Week Nine Farm News

Greetings Farm Share members. Welcome to another month of summer weather and summer produce. Though we have begun our fall and winter transplanting, the harvest season is in the midst of all summer, heat and sun have to offer. This week you will find two varieties of chicories, treviso and escarole. Both make really good salads, but are also great cooked. Try and subbing the chicories for equal greens amounts in a creamed spinach recipe. This is great as a bed for some roasted chicken. They are good fresh in salads and pair well with goat cheese or feta and fresh fruit like peaches or melon slices. Also this week you will find more potatoes, garlic, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, collards, chard and tomatillos. The tomatillo recipe from last week is really great with sauteed chard.

Also this time of year we are seeing some great local fruit at the markets. Melons have been a big presence at farmer’s markets and pair well with tomatoes in a fresh gazpacho.

Tomato Melon Gazpacho

One pint cherry tomatoes, stems removed
One cup chopped cantaloupe type melon
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish
1/2 cup cucumber, finely chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced basil
Crushed red pepper flakes

In a high powered blender, add tomatoes, melon, onion, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice and water. Blend till smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper. If you prefer a thinner consistency, add more water. Place into an airtight container and refrigerate till cold. Flavors are better if it is made in the morning and chilled till dinner or at night for lunch the next day.

To serve, pour into four shallow bowls and top with chopped cucumber, basil and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Though collards have been in shares for a while, we get a lot of questions in regard to their preparation. A fun thing to do is make wraps with them. To being, cut the stems out of the leaf with a squared v shaped cut.

Then rub with lemon juice, olive oil and salt if using raw and let sit at room temperature for twenty minutes. This will soften the leaves for easier digestion and rolling. Otherwise steam the leaves very lightly, just a minute or two. Ten, place filling in the top part of leaf like making a burrito. Fold the bottom flaps of leaves up over filling, crossing each flap over each other. Proceed to roll up like a burrito and place seam side down to serve. Fill with anything from hummus and vegetables, chicken salad, chorizo and eggs, tuna salad or your favorite sandwich ingredients. They pack well for lunch on the go and can easily be made the night before work or school.

Thanks to everyone once again and we look forward to harvesting more produce and sharing recipe ideas with all of you.

-The Simington Gardens Team