In your share this week will be:
Muscadine Grapes: This southeastern native grape carries a palpable wild-sweetness unique to any traditional California table grape you may have had. Top your ice cream, make a jam, or simply pop ’em raw and spit the seed!
Lemon Basil: Our lemon basil has a wide range of application: you can utilize it in cooking (pestos, soups and stir-frys to neutralize spice) or medicinally, making a tea to extract its prolific health benefits like its anti-oxidizing properties. This flavor is specifically suited to flavor chicken and fish dishes, adding a citrus, floral note.
Cherry Tomatoes: With such a strong natural sweetness to them, less is more when it comes to consuming our Sun Gold cherry tomatoes. If eating them straight doesn’t do it for ya, try halving them and lightly salting or dressing with a fresh pesto.
Japanese Eggplant: Tender enough to forgo peeling or salting, this slender eggplant variety can be roasted, baked, smoked or added to a stir-fry. If you attended our Farm Cookout in July, you may have had tried these guys in the form of a knockout smoked dip that we used to top some blanched okra.
Seminole Pumpkin: A significant crop for the Miccosukee, or Creek people and Seminole people. The Miccosukee name for this product is “chassa howitska” meaning “hanging pumpkin”. This references the method by which native peoples would plant the pumpkin seeds at the base of girdled trees, so that the pumpkin vines would grow up the trunk, and the pumpkin fruit would grow to be hanging from the bare limbs. It was under cultivation by Seminole people before Spaniards arrived in Florida in the 1500s. A true Florida native crop, these pumpkins are easy to prep: halve it, place flesh down in a pan of oil and bake and 350 degrees for 45 minutes. The flesh will easily separate from the skin and makes for an excellent side dish seasoned with cinnamon, salt, pepper, etc.
Zinna Flowers: Though not formally edible, these gorgeous multi-colored blooms can be used as garnish for a variety of dishes. Your bouquet was carefully arranged by Jasmine, our harvest manager, and will make your dining table pop. Be sure to change out the water each day to ensure freshness!
Cucumbers: These small fruits are what we consider our “juicing” or “pickling” grade of cukes, though they can absolutely be used in salads, sandwiches or any application of your choosing. Before summer runs its course I’m giving this refreshing cucumber juice recipe a try!
Okra: To best enjoy these tender pods, be sure to roast or sautee either whole of halved – this method will give off significantly less “slime” than if okra is chopped. If you haven’t yet tried pickling your okra this season, Alton Brown’s pickling recipe is super accessible!
Sand Pears: Varying slightly from the Asian Pears we included in shares on the last rotation, this cultivar has a firmer, crunchier flesh and are best for cooking (cobblers!) or preserves.