Week Eight Farm News
Greetings members, we hope you are enjoying summer and all the wonderful produce it brings. This week’s farm share includes some new items: potatoes, garlic and onions. Most of you are quite familiar this these things. We have tried to grow a variety of unique potatoes, some of them are rose colored throughout, there are some purple varieties and some the always tasty butterball types. Most shares contain at least three varieties, all with slight taste variances. Like most fruits and vegetables, potatoes that are darker in color have more nutrients. They lie right under the skin, so it is best to keep the peel on and most recipes using potatoes can accommodate this. Make sure to scrub the skins well before using.
Also this week there are heartier greens, kale, collards or chard depending on each share. These all pair well with roasted potatoes and eggs for breakfast or a lighter dinner. To roast potatoes, simply wash and cut into like sized pieces, coat in salt, pepper and olive oil and seasonings of choice. Garlic, paprika, and herbs go well together. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast at 425 degrees. The key to crimping the potatoes is not moving them. Check after twenty minutes to see if the bottoms have browned. You will know they are ready when the potatoes are soft and the are easily removed from the baking sheet. Serve with sauteed greens and top with a fried egg or use as a side for your meal.
Along with potatoes and greens there is escarole, which made its first appearance last week and would be great sauteed with roasted potatoes. Heirlooms, slicers md cherry tomatoes are in the box, along with tomatillos. The variety of tomatillos is a bit sweet and they make excellent salsa. Summer squash are in the shares are well.
Mexican Breakfast Hash Recipe
2 cups potatoes, diced
2 TB olive oil
1 Serrano pepper, seeded & diced
2 TB onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 ounces pork chorizo or breakfast sausage
2 leaves kale or collard greens, deveined and very finely chopped
4 eggs, whisked
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add diced potatoes and generous pinch of salt. Boil 5 minutes, or until nearly cooked. Strain and allow to drain on paper towel.
2. Meanwhile, heat a skillet to medium heat with 2 TB olive oil. Sauté serrano pepper, onions and garlic until translucent but not browned. Add chorizo and cook thoroughly.
3. Coat drained potatoes with the paprika, salt, and pepper. Make space in the skillet by pushing chorizo to one side. Add a dash more olive oil if needed. Add poatoes to the well-oiled section of the pan. Increase heat to medium-high, and fry potatoes, stirring occasionally until cooked through and getting crispy. (Do not over stir, or they will begin to stick.)
4. Add finely chopped collard greens for the last 3-4 minutes of cooking, allowing to soften.
5. Lastly, add the eggs and stir until cooked through.
6. Enjoy! Serve with lime wedges, fresh cilantro, cotija cheese, and salsa. Can also be used as filling for a breakfasts burrito. Check out the recipe for an easy fresh tomatillo salsa in the recipe section of the blog.
We hope you are enjoying eating all the produce. We are finishing up another big transplant of late season peppers, squash and cucumbers to ensure summer produce well into fall. We all love root vegetables and winter squash, but just as soon as it starts to turn cold it seems like we want fresh cucumbers back on the menu.
We will be able to cover the plants in the fall to protect them in the event of early colder temperatures, though with the current weather we are thinking that that our summer will be on the long side.
Again, thank you all for the support and we welcome and feedback you might have.
– The Simington Gardens Team
