ATHENS HILLS SUMMER CSA:
WEEK SEVEN

Hello Everyone!

Last night brought us wonderful thunderstorms that have watered our thirsty fields. Actually John, our irrigation coordinator this month, has been doing a great job keeping everything out in those fields happily watered. However, a little rain is always a welcome sight after a couple of dry weeks.

The tomatoes have officially begun their mass production! The last couple of harvests we picked close to 1000lbs each time! This means several things over the next two months—lots of delicious tomatoes for your culinary exploits, a couple of 6:30am start-times on harvest days for us, and lots of canning opportunities for those of us who enjoy preserving gorgeous veggies in glass jars—these jars are a featured item in our Winter CSA, so keep this in mind when the time comes to sign up for next season.

In case you didn’t know, our Kate has left us for the big city (Columbus) and we miss her dearly already. Kate, thanks so much for being such an asset to Green Edge, but more importantly such a great friend to all of us here. We love you!

I hope you all have a wonderful week and while I’m visiting upstate New York over the next few days, I will be thinking of you and keeping an eye out for delicious recipe ideas that we can all enjoy.

Best Wishes,
Claudia


FEATURED VEGGIES

Micro Mix (a mix of sunflower, buckwheat, radish, cabbage and kogani (pac choi)).

Mushrooms (pickers' choice of our farm-grown shiitake, oyster or trumpet mushrooms. Store these beauties in your refrigerator in a paper bag or in an unsealed plastic bag for a least a week.)


Slicer or Heirloom Tomatoes (Have a look at our blog for photos that will help you identify each of these glorious & tasty treats. Store at room temperature for best flavor—do NOT refrigerate until you use part of them.)

Cherry Tomatoes (Super Sweet 100’s & Sungolds will brighten any dish you include them in. Like our heirlooms & slicers, store at room temperature until you use them.)

Green Peppers (Bright, green, crisp and flavored to perfection. I don’t even like peppers, but I’ll eat one of these—that’s how good they really are!)

Eggplant (This is one of my favorite of the summer veggies here. Store whole in the crisper drawer of your fridge—they’ll keep for a while like this. Check out the recipes this week for ideas on how to use them.)

Red Potatoes (Oh, wow are these good potatoes! They are newly harvested, creamy potato wonders. Store them in a cool, dry, dark place if you don’t end up devouring them right away. They work wonderfully cubed, boiled, cooled and added to a salad of micro greens & your favorite dressing.)

Recipe: Canning Green Peppers

If you have a pressure cooker & no room in your freezer here’s an alternative to chopping & freezing your bounty of peppers. Store in your pantry & enjoy the taste of summer in the dead of winter.

NB: Refer to the manufacturer’s instructions regarding your canner’s capacity, water levels, etc. before beginning. Also, make sure you’ve sterilized your jars, lids and rings before starting to process the peppers—that way your jars, etc. are ready to load.

Remove stems, core and remove seeds & inner white membrane. Remove skins by first plunging them in boiling water for a few minutes, then running them under cold water, and finally taking off the now split skins with a sharp knife or potato peeler. Slice pepper or flatten whole haves and pack carefully in layers into pint or quart glass jars. Fill the jars with boiling water up to ½ inch of the top. You can add ½ tablespoon of lemon juice or 1 tablespoon of vinegar per pint if you wish. Wipe the lip of the jar, place lid on top & screw on the ring—do not tighten completely. In your canner process the jars at 5 pounds pressure only—higher pressure injures flavor and texture. For pint jars, process at 5 pounds pressure for 50 minutes. For quart jars, process at the same 5 pounds pressure, but for 60 minutes.


(Recipe courtesy of Stocking Up: How to Preserve the Foods You Grow Naturally, 1977.)

Recipe: Eggplant Moussaka
(Yields 2 casseroles—6 to 8 servings each)

2 large or 4 small eggplants
salt
2 lbs. lean lamb, ground (or ground
beef or vegetarian substitute)
½ C. chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 peeled, chopped fresh tomatoes]
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ C. dry red wine
1 tsp. fresh, chopped basil or ¼ tsp.
dried
½ tsp. fresh, chopped thyme or ¼ tsp.
dried
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. sifted, whole wheat flour
1 C. stock
½ C. grated Romano cheese (or more)

Cut off stems of eggplant and peel lengthwise, leaving ½-inch strips all around. Cut into ½-inch slices; sprinkle salt on each, and then leave them for 30 minutes or so to drain.

Brown meat, adding oil if necessary. Add onions and garlic, and sauté. Add tomatoes, seasoning, wine, and herbs. Simmer until meat is tender.

Pat eggplant slices dry. Sauté in oil until brown on both sides.

Melt butter; add the flour, and stir to a smooth paste; then add stock, cook, stirring constantly, and bring to a full boil. Lower heat; add grated cheese and simmer, stirring, until cheese melts.

To freeze: In each of 2 lined baking pans, place a layer of eggplant, then a layer of meat, a layer of eggplant, then meat, finishing with a layer of eggplant. Pour on cheese sauce, and sprinkle on a little extra grated cheese. Freeze. When solidly frozen, wrap in freezer paper. Label, seal, date and return to freezer immediately.

When ready to serve: Preheat the oven to 375F. Do not thaw casserole; unwrap and place in baking dish. Bake for about 1 ¼ hours of until casserole is heated through.

(Recipe courtesy of Stocking Up: How to Preserve the Foods You Grow Naturally, 1977.)