September

This heat wave that has brought us September is a good reminder that summer is not over. Our earliest frost date is still a month and a half away and we are sweating in the late summer sun. We are experiencing a predictable lag between our summer crops and fall crops at the moment. Our second plantings of peppers and eggplant are producing well, but due to early fruiting our tomatoes are coming to an earlier close than we would like. With winter squash and radishes and chicories and fennel on their way, we are nervously watching the summer squash, cucumber and tomato plants fade into late season diseases as they always do. Our harvests are still bountiful, but to our yearly disappointment on September 1st, fall has yet to really take it's first steps into this year. So, we'll take what we get and cheers to the end of August but not the end of summer!

Scenes from the farm: Mike driving under the clouds, Duma helping mark the halfway point in the beds for fall seedings, Jamie weeding under a dramatic sky, a real baking potato, and composed hot peppers.

The Share:

heirloom tomatoes 

cherry tomatoes

Salad Mix

Specialty Greens

Arugula

Head lettuce

Onions

Potatoes

Garlic

Beets

Carrots

Swiss Chard

Kale!

Summer Squash

Cucumber

Peppers

Eggplant

Hot peppers

Melon

Romesco Sauce

Try this Spanish sauce, made with roasted red peppers and almonds, on cooked veggies, salads or sandwiches.

Ingredients

Servings: 1 1/2 cups

  • 1 large roasted red bell pepper from a jar
  • 1 garlic clove, smashed
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
  • 1/4 cup tomato purée
  • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Preparation

 

  • Pulse first 8 ingredients in a food processor until very finely chopped. With motor running, slowly add oil; process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Romesco can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.

  • Recipe by Soa Davies
  • Photograph by Romulo Yanes

kale & walnut pesto

Ingredients

  • small bunch of kale (4-6 leaves, remove the thick part of the stems*)
  • ¼ cup walnuts, toasted
  • ½ to 1 clove of garlic
  • ¼ cup olive oil (or more for a smoother pesto)
  • juice & zest of one lemon
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • optional: grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
  • (note: you can use all of the kale stems in your pesto, you will just have to boil them longer (separately) than the leaves. About 20 minutes, or until tender)

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
  2. Blanch kale for about 30 seconds, remove and place in the ice bath to stop the cooking process.
  3. Dry the kale a bit, squeeze out some of excess water and set on a towel for a few minutes more.
  4. Blend everything together in a food processor. Pulse to create a chunky pesto, blend longer to create a smoother one. Taste and adjust, adding more salt, pepper, lemon, olive oil, as necessary.

arugula scramble with kale pesto

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs, whisked with a splash of water or milk and a pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil, for the pan
  • a few handfuls of arugula
  • a few spoonfuls of kale pesto
  • chopped chives
  • salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet. Pour in the whisked eggs and let them begin to set (10 seconds or so). Stir to scramble. After the first stir, toss in handfuls of arugula so that it wilts down slightly with as the eggs cook. Continue to scramble until your eggs are slightly underdone. Serve with spoonfuls of pesto, chives, salt & pepper to taste.

http://www.loveandlemons.com/2013/04/06/arugula-scramble-pesto/

 

 

Malaika SpencerComment