TOMTEN FARM

Mizuna

Red Noodle Long Bean

Shishito Peppers

French Breakfast Radish

Bok Choy

Cucumbers

Garlic

Herbs (shiso, basil, cilantro)

Chiles (Khmer Thai, Aji Dulce Amarillo, Aji Dulce)

This week we begin to see the return of cooler weather crops. Having these crops in August is due to the recent mild summer weather that we have experienced. The lack of sun has meant slow maturation of our eggplant, okra, and sweet peppers, so these will become more abundant in our early Fall harvests. This share is a mix of many of our favorite Asian varieties of crops for making curries, stir fries, delicious spicy and crisp summer salads, and the like. Two of our favorite crops for this share are not making the cut this week. First is the small thai eggplant called Kermit, it has been consistently attacked by flea beetle and due to some early Summer mismanagement on our part (letting weeds our grow them and not protecting effectively from the pests) the plants have gotten a bit stunted and will likely produce very little. Second is our Thai basil. Basil is a very important, long season crop for us. When we have it in abundance we are able to sell a lot and for the amount of square footage it takes up, we can make a good amount of profit. Unfortunately last year our crop was decimated by a strain of Downy Mildew that has only been in the US since 2008 and is becoming more active every year. Last year we had a great crop until mid August when we noticed a black mold on the back of some leaves and within weeks the entire crop was unsellable. This mold is not dangerous to ingest, but makes it unattractive and limits its shelf life considerably. Through a bit of research we were able to identify the problem as the Downy Mildew, we removed all the vegetation, burned it and made a plan for our 2014 season. This year we moved the basil to different fields, grew two different successions which have been planted in two different fields, sprayed organic fungicides as a preventative measure and then removed plants once any sign of disease was recognized. Unfortunately our first succession was taken almost as quickly and this past week was entirely removed and burned (this included all but 5 Thai basil plants). On Thursday we found beginning signs of the Downy Mildew on most of our second succession, so we cut it and sold it at market this past Saturday. Anyhow this week’s share will get what we can scrape out of our planting, but this may be another quick run for the basil. We are now looking at possibilities for future years and ways to avoid this crop decimation. This disease is not only affecting our farm or this immediate area,  it is all along the Eastern side of the country and it is getting worse. Due to its recent inception within the US, there is still very new research being done and especially with organic practices, so we will experiment and if anything have a shorter season.

Please check out the photos below which identify each of the three chiles you receive this week. The Khmer is extremely hot, but excellent for cooking, as it is one of the most complex and delicious chiles you can find. If you want less heat cook it whole  in a dish and pull it out at the end. The Aji Dulce Amarillo is a new chile for us and it is quite a bit hotter than we were expecting from its description. It has a sweet fruity flesh with a strong heat, comparable to a Serrano. The Aji Dulce is red and tastes like a habanero but is not hot and is a wonderful chile to use in addition to one with some heat, so you can get more chile flavor while limiting the heat factor. The red noodle beans are a favorite of ours and we are glad to final grow enough to share with the CSA. Please check out some of the recipes below for ideas about how to use them. Enjoy the share….Brian and Autumn

Khmer, Thai Style Chile, very hot with wonderful flavor and aroma

Aji Dulce, habanero tropical and fruity flavor with almost no heat

Aji Dulce Amarillo, sweet tropical and citrus flavor with a short intense heat

Mizuna and Cucumber Salad

Stir-Fried String Beans (Chinese Long Beans)

Quick Khmer Pork with Green Beans –Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffery Alford & Naomi Duguid

Vietnamese Herb and Salad Plate –Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffery Alford & Naomi Duguid

Kai Kaphrao Khai Dao (Stir-fried Chicken with Hot Basil) –Pok Pok by Andy Ricker

Tam Taeng Kwaa (Thai Cucumber Salad) –Pok Pok by Andy Ricker

Lettuce Head (Panisse Oakleaf or Helvius Romaine)
Potatoes (Nicola Golden)
Tomatillos
Peppers (Anaheim and Poblano)
Chiles (Jalapeno and Serrano)
Red Onions
Cilantro
Summer Squash
Cucumbers (Suyo Long)
Okra or Eggplant

With only three more weeks of our Spring/Summer share, we are already full steam ahead in planting our Fall and Winter crops. It has been a strange Summer with cool temperatures as of late; which makes our work a bit easier throughout the day; but is also strange for many of the crops. Here in Green Bay, June was very hot and dry and then July was more mild with rain and cloudy skies. This has had different effects on the various crop families. For many of our Late May/June planted nightshade successions (tomatoes, tomatillos, pepper, eggplant) this has meant slow growth. We could not water enough in June, so the leaf growth was minimal, disease and bugs were active and so some of the plants have been weakened, then July did not have the sun and temperatures needed to up production. These plantings will produce, just a bit slower than we anticipated. For our June planted cucurbits (squash, cucumber, watermelon) and bean successions the weather was helpful, they grow well as seedlings with ample sun and not too much water, but once they start flowering they need water, so by July when the flowering began, we had great weather for setting fruit. The weather has also helped out with our Summer successions of lettuce, arugula, and herbs, as we have been able to find cool weather windows that allow better germination of the seeds, meaning better stands of the crop. Our Fall starts have also thrived, as the last few weeks being in the 80’s has been perfect for getting the seedlings going, but not too hot to stunt their growth. Over two weeks we have planted cabbage, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli raab, mustard greens, kale (lacinato and russian), collards, radishes, salad turnips, bok choy, mizuna, arugula, carrots, salad mix, lettuces, radicchio, escarole, frisee, beets, spinach, scallions, fennel, and herbs. In the coming weeks spigariello, Japanese mustards, swiss chard, turnips, winter radishes, and rutabaga will be added to the list, along with more successions of the crops listed above.

This week’s share includes ingredients for making salsa verde or another splendid Mexican influenced dish. We have included a handful of chiles, maybe more than are needed for a week, but these will last up to a month if kept in a plastic bag or container in your refrigerator and they can also be frozen for use throughout the Winter.  We absolutely love the Nicola potatoes. They are creamy, crumbly, and buttery. One of our favorite preparations is to pan fry with onions and either anaheim or poblano peppers, serve with eggs for breakfast or with beans, tortillas, and salsa for dinner. Lastly in case you have not tried our Suyo Long cucumbers, they are a delicious fresh eating cucumber with a sweet, crunchy flesh. They don’t have to be peeled and the seeds are very small. Enjoy the share… Brian and Autumn

Salsa De Tomate Verde, Cocida (Cooked Green Tomato Sauce) by Diana Kennedy The Art of Mexican Cooking

This recipe makes about 1 ¼ cups. Sometimes I will use jalapenos instead of serranos, or use a little onion to replace the garlic and if I have a little extra time, I will broil the tomatillos and chiles for 10 minutes instead of simmering in water, for added flavor.

1/2 pound Tomatillos , rinsed, husks removed
2 Serranos
1 Tbls Rough Chopped Cilantro
1 Garlic Clove or 1 small Onion
1 Tbls safflower oil
Salt to taste

Put the tomate verde and chiles into a pan, cover with water, and bring to a simmer; continue cooking until the tomate verde is soft but not falling apart – about 10 minutes, depending on size. Remove from the heat. Strain, reserving 1/3 cup of the cooking water. Put the reserved cooking water into a blender, add the chiles, cilantro and garlic, and blend until almost smooth. Add the tomate verde and blend for 10 seconds, no more, to make a fairly smooth sauce. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the sauce and reduce over high heat until it thickens and seasons – about 8 minutes. Add salt to taste.

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

Farro Salad With Tomatoes and Romano Beans

Fasolia: A stew of romano beans with tomatoes and garlic 

Okra And Ham Pilau

Spiced Peppers and Eggplant

Sautéed Potato, Green Pepper and Eggplant

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.

Crimson Sweet Watermelon or Cantaloupe
Cucumbers (picklers/ Suyo long/ or Beit Alpha)
Padron or Shishito Peppers
Romano Green Beans
Cippolini Onions
Dill or Parsley
Swiss Chard
Tomatoes

Arugula
Watermelon –Sugar Baby
Heirloom Tomatoes
Beets –Red Ace & Chioggia
Cucumbers –Suyo Long, Marketmore, & Beit Alpha
Salsa Box (tomatoes, jalapenos, cilantro, garlic, & red creole onion)

For weeks we have been testing our watermelons in the hope that we will find a ripe one somewhere in the patch; because the first ripe watermelon is one of the best parts of summer. We never grow the earliest watermelons or cantaloupes, so undoubtedly we have already gotten one from another farm and enjoyed it for breakfast. Eating one warm in the field is an altogether different experience and one that symbolizes how spoiled we are to be farmers. Like eating snap peas off the vine, or the first really ripe cherry tomato, nothing compares to a warm field cut watermelon eaten with your hands, juices running down your face. It is truly like being a kid again. Anyhow last Thursday and Friday were our watermelon days and they were definitely worth the wait. This time of year is the most trying physically and mentally: the weather is hot and difficult, we are in the middle of our season and hitting exhaustion, while the fall work is compounding on top of the summer crops harvest and management needs. Watermelon is one of the only things that can cure this fatigue and remind us how lucky we are to spend our days outside growing food.

This week’s share brings Sugar Baby watermelons. A sweet and rich red melon, it will not disappoint and if you do not choose to just eat it, there are a few recipes below. This will be the last of our beets until we have them later in the fall and since the tops have been removed, feel free to store them as long as you would like in your crisper drawer. We have put together the Salsa box; because salsa is such a treat in the summer and finally after a long wait we have a successful stand of cilantro, a very difficult crop to grow this time of year. Our eggplants and peppers are still coming along very slowly, except for the jalapenos; which seemed to be ready just in time for the cilantro, so Salsa seemed inevitable. Some of our special heirloom tomato slicers are finally putting on more fruit and so this week you will receive a few of these tasty treats. Below are a portion of our heirloom varieties that we hope you will enjoy. Check out the recipes below and have a wonderful week…..Autumn and Brian

Spears Tennessee Green, a yellowish green variety which is lime green inside and has a delicious tart flavor

Pink Brandywine, a classic slicer with a complex acidity and excellent texture

Amana Orange, a cremsicle color, silky texture, and mellow sweetness

Cour Di Bue (pink) and Golden King of Sibera (yellow), both oxheart shapes with great meaty texture (not watery and less seeds), great on sandwiches

Michoteta (Feta Cheese and Cucumber Salad) – The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden

½ lb Feta Cheese Juice of 1 Lemon 2 Tbls Olive Oil 1 Red Italian Onion, finely chopped ½ large Cucumber, peeled and diced White Pepper

Crumble the cheese with a Tbls of water, using a fork, and work in the lemon juice and olive oil. Mix in the onion and cucumber, and add pepper.

Tomato Salsa with Cucumber “Chips”

Beet-and-Tomato Soup with Cumin

Watermelon and Beets Layered with Goat Cheese and Arugula

Heirloom Tomato Salad

Potatoes (red gold or sangre)
Lettuce (red butterhead or little gem)
Romano Beans or Shishito/Padron Peppers
Swiss Chard
Genovese Basil
Candy sweet onions
Tomatoes (heirloom and small reds)
Summer Squash (cousa and zephyr)

Too tired to write and its Brian’s birthday this weekend, so we are busy. So here are some recent photos instead. All the items in the share you have seen before (except the padrons, but they are similar to shishito peppers) and there are lots of recipe suggestions in past posts. Hope you have a great week and enjoy the share… Autumn and Brian

Ali Baba in our watermelon patch

Caterpillar tunnels with sauce tomatoes and sweet peppers

Basil planting next to our winter squash that is covered with row fabric to keep out unwanted pests.

Lettuce transplanted today next to another succession of lettuce and salad mix. In the background is our first squash and cucumber plantings interspersed with a buckwheat cover crop.

Sauce and salad tomatoes trellised in caterpillar tunnel

Sungold cherry and brandywine heirloom tomatoes

Sungold Cherry Tomatoes
Carrots (chantenay)
Cucumbers (assorted varieties)
Mixed Salad Greens or Kale
Tomatoes (red slicers)
Purslane
Scallions
Spanish Roja Garlic
Thai Basil and Shiso (Perilla)

This week we finally got a little rain and it seems we also got a lot done. We did some planting, trellising beans and cucumbers, covering our portohoopie structure where our sweet peppers and sauce tomatoes are growing, weeding, mulching, and of course harvesting. From late June through July we spend a majority of our time harvesting. Crops like potatoes, garlic, and onions are pulled from the fields and then cured so they can be stored through the fall and then there is the three times a week harvesting of tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, beans, okra, peppers, and eggplant. Some of these crops are not in full swing for us yet, but the tomatoes are definitely putting out like crazy. This is the time of year to use tomatoes in everything. Making squash, add chopped up tomatoes and herbs; pasta, couscous, or bulghur make a quick sauce with tomatoes; broil tomatoes and serve with eggs; and of course there are so many salad options. In Virginia, in this fluctuating climate, crops have there moment of greatness and this year, July is for tomatoes.

We have two items in the share this week that grow wild on our land: purslane and shiso (perilla). We love using both of them and thought we could share with you all. Last year we attempted to grow a cultivated variety of purslane and it did terrible; where as the stuff that comes up naturally in our crop fields is delicious, succulent, and thrives on its own. Shiso is used throughout Asia both medicinally and as an herb, especially popular in Japanese, Korean, and southeast Asian cuisines. In Virginia it is known as Perilla and is a native plant that is common throughout the Piedmont. On our farm we have the green variety and it grows on the edges of wood lines and in other slightly shaded areas. The wild variety is not as pungent as some cultivated types, but it is still amazing used in herb salads, spring rolls, and even granita; check out the recipe below. Have a great week and enjoy the share…Brian and Autumn

Vietnamese Salad Rolls (Gỏi cuốn) When we make these we let everyone prepare their own, as it makes for a really fun meal activity. As the recipe states, you can substitute various herbs, we particularly like Thai basil, shiso, and mint together. We always add julienned slivers of scallions and sometimes substitute shredded pork or shrimp for tofu. For dipping sauces we use a traditional Nuoc Cham and Vietnamese Peanut Sauce (recipes below).

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad Bowl

Nuoc Cham –Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffery Alford and Naomi Duguid

1/4cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup fish sauce
¼ cup water
2 tsp rice or cider vinegar
1 Tbls sugar
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 bird chile, minces
several shreds of carrot (optional)

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar completely. Serve in small condiment bowls. Store in a tightly sealed glass container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (after that, the garlic starts to taste tired).

Vietnamese Peanut Sauce –Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffery Alford and Naomi Duguid

¼ cup dry roasted peanuts
2 scant Tbls tamarind pulp, dissolved in 2 Tbls warm water or substitute 2 Tbls tomato paste
2 tsp peanut oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbls ground pork
3 Tbls fermented soybean paste (tuong in Vietnamese; dao jiao in Thai)
1 cup water
1 ½ tsp sugar
1-2 bird chiles, minced
Generous squeeze of fresh lime juice

Place the peanuts in a food processor or large mortar and process or pound to a coarse powder; set aside. If using tamarind, press it through a sieve; reserve the liquid and discard the solids. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry until it is starting to change color, about 15 seconds. Toss in the pork and use your spatula to break it up into small pieces. Once it has all changed color, add the soybean paste and the tamarind or tomato paste and stir to blend. Stir in ½ cup water, then stir in most of the ground peanuts, reserving about 1 Tbls for the garnish. Stir in the sugar and chiles. Add up to ½  cup more water, until you have the desired texture: a thick liquid, pourable but not watery. Serve in small condiment bowls, warm or at room temperature, squeezing on the lime and sprinkling on the reserved peanuts just before serving. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for 1 month. Reheat it in a small pan and simmer briefly before serving.

Shiso Granita – Japanese Farm Food by Nancy Singleton Hachisu

15 green shiso leaves
¼ cup granulated sugar

Place the shiso leaves in a medium-sized bowl or 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup. Heat the sugar and 3 cups water to boiling in a medium saucepan, stirring the sugar to dissolve. Pour the boiling sugar water over the leaves and steep until cool. Set a strainer over a plastic container large enough to hold 3 cups and strain out the leaves. Cover and transfer the shiso-flavored sugar water to a freezer shelf. Let sit, undisturbed, in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove to the countertop, open the lid, and gently stir in the crystals that have formed on the perimeter.  Repeat this operation every 30 minutes, breaking up any larger crystals as you go. The finished granita should be flaky.  Serve alone in a glass bowl or goblet. This is also wonderful served alongside Fig Ice Cream and Plum Sorbet. Keeps frozen for several weeks.

Dai Mint and Tomato Salad – Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffery Alford and Naomi Duguid

The Dai, like the Chinese, prefer their tomatoes a little green, just before their fullest sweet ripeness. Perhaps it’s an aesthetic question: The mix of green and red is more interesting to the eye than the uniform red of ripe tomatoes. Or perhaps it’s beacuase tomatoes enter the regional cuisine as a slightly sour vegetable, rather than with the sweetness and ripeness as their prime characteristic. All of which is to say that you should, as we do, use the tomatoes that please you. This salad is simple to make and delicious. It’s like a half-pounded Mexican salsa, ideal for scooping up with Thai-Lao Crispy rice crackers or sticky rice or pork cracklings.

2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
a little minced chile, jalapeno (optional)
1 cup tender mint leaves or Thai basil, coarsely torn
2-3 scallion, trimmed, sliced lengthwise into ribbons and then cut crosswise into 1-inch lengths
5 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 Tbls hot chile oil

Place the garlic and salt in a large mortar and pound together. Or place them in a large bowl and use the back of a flat spoon to mash them against the side of the bowl. Add the fresh chile, the mint, and the scallions and continue to pound or mash to soften and blend. Add the tomatoes and gently pound or mash until broken up a little. Add the chile oil and toss well. Serve the salad mounded in a shallow bowl, with the juices poured over.

Note: If the mint is coarse or rough, finely chop the leaves; or substitute Asian basil leaves.

45 Things To Do With Purslane

Purslane and Yogurt Salad – The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden

1 lb purslane (4 cups well packed)
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 Tbls extra-virgin olive oil
salt and white pepper

If using purslane, pull the leaves off the stem but do include the stem if very tender. Wash the purslane , then dry it. Beat the yogurt with garlic, oil, and a little salt and pepper, and mix with the leaves.

Squash (Zephyr, Zucchini, and Cousa)
Tomatoes (determinate and heirloom specialty mix)
Onions (Tropea or Bergamo Cippolini)
Beets (Chioggia, Red Ace, and Early Wonder)
Romano Beans or Shishito Peppers
Escarole or Frisee
Swiss Chard

No rain. That is the first thought for the week. We have had almost no rain for the past month, just small amounts every 10 days or so. So we irrigate as much as we can; but with a limited well our crops are all pretty thirsty. We are lucky to have the irrigation setup we have for these dry spells, so that the crops can get some respite, but we also have to cross our fingers that the fruiting plants will adjust to the dry conditions. There are upsides to dry weather though, our onions and garlic cure faster both in the field and then in the barn. There is less fungal and bacteria diseases affecting our nightshade and curcubit crops, and the weeds grow a bit slower as well. Despite the heat and dry conditions, we planted a whole new succession of tomatoes; which went into our covered portohoopie structures. We hope these tomatoes will produce into early October. We also planted our last succession of cucumbers in our small hoophouse. In order to protect the seedlings from cucumber beetle and squash bug damage, we dunked them in a Kaolin clay mixture before planting them. The clay produces a film that acts as a deterrent for the bugs. It is bright white and makes the seedlings look like something on the moon, but the short window of protection is enough to help the little seedlings set down roots and grow a bit before being decimated by pests. Another big task this week was starting our first round of fall seedlings such as cabbage, kale, collards, broccoli, brussel sprouts, fennel, scallions, and of course lettuce. Over the next four weeks we will be starting thousands of seedlings for fall, winter, and even early spring crops. So as we all begin our hot summertime weather, we are planning and beginning for the rest of the year. In these hot conditions growing healthy fall seedlings is a challenge, but each year we get a bit more saavy with our techniques.

In this weeks share everyone will get either Romano beans (a flat poded green bean) or Shishito peppers (a mildly spicy frying pepper). Both of these are specialty items for us, as they often don’t yield a lot, so we are excited to get them into the shares. As the summer crops take over, you will notice less salad and cooking greens, but we do aim to include items when we can. Currently we have two different successions of arugula, salad greens, and lettuce heads growing; but due to weather fluctuations, pest issues, and infrequent watering, they don’t always amount to quality product. So now is the time for beet, tomato, onion, potato, and cucumber salad instead. Check out the recipes below and enjoy the share… Autumn and Brian

braised romano beans

Tomato, Summer Squash, and Caramelized Onion Gratin 

Sautéed Shishito Peppers – This recipe gives you an idea for the simple preparation for both shishito and padron peppers. Be aware some of these have been quite hot. Adding lemon over the peppers is not necessary, sometimes they are best just with salt.

Below are three recipes from our friends Tim and Caroline of The Kitchen Garden in Massachusetts. They have an abundance of recipes on their website and they run an amazing farm. Check it out. http://kitchengardenfarm.com/

Salad with Beets, Walnuts and Goat Cheese

This is my favorite way to eat beets. The combination of the bitter greens, the sweet beets, the roasty nuts, the creamy cheese, and the sharp dressing is one of the most sublime flavor combinations ever contrived.

 Leafy greens such as lettuce, arugula, escarole, frisee, spinach, or radicchio
1 bunch small beets
Small handful walnuts or pecans
4 oz fresh goat cheese
Shavings of sweet onion or shallot, scallion or chives
For the Dressing:
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Wash and dry the greens and add to your favorite salad bowl. Trim and wash the beets and steam until tender. (Peeling is not necessary, but if desired, they slip right off after cooking.) Toast the walnuts either in the toaster oven or in a dry frying pan and set aside. Be careful not to scorch them. Decorate the salad with pats of the goat cheese, onions and slices of beet.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by whisking together the mustard, vinegars, and the salt and pepper. Drizzle in the oil as you continue whisking and the dressing should emulsify into  creamy brown substance. Just before serving add the toasted nuts, and toss with the dressing.

Romano Beans with Red Onion, Oil & Vinegar

1 lb or so beans
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
salt & pepper

This is a very simple, delicious way to prepare any type of string bean, and it makes a great summer salad or cold vegetable side dish. When Tim was working at a farm in Tuscany, this dish was on the table every single day, and everyone would add the oil and vinegar to their own liking. Simply wash and trim the beans (cut into bite sized pieces if you wish) and boil in heavily salted water for 5-10 minutes. They should be fully cooked but not disintegrating. Drain the beans and immediately plunge into cold water to arrest the cooking. Drain and toss with the red onion, salt & pepper, oil and vinegar. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Fritatta with Swiss Chard and Roasted Garlic

4 cups washed, stemmed swiss chard
2 medium heads garlic (8 cloves)
6 large eggs
1/4 cup grated parmesan
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400. Slice the top off the garlic head to expose the tops of the cloves and drizzle with olive oil. wrap the head in foil and bake 20 minutes, or until soft. Squeeze the garlic out of its skins into a medium sized bowl.

Boil the swiss chard in salted water until just tender, about 3 minutes. Rinse with cold water, drain and finely chop.

Preheat the broiler. Add eggs, chard, cheese, salt and peper to the bowl with the garlic and beat with a fork. Heat oil in a 10-inch skillet and add the egg mixture to the pan. Cook over medium-low heat, occasionally sliding a spatula around the edges of the pan to let the uncooked egg run to the sides. Continue cooking until fritatta is set but still runny on top. Place the pan directly under the broiler and cook until golden brown, 1-2 minutes. Invert onto a cutting board or platter and cut into wedges. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Sammy J stretching

Sammy J climbing

New Potatoes (Red Gold)
Cabbage (Tendersweet or Early Jersey)
Lettuce (Red Cross)
Cucumbers (Marketmore & Beit Alpha)
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes
Tomatoes
Fresh Garlic
Genovese Basil

So many delicious things to eat right now and so many new crops coming on each week, it makes eating a treat. This week on the farm we had a cucumber salad loaded with herbs (shiso, thai basil, genovese basil, and mint), fish sauce, cherry tomatoes, garlic, and rice vinegar, then a tomato and cucumber salad, an iceberg salad with scallions and tomatoes, many variations of cabbage slaws, then a panzanella salad and of course a good old escarole salad, cause we love them. Plus loads of cooked greens like sautéed chicory, kale, and cabbage as well as delicious BLTs, fried okra, curry with potatoes, carrots, green beans, and candy onions, and so much more. This is really such a wonderful time of year for eating, when the summer crops join the spring crops for tons of diversity. So take some time during this Fourth of July holiday and spend it in the kitchen. It is totally worth it. Enjoy the share… Brian and Autumn

Cucumber, Tomato and Feta Salad

Creamy Cucumber and Grilled Potato Salad

Cucumber Yogurt Sauce (Tzatziki) Recipe

Tomato-Potato Salad with Basil

Quick Cabbage with Tomatoes

 Tangy Cabbage, Avocado & Basil Slaw

Polish Cabbage, Potato, and Bacon Casserole

Nothing signals the start of summer more than a delicious vine ripened tomato. I would venture to say that tomatoes bring out more passion in people than any other garden vegetable. A lot of time and effort goes into making a great tomato though. We put a black landscape fabric down on the ground to protect the tomato plants from soil splashing up on the leaves. Most diseases that affect tomato plants come from soil contact. We then stake and tie the plants with a system called the Florida weave. When it comes time to harvest we use shears to clip each tomato off the vine and place it in a bucket. If it’s cracked or bruised or sunscalded we toss it to the chickens. All tomatoes are then placed in a single layer in boxes, to avoid injury or bruising. We put all of this work into our tomatoes because we choose the tastiest varieties, not the highest yielding or most disease resistant. These varieties of tomatoes were not developed for shipping, excessive handling, or mechanical harvest.

When buying conventional tomatoes from a grocery store most likely they were grown vining on the ground which requires the use of fungicides. The whole plant is harvested with specialty equipment when most of the fruit is ready. The tomato varieties used have been selected to be able to pass through these harvesters and not get destroyed. Flavor is not really a consideration, high yields and durability are. All of these factors lead to the eventual price you see at market or in a grocery store. A hand selected, organically grown, heirloom tomato will have extraordinary flavor and should cost considerably more than what you find in a grocery store or even from a larger scale conventional farm operation. It is the added attention, care, and loss of sellable yield that needs to be recognized, when you are enjoying that high quality local tomato. This is why at Tomten Farm, we have a set tomato price, it does not fluctuate when the marketplace is flooded. It does not go up when we have tomatoes early or late in the season. These tomatoes are not commodities, they are one of our specialty crops.

Watch the video below if you’re interested in how large scale farms harvest their tomatoes.