Monthly Archive: August 2024
Hi Folks, We were spared by the remnants of Hurricane Debby last week. Another two inches of rain fell but the worst of the winds seemed to have passed to our north. The plastic was ripped off one of our small greenhouses, but no other damage was sustained.
This week’s share will be much like the last – we are continuing to send ground cherries to those who have not yet received them. Beans are back for everyone, and we have some nice lettuce. Those who received melons last time will get corn this time around and vice versa. We are holding off on the peppers to allow them to start ripening to red, yellow, and orange. After eight weeks straight of summer squash, we will give it a rest this time. (more…)
The tomato, like the eggplant, is a member of the Solanaceae, or Nightshade family. Tomatoes are native to western South America, but were cultivated in Mexico by Mexican Indians, who were intrigued by its resemblance to the tomatillo – a staple in their cuisine. With the discovery of the New World, tomato seeds were brought back to Spain, beginning the introduction of the fruit into Europe. Tomatoes made their way to North America with the colonists who first settled in Virginia. (more…)
This recipe hails from Illinois Farmer John’s cookbook, The Real Dirt on Vegetables. If you do not have whole cloves, you can use a pinch of ground clove instead. The recipe yields 4-6 servings. (more…)
These Southern-style green beans, found on the Spicy Southern Kitchen food blog, are flavored with lots of bacon, and cooked long and slow until they’re melt-in-your-mouth tender. You’ll want to cook them for at least an hour, preferably closer to 2 hours, to get them really soft, but not mushy. Just before serving, you can mix in a Tablespoon or so of butter to give the green beans a buttery coating. Serves 6. (more…)
Here’s a great gluten free chocolate cake recipe made with eggplant! From “Red Velvet Chocolate Heartache” by Harry Eastwood, and also written up on the Peaches and Donuts food blog. It’s rich, moist, dense, and delicious! (more…)
Hello Folks! So, we have quickly gone from not enough rain to way too much. We received nearly two inches in the past 4 days, and the worst part is that it has come with powerful storms and damaging winds. One of our greenhouses was severely damaged and two exceptionally large and many smaller trees have fallen on our fences. Additionally, the trellising for our tomatoes and cucumbers has been damaged, as has the netting we suspended over the watermelons to keep the crows from destroying the crop. The saturated ground makes it impossible to seed fall crops and difficult to dig the potato crop. But we do what we must- we have already partially repaired the greenhouse and are working on clearing the trees and mending the fences. (more…)
Ground cherries (aka goldenberries, husk tomatoes, or cape gooseberries) are one of the fun, unique items that you learn about when you join our CSA. These small fruit are in the tomato family and have a paper wrapper similar to a tomatillo. They are very sweet and have an interesting flavor, nutty and a bit of pineapple. (more…)
Ground cherries are one of our CSA’s favorite summer treats – you won’t find them in grocery stores! Their natural sweetness can be used to make a delicious and unique salsa, like this recipe found on A Farm Girl’s Dabbles food blog.
(more…)
Here is a deeply flavored salad that can be prepared entirely outdoors, keeping the heat out of the kitchen. This eggplant salad recipe comes from Melissa Clark of the New York Times. It is fairly simple, tastes delicious, and impresses guests. Yields about 1½ cups. (more…)
Every ingredient has been chosen to amplify texture while also adding bold flavors. Included are green apple, roasted peanuts, and cabbage, but go ahead and add any ingredient with crunch. Recipe found on Delish.com. Serves 5-6. (more…)
