The Weekly Share

It was a gorgeous day to work on the farm on Tuesday.  Lots of sun, but not hot, a little breeze, not so many bugs…  We did a lot of harvesting.  Here’s what we brought home:

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• .25 oz. arugula
• 1 zucchini/squash
• 5 beets
• 8 oz. carrots or (? another item I can’t remember)
• 3 onions
• 1 garlic
• 5 sprigs basil
• .15 oz. salad mix
• 3 radishes
• 1 hot pepper
• 1 jalepeno pepper
• 1 spaghetti squash, pie pumpkin, or acorn squash
• 1 handful cilantro
• 8 oz. beans
• 1 sweet pepper
• 1.5 lbs. potatoes
• 1 head lettuce
• I took 3 tomatoes from the “help yourself” pile

I will use the carrots, salad mix, head of lettuce, sweet pepper, radishes, and tomatoes for snacking and salads.  I will make sesame green beans with a dinner later this week.  I will probably make french fries out of the potatoes.  I will saute the arugula and zucchini with garlic.  I have never made spaghetti squash before, but there are lots of recipes out there, so that will be a side dish sometime this week.  I have lots of beets (leftovers plus from our garden) so I would like to try pickled beets.  I think that leaves hot peppers and herbs.  Don’t know what I’ll do with those yet – maybe freeze them.

I spent my day at the farm harvesting basil, beets, arugula and beans.  I washed lots of arugula and lettuce heads.  And I chatted with my co-workers about everything from recipes to raising kids to wilderness survival!  The time goes quickly when you are surrounded by good people and good conversation.  Thanks to Jon, Beth,  Christine, Dawn, Emily, Fern, Francie, John, Lisa, Victoria and Vince for helping my day pass quickly and happily!  Here are a few pictures from my day at the farm…

Goldfinch Farm Entrance

Christine and Fern harvesting beans

Share Pick Up at the Farm

I spent Tuesday morning working at Goldfinch Farm as part of our working share.  I forgot to bring my camera, so I don’t have any pictures of the farm, but here is a lovely picture of our huge autumnal share.  As you can see, it’s another large share.  We received:

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• 1 small handful cilantro
• 6 sprigs of basil
• 1 cabbage
• 1 box tomatoes
• 1 head garlic
• 3 onions
• 1 squash/zucchini
• 1 cucumber
• 5 daicon radishes
• 1 lb. beans
• 1 handful watercress (from the farm pond!)
• 1/2 pint raspberries
• 1 jalepeno pepper
• 1 hot pepper
• .2 lb. arugala
• 2 eggplant
• 1.5 lb. potatoes
• 1 lb. sweet potatoes
• 1 head lettuce
• 1 sweet pepper
• I took a green pepper and a yellow tomato from the “extras-help yourself” pile, too

I helped harvest the basil, arugala, raspberries and beans.  SO MANY BEANS!    We also harvested lots of beans at home this week – I’ve got too many beans!  John, a farm worker, said he makes pickled beans.  I found this recipe, so I’m going to give that a try.  I used some of the potatoes tonight in a corn chowder, mmm-mmm!  I used some of the watercress on sandwiches today – what a great alternative to lettuce!  We will eat the sweet peppers, cucumber and raspberries fresh as snacks.  Probably in salads, too, with the lettuce, arugala, onions, radishes and tomatoes.  I may steam some of the radishes (we have some from our garden, too).  I understand they become sweet when cooked that way.  I’m thinking mashed sweet potatoes will be a nice change this week.  For the cabbage…I didn’t make this recipe when we received cabbage before, so I think this is the week to try it!  Maybe I’ll make zucchini bread this weekend.  Yum – now I’m getting hungry!

I work at the farm again next Tuesday and I WILL remember to take my camera!  It is a great experience to know where this delicious food comes from and how it gets to our shares.  If you have a chance to work on the farm, do yourself a favor and go!  The setting is beautiful, the work is gratifying and the people are delightful !

OK, so it’s only the 2nd day of autumn, but one look at our share this week will tell you that the autumn crops are here in abundance!  Here’s what we got:

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6 sprigs basil

2 lbs. potatoes

1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes

3 beets

14 oz. green beans

1 box tomatoes (3)

1 small handful cilantro

1 acorn (or spaghetti) squash

2 onions’2 jalepeno peppers

2 hot peppers

2 eggplant

1 cucumber

1 squash

1 sweet pepper

3 stalks edamame

If our shares get any bigger – I’m gonna need a new table!  So what’s the plan for all of this good food?  Salsa, using tomatoes, cilantro, hot peppers, and onions.  French fries or mashed potatoes out of the potatoes.  Baked sweet potatoes.   Sesame green beans.  A saute using the the zucchini and eggplant.  Acorn squash with apples as a DESSERT?!  Fresh cucumber and green pepper slices for snacking.  Baked or boiled beets.  Steamed edamame.  Mmmmm, I’m getting hungry!

The fall crops are starting to come in.  You will see a big difference between these two share pick-ups!  Last week’s share, #14, contained:

Share 14

1 lb. potatoes

5 Swiss chard

1 box tomatoes

8 sprigs basil (I think)

2 eggplant

10 oz. beans

1 jalepeno pepper

1 hot pepper

2 onions

1 garlic

2 sweet peppers

1 handful parsley

1 cabbage

1 cucumber

1 zucchini

It’s still a lot of produce, but wait until you see this week’s share (#15):

Share 15

3 edamame stalks

1 lb. potatoes

2 sweet peppers

1 garlic

1 jalepeno pepper

2 hot peppers

1 tomatillo

2 onions

1 squash

1 handful parsley

8 oz. beans

1 box raspberries

1 bunch broccoli

8 sprigs basil

2 leeks

1 lb. sweet potatoes

(up to) 10 okra

Whew!  Look at all of that food!  Now, what should I do with it?  I have a pile of potatoes in the basement.  And onions and garlic on the kitchen counter.  And bags full of beans in the fridge!  The potatoes, onions, and garlic will keep – and I use some of them each week.  Most of the beans will probably be blanched and frozen.  I have hot peppers to freeze, as well.  I will blanche, puree and freeze the last of the tomatoes, too.  We always eat the cucumbers and sweet peppers raw, as snacks and with meals.  I used the Swiss chard in place of spinach in a recipe last week.  I made a squash saute last night, using the zucchini and eggplant from last week, the Swiss chard stems (also from last week), a red onion, and  some garlic.  Mmmm-Mmmm!  I used the parsley and some share potatoes for parsley-buttered potatoes last week.  I steamed the edamame tonight and popped the seeds out of the pods.  I added some to our salads.  Yummy!

I made my own coleslaw using the cabbage and a carrot.  It turned out OK.  I used the same sauce I use on store-bought coleslaw mix, but it didn’t have as much flavor.  Anybody know why?

I plan to steam the broccoli and the beans with dinners this week.  I will fry up the okra in butter, just to see how it tastes.  I think I’ll make the summer chowder again – the weather is starting to turn and I love soup on blustery days!  I am looking forward to all of the root vegetables that will soon appear in our share!  Mmmm – comfort food!

Our share seemed smaller this week than it has been recently.  I believe this is due to the ending of summer crops while the fall crops are not quite ready.  We have been assured that the fall crops are doing well and will be showing up in our shares in the near future.  This week we received:

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• 7 sprigs basil
• 2 lbs. tomatoes
• 1 head garlic
• 1 squash
• 2lbs. potatoes
• 1 handful parsley
• 1 box raspberries
• 6 oz. green beans
• 1 red onion
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 bunch celery
• 2 sweet peppers
• 2 jalepeno peppers
• 2 hot peppers

I used the parsley Tuesday night in spaghetti with clam sauce (YUM!).  We have eaten the raspberries right out of the box (YUM YUM!).  The sweet peppers have been cut up for snacking and lunch boxes.  The basil is drying.  If I can find just a little bit of space in my freezer, I will freeze some of the jalepeno and hot peppers.  I still have some left from previous weeks and I either need to use them or freeze them.  I’d like to blanch and freeze some tomatoes, too, but I have absolutely no room in my freezer!  Maybe I’ll rearrange my basement this weekend and buy a chest freezer…  I do not currently have a plan for the squash, potatoes, onions, celery and green beans.  I’ll let you know what I end up doing!  Have a great weekend!

All of the grocery stores are offering sales on in-season produce.  I was curious as to whether or not our share was still a “good deal” since the store produce seemed inexpensive (not cheap by any means!).  So while I was at the grocery store last week, I jotted down the cost of the comparable produce from our share.  Here’s what I came up with:

• PRODUCE                      STORE PRICE          SHARE COST
• Tomatoes                             $1.49/lb                $5.22
• Eggplant – the store didn’t have any
• Squash/Zucchini                 $1.29/lb                $0.65
• Cilantro                                  $1.49/3(?) oz       $0.25
• 2 Cucumbers                       $0.98/2                 $0.98
• Lettuce                                   $2.99                    $2.99
• Raspberries                         $3.99                     $3.99
• Cherry Tomatoes                $2.00/pint             $1.00
• Potatoes                                $2.29/lb               $4.59
• Spring Onions                      $2.00/12              $1.00
• Basil                                       $2.99/ 2 oz           $2.99
• Garlic                                      $2.49/lb                $0.57
• Colored Sweet Peppers    $3.99/lb                $2.51
• Hot Peppers                         $2.99/6                 $1.00
• Tomatillo – the store didn’t have any

So our total produce savings for Share #12 is $27.74 plus the undetermined cost of the eggplant and the tomatillo.  That adds up to over $100 a month in fresh produce!  Our share will pay for itself in 15 weeks, giving us 5 weeks of essentially “FREE” produce!  AND that produce is sooooo much better than what we can buy in the store!  PLUS I’ve been freezing some of it so we will have it for months to come!  Now that’s a not a “good deal”…it’s a GREAT deal!

Fresh Tomato Salsa

Here is a great recipe for salsa made with lots of yummy stuff from your garden or share.  It is easily adaptable to your own tastes.

Fresh Tomato Salsa

• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion (red onion is really pretty in this recipe!)
• 5 serrano chiles, finely chopped – or as many as you’d like (I use 1-2 with the seeds removed)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• additional ingredients can include fresh garlic, garlic scapes, and tomatillos

In a medium bowl, stir together fresh vegetables, cilantro, salt, and lime juice. Chill for one hour in the refrigerator before serving.

For this batch of salsa, I used 3 different colors of tomato (red, orange and purple), plus a sweet onion (store bought ), a tomatillo, 2 cloves of pressed garlic, 1 jalapeno pepper, 1 purple (jalapeno?) pepper, 1 oz. of cilantro and 2 tsp. of lime juice.  I removed the seeds from the hot peppers to reduce the heat.  I am a “mild” salsa person, but I like the flavor of the hot peppers.  All of the ingredients, except the onion and the lime juice, are from our share.

This recipe is SO easy, but it creates an explosion of flavor with every bite.  People will ask you for this recipe.  I make it for summertime pot lucks and it is always a hit.

We picked up another big share this week.  Here’s what we got:

Share #12

3 1/2 lbs. tomatoes

1 eggplant

1 squash/zucchini

1/2 oz. cilantro

2 cucumbers

1 head lettuce

1 box raspberries

1 box cherry tomatoes

2 lbs. potatoes (I took 1 lb. purple and 1 lb. gold)

1 bunch spring onions

7 sprigs basil

1 garlic bulb

2 sweet peppers

2 hot peppers

1 tomatillo

We’ve already eaten the raspberries – YUM!  I’m making tacos tonight.  I will use some of the spring onions, some tomatoes and some lettuce as toppings.  I will also use up the fresh salsa I made last week.  We are having Pittsburgh Steak Salads this weekend (a nice garden salad topped with steak, french fries and cheese!) and that will use the lettuce, cherry tomatoes, spring onions, the tomatillo, some cucumber and some sweet pepper.  I’ll do a saute using the squash, eggplant and some garlic this weekend, too.  I think the hot peppers will get frozen since I still have a bunch left over from the last couple weeks.  I will also blanch and freeze some of the tomatoes.  Our garden tomatoes are coming in strong now and I just can’t keep up!  I will probably make some more salsa, too.  I will either dry or freeze the basil.  I still have potatoes left over, so I’m not sure what to do with those…  I think that covers it.  Look for an article on salsa and one on the grocery store price comparison this weekend.

We are getting LOTS of tomatoes from share each week, plus our garden plants are starting to produce.  We’ve harvested a few ripe tomatoes in the last week, and there are lots and lots of green tomatoes, just waiting to all turn red at the same time!  Here is a great basic recipe for fresh tomato sauce.  It is easily adaptable to the ingredients you have on hand, and – VERY IMPORTANT – it freezes well!

Here is the recipe:

• 10 ripe tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped (I used a yellow pepper because I didn’t have  green)
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning (I didn’t use this, but I did add parsley, onion powder and Old Bay – my secret ingredient to everything!)
• 1/4 cup Burgundy wine (I didn’t add this, either!)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste (I did not add this as I wanted to use all fresh vegetables)

I tripled the recipe to use all of my tomatoes and I also added 1 zucchini (shredded), and 1 yellow squash (shredded).  I like that this recipe does not call for 40 lbs. of tomatoes like some canning recipes I have seen!

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Have ready a large bowl of iced water. Plunge whole tomatoes in boiling water until skin starts to peel, 1 minute. Remove with slotted spoon and place in ice bath. Let rest until cool enough to handle, then remove peel and squeeze out seeds. Chop 8 tomatoes and puree in blender or food processor. Chop remaining two tomatoes and set aside.
2. In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook onion, bell pepper, carrot and garlic in oil and butter until onion starts to soften, 5 minutes. Pour in pureed tomatoes. Stir in chopped tomato, basil, Italian seasoning and wine. Place bay leaf and whole celery stalks in pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 2 hours. Stir in tomato paste and simmer an additional 2 hours. Discard bay leaf and celery and serve.

I blanched the tomatoes and pureed them last week, then froze them until I was ready to make the sauce.  After 2 hours of simmering it, I did NOT add the paste, but instead just took the cover off and simmered it for 3 more hours to reduce it.  It is still a little thinner than I like it, but I think I can thicken it up as I use it.  I used it for a baked rotini recipe last night and it was delicious and just the right consistency.

homemade tomato sauce

Mine sauce looks more orange than red because I used a yellow pepper instead of green and some of the tomatoes I used were yellow.  I think the zucchini and yellow squash washed out the color, too.  BUT the important thing is that I used what I had and it tasted good!  Which is good because I have SOOOOO much of it!

2 pick-ups have passed since the last post, with a vacation in between!  Here’s what we got and what we’ve done with it:

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Share #10

1 box cherry tomatoes

1 oz. cilantro

1 1/2 lbs. potatoes

1 head garlic

2 hot peppers

2 sweet peppers

2 cucumbers

1 box raspberries

4 oz. green beans

10 sprigs basil

2 zucchini

1 yellow squash

1 tomatillo

1 bunch green onions

4 lbs. tomatoes

1-2 eggplant (NOT taken)

I picked this up on Tuesday, then we left for vacation on Friday.  We ate the raspberries.  I cut up the peppers and we ate some of those.  I dried the basil.  I pureed and froze the tomatoes (along with 4 lbs from week 9), and I made cilantro ice cubes, but otherwise, the rest waited until we got back from vacation on Tuesday…just in time to pick up…

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Share #11

5 lbs. tomatoes

up to 20 sprigs of basil (I took 6)

1 melon

1 oz. cilantro

6 oz. green beans

2 tomatillos

2 sweet peppers

2 cucumbers

2 jalepeno peppers

2 hot peppers

1 head lettuce

1 head garlic

1 summer squash

1 box cherry tomatoes

I will blanch and freeze most of the green beans, along with a huge haul from our garden.  I plan to make some fresh salsa, too, since I have so many tomatoes and hot peppers.  I made pickles with 5 lbs. of cucumbers from our garden, plus a few from the share.  I have made 9 quarts of pickles so far.  We opened a jar already, even though they are supposed to sit for 8 weeks (1st batch until September 22nd!).  They were very good!

Last night I cooked up a triple batch of tomato sauce, using the frozen, pureed tomatoes from last week and a few fresh tomatoes from this week.  As per something I had seen on the internet, I shredded a zucchini and a yellow squash and added that to the onion, garlic and carrot mixture.  I have to say that my end product does taste a little “squashy,” so maybe I added too much.  What I have is a base sauce that I can add to/adapt for whatever the recipe calls for.  I am making a sausage rigatoni bake tonight.  I will use my sauce and let you know how it turns out.  Look for a post on the tomato sauce recipe tomorrow.