ATHENS HILLS SUMMER CSA:
WEEK FIFTEEN

Hello Everyone!

With the change in seasons I am brought back to one of my favorite reads of this year, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. I love the recipes that are included in this interesting exploration of eating locally. I’m sure many of you have read it and so I won’t go on too much about its contents. I will say however that if you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, it is an inspiring book to pick up and read over the colder months—it gets my creative gardening instincts going anyway in anticipation of spring and planting a whole new slue of veggies & fruits! The recipes I’ve included from the book can also be found on the website that accompanies the work—www.animalvegetabemiracle.com.

Most of our summer produce is winding down and the fall crops are coming along nicely, some of which you will get to taste in this week’s share. The Swiss Chard is particularly gorgeous this week and the potatoes and mushrooms certainly make it taste like fall. The tomatoes are still plugging along, but oh so slowly these days. We will be saying goodbye to them soon, until next year anyway. This is the case with the eggplant as well, so enjoy these last delectable bites of summer. Have a great week & enjoy the veggies!

Best Wishes,
Claudia

PS: In the next few weeks, keep an eye out for our Winter CSA brochure in your share. If you can’t wait until then, you can get a copy of it online at our website as well. We hope you’ll take a look and dream of the culinary adventures that await you with next season’s veggies! Be sure to contact us with any questions you may have about the WINTER 2009 CSA.

FEATURED VEGGIES

Salad Mix (The salad mix is doing well and we’ll soon be getting the plantings for the houses started, which means that the salad will continue, hopefully uninterrupted into the winter. It is truly wonderful to have these greens fresh throughout the year!)

Mushrooms (You all know these oyster and shiitake mushrooms well by now and this week you get a taste of both. Don’t forget that you can dry them for later use in soups, etc. by baking them on a cookie sheet at the lowest temperature and checking them until they are dry.)

Tomatoes (It is Heirloom & Cherry Tomato central this week in your share. The tomatoes are starting to wind down for the season as the shorter days and cooler nights begin to set in. Soon we will be saying a sad goodbye to these wonderful embodiments of summer. I’m making sure to get my fill before they’re done J .)

Eggplant (This may be the last time these appear in your shares this season. I’ve included a recipe here that highlights this veggie’s special flavor. I hope you enjoy.)

Red Potatoes (Who doesn’t love these? This week I’ve included a couple of seasonal variations on a summer favorite—potato salad. I hope this helps you see these gems & this dish in a new light!)

Garlic (Yes, this delicious little bulb of spicy flavor is here and will add enjoyment to many recipes including the ones this week.)

Recipe: EGGPLANT PAPOUTZAKIA

2 lb. eggplant
Olive oil
2 medium onions,
garlic to taste
2 large tomatoes,
diced
2 tsp. nutmeg
salt and pepper to
taste
6 oz. grated
mozzarella

Slice eggplant lengthwise and sauté lightly in olive oil. Remove from skillet and arrange in a baking dish.


Chop onions and garlic and sauté in olive oil. Add diced tomato and spices and mix thoroughly. Spread mixture over the eggplants and sprinkle an even layer of cheese over top. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, until golden on top.

(Recipe courtesy of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, 2007.)

Recipe: SUMMER POTATO SALAD

2 lbs red or golden new potatoes
cut in 1 inch chunks
3 tbsp olive oil
coarse salt
2 bell peppers cut in chunks
2 cups green beans (stringed and
broken in 1-inch lengths)
1-2 ears sweet corn on cob
2 cups tomatoes cut in wedges
½ cup fresh basil
¼ cup olive oil whipped together
with 1 tbsp balsamic or
other mellow vinegar

Toss potatoes with salt and oil and spread on baking sheet. Roast in 450° oven until tender (20-30 minutes). Place ears of corn, lightly oiled, with the potatoes. Add peppers and green beans to roast for last 10 minutes. When done, loosen the vegetables with a spatula, cut corn kernels off cob, and combine in a large, shallow bowl.

Toss tomatoes, basil and dressing with roasted vegetables, salt to taste.


FALL POTATO SALAD

2 lbs potatoes (any variety)
seasonal vegetables
4 tbsp dried basil
¼ cup olive oil whipped with 1
tbsp balsamic vinegar

Prepare roasted potatoes as in “Summer” recipe, combining with late-season peppers and green beans, shelly beans, or limas, roasted along with the potatoes. Toss with fresh tomato wedges, basil and the dressing. As the season progresses and different things become available, you can mix and match other vegetables with the potatoes to your heart’s content, keeping proportions roughly the same. Cubed winter squash and sweet potatoes are wonderful in this roasted dish, requiring about the same amount of time in the oven. Don’t hesitate to combine sweet and regular potatoes – they are unrelated, and marry well!

(Recipe courtesy of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, 2007)


Let us know what your favorite recipes are for any of our veggies by commenting on this week’s newsletter blog entry, or via email. We love to hear from you!