Thank you to everybody that attended our Farmraiser Cookout event this past Sunday, we were really pleased with the support and turnout, and couldn’t be more grateful for a late afternoon breeze and a rain holdout! If you were not able to attend this event, don’t worry – we’ll have another farm tour soon.
In your share this week will be:
Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes: These tangerine colored small fruits are exceptionally sweet and offer us the most durability and highest resistance to extended heat and pest pressure during June & July. Perfect for salads or light snacking!
photo from Johnny’s Seed Company
Mixed Okra: This mixture of green and red pods is comprised of three different varieties – Jambalaya, Clemson Spineless and Red Burgundy. We pick every other day to ensure only the most tender pods are making it in your CSA box or to our market tables. Now we know okra sometimes gets a bad rap…. I lived in New Orleans for a year and had the opportunity to taste okra at its finest – in gumbo and jambalaya. After that I was hooked. Follow the link here for a super accessible jambalaya recipe. You can also halve and blanche your okra in salted water to tenderize and add flavor!
Sweet Potato Greens: These tender, mild tasting leaves of our sweet potato crop are incredibly vitamin rich and easy to use. Below is a recipe from The Bitten World:
Sautéed Sweet Potato Greens
A Bitten Word Recipe
INGREDIENTS
1 large bunch sweet potato greens (about half a pound)
1/2 small white onion, diced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
DIRECTIONS
Remove sweet potato leaves from stems and set aside. Remove smaller stems from the larger, tougher stems. Discard the larger stems and roughly chop the smaller stems.
Heat olive oil in medium-sized pan over medium high heat. Add onion and sauté until just softened, about 3 minutes.
Add stem pieces and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
Add leaves, salt and pepper to taste, and maple syrup. Sauté until leaves are wilted, about 2 minutes. Serve.
Turnip & Carrot Pickles: This in-house batch contains produce ingredients grown exclusively on our farm. These pickles make for an excellent supper side item, a salad topping or sandwich filling!
Callaloo Greens: The word “callaloo” most often refers a popular Caribbean steaming/stewing dish originating in West Africa served in different variants across the Caribbean. Confusion can sometimes arise as to whether the term refers to the dish itself, or to the leafy green vegetable which comprises it. Jamaicans typically utilize callaloo greens (an amaranth) to make the dish, where as Trinidadians, Grenadians and Dominicans primarily use taro/dasheen. We have the amaranth greens in plenty around the farm and utilize it often in the summer for our farm lunches. Mineral rich, callaloo can be sauteed with onions, scallions, thyme and spices and served over a bed of rice or grain!
Japanese Eggplant: These long, tender fruits are excellent grilled, baked and stir-fried. Please follow the link here to a great posting from the NYT Cooking blog!
Purple-Hull Peas: Two different variety of pea (one of them pink-eyed) are in these hulls. Shelling can be done in a very short sitting on the porch or during your favorite movie or tv show! Once shelled, the peas can be blanched in seasoned water or simply fried in the skillet in ghee, bacon fat or oil! This Southern staple rounds out most summer dishes.
Italian Green Basil: We’re recommending this week’s Basil for the ultimate summer salad: a caprese! If you can find high-quality mozerella, we’ve already got the Basil and Tomatoes for you and you’re already almost there! Dress the salad with some sea salt, pepper, balsamic and olive oil and you’re good to go. (Arugula is also a great addition if you have any left over or want to visit us at our farmers market table!)