Week #9 at Red Hill Farm, by Angela

This week is for full-share and bi-weekly Tuesday pickups.

Blue potatoes (source)

Well, last week was a sort of farmer strength and conditioning week as we harvested loads of onions for curing, then picked up sandbags from the field for two hours (not an exaggeration), hauled corn out the wazoo, and stacked cinder blocks in the barn for part of our curing station. Yeah, we're tough  :)  All in the name of good food.

Josh will be farmer in the shareroom this week. Joanne will be available on the farm from 1-5 pm on Tuesday and 1-3 pm on Friday this week.

In the thick of it now, I hope you are as excited as I am about the bounty of deliciousness coming out of the fields. This week for your menu planning you may anticipate:

• Blue potatoes (good for baking)
• Shallots (please remember the note from last week; these will not store long so use them up fast)
• Garlic
• Sweet white onions
• Heirloom tomatoes
• Summer squash
• And some other goodies....

Cheers!

Summer Squash Butter, by Melinda



(source)

This is adapted from "Jennie Cook's Zucchini Butter" on Food 52 Digest, one of the blogs we follow.

Summer Squash Butter--As the editors of Food 52 Digest comment, "It turns out zucchini [and other summer squash] want to be butter. Grated fine, it cooks down quickly, pooling into a soft, freckly green pile. Spread it on toast in place of actual butter. Cake a thick layer in a sandwich w/ salted tomatoes or soft cheese. Sauce a grilled pizza. Consider it a side dish. Or just eat a big heap of it, right out of the pan...!"  You get the idea.  It's green gold!

• 2 lbs zucchini or summer squash (use less or add extra--cooking times will vary)
• 1/4 cup olive oil or butter
• 2 minced shallots, garlic, or a combination of both
• salt & pepper

Coarsely grate the squash. Let it drain in colander for 3 to 4 min or until you're ready to start cooking. To hasten cooking time, squeeze water out of the squash by wringing it in a clean cloth towel.  In deep skillet, heat oil or butter. Saute shallots or garlic briefly. Add squash & toss w/ salt & pepper to taste. Cook & stir over medium to medium-high heat until squash reaches a spreadable consistency, ~15 min. If you scorch the bottom, turn heat down! (And scrape those delicious dark bits into the butter for added flavor--you can splash in a little water to help deglaze the pan.) The squash will hold its bright color and slowly caramelize into a nice vegetable jam. Enjoy on toast or as a side dish all summer long!  [Note from Melinda: this can be frozen for longer storage.]  (Recipe source from Food 52)

50 Ways to Prepare and Eat Sweet Corn! By Melinda

We're getting bountiful corn this week.  Brendan notes, correctly, that it's so tender and sweet that you can eat it raw from the cob!  Delicious.  But if you want to cook it, from the simplest boiling to more complex preparations, this is your key!  This comes to us courtesy of the Food Channel: click here!

Pesto Festo was Great, by Melinda, with thanks to Joanne!

Mingling... from left, Prince, Angela, Jeff....and a cast
of thousands!

We had a beautiful, "stilly" evening for the Pesto Festo, after what had been a hot day. Everyone was glad to chill a bit and relax, especially Brendan, who manned the Friday pickup that day.

Brendan chilling w/ Marianne, our off-farm coordinator,
and her husband

Prince provided some great music for the shindig, nice and bluesy, which complemented the laid-back atmosphere of the party.

Prince--fabulous musician

The pesto selections were all so delicious that it was really hard to judge them; mostly they were basil-based, but I believe there was one made from garlic scapes (yum). Tasting them was a tough job, but someone had to do it (!!!!!)

Judging--Marie, Joanne Rosenbaum, & others

Judging--Prince, Brendan, & Janet (I think)

The envelope please!  And the winners were Kathy Fuller and Janet Riddle!!!! So of course we had to toast to that--soft drinks, elderflower cordial (yum), and some thoughtful guest brought wine! And we continued to snack and chat into the early evening.  Joanne Rosenbaum did a great and energetic job organizing this fun event.  A toast to Joanne!

Mimi and Joanne--American Gothic!

Joan & Janet

Jeff & Marie

More mingling...

Guess who partied down in these fabulous shoes...!

Deep conversation about the meaning of life, with Mimi
and Melinda

Update from Angela

Our new friends George & Wanda from Alaska helped
harvest onions--thanks!

Recently my Dad shared a profound statement applicable to both life and farming: rarely is a harvest in the same season as its seeding. As we pull massive quantities of onions out of the ground this week that were sown back in February, how much time has passed, and how the seasons have changed from their starting point.

Brendan & Molly set Torpedo onions out in the
greenhouse to cure.

The rains continue as well as the weeds, though I caught a trio of farm members weeding down in the hot peppers last Friday. What a blessing! Please feel free to weed while you harvest in the U-Pick field; we are doing our best and aiming to get on some weed crews, but in the meanwhile every tall grass pulled is helpful.

Members caught in the great act of weeding in the
U-Pick--thank you!

Okra, a World-Divider, by Melinda

The world is divided into people who love or who strongly dislike okra.  It's among our U-Pick choices, though, so it's probably worth giving it a try!--here are a few ideas for different methods of preparation.

(source of photo & recipe)

Peppery Grilled Okra with Lemon-Basil Dipping Sauce--serves 8

• Cheesecloth or coffee filter
• 1 qt plain, low fat yogurt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt, divided
• 1 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper, divided
• 2 lbs fresh okra, trimmed (click here for how to trim & prepare okra)
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Line a wire mesh strainer w/ 3 layers of cheesecloth or a largish coffee filter. Place strainer over bowl, dump yogurt into it, & cover & chill 24 hrs. Remove thick yogurt [save the liquid whey as a nice addition to soups & stews]. Preheat grill 400 to 450 [this could also be done on the grill pan in your oven or on a George-Foreman-type grill]. Combine yogurt, basil, lemon juice, garlic, & sugar with 1/2 tsp salt & 1/4 tsp pepper. Cover & chill till ready to serve.

Toss together okra, olive oil, & remaining 1 tsp salt & 1 tsp pepper in a large bowl. Grill okra, covered w/ grill lid, at 400-450 for 2-3 min. on each side or until tender. (You can thread them on skewers that have been soaked in water, as in photo above, to make it easier to handle them.) Cool okra 5 min. Transfer to serving dish & serve w/ dipping sauce.  (source)

Shrimp and Okra Hush Puppies--Okra is really a southern dish, and like so many dishes, it's often batter-dipped & fried.

(Source)

• 1 cup self-rising yellow cornmeal mix
• 1/2 cup self-rising flour
• 1 cup medium-size raw shrimp, shelled & chopped
• 1 tsp Creole seasoning
• 1/2 cup diced onion, or combo of chopped onion & chopped sweet peppers
• 1/2 cup chopped okra
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup beer
• canola oil

Mix cornmeal & flour in bowl till combined. Sprinkle shrimp w/ Creole seasoning. Add shrimp, onion, & okra to cornmeal mix. Stir in egg and beer just until moistened. Let stand 5 to 7 minutes. Pour oil to depth of 4 inches in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot; heat to 350. Drop batter by level tbsps into hot oil & fry, in batches, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on a wire rack over paper towels; serve immediately (you can keep warm in 225 oven for up to 15 min, but no longer or they'll get mushy).  (source)

Okra and Sweet Corn Maque Choux--makes 8 servings

• 1/4 lb spicy smoked sausage, diced (VEGANS--substitute Tofurky Italian Sausage)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup diced sweet pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups fresh corn kernels
• 1 cup trimmed & sliced fresh okra
• 1 cup diced tomato
• salt & pepper to taste

Saute sausage in large skillet over medium-high heat 3 minutes, until browned. Add onion, sweet pepper, & garlic, & saute 5 min, or till tender. Add corn, okra, & tomato; cook, stirring often, 10 min. Season to taste.

(Photo & recipe source)