Weekly Share August 6th – 12th

Long Beans or Eggplant
Tomatillos or Tomatoes
Anaheim, Poblano, & Cubanelle Peppers
Maules Red Hot or Aji Dulce Chiles
Suyo Long or Diva Cucumbers
Highlander Yellow Onions
Zephyr Summer Squash
Nicola Potatoes

Around here we are in a bit of a holding pattern, reminds me of the Spring, as we wait for our land to dry out enough to shape beds so we can plant our fall crops. We have an extremely full greenhouse with thousands of plants hardening off outside in the elements. They are actually holding up well with all these heavy rains and stormy weather. We are itching to plant, as August is traditionally filled with a weekly to-do list longer than we can handle; but right now we are stuck cleaning up fields, clearing garlic out of the barn, foliar feeding our tunnel crops of tomatoes, peppers, and basil and sorting through 1500 lbs of potatoes. Don’t get me wrong; it is great to get all these tasks done; but we need our transplants to get into the ground before they tire of the available nutrients in the cell trays. Simultaneously we need to get direct seeded crops germinating, as our fall successions are all very time dependent; but going onto our fields or shaping beds when its too wet is the worst possible option. It creates compressed soil; which will crust when it dries and lacks the breathability necessary to germinate many seeds and this compressed soil holds together like bricks for many months. So we take the best option and we wait. We listen to mother nature and wait for the correct conditions so all our plants can thrive in a healthy soil environment. The hardest part is learning to be patient and realizing that coming weeks may be long. Enjoy the share…..Autumn & Brian
Squash and Green Chile Casserole
Poblano, Potato, and Corn Gratin
Roasted Tomatillo-Poblano-Avocado Salsa
Long Bean, Cucumber, and Tomato Salad
Jicama Salad With Mango, Cucumber, Avocado, Lime And Aleppo
Use aji dulces or the maules red hot, thinly minced, instead of the Aleppo pepper in this recipe.
Aloo Baingan Recipe – Potato Eggplant Curry 
Zaalouk (Spicy Eggplant Salad) The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
1 ½ lb eggplant, peeled and cubed
5 cloves garlic, peeled
salt
3 large tomatoes (about 1 ½ lbs)
4 Tbls argan oil or mild extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbls wine vinegar
½ tsp harissa or a mixture paprika &ground chili pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Boil the eggplants with the garlic in plenty of salted water, in a pan covered with a lid, for about 30 minutes or until they are very soft. Drain and chop the eggplants and garlic in a colander, then mash them with a fork, pressing all the water out.
Put the tomatoes in the emptied pan and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until reduced to a thick sauce, stirring occasionally. Mix with the mashed eggplants and the rest of the ingredients and add salt.
Variation: Add the juice of 1 lemon (instead of the vinegar) and 1 tsp ground caraway or coriander.
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