This Week's Share: Tomatoes & More. Plus Eggplant Recipe Ideas!

(This image via CSA member Krossbow on flickr)

 

Just in the nick of time, Sunday's New York Times magazine had an excellent feature about how to cook eggplant. The ideas are for the grill, but many of them can be adapted for indoor cooking. We used the guide last night to grill some eggplant over indirect heat for 30 minutes, then topped it with mint, feta and olive oil. Delicious! I highly recommend that you check out their 12 Recipes for Eggplant for inspiration. And as always, you can check out our recipe archive for more ideas. 

And with that, here's what you'll find in Week 12 of the CSA:

• 1 head garlic
• 7 pounds total combination potatoes + eggplant + melons (disclaimer: not very swet) + corn (disclaimer: some caterpillers!)
• 1 pound total combined tomatoes + sweet peppers + chile peppers + shallots

On U-Pick this week:

If you want to come and u-pick, you can find a map of the fields and locations at the Wash Station when you arrive at the farm, denoting where to find the fields listed below. Here's what's on offer this week. 

• Green and some nearly ripe tomatoes are still on offer. Pick in moderation (no more than four per person/share, per week)
• New: Ground cherries
• New: Tomatillos
• New: Chiles
• New: Celery
• Okra
• Beans
• Herbs: Basil (in the high tunnel). Plus Oregano, sorrel, parsley, onion chives, coriander, thyme, lemon balm, sage, garlic chives, dill seed. 
• As always, any flowers are always fair game.  

A preview of what's to come:

Do the rain dance! We expect more varities of tomatoes in larger quantities. This is probably the last week for shallots and melons. Next week we should have more watermelons. 

In the meantime, do you have questions? Other ideas for eggplant that you want to share? Comments? 

Leave them here on the blog! 

-- Clay 

 

This Week's Share: Potatoes, Eggplant, Chard and More

(This image via CSA member Krossbow on flickr)

 

Happy Tuesday!

Earlier today we published a new blog post about recipe ideas for chard and zucchini. There's no zucchini in this week's share, but we're sure to see some more very soon. If you need inspiration, check out that post! 

And with that, here's what you'll find in Week 11 of the CSA:

• 1 head garlic
• 4 pounds total combination potatoes + eggplant (some cantaloupe will also be available in this category, though they're of questionable quality -- it may not be sweet -- take at your own risk!)
• 3/4 pound total combination onions + peppers + Swiss chard
• 1/2 pound total combination chiles + beans + tomatoes

On U-Pick this week:

If you want to come and u-pick, you can find a map of the fields and locations at the Wash Station when you arrive at the farm, denoting where to find the fields listed below. Here's what's on offer this week. 

• Kale from the D field (quality is not great)
• Swiss chard is also on u-pick. 
• Green tomatoes are on offer. Pick in moderation (no more than four per person/share, per week). 
• Herbs: Basil. Plus Oregano, sorrel, parsley, onion chives, coriander, thyme, lemon balm, sage, garlic chives, dill seed. 
• Any flowers are always fair game.  

A preview of what's to come:

We'll continue to see more tomatoes come into the share, slowly but surely, over the next few weeks. Also look for more eggplant and peppers, some squash, potatoes and garlic. Okra will be coming soon, as well. 

In the meantime, do you have questions? Comments? 

Leave them here on the blog! 

-- Clay 

 

Recipe Ideas: Swiss Chard and Zucchini

In advance of today's share, I wanted to post a few recipe ideas that will use ingredients you'll receive later today (at least I think you will as of this a.m.). These were all submitted by fellow CSA members -- if you have other recipe recommendations, email them to me or post them here on the blog, and I'll include them in a future recipe round-up!

And don't forget that our blog has a great archive of recipes recommended from previous years. Check out the categories on the left-hand side of the page to see the recipes broken down by vegetables. 

-- Clay 

 

 

 

 

9 Healthy Recipe Ideas for Zucchini (including vegan ideas)

Over on our Facebook page, CSA member Fred shared this great link for Healthy Zucchini Recipes That Taste Like Guilty Pleasures. There are 9 great ideas there -- check them out! 

 

Tomato Chard and Gruyere Casserole 

Also on Facebook, Amanda shared this recipe for Tomato, Chard and Gruyere Casserole, from Food & Wine magazine (pictured above, courtesy of Food & Wine). 

 

A Dish That Uses Chard and Potatoes

And Lea submitted this recipe for Blitva, a dish found all over former Yugoslavia. She says it's the most likely side dish you'll see in Bosnia or Croatia and is equally delicious next to fish, meat or on it's own. It happens to use Chard and Potatoes, both in this week's CSA. Here's the recipe!

BLITVA

Ingredients:

• Swiss Chard (or any other green leafy vegetable - I used the full amount from last week's share)
• Potatoes (I used 4-5 from the CSA share last week)
• Garlic 1-3 cloves but to taste
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 small white onion
• parsley

1. Begin by preparing the chard by removing the stalks, and any leaves that are damaged. Rinse well. Separate the stalks and chop into 1-2 inch pieces, keep in a different bowl.  Slice the leaves thinly.

2. Often you peel the potatoes, but I love the skins so I just cut them into pieces. Put the potatoes into water with about 1 Tablespoon of kosher salt - this is important, and boil/simmer for about 15 mins until the taters are soft but not falling apart.

3. When the potatoes are starting to become soft, add the chard stems for about 3 mins, then throw in the chard leaves and cook until both the potatoes and the chard are soft.

4. Meanwhile, mince the garlic, parsley and thinly sliced onion (this is optional - I used one of the small white onions from the CSA because it looked too yummy to not be thrown in - it's not usually found in this dish however.

5. When the chard is done, strain the water.

6. Heat some olive oil in a pan and add garlic to it. I find that garlic can brown very easily so I usually add the oil and garlic at the same time to a cold pan, then let them heat up together - sacrilegious but I never burn garlic now.  Fry for a minute or two, add half the parsley, then add the chard and the potatoes.

7. Continue frying the vegetables until the water has evaporated and the flavour of garlic and olive oil has permeated the chard and potatoes. Some of the taters will break apart and give the dish a creamy texture - this is fine - it's served both ways in Bosnia/Dalmatian Coast - as a distinct two vegetable dish or as a creamy mixture much like Colcannon.  

It's hard to mess this one up  - it actually tastes a bit better if the potatoes and chard are left in the simmering water a bit too long.  I keep the water from the boil pot and use it in soups to save all the nutrients.  

 

 

 

This Week's Share: Eggplant + Squash!

This photo is from CSA member Jenn who snapped a photo of some flowers she picked at the farm.

Happy Tuesday!

If you missed it yesterday, we announced two upcoming canning workshops for this year's CSA members. Get all the details in this blog post. Space is limited - if you're interested, sign up now!

 

And now, here's what you'll find in Week 10 of the CSA:

• 1 head garlic
• 2 1/4 pounds potatoes
• 1 1/2 pounds combination of eggplant + squash
• 1 pound combination of peppers + carrots

On U-Pick this week:

If you want to come and u-pick, you can find a map of the fields and locations at the Wash Station when you arrive at the farm, denoting where to find the fields listed below. Here's what's on offer this week. 

• Kale and collards from the D field (they're abundant, but bitter)
• Swiss chard is also on u-pick. 
• New: Green tomatoes are on offer. Pick in moderation (no more than four per person). 
• Herbs: Basil. Plus Oregano, onion chives, garlic chives, sage, sorrel, thyme, lemon balm, lavender. And there's now a fair amount of cilantro available! And there's dill now, as well.
• Any flowers are always fair game.  

A preview of what's to come:

This is the end of our carrots. Next week, we'll have more eggplants and peppers, plus some tomatoes, we hope. A little bit of squash but no cucumbers. Potatoes and garlic. Okra will also make its first appearance, and we think chiles will, too. Onions will also be back. 

In the meantime, do you have questions? Comments? 

Leave them here on the blog! 

-- Clay 

 

 

Canning Workshops: Sign Up Now!

(This photo from CSA Member Krossbow on Flickr) 

 

For the past three years one of our CSA Members, Susan Sanders, has generously offered to lead a canning workshop for other CSA members. The classes take place in her home kitchen in the Dupont Circle area and serve as a great primer on the basics of canning tomatoes, jams, relishes and other high acid foods. The workshop is great for demystifying the canning process, and giving you some hands on experience. If you have any interest in canning, we highly recommend you attend a workshop. Space is limited, so sign up ASAP!

When:  Sunday, August 12 and Sunday, September 9 (choose one), 2pm.  Plan to stay at least until 4pm, or later to see a little extra. 

Where:  Susan lives near Dupont Circle in DC.  We'll give you more details when you sign up. 

Sign up by sending an email to Susan with your preferred date.  Classes are limited to 6 participants each. 

Cost:  Susan only charges a $5 fee for supplies, which includes some photocopies and a jar of something you've made.  Keep in mind that no one is licensed, insured, or paid for this activity. Susan offers this class to you because many of our members have asked over the years, and she is willing to do it.  Thank you Susan! 

If you have any questions, please leave them here on the blog!

Clay  

 

This Week's Share: Cucumbers, Cabbage, Chard (and other things that don't begin with the letter C)

(This photo from CSA Member Krossbow on Flickr) 

And we're back!

I hope everyone had a nice week last week, as we took a break from the CSA. The week off -- though challenging due to a lack of power that didn't come back until Wednesday -- gave everyone on the farm the chance to do some much needed work, including twining a lot of the tomatoes so that they're supported.  

A quick public service announcement: if you snap a photo on the farm or of the vegetbles that you get, and you'd like to have it featured here on the blog, shoot it to me in an email! I love featuring photos from our members in these updates. 

And now, here's what you'll find in Week 9 of the CSA:

• 1 head garlic
• 3/4 pound cucumber + basil
• 2 pounds cabbage + squash
• 1 pound onions + Swiss chard
• 2 pounds potatoes (a red skin, white flesh variety)

On U-Pick this week:

If you want to come and u-pick, you can find a map of the fields and locations at the Wash Station when you arrive at the farm, denoting where to find the fields listed below. Here's what's on offer this week. 

• Kale and collards from the D field (they're abundant, but bitter)
• Herbs: Basil. Plus Oregano, onion chives, garlic chives, sage, sorrel, thyme, lemon balm, lavender. And there's now a fair amount of cilantro available! And there's dill now, as well.
• Any flowers are always fair game.  

A preview of what's to come:

This is a bit of a "between week" for many of our crops. Next week, we'll likely bring back carrots. In the next few weeks, we'll begin to see eggplant, peppers and tomatoes come into the share. Beans may also return in the next two weeks, as will Chard. There will be more potatoes and more onions, as well. 

In the meantime, do you have questions? Comments? 

Leave them here on the blog! 

-- Clay