” onion that is appropriate for pretty much any cooked or raw application.

Orange and/or Red Italian Frying Peppers: These sweet peppers are in their prime right now and are a tasty treat eaten both raw and cooked. Add them to egg dishes, stir-fry, soups, stews and chowders, salads, and slaws. You can also roast them and use them to make a tasty roasted pepper sauce for pasta or chicken.

Mini Sweet Peppers: There is a half-pound portion of these sweet mini bell peppers in this week’s box. These are the perfect grab-n-go snack as they need no prep! They are also great for roasting and stuffing with fillings of your choice.

Tomatoes: The tomatoes in our second planting are almost finished for the year, except for the Roma tomatoes that are still ripening! Now is the time to savor the final BLTs of the season, make a few more batches of fresh salsa and savor the last few weeks of fresh tomatoes. We’ll continue to pick Roma tomatoes as long as we can but know that the end is in sight.

Salad Mix: Fall is our preferred time of the year to grow these delicate salad greens. This mix is a flavorful blend of spicy Asian greens mixed with several different varieties of lettuce. The key to longer shelf life is to keep the bag refrigerated.

Baby Spinach: Our fall spinach will be limited this year. Enjoy this week’s spinach as the base to a fresh salad or wilt it into soup or pasta.

Purple, Yellow and/or White Cauliflower or Broccoli Romanesco: We are in the peak of fall cauliflower right now! Enjoy cauliflower raw or cooked, add it to mashed potatoes, use it to make cauliflower “rice,” or even incorporate it into baked goods!

Green Romaine Lettuce: These heads of crispy romaine made it just in time to make one more Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato sandwich! Of course, you might choose to use it to make a traditional Caesar salad as well. Wash leaves well and pat dry before using.

Broccoli: This week has been a HUGE broccoli harvest week! By the end of this week, we will likely have harvested over 2,500 pounds of broccoli! Check out this week’s featured recipes for a few ideas for putting this item to use.

Leeks: This is our final week of leeks. If you haven’t made the traditional Potato Leek soup yet, now is your chance!

Orange Carrots: We’re moving into soup and stew season, and this is the perfect vegetable to include in any soup base. You can also make it the star of the show and make carrot soup. Suggestions below!

Russet Potatoes: This year we tried a new variety of russet potatoes, which have proven to have strong yields and great flavor! Russet potatoes are a dry, starchy potato. They are a great option for making mashed potatoes, deep fried French fries, or a simple baked potato. Of course, they would also make a tasty potato leek soup!

Recipe Suggestions & Inspiration For This Week’s Box Contents

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Make-Ahead Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Cider Braised Short Ribs with Caramelized Onions

Caramelized Onion & Broccoli Quiche

Creamy Roasted Pepper Pasta

Sweet Pepper Stir-Fry with Basil & Tofu

Taco Stuffed Mini Peppers

Hummus Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers

Mixed Green Salad with Goat Cheese, Maple Glazed Pecans and Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

Spinach Salad with Apples, Walnuts & Feta

48 Spinach Salad Recipes You’ll Love To Eat

How To Make Cauliflower Rice

Foolproof Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Cauliflower Biscuits

Mashed Cauliflower & Potatoes

Best Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

Vegan Caesar Salad with Crispy Chickpeas

Broccoli Pizza

Baked Broccoli Mac & Cheese

15 Minute Creamy Leek and Mushroom Pasta

Carrot Ginger Soup with Crispy Shallots

Hungarian Carrot Stew

Vegetable Feature: Broccoli

Broccoli is in the Brassica family, along with cauliflower and cabbage. This green vegetable often looks like a tree when you find it in the grocery store, but in the field (and in our boxes) it sports collard greens like leaves that are also edible. We grow broccoli in the spring, summer and fall, starting some of our plants out in the greenhouse, but planting the later crops directly into the soil in our fields.                                                                                                                                                  Preparation & Usage: Broccoli should be washed prior to use. It can be eaten raw, boiled, steamed, roasted, or sautéed. Recent studies show that steamed broccoli is the best way to cook it in order to retain the most nutritional value. The edible leaves have a more mild broccoli flavor than the stems and florets.  You can use these leaves similar to how you would use kale or collards, as a cooking green, in smoothies, in salads, or roasted into chips!

Storage Tips: Broccoli should be stored, unwashed, loosely wrapped in plastic or a perforated bag, and in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Health & Nutrition: While oranges are the most common thing that come to mind when looking for Vitamin C, half a cup of broccoli contains 84% of the daily recommendation for this vitamin.  It is also loaded with fiber, antioxidants, Vitamin K, iron and potassium.                                                                                                                                Additional Fun Facts: The word broccoli comes from an Italian word that means “the flowering crest of cabbage.”

Broccoli Slaw

Broccoli is a versatile vegetable that can be used in a myriad of dishes, both cooked and raw. This week we are featuring two simple recipes that you can prepare and have on the table in very little time!  The first is for a simple, creamy broccoli slaw, complemented with sweet cranberries and dressed with a creamy, slightly tangy dressing. The second recipe for Soba Noodles with Sesame Chicken & Broccoli is an application requiring short cooking of broccoli. This recipe calls for Soba noodles, but you can use any other long, thin noodle you have available. This is a quick recipe that will allow you to have a healthy dinner on the table in short order!

Photo from www.smittenkitchen.com

Yield:  8 cups of slaw

¾ to 1 pound broccoli

½ cup thinly sliced almonds, toasted

⅓ cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

½ cup buttermilk, well shaken

½ cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

½ small red onion, finely chopped

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Trim the broccoli head and cut the florets into large chunks; then cut each chunk into thin slices.  Peel the outer skin from the broccoli stem. Cut the stems into thin slices lengthwise, then cut them in the other direction to yield thin matchsticks. 
2. In a large bowl, toss the sliced broccoli with the almonds and cranberries. In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk, mayo, vinegar, sugar, and table salt until smooth. Add the dressing to the broccoli mixture, along with the onion. Stir the salad until the broccoli is evenly coated with the dressing. Seve immediately or keep covered in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.

Recipe borrowed from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman.

 

Soba Noodles with Sesame Chicken & Broccoli

Yield:  4 servings

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 1 pound

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Black Pepper, to taste

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

12 oz dried soba noodles

1 pound broccoli, stems and florets chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 scallions, chopped 

3 Tbsp soy sauce, plus more to taste

2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it. Turn on the broiler and position the rack 4 inches below the heat.  Spread the chicken pieces on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and coat with the vegetable oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle on both sides with the sesame seeds. Broil, turning the thighs once or twice to prevent the seeds from burning, until the chicken is cooked through and golden in places and the pan is almost dry, 10-15 minutes total.
2. Add the noodles to the boiling water, cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, then start tasting when the noodles are pliable but not quite ready. Add the broccoli and cook until it turns bright green, another minute or 2. Drain the noodles and the broccoli, rinse with cold running water to stop the cooking, then shake the colander and drain again.
3. Slice the chicken into narrow strips and put in a large serving bowl with any pan juices and the scallions, soy sauce and sesame oil. Toss to coat, add the noodle mixture, and toss again. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve warm or at room temperature. 

September 5, 2024 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Sweet Peppers

 

What's In The Box

Italian Garlic: Garlic and Tomatoes are a classic pairing. Check out this week’s recipe inspiration for links to a few recipes pairing these two well-suited ingredients!

Red & Yellow Onions: Yes, red, and yellow onions may be used interchangeably, but they do each have their moments where they shine. Red onions are an excellent choice to include in fresh tomato & cucumber salads during the late summer season. Yellow onions are a great selection if you are creating the flavor base for sauteed vegetables or soup.

Green and/or Italian Zucchini: We will continue harvesting zucchini as long as the plants are producing and as long as the first frost holds off! But the reality is that this crop will be coming to an end in the near future. Now is the time to make your favorite zucchini recipes before the season ends!

Orange or Red Italian Frying Peppers: These long, slender, brightly colored peppers are one of our favorite sweet pepper selections because they are not just sweet, they also have great flavor! Enjoy them raw, roasted, sautéed or grilled.

Orange Ukraine or Red Bell Peppers: Orange Ukraine peppers resemble a bell pepper except they have a pointy bottom instead of a blocky bottom. Their color is actually red orange, and they have a thicker wall, similar to bell peppers. We have been saving our own seed for the Ukraine pepper for many years and this variety is not available anywhere else!

Variety of Large Tomatoes: As always, remember to take your tomatoes out of the paper bag we have packed them in as soon as you get home. Place the tomatoes on a plate or clean towel and allow them to ripen at room temperature. If you notice any spots starting to form, it’s time to prioritize using that one. If you catch it early you can cut out the affected area and use the remainder of the tomato. Do not store tomatoes in the refrigerator unless you have cut into them. Longer storage in refrigeration will diminish their flavor.

Silver or Green Slicer Cucumbers OR Orange Carrots (not pictured): Our cucumber production is starting to decline, so this week's boxes will receive either cucumbers or orange carrots.

Sweet Corn: We are harvesting our final planting of sweet corn, and it is possible this may be our final delivery. There is a chance we may be able to pick a smaller quantity next week, but no guarantees! This week’s variety is characterized by large cobs. Cut the kernels of corn off the cob and use as you wish. Reserve the cobs and add them to soups, stews, broth, and/or stock and extract their corn flavor!

Red Seedless Watermelon: Store your watermelon in the refrigerator and eat within a few days. The varieties we grow are seedless, however you may see some immature seeds called “pips.” To get 100% use out of your watermelon, pickle the rind, or add it to a stir-fry!

Sugar Cube Melons or Variety of Miscellaneous Melons: Most boxes will contain a small, personal-sized cantaloupe called Sugar Cube. It’s round with a netted rind and the flesh is orange, sweet and fragrant. We are also picking smaller quantities of a variety of other melons including a canary melon with bright orange skin and a new variety of honeydew melon that has netted skin and a yellowish-green hue on the rind.

Sauté Mix or Baby Arugula: Your box this week will contain either Saute Mix or Baby Arugula. Our first crop of baby greens was ready before the baby lettuces, so we mixed them together with some spicy arugula to create a flavorful sauté mix. The greens in this mix are tender enough to eat as a salad, or you can lightly cook them.

Purple or Yellow Cauliflower or Broccoli Romanesco: Our fall brassicas are coming in a bit ahead of schedule, but we’ll take them as they are a great accompaniment to our late season vegetables! Cauliflower and Romanesco may be used interchangeably. All three of this week’s selections are tasty and beautiful when roasted, especially alongside roasted sweet peppers, garlic, and red onions!

Recipe Suggestions & Inspiration For This Week’s Box Contents
Grilled Mexican Street Corn Salad with Sweet Peppers
Sweet Corn and Jalapeño Enchiladas
Roasted Cauliflower with Red Peppers, Green Olives & Pine Nuts
Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Feta, Capers & Red Peppers
Mashed Purple Cauliflower
Whole Roasted Broccoli Romanesco
Garlic Fried Tomatoes
Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes
Zucchini Lasagna
Raw Vegan Lasagne with Zucchini
25 Fresh Tomato Recipes Your Whole Family Will Devour
50 Fresh Tomato Recipes
11 Indian Zucchini Recipes
Tomato, Goat Cheese & Caramelized Onion Tart
Mediterranean Cucumber Tomato Salad
Creamy Tomato and Cucumber Pasta Salad
Watermelon & Tomato Salad with Feta & Balsamic
Watermelon Salad with Cucumber, Feta & Mint

Vegetable Feature: Sweet Peppers

Green Bell Peppers

We grow a variety of sweet peppers to send your way throughout mid to late summer.  Peppers do not tolerate frost, so we hope to either be done picking peppers by the first frost or we cover the plants with row covers to protect them from the cold.  Depending upon when we see the first frost, we can sometimes continue picking peppers for a few weeks after the first cold spell!  

We start out our delivery season with Green Bell Peppers. While it is common to eat green peppers, you’ll find the flavor of a green pepper is more mild without a lot of sweetness.  This is because green peppers are immature.  All colored peppers start out as a green pepper.  As the fruit ripens on the plant, it makes a transition from green to its fully ripe color.  As this change occurs, natural sugars develop in the fruit making it not only sweet but also flavorful.  

Red Italian Frying Peppers

While we used to focus more on growing Red Bell Peppers, we found that we actually prefer Italian Frying Peppers.  Italian Frying Peppers are a sweet pepper that turn either red or orange in color.  They have a more elongated, slender shape that is pointy on the end and they  may be eaten raw or cooked.  

We also grow a unique variety that we call Ukraine Peppers.  Ukraine peppers are a sweet pepper that resemble a small bell pepper.  When fully ripe they are orange-red in color and have a blocky top that tapers to a point at the bottom of the pepper.  They are similar to a bell pepper, but with a pointy end and more orange-red flesh.

Orange Ukraine Peppers

Lastly, we grow Mini Sweet Peppers! As the name states, mini sweets are a small sweet pepper.  They are one of the sweetest, most flavorful peppers you’ll likely ever taste.  When ripe they turn red, yellow, or orange, depending on the plant. We actually save our own seed, which is a labor of love given there are only a few seeds per pepper!  However, it's worth our time because our strain has exceptional flavor and is acclimated to our growing region.

Preparation & Usage: Peppers are versatile in use. They can be eaten raw or cooked and pair well in dishes with other summer vegetables such as potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes and eggplant. Peppers mark the transition from late summer into early fall, and as such can dance on the line between summer and fall which means they also pair well with sweet potatoes, fall greens, and winter squash to name just a few. Peppers are often roasted to not only develop their natural sweetness, but to also give them a smoky flavor. You can roast any kind of pepper, but generally those with a thicker wall will yield better results.

Mini Sweet Peppers in the Wash Tank

Peppers are one of my favorite vegetables to preserve and use throughout the winter.  They can be frozen raw or roasted, either whole or cut down into smaller pieces, strips or diced.  When you want to use them, just pull them out of the freezer and use them as a pizza topping, put them on sandwiches, or add to soups, stews, sauces, etc.  You can also preserve peppers by dehydrating them.  For most peppers, you’ll want to cut them into strips or smaller pieces so they dehydrate faster.  Peppers with a thinner wall are best for dehydrating.

Please note, while many recipes call for “Red Bell Peppers,” any sweet pepper will generally do fine as a substitute.  You’ll need to use your best judgement as to how many of whatever sweet pepper you are using is equal to one bell pepper.  Typically I substitute two Italian frying peppers for one red bell pepper.

Storage Tips: Store peppers in a paper bag and avoid extra moisture that can cause spoiling. Keep peppers in a warmer part of our refrigerator or at room temperature.

Health & Nutrition: As a pepper ripens, the nutrient content changes as the color does.  Colored peppers can contain as much as 60% greater levels of antioxidants and other nutrients, including Vitamins C, A, E, K, B6 and folate, than the non-ripe green peppers.

Summer Panzanella (Italian Bread & Tomato Salad)

The addition of sweet peppers to this traditional Italian tomato & bread salad adds another layer of flavor and color to this tasty, rustic late summer salad. Use any sweet pepper along with your favorite fresh tomatoes!

Yield:  4-6 servings as a main dish

6 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces stale bread, torn into bite-sized pieces

½ tsp salt

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp finely minced garlic

2 to 3 cups chopped sweet peppers and/or cucumbers

3 to 4 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges or bite sized chunks

Baby greens, for serving

¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn or cut into ribbons

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bread and stir often. When the bread is crisp, 4 to 6 minutes, remove from heat.
2. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. Combine the salt, vinegars, mustard and garlic in a large bowl.  Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the remaining ¼ cup olive oil. Add the bread, vegetables, and tomatoes, gently folding them into the dressing.
3. Spread the greens on a serving plate. Pour the contents of the vegetable bowl over the greens. Top with basil and freshly ground black pepper.  Serve immediately.

Recipe sourced from Alana Chernila’s book, The Homemade Kitchen.

August 22, 2024 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Tomatoes

 

What's In The Box

Italian Garlic: Check out the link below for the Garlic-Scented Tomato Salad. This recipe is the definition of simple summer goodness and utilizes raw garlic. You may also use garlic in sauces to infuse a more subtle garlic essence, see recipe below.

Yellow Onions: This week’s onion variety is called “Calibra.” This is a sweet Spanish type of onion, which gives it a nice balance of natural sweetness and pungency. Use it raw in salads or thinly sliced on sandwiches or use them to make caramelized onions!

Green and/or Italian Zucchini: Check out this week’s recipe suggestions for preserving zucchini by turning it into pickles or relish. These condiments are a great addition to burgers, brats, and charcuterie platters!

Orange Carrots: Don’t be afraid to incorporate carrots into every meal of the day, including breakfast! Check out this week’s recipe suggestions which incorporate carrots into meatballs, salads, bread, and oatmeal!

Red Prairie or Red Thumb Fingerling or Gold Satina Potatoes: We are almost ready to dig our entire potato crop, possibly within the next week! This week your box will contain one of these selections. The Red Prairie and Gold Satina potatoes are waxy varieties best suited for roasting, boiling, or pan-frying. The Fingerling potatoes are more of a dry, starchy potato that is best when pan-fried, fried, or roasted.

Green Bell Peppers: Use this week’s bell peppers to make a salad paired with other vegetables from the box or check out the recipe below for a creative way to make a bell pepper omelet using rings of the pepper as a form in which to make the omelet!  

Sunorange or Red Grape Tomatoes: Wash in cold water, then drain in a colander or pat dry. Enjoy these sweet tomatoes roasted with salt, pepper, dried herbs, and olive oil.

Variety of Large Tomatoes: After a slow start to tomato season, the tsunami wave of tomatoes is starting to come in! What a harvest we had earlier this week with over 4,000 pounds picked on Monday and Tuesday…and that wasn’t even all of them! You have a 5-pound bag of tomatoes in your box this week. When you get them home, remove them from the paper bag and set them out on a plate(s) at room temperature so they may continue to ripen. Check on them daily, looking for the potential of any bad spots starting to form and/or noticing the changes in ripeness. Prioritize the most ripe to eat within a day or so for best flavor and highest yields.

Cucumbers, Silver and/or Green:   Cucumbers are a natural, classic pairing for tomatoes as well as other fruit in salads and salsas. Check out this week’s recipe suggestions for some cool ways to use cucumbers in this manner!

Green Beans: This is most likely our final week of harvesting green beans. Use them in an Easy Summer Vegetable Soup OR prep and freeze the vegetables for this recipe now and tuck it away in your freezer and make the soup during the winter when you are tired of eating storage root vegetables and sweet potatoes!

Amaranth Greens: This week’s cooking green is the beautiful Amaranth! This green thrives in the heat of summer and is dense with nutrients! If you don’t care for it, you may leave it in the swap box at your site, however if you like spinach, chard or other mild cooked greens, I would encourage you to give it a try and get the full advantage of the nutrients into your body!

Sweet Corn: We are nearing the end of sweet corn season, but we’re not done picking yet!! This week’s harvest was very light, but we wanted to include it anyway! Cook the corn on the cob, cool it and cut the kernels off the cob. Incorporate the corn into salsas, salads, soup, or fritters! Or if you are adventurous, check out the recipe inspiration below for some ideas about how you may use sweet corn in baked goods and dessert!

Beets: You will receive one pound of either baby red, gold and/or chioggia beets or medium sized gold beets. Roasting enhances the innate sweetness of the beet, turning it into candy! One method is to peel the beets first and cut into similar sized pieces. Toss with oil, salt, pepper and seasonings of your choice, then roast until tender!

BONUS: Melons or Cauliflower or Green Savoy Cabbage

We are finally seeing more melons ripening, but not yet enough for all boxes. While we’re still very much in the midst of summer, fall vegetables are starting to come in as well! This week we are starting to harvest some of our fall cauliflower and cabbage. Your box will contain one of these bonus item as supply allows.

Recipe Suggestions & Inspiration For This Week’s Box Contents

Garlic Scented Tomato Salad

Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Green Beans Simmered with Caramelized Onions

Tomato, Pancetta & Caramelized Onion Risotto

Caramelized Zucchini Pasta

Small Batch Refrigerator Zucchini Pickles

Small Batch Zucchini Relish

Easy Indian Carrot Salad and Slaws with 5 Variations

Wholesome Carrot Cake Bread

Baked Carrot Chocolate Oatmeal

Chicken Carrot Meatballs

Cucumber & Green Pepper Salad

Bell Pepper Omelet

Easy & Fresh Mango Cucumber Salsa

Cucumber Apple Salsa

Easy Peach Cucumber Salsa

HVF Summer Farmer Skillet

Easy Summer Vegetable Soup

Spicy Amaranth with Zucchini & Black-Eyed Peas

Amaranth & Sweet Corn Stewed in Coconut Milk

Healthy Blueberry Crisp with Sweet Corn

Fresh Sweet Corn Pound Cake

Vegetable Feature: Tomatoes

Tomatoes are actually a fruit, referred to by some as a vegetable-fruit. Technicalities aside, tomatoes are a very diverse crop and are represented by a wide range of sizes from less than 1 ounce to as much as several pounds per tomato! They are also diverse in colors ranging from white to red to green. They may be either a modern hybrid or a traditional heirloom. Growing tomatoes in our valley can be a challenge, especially in wet years.  Thus, over the years we have worked to carefully select a lineup of tomato varieties that are delicious, interesting and attractive while also offering genetics with greater disease resistance and yields!  It's a challenge to find a variety that meets all of our criteria, but we are fortunate to have found some that fit the bill and do pretty well in our valley.  Here's a little glimpse of some of the categories we have.

Red Slicers:  This is one of the most common tomatoes, an old standby.  The varieties we grow have a nice balance of sweetness and acidity.  As far as texture goes, they are fleshy enough to hold up on a sandwich, yet still with enough moisture and acidity to create a pleasant eating experience.  These tomatoes are kind of an all-purpose tomato that is excellent on sandwiches, in salads, used for salsa or cooked into a sauce.

Golden Slicers:  Our golden varieties have been chosen specifically because they are good yielders, but also because they have a deep orange color, consistent sizing and a bit of sweetness.  In general they have more flavor than many gold varieties which are known to be lower in acid.  These are similar in use and texture to a red slicer tomato and add a beautiful contrast to a tomato plate.

Japanese Pink:  The Japanese certainly know how to do tomatoes.  This is another all-purpose tomato that has a nice balance of acidity and a discernible sweetness and is our top vote for “all-around” tomato.  It’s a bit softer than a red or gold slicer, yet still able to hold up nicely on a sandwich.  The reason the pink tomatoes are pink is because the skin is transparent allowing you to see the true color of the flesh.  Peel a piece off and hold it up to the light…you can see for yourself!

Heritage Heirloom Tomatoes

Heritage Heirlooms:  These varieties are improved heirlooms, offering the flavor of an heirloom but also with the characteristics of a hybrid that are important to ensure we have a crop!  These varieties have greater disease resistance and stronger yields. 

Some of our main varieties are pictured here and include a French marmande type called Marsalato.  This bright red tomato has fluted edges and a more flat appearance.  It is a beautiful tomato to eat raw, but it is also very flavorful when cooked.  We also enjoy a few varieties that have more of the "Striped German" appearance, bright gold with some red blushing.  We have three different varieties this year that fall into this category.  All three are quite beautiful and yield heavy, sizeable fruit that has red coloring through to the center.  These varieties have excellent sweet tomato flavor and are best for raw eating.  Lastly, we have a few varieties that fall into the "Purple" or "Black" tomato category.  These dark mahogany colored tomatoes usually still have some green on their shoulders even when fully ripe.  They have moist, juicy flesh that is more mild flavored.  

Red Grape Tomatoes:  This is a standard pop-in-your mouth tomato, but our main variety is one called "Valentine."  We were actually part of the grower trials to evaluate different versions of this tomato as it was being developed before it was released for sale!  We think this variety is superior for a variety of reasons.  First, it has higher lycopene levels, an important antioxidant.  This is also what contributes to its bright, red color.  This is also a noticeably more flavorful grape tomato, which is what we're looking for!

Sunorange Tomatoes: Those who know the sungold tomato appreciate it as one of the sweetest, most flavorful tomatoes on the market.  The downside of a sungold is its thin skin which makes it prone to splitting.  We grow a variety very similar to sungold named sunorange, except that it has a thicker skin.  This is a flavorful tomato that is very sweet.  It is excellent when roasted, added to pasta or used to make a sauce.

Roma Tomatoes:  Often described as a plum or paste tomato, romas are most often used for making sauce, salsa and preserving.  The reason they are used for sauce and such is because they are a fleshier tomato so you get more bang for your buck and less water.  This makes a nice sauce without spending more than a day in the kitchen.

Preparation & Usage

Tomatoes are delicious eaten both raw and cooked. Variety can be a factor in deciding which tomatoes are better eaten raw versus those whose flavor and characteristics may be enhanced with cooking. Some varieties are more “fleshy,” meaning there is more flesh and less juice. These tomatoes are often better choices for cooking down to make sauce and soup as they result in a thicker finished product. If you’re serving tomatoes raw, aesthetics may come into play as well.

Tomatoes are also a popular selection to preserve for use year round and there are a variety of ways you can preserve them.  You could do something such as tomato jam or make salsa and can it.  Of course you can also can tomato juice, diced tomatoes or make tomato sauce and can or freeze that as well.  I often don’t have a lot of time during tomato season for complicated preservation, so I tend to go the route of either freezing tomatoes whole or freezing tomato puree.  If you want to freeze tomatoes whole, simply wash them and cut out the core.  Pop them into a freezer bag and put them in the freezer.  When you thaw them, they will collapse and be juicy, but that makes them perfect for using in soups, chili, sauces, etc.  You can choose to either pull the skins off before you use them or I usually just blend them into the sauce.  For my quick method frozen sauce, I just chop up any extra tomatoes I have, skins and all, and cook them down on the stovetop in a wide pan.  Once they have cooked down, I cool them and puree them in the blender.  Pour the puree into freezer bags and lay them flat to freeze into “pillows.”  In the winter, when I have more time, I pull out the puree and turn it into spaghetti sauce, etc.

Storage Tips

The ideal storage temperature for tomatoes is about 50-55°F. If held at temperatures less than this for extended periods of time, tomatoes will suffer chill injury that affects the texture of the skin and flesh as well as robbing the tomato of its flavor. You may receive some tomatoes that are still a little on the green side. It’s best to ripen these on your kitchen counter at room temperature and eat them or preserve them as soon as they are ready. We do not recommend storing tomatoes in the refrigerator for more than a few days at most.

Cultural & Historical Background

Tomatoes may be considered a staple food in many American’s diets.  From a culinary perspective, tomatoes are used all around the world.  They are a New World (South America) crop thought to have been spread to Old World Europe by Spanish explorers.  They have since made their way all around the world and are included in the cuisine of many cultures including Mediterranean, Spanish, Italian, French, South American, Central American, Asian and American cultures.

Growing Information

Especially in a wet year, we can see disease set in early which causes the vines to die before the fruit is fully ripe.  Thus, we mostly plant more disease resistant hybrids and ‘heritage’ tomatoes which have some heirloom genetics in them, but also carry some modern hybrid characteristics which make them more attractive to our growing situation.

We use a stake-and-tie method for our tomatoes where we weave twine around the main stem and vines as the plants grow in order to keep the tomato plant upright and the fruit off the ground.  It’s a pretty labor intensive system, but it helps the foliage dry out faster and makes it easier to pick the tomatoes and keep them clean.

Additional Fun Facts 

I’m not sure anyone really knows how many varieties of tomatoes there are across the world, but I do know that one seed company, Tomato Growers, offers over 500 varieties in their catalog!

Turkish Shepard's Salad

Photo from Yasmin's book,
Ripe Figs

In the intro to this recipe, Yasmin writes:

“Variations of this crisp and refreshing salad appear across Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern kitchens, where they are an essential accompaniment to most meals. When you are cutting vegetables, the aim is to have an equal ratio of tomato to cucumber, so let that be your guide more than the quantities given below. Also, be sure to cut the tomatoes and cucumber into same-size pieces for uniformity of texture. And be generous with the lemon juice in the dressing—this is supposed to be sharp!"

And a note on sumac…. If you are not familiar with this ingredient, you may be able to source it from your local spice store (e.g. Penzey’s Spices) or in the bulk spice section at your local food co-op. Sumac is dark red in color and has a mild, slightly tangy flavor. It’s a really nice accompaniment to fruity flavors such as the tomatoes in this salad, sliced oranges, lemon, etc. If you can find it, give it a try!

Yield: 4 as a side dish

1 pound of cucumbers 4 medium tomatoes 1 green bell pepper or Italian frying pepper ¼ of a red or yellow onion Large handful of parsley leaves, finely chopped 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 3 Tbsp lemon juice, or to taste Sumac (optional) Salt and black pepper, to taste

1. Slice the cucumbers in half and use a small spoon to scoop out and discard the watery seeds. Chop the cucumbers into 1-inch chunks.
2. Quarter the tomatoes, scoop their seeds out, and slice them into pieces that are roughly the same size as the cucumbers.
3. Chop the green pepper and onion into slightly smaller pieces than the other vegetables (around ½ inch), then place all the vegetables in a large bowl.
4. Dress the salad with the chopped parsley, oil, lemon juice, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your taste; this is supposed to be sharp, so add more lemon juice if necessary, and top with a good sprinkle of sumac if you have any around.

Recipe sourced from Yasmin Khan’s book, Ripe Figs: Recipes and Stories form Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus.

July 11, 2024 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring New Potatoes

 

What's In The Box

Red Norland New Potatoes: These red-skinned, white flesh potatoes were dug this week and have thin, delicate skin. Read more in this week’s vegetable feature article about what makes “new” potatoes so special. As you prepare and eat them, notice how crispy and juicy they are when raw. Also notice how their flavor is different from stored potatoes. Gently wash them before using, but don’t scrub too hard or the skin will easily come off. Eat them within about a week and store them in the refrigerator.

Fresh Italian Garlic: This week’s garlic was harvested about a week ago. While the exterior skin is starting to dry down, it is still considered “fresh” as it is not fully cured. You’ll notice the skin surrounding the cloves is still moist and may be a little difficult to remove. The cloves inside are juicy, crisp and have a bright flavor. Store at room temperature.

Fresh White Onions: This week’s onion variety is “Sierra Blanca,” a fresh, white onion intended to be eaten fresh. If left to dry at room temperature, it will form a very thin, dry skin, but it does not have a thick skin that would help it to store for months. This is an excellent onion to use raw on sandwiches and salads…. especially when sliced thinly.

Broccoli: Store broccoli in the refrigerator loosely wrapped in a plastic bag until ready to use it. Use the florets and stem to make a simple soup, stir-fry, or salad.

Cauliflower: We just transplanted our final crop of cauliflower that we’ll harvest later this fall, just before winter sets in! In the meantime, we have a bit more of our spring-planted crop to harvest for you.

Silver Slicer and/or Green Slicer Cucumbers: Salt will draw the moisture out of cucumbers. If you don’t want your cucumber salad to get soggy, salt the cucumbers first and drain off the liquid before adding them to the salad or mixing them with the dressing.

Zucchini and/or Scallopini Squash: You can’t go wrong when using zucchini to make baked goods! Zucchini has a high moisture content which helps to make baked goods that are moist! (Note: Some boxes may receive Sweetheart Cabbage or Kohlrabi in place of this item)

Rainbow Chard: This gorgeous bunching “green” is a summer green related to beets! You may use chard in any recipe calling for beet greens, but it may also be turned into the base for a raw salad, added to soups and stews, or simply sauteed with olive oil and garlic. Use both the leaves and the colorful stems.

Green Top Orange Carrots: This week we are transitioning form our early season “Nantes” variety to one called “Bolero.” We plant this variety a bit in the spring, but also again in the fall. It is known for its strong, vigorous green tops (that are also edible) and sweet, delicious carrots that are crispy and firm!

Green & Yellow Beans: Beans are a low calorie, high fiber food. While they may be eaten raw, they are more delectable if blanched or lightly cooked.

 

Recipe Suggestions & Inspiration For This Week’s Box Contents

Kung Pao Potatoes

Potato, Cauliflower & Green Bean Curry

Bacon, Potato & Swiss Chard Scramble

Chicken & Broccoli Pasta

Swiss Chard & Almond Pasta

20 Swiss Chard Recipes That Highlight the Versatility of This Green

Summer Minestrone

Summer Farmer Skillet

Cucumber Salad Sandwich

Garlic Smashed Cucumber Salad

Zucchini & Green Bean Sauté with Feta

Lemony Zucchini Muffins

Carrot Bread

Carrot Green Smoothie

Curried Cauliflower & Chickpea Soup

Vegetable Feature: New Potatoes

Even though we’ve featured potatoes in past newsletters over the years, we continue to draw attention to “New Potatoes” every year because we don’t want you to miss out on how special they truly are!  There is a short period of time early in the summer when we first start harvesting our potato crop that we have the opportunity to eat “New Potatoes.”  New potatoes are not a variety or a color of a potato, but rather a term used to describe potatoes that are harvested off of a plant that still has green leaves on it.  Our usual practice is to mow down the potato vines about a week in advance of harvest.  In the week between mowing down the vines and actually harvesting the potatoes, changes take place in the plant that help to set the skins and make them easier to handle without damaging the skin.  It also gives them a more durable skin to protect the flesh and make them better for storage.  These potatoes were dug just this week from plants with green vines.  Freshly dug new potatoes have a flavor and texture unlike other potatoes throughout the season.  If you want to truly know what a potato tastes like, eat a new potato!  New potatoes have a fresh, pure potato flavor and their skin is tender and delicate.  When you cut them you’ll notice they are very crispy and sometimes a little brittle because they have retained all their juiciness!  Once cooked, the flesh is moist, creamy and smooth with a distinctive flavor that’s hard to describe.  Trust me, when you taste it you’ll know what I mean!  

The new potatoes in your box this week are a variety called Red Norland.  They are an early red-skinned potato with creamy white flesh.  They need to be handled with care so as not to disturb the skin and expose the flesh.  We’ve given them the “white glove treatment” through the harvest and washing processes to preserve the integrity of their skins as much as possible, but we encourage you to handle them with care as well.  Wash them just before use and  give them just a gentle scrub if needed. There is no need to peel them as the skins are so thin and really delicious, so my recommendation is to just skip that step.

I encourage you to slow down and really savor the flavor of these new potatoes as these first few weeks will be the only time during the season you’ll be able to have this taste experience of freshly dug potatoes.  You really don’t need to do much to them and, in fact, I’d encourage you to do as little as possible!  Honestly, most often I simply boil or roast them with fresh garlic and top them off with butter, salt, pepper and sometimes fresh herbs.   

 

In general, potatoes should be stored in a cool, dark place, but not in the refrigerator.  We store our potatoes in a warmer cooler at about 48-50°F which is most ideal.  Unfortunately, most home settings do not have the luxury of having multiple refrigerators along with the option to run them at different temperatures.  Thus, for potatoes intended for long term storage we generally recommend to store them in a cool, dry location outside of the refrigerator where they will not be exposed to light which can cause the potatoes to turn green and bitter.  If the potatoes have set their skins, in general they will store for a few weeks at room temperature in a brown paper bag (never in a plastic bag).  However, because new potatoes are so fresh and we have not allowed them to set their skins, they will not store as well and are best eaten within one week.  Additionally, this is probably the one time that we will recommend that you put your potatoes in the refrigerator!

Parmentier Potatoes

Photo from www.greedygourmet.com

This French potato dish was named after Antoine Augustin Parmentier. Parmentier was a pharmacist turned potato advocate after he experienced the nutritional benefits potatoes offered him when he was a prisoner in Germany during the Seven Years War. He survived on a diet of potatoes; thus, it is understandable that he would become a passionate advocate for them!  At the time, potatoes were not revered in France and were seen as a cheap vegetable. Parmentier worked hard to popularize potatoes throughout France and eventually they became an integral part of French cuisine!

The cooking method here is a two-step process of blanching first, then roasting. This is another simple recipe that really highlights the flavors of a few ingredients. 

2 pounds potatoes, left whole if small or cut into 2-inch pieces

3 Tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil

4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Salt and Black Pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 
2. Parboil the potatoes in a large pot of salted water over a high heat for 5 minutes. Do not overcook! They should still have a slight crunch to them.
3. Once the potatoes are parboiled, drain them in a colander and let them rest for a few minutes to dry. Alternatively, pat them dry with a clean towel.
4. While you are parboiling the potatoes, put the oil in a large roasting pan and place it in the oven. You want the oil to be hot but watch it carefully as you do not want it to get so hot it starts to smoke.
5. When the potatoes are parboiled and dried, carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and gently place the potatoes in a single layer.
6. Turn them around a bit for all surfaces to get covered in oil.
7. Return the pan to the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Then, stir in the garlic and fresh herbs.
8. Roast for an additional 15 minutes or until the potatoes are golden and crispy.
9. Season to taste and serve immediately!

Recipe adapted slightly from Michelle Minnaar’s recipe at greedygourmet.com.