Crimson Sweet Watermelon or Cantaloupe
Romano Green Beans
Okra or Eggplant
Peppers (cubanelle, lipstick, or green bell)
Salad Mix or Arugula
German White Garlic
Basil
Red mustard, Spigariello, and Broccoli starts
Beet starts
We hope you enjoy all of the new crops that are being added into the share and also relish in the last watermelon or melon from your CSA this season. We grow a number of varieties of eggplant and peppers. This share will include mild green and red peppers, like cubanelles (a light green color great cooked or eaten raw in a salad), lipsticks (small red sweet peppers), and green bells. We had the misfortune to get some new seed this year from a seed company that was obviously a cross pollination between what we intended to grow and other unknown peppers. We are still working out exactly what we have and so you will also be seeing some pepper mixes. With our eggplants, we harvest our eggplants when they are small-medium in size, as this makes for a more firm, less bitter and watery eggplant. It is how we prefer to eat them. This week there will be a mix of round Italian varieties like Prosperosa and Rosa Bianca, a Spanish striped Listada de Gandia and Middle Eastern styled tear drop shaped Dancer and Edirne Purple Striped. They can all be used pretty interchangeably, but the tear dropped shaped are definitely preferred for stuffing purposes. Many recipes below. Enjoy the share… Brian and Autumn
Difficult to see but these carrot seeds have just emerged. Due to cooler temperatures, the germination rate is more consistent than usual for this time of year.
Newly planted Fall brassicas in a field that was previously pasture.
Closer view of Cabbage starts and emerging salad turnip seedlings
Eggplant in a Spicy Honey Sauce –The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
The sauce is a splendid example of the hot, spicy, and sweet combinations; which are a thrilling feature of North African cooking. Serve it cold with bread.
2 medium-large eggplants
olive oil
salt
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 inches fresh gingerroot, grated, or cut into pieces
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
large pinch cayenne or ground chili pepper, to taste
4-6 Tbls honey
juice of 1 lemon
2/3 cup water
Cut the eggplants into rounds about 1/3” thick. Do not peel them. Dip them in olive oil, turning them over, and cook on a griddle or under a broiler, turning them over once, until they are lightly browned. They do not need to be soft, as they will cook further in the sauce. In a wide saucepan or skillet, fry the garlic in 2 Tbls of the oil for seconds only, stirring, then take off the heat. Add the ginger, cumin, and cayenne or gorund chili pepper, honey, lemon juice, and water. Put in the eggplant slices and cook over low heat –either in batches, so they are in one layer, or together, rearranging them so that each slice gets some time in the sauce –for about 10 minutes, or until the slices are soft and have absorbed the sauce. Add a little water if necessary.
Okra with Garlic and Coriander – The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
Takleya is the name of the fried garlic and coriander mix which gives a distinctive Egyptian flavor to a number of dishes. It goes in at the end. In Upper Egypt they chop up and mash the okra when it is cooked. Serve hot as a side dish with meat or chicken.
1 pound okra, small young ones
1 onion, chopped
3 Tbls vegetable or extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
juice of ½-1 lemon
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
11/2-2 tsp ground coriander
With a small sharp knife, cut off the stems and trim the caps of the okra, then rinse them well. Fry the onion in 2 Tbls of the oil till golden. Add the okra and sauté gently for about 5 minutes, stirring and turning over the pods. Barely cover with water (about 1 ½ cups), add salt and pepper, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Add the lemon juice, towards the end and let the sauce reduce. (Lemon juice is usually added when the dish is to be eaten cold). For the takleya, heat the garlic and coriander in the remaining oil in a small pan, stirring, for a minute or two, until the garlic just begins to color. Stir this in with the okra and cook a few minutes more before serving hot.
