Week 12

Last year I made this simple and delicious soup during corn season. I loved using the corn cob stock and decided I would make some risotto with corn stock instead of chicken stock.  I didn't end up getting a chance last year before local corn was done for the season and it has been on my mind ever since.  Last night I adapted a recipe from the New York Times and really enjoyed it.  There is a lushness to risotto made from homemade chicken stock that this didn't have, even with a bit of heavy cream, but the flavors were lovely.  I also grilled some green beans and chopped and tossed them some diced tomatoes and olive oil.  Soup and risotto might not be at the top of your list this week with the high temps, but I think corn is the ultimate summer food no matter how it is prepared.

Corn - White corn was always my dad's favorite so I chose this variety thinking of him.  We have two successions of corn this year and hopefully we will have some yellow corn in September. 

Cherry Tomatoes

Zucchini

Cauliflower or Green Beans - whatever you didn't have last week

Red Onions

Radish - Radishes aren't heat lovers but I seeded some right after the last hot spell in part because a customer has been raving about a quinoa and black bean salad from the cookbook Naturally Nourished that you top with a radish salsa.  If the radishes look horrible we will sub something else or perhaps you will have a few radishes and a few carrots.  Update - The radishes look horrible so there is also a head of lettuce in your box along with a small bunch of ugly radishes.  They aren't pithy and the eating quality is still good but while they have survived the heat okay they have been attacked by symphylans.  We first spotted them in a different field a couple years ago.  They are difficult to manage/control.  Fortunately other than a few red daikon radishes in the same bed there aren't any other root veggies in that field.

Parsley - Large Only

Week 11

We pulled all of the Walla Walla onions that had fallen over before the rain.   Having them dry and cozy in the barn gave us some peace of mind and allowed us to fully enjoy the rain.  There is an overhang off the living room that is roofed in metal and I love sitting out back and listening to the rain fall on the metal roof.  I enjoy it in winter as well, but it is extra nice to do it in mid August.  A little break in the heat was great, but I am happy that it warms up again a little later in the week.  Summer is so brief, I am not ready to give up on it yet!

You have a hallmark of summer in your box today - corn.  We made some delicious tacos from Rick Bayless's cookbook and I am including the recipe below since there are many of the ingredients in your box today.

Melons are starting to trickle in - should have something fun for your boxes next week.

Red Leaf Lettuce
Cucumber
Corn - The corn will be picked the morning of your pick up day.  It will keep in the fridge but corn is best eaten as soon as possible.
Cherry Tomatoes
Zucchini
Poblano Peppers - While these are on the lesser end of the spicy scale as far as chile peppers go, they do still have a bit of heat to them, particularly if you are using them in a dish where the pepper is the lead role such as chile rellenos.
Swiss Chard
Carrot - Large Only

Mexican Style Zucchini Tacos

Week 13

Every year I make up a t-shirt for the farm in my head.  I never get them made but I enjoy thinking about a good tag line while weeding.  I haven't come up with a clever one yet this year.  This year's theme seems to be disease and that doesn't seem like a fun t-shirt.  It started with the garlic.  The potatoes seemed to have a bit of everything this year.  We had to bust out an organic approved fungicide for the onions and finally late blight has hit the tomatoes(probably via the potatoes).  We still have some tomatoes in the hoop house that are doing okay and you have some of those in your boxes today.

We have several crops in the garden that are doing fantastic.  We have done a good job of staying on schedule for seeding and planting salad and lettuce and we haven't seen any of the mildew issues that plagued us last year.  Our peppers are healthy, abundant and turning red, orange and yellow earlier than normal.  We don't grow a lot of corn but our corn patch is also more productive than it ever has been.  And so farming goes - a moment of glory, a moment of defeat and for Kelly and I a lot of humor to off set the distress.  We have been a bit more sarcastically gloomy this year but are still cracking jokes and while the amount of disease has been unusual winter will renew our optimism.

In fact, despite everything we had our best day ever at the stand on Saturday and have so much good food that we had a hard time narrowing it down for your boxes.  One thing that didn't make the cut for today is cauliflower but you should have the first of our fall cauliflower in your boxes next week as well as poblano peppers.

Lettuce
Carrots - Back!  I know they were only gone for a week but I couldn't resist the exclamation point.
Cherry Tomatoes
Red Slicing Tomato
Basil
Beans
Eggplant - Everyone will have some eggplant over the next few weeks but not everyone will get one this week.
Corn - Small For Sure - Large Maybe  This is our last succession of corn.  It is a white variety called Augusta that we have never grown before.
Green and Yellow Zucchini 
Onions - Large Only 


Corn and tomatoes go great together in salsa or in a salad.  Below are a couple ideas of how we like to mix them.  

Salsa
Corn, cooked and cooled and sliced off the cob
Tomato, diced
Hot Pepper
Garlic, minced
Onion, chopped
Cilantro
Salt
Squeeze of Lime

Salad
Skip the hot pepper and cilantro and add some basil.  Replace the acid of the lime with a little vinegar and add a little olive oil and black pepper.

Baba Ganoush - Eggplant Spread

eggplant (about a pound/all the eggplant in your box)
1/4 cup tahini
2 cloves garlic, minced if making spread by hand
juice from half a lemon
2-3 tablespoons water
salt

Preheat your grill.  Rub the eggplants with oil and place on grill.  When the skin starts to blacken turn the eggplant.  Continue to turn until the skin is mostly charred on all sides.  You want the skin to be black and the eggplant to be soft and collapsed.  If your eggplant is still a bit firm you can pop it in the oven until it is soft.  You can also do this whole process in the oven by using the broiler if you prefer.  Set aside to cool.

Put the tahini, garlic and lemon in a food processor.  I use a mini-chop with good success.  Blend.  Mixture will be thick.  Add water and process again.  You want the mixture to be light and creamy.  I add water one tablespoon at a time until I achieve the desired consistency.  This step will assure a nice light and creamy baba ganoush.

Cut eggplant open and gently spoon out the flesh leaving the charred skin behind.  Put in the food processor and mix.  Add salt and more lemon juice if you think it needs it.

You can do this without a food processor.  I like the texture I get when I use the Cuisinart but it can be made by hand with good results.

Serve with pita bread or veggies