August Day Song
Just like this rainstorm
This August day song
I dream of places far beyond
August arrives this week. With it comes the predictably unpredictable weather of this 2013 season. From heat wave to autumn chill back to sunny days with the constant threat of thunderstorms. What's the lesson in all of this? Well, we've learned to be flexible and deal with everything as it comes. The crew of Roots to River has been incredibly resilient this season, taking on every challenge with grace and optimism. We could not have asked for a better group of people to help us through our first growing season.
We lost quite a few of our fall brassica transplants to heat last week. We planted them counting on rain that never came and they fried almost instantly under the intense sun. We have new seeds coming up in the greenhouse, it may be too late in the season to hope for them to mature. Only time will tell.
August means the last of planting and the promise of autumn. It means intense bounty as we bring in all the summer crops while waiting for the fall crops to finish growing.
We hope you've been enjoying your veggies as much as we've been enjoying growing them. Here's to August!
Amanda harvesting tomatoes.
Kidogo in his nest.
Planting fall brassicas. Can you feel the heat?
winter squash...looking good.
The share:
summer squash
cucumbers
kale
fennel
head lettuce
salad mix
arugula
beets
carrots
beans
cherry tomatoes
heirloom tomatoes
eggplant
sweet peppers
hot peppers
cippolini onions
tropea onions
scallions
garlic
basil, dill, cilantro, parsley, shiso, papalo, savory, tarragon, margoram, thyme, oregano, lavender, chives...
August cooking:
Ratatouille
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
1 1/2 cups small diced yellow onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups medium diced eggplant, skin on
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 cup diced green bell peppers
1 cup diced red bell peppers
1 cup diced zucchini squash
1 cup diced yellow squash
1 1/2 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Set a large 12-inch saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onions and garlic to the pan. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are wilted and lightly caramelized, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the eggplant and thyme to the pan and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is partially cooked, about 5 minutes. Add the green and red peppers, zucchini, and squash and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, and salt and pepper, to taste, and cook for a final 5 minutes. Stir well to blend and serve either hot or at room temperature
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/the-essence-of-emeril/ratatouille-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback
Gazpacho
Ingredients
1 cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Beet and Goat Cheese Tartlets
(oh my gosh, I wish I had time to make these. )
Directions
Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess!
After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/gazpacho-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback
Beet and goat cheese tartlets
http://www.spoonfulblog.com/2008/09/perfect-portion-chioggia-beet-and-goat.html
For the dough, use any basic pâte brisée such as this one (dough for one 9 inch pie will make 4-5 tartlets)
For the filling
4-5
beets (Chioggia are beautiful but standard beets would be nice too),
drizzled with olive oil, wrapped in foil and roasted in the oven at 350˚
for ~45 minutes or until a knife easily passes through them)
5 oz goat cheese
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, well washed
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme plus one spring thyme to garnish each tart
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Press dough inside fluted mini tart pans (~4.5 inch diameter) with removable bottoms. Roll rolling pin over tops of tarts to cut off any dough above the edges. Prick dough with a fork in several places. Allow to rest in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. Place parchment paper inside tart pans, covering sides and fill with pie weights. Blind bake for 25 minutes until dough is a golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
While tart shells are blind baking, slice leeks into thin rounds and sauté over medium/medium low heat with a splash of olive oil, small pat of butter and sprinkle of salt and pepper until they are soft and translucent. Mix ~1 tablespoon chopped thyme leaves, and a sprinkle of pepper into goat cheese. Stir to soften the cheese.
When beets are cool enough to handle, remove skins and slice very thinly and evenly, ideally using a mandolin.
When tart shells come out of oven, fill bottoms with sautéed leeks and then dot goat cheese evenly on top, using your finger or a fork to gently distribute the cheese.
Bake tarts for ~10 minutes until cheese has softened. Remove from oven and neatly place beet slices on the top, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with remaining teaspoon chopped thyme leaves and heat in oven until warm, ~5-7 minutes, taking care to ensure beets do not dry out.
Remove from pie pans, garnish with a spring of thyme and serve with a green salad.
Happy august.