Check out these interesting articles that shareholder Adam suggests. Thanks Adam!
A third or more of all the honey consumed in the U.S. is likely to have been smuggled in from China and may be tainted with illegal antibiotics and heavy metals. A Food Safety News investigation has documented that millions of pounds of honey banned as unsafe in dozens of countries are being imported and sold here in record quantities.
And the flow of Chinese honey continues despite assurances from the Food and Drug Administration and other federal officials that the hundreds of millions of pounds reaching store shelves were authentic and safe following the widespread arrests and convictions of major smugglers over the last two years.
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/08/honey-laundering/
New Farmers Find Their Footing
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/16/new-farmers-find-their-footing/
Radically overhauling farming could both boost food production and protect the environment, scientists say. Paying for environmental services is one step that could also help people and the planet at the same time.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15322071,00.html
At least four people in New Jersey wound up hospitalized this week after ingesting wild mushooms, according to the state's Poison Information and Education System.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/128316283.html?cmpid=15585797
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Hot Pepper Jelly
I went to University in Montreal and one of my favorite restaurants served a sandwich called Pepper Island with cream cheese, pesto and jalapeño jelly. To this day it is my favorite sandwich. I recommend trying it with your own homemade pesto and hot pepper jelly:
Ingredients:
• 2 1/2 cups finely chopped red bell peppers
• 1 1/4 cups finely chopped green bell peppers
• 1/4 cup finely chopped jalapeno peppers
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 (1.75 ounce) package powdered pectin
• 5 cups white sugar
Directions:
-Sterilize 6 (8 ounce) canning jars and lids according to manufacturer's instructions. Heat water in a hot water canner.
-Place red bell peppers, green bell peppers, and jalapeno peppers in a large saucepan over high heat. Mix in vinegar and fruit pectin. Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a full rolling boil. Quickly stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil, and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and skim off any foam.
-Quickly ladle jelly into sterile jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the tops. Cover with flat lids, and screw on bands tightly.
-Place jars in rack, and slowly lower jars into canner. The water should cover the jars completely, and should be hot but not boiling. Bring water to a boil, and process for 5 minutes.
Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/hot-pepper-jelly/detail.aspx
Ingredients:
• 2 1/2 cups finely chopped red bell peppers
• 1 1/4 cups finely chopped green bell peppers
• 1/4 cup finely chopped jalapeno peppers
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 (1.75 ounce) package powdered pectin
• 5 cups white sugar
Directions:
-Sterilize 6 (8 ounce) canning jars and lids according to manufacturer's instructions. Heat water in a hot water canner.
-Place red bell peppers, green bell peppers, and jalapeno peppers in a large saucepan over high heat. Mix in vinegar and fruit pectin. Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a full rolling boil. Quickly stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil, and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and skim off any foam.
-Quickly ladle jelly into sterile jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the tops. Cover with flat lids, and screw on bands tightly.
-Place jars in rack, and slowly lower jars into canner. The water should cover the jars completely, and should be hot but not boiling. Bring water to a boil, and process for 5 minutes.
Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/hot-pepper-jelly/detail.aspx
Spaghetti with Scallion Sauce
Ingredients:
• 1 lb spaghetti
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 cups chopped scallions (from 4 bunches)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/2 cup)
Directions:
• Cook spaghetti in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
• While pasta cooks, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook scallions and garlic, stirring occasionally, until scallions are softened and garlic begins to turn golden, about 5 minutes • Transfer scallion mixture to a blender and add zest, salt, pepper, remaining olive oil, and 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then purée until smooth. (Use caution when blending hot liquids.)
• Drain pasta in a colander and return to pot.
• Toss pasta with scallion purée, cheese, and salt and pepper to taste over moderate heat until pasta is well coated.
Source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spaghetti-with-Scallion-Sauce-232616#ixzz1WGqiNWwv
• 1 lb spaghetti
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 cups chopped scallions (from 4 bunches)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/2 cup)
Directions:
• Cook spaghetti in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
• While pasta cooks, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook scallions and garlic, stirring occasionally, until scallions are softened and garlic begins to turn golden, about 5 minutes • Transfer scallion mixture to a blender and add zest, salt, pepper, remaining olive oil, and 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then purée until smooth. (Use caution when blending hot liquids.)
• Drain pasta in a colander and return to pot.
• Toss pasta with scallion purée, cheese, and salt and pepper to taste over moderate heat until pasta is well coated.
Source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spaghetti-with-Scallion-Sauce-232616#ixzz1WGqiNWwv
Goat Cheese with Bell Peppers
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup diced orange bell pepper
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced yellow bell pepper
4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1/4 teaspoon coarsely-ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Coarse salt to taste
8 ounces chilled goat cheese (such as Montrachet), cut into 8 slices
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts*
Baguette bread slices, toasted
Directions:
* To toast pine nuts, preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the nuts in a shallow pan and roast, stirring often for 2 minutes. Do not overcook, for pine nuts burn easily.
In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add diced bell peppers and sauté 5 minutes or until tender; reduce heat to medium-low. Add garlic, rosemary, coriander, fennel, pepper, thyme, bay leaf, and remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Simmer mixture 5 minutes, to blend flavors. Remove from heat.
Season to taste with coarse salt. Let cool to room temperature.
Arrange goat cheese on platter; spoon prepared dressing over the top of them. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Sprinkle with pine nuts and serve with baguette slices.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Source: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Appetizers/GoatCheesePepper.htm
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup diced orange bell pepper
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced yellow bell pepper
4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1/4 teaspoon coarsely-ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Coarse salt to taste
8 ounces chilled goat cheese (such as Montrachet), cut into 8 slices
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts*
Baguette bread slices, toasted
Directions:
* To toast pine nuts, preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the nuts in a shallow pan and roast, stirring often for 2 minutes. Do not overcook, for pine nuts burn easily.
In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add diced bell peppers and sauté 5 minutes or until tender; reduce heat to medium-low. Add garlic, rosemary, coriander, fennel, pepper, thyme, bay leaf, and remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Simmer mixture 5 minutes, to blend flavors. Remove from heat.
Season to taste with coarse salt. Let cool to room temperature.
Arrange goat cheese on platter; spoon prepared dressing over the top of them. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Sprinkle with pine nuts and serve with baguette slices.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Source: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Appetizers/GoatCheesePepper.htm
Canning Workshop Success.
In preparation for any long-term electrical shortages due to Irene, five of us gathered on Saturday to brush up on our canning skills. Sally McCabe, from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society led the workshop. Shareholders Georgia Kirkpatrick, Nancy Dearden, Kate Pelusi and I attended. I finished cleaning my kitchen (which I share with 7 other housemates!) just in time for the process to get started at 11am. Despite the lack of tomatoes from our farm, we had plenty from other sources. Sally McCabe brought enough pots to can about five times as many jars as we did! After a little less than 4 hours we had canned 19 jars of whole tomatoes. Half were cold packed, and half were hot packed. Cold packed means you put the tomatoes in the jars uncooked, hot packed means you put them in the jars after they have been cooking on the stove for a bit. In the end we noticed very little difference between the two! We used a water bath for all of them. Thanks to the delicious snacks Nancy and Georgia brought, everyone left not only satisfied with an armful of jars for the winter, but also with full bellies. Sally gave us all handouts that I will share with everyone at the next pick-up, next to the sign in sheet. Thanks to everyone who attended and helped make this happen!
Irene Preparations
I’m writing this on Saturday afternoon and while it has been raining for a few hours, the wind just picked up within the last ten minutes. While working on the farm on Friday, I was without access to a weather report, so my preparations were based on updates from shareholders in the U-pick area, and a few phone calls. When I got home I checked my email and another farmer had sent an email out on the Philadelphia Urban Farmers listserv asking for advice on what to do to prepare. The general manager of the co-op called and said we should “harvest everything” (assumedly because he thought it would all be lost). A teacher stopped by and told me we should expect 100 mile per hour winds. I began to wonder if any preparatory steps would be in vain. I began to have visions of all the white grow cover swirling around in a tornado immediately above the farm and the hoop houses being ripped all to shreds. After a few phone calls to my immediate farming community and support network, I took the following steps:
• Closed all the windows to the pick up building.
• Picked up all signs and our banner.
• Put extra weights on the grow cover, took off any that wasn’t absolutely necessary.
• Closed the hoop house doors and barred them shut (the latches aren’t so good).
• Put all groundhog traps, buckets, trash cans, plant trays, wheelbarrows and bins that usually stay outside in the tool shed.
• Reinforced the stakes of the tomatoes that aren’t totally diseased (the others can fall over for all I care!).
• Said a small prayer for our peppers and eggplants!
Let’s hoe that does it! We’ll find out on Monday morning!
• Closed all the windows to the pick up building.
• Picked up all signs and our banner.
• Put extra weights on the grow cover, took off any that wasn’t absolutely necessary.
• Closed the hoop house doors and barred them shut (the latches aren’t so good).
• Put all groundhog traps, buckets, trash cans, plant trays, wheelbarrows and bins that usually stay outside in the tool shed.
• Reinforced the stakes of the tomatoes that aren’t totally diseased (the others can fall over for all I care!).
• Said a small prayer for our peppers and eggplants!
Let’s hoe that does it! We’ll find out on Monday morning!
Henry Got Crops! In the News
On Thursday a story about our farm was posted on the local news website Patch. It focuses on our Wednesday farm stand on Henry Ave. There are some great picture of high school interns Omi and Cornell running the farm stand the day before. Check it out at:
http://roxborough.patch.com/articles/henry-got-crops-stand-brings-produce-smiles-to-area
http://roxborough.patch.com/articles/henry-got-crops-stand-brings-produce-smiles-to-area
Henry Got Crops Joins Facebook!
I am proud to disclose the Henry Got Crops facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/HenryGotCrops. Thanks to Georgia Kirkpatrick, Ann Keiser and Clare Hyre for finally making it happen. This is a great place to stay up to date with events, ask fellow shareholders for cooking and storage tips, show off pictures of meals you have made and in general have a space for all of you to connect. This is also a great place for those of you who have access to a computer all day to answer each other’s questions with more speed than I can! For instance, if you can’t remember if how late the pick-up goes, post a question on facebook and you’ll probably get an answer much faster than if you emailed me!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Put Away Roasted Peppers for the Winter
• Deseed Peppers
• Cut peppers into strips
• Place on cookie sheet with olive oil
• Roast on 350 until browned on both sides (flipping once)
• Let cool
• Fill sandwich bags for individual portions, then place those in a larger freezer bag
Great for winter pasta sauces, pizza toppings, omelets, stir fries, etc!
Source: Bill Shick, Nice Roots Farm, SHARE Farm Manager
• Cut peppers into strips
• Place on cookie sheet with olive oil
• Roast on 350 until browned on both sides (flipping once)
• Let cool
• Fill sandwich bags for individual portions, then place those in a larger freezer bag
Great for winter pasta sauces, pizza toppings, omelets, stir fries, etc!
Source: Bill Shick, Nice Roots Farm, SHARE Farm Manager
Put Away Roasted Peppers for the Winter
• Deseed Peppers
• Cut peppers into strips
• Place on cookie sheet with olive oil
• Roast on 350 until browned on both sides (flipping once)
• Let cool
• Fill sandwich bags for individual portions, then place those in a larger freezer bag
Great for winter pasta sauces, pizza toppings, omelets, stir fries, etc!
Source: Bill Shick, Nice Roots Farm, SHARE Farm Manager
• Cut peppers into strips
• Place on cookie sheet with olive oil
• Roast on 350 until browned on both sides (flipping once)
• Let cool
• Fill sandwich bags for individual portions, then place those in a larger freezer bag
Great for winter pasta sauces, pizza toppings, omelets, stir fries, etc!
Source: Bill Shick, Nice Roots Farm, SHARE Farm Manager
Stuffed Patty Pan Squash
Ingredients:
• 12 to 15 patty pan squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup long grain white rice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• dash black pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese plus more for sprinkling
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach, about 3 ounces
Boil squash until just fork tender, about 20 minutes, depending on size. Heat oven to 350°. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan or saute pan. Add green onions and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add rice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. Stir in the 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and spinach until spinach is wilted. Cut part of the tops off of a squash and scoop out some of the interior, being careful not to break through the sides or bottom of the squash. Mound rice onto the squash using a spoon or cookie scoop. Repeat with remaining squash and arrange in the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and sprinkle a little more Parmesan cheese over the squash. Bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes, until hot.
Serves 6.
Source: http://southernfood.about.com/od/summersquash/r/r90708a.htm
• 12 to 15 patty pan squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup long grain white rice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• dash black pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese plus more for sprinkling
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach, about 3 ounces
Boil squash until just fork tender, about 20 minutes, depending on size. Heat oven to 350°. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan or saute pan. Add green onions and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add rice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. Stir in the 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and spinach until spinach is wilted. Cut part of the tops off of a squash and scoop out some of the interior, being careful not to break through the sides or bottom of the squash. Mound rice onto the squash using a spoon or cookie scoop. Repeat with remaining squash and arrange in the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and sprinkle a little more Parmesan cheese over the squash. Bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes, until hot.
Serves 6.
Source: http://southernfood.about.com/od/summersquash/r/r90708a.htm
Stuffed Patty Pan Squash
Ingredients:
• 12 to 15 patty pan squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup long grain white rice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• dash black pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese plus more for sprinkling
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach, about 3 ounces
Boil squash until just fork tender, about 20 minutes, depending on size. Heat oven to 350°. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan or saute pan. Add green onions and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add rice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. Stir in the 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and spinach until spinach is wilted. Cut part of the tops off of a squash and scoop out some of the interior, being careful not to break through the sides or bottom of the squash. Mound rice onto the squash using a spoon or cookie scoop. Repeat with remaining squash and arrange in the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and sprinkle a little more Parmesan cheese over the squash. Bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes, until hot.
Serves 6.
Source: http://southernfood.about.com/od/summersquash/r/r90708a.htm
• 12 to 15 patty pan squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup long grain white rice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• dash black pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese plus more for sprinkling
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach, about 3 ounces
Boil squash until just fork tender, about 20 minutes, depending on size. Heat oven to 350°. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan or saute pan. Add green onions and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add rice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. Stir in the 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and spinach until spinach is wilted. Cut part of the tops off of a squash and scoop out some of the interior, being careful not to break through the sides or bottom of the squash. Mound rice onto the squash using a spoon or cookie scoop. Repeat with remaining squash and arrange in the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and sprinkle a little more Parmesan cheese over the squash. Bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes, until hot.
Serves 6.
Source: http://southernfood.about.com/od/summersquash/r/r90708a.htm
Freezing Eggplant
Step 1 - Get yer eggplant!
Start with fresh eggplant - as fresh as you can get. If there is a delay between harvesting and freezing, put it in the refrigerator or put ice on it. Harvest before the seeds become mature and when color is still uniformly dark. Some varieties and size freeze better than others. Like many vegetables, eggplants do become soft after freezing and shed water as the cell walls rupture. The traditional black varieties hold up a bit better than the purple Chinese and Thai types, but in many dishes (like Indian baigan bharta) it won't matter.
Step 2 - Wash the eggplant!
I'm sure you can figure out how to rinse the eggplant in plain cold water.
Step 3 - Peel and slice the eggplant
Just take a sharp knife and cut of both ends (about 1/4 of an inch, or half the width of an average woman's little finger). Then peel the eggplant - an ordinary vegetable peeler works best.
Step 4 - Slice the eggplant
Slice 1/3-inch thick slices.
Prepare quickly, (if you leave it sit cut for more than a half hour, it will start to discolor). Do enough eggplant for one blanching at a time.
Step 5 - Get the pots ready
Get the pot of boiling water ready (about 2/3 filled), and add 1/2 cup of lemon juice to each gallon of water. Also get a LARGE bowl of ice and cold water ready to receive the eggplant after blanching.
Step 6 - Blanch the eggplant.
All fruits and vegetables contain enzymes and bacteria that, over time, break down the destroy nutrients and change the color, flavor, and texture of food during frozen storage. eggplant requires a brief heat treatment, called blanching, in boiling water or steam, to destroy the enzymes before freezing. Cook (blanch) the eggplant for 4 minutes.
Begin counting the blanching time as soon as you place the eggplant in the boiling water. Cover the kettle and boil at a high temperature for the required length of time. You may use the same blanching water several times (up to 5). Be sure to add more water from time to time to keep the water level at the required height.
Step 7 - Cool the eggplant
Remove the eggplants from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and place in i ce water to cool for about 5 minutes (until cold).
Cooling them quickly prevents overcooking. Keep adding more ice as needed.
Drain thoroughly 2 or 3 minutes)
Step 7 - Bag the eggplant
I love the FoodSavers (see this page for more information) with their vacuum sealing! I am not paid by them, but these things really work. If you don't have one, ziploc bags work, too, but it is hard to get as much air out of the bags. remove the air to prevent drying and freezer burn. TIP: If you don't own a vacuum food sealer to freeze foods, place food in a Ziploc bags, zip the top shut but leave enough space to insert the tip of a soda straw. When straw is in place, remove air by sucking the air out. To remove straw, press straw closed where inserted and finish pressing the bag closed as you remove straw.
If you want slices for frying later; pack the drained slices with plastic wrap between slices. That will help to keep them from sticking to each other.
Note:
If the eggplant is very wet, after draining it, just put it in the food saver bag and freeze it (unsealed and upright) in your freezer. THEN, several hours later or the next day, when it is frozen, you can seal it with no mess!
Step 8 - Done!
Pop them into the freezer, on the quick freeze shelf, if you have one!
Source:
http://www.pickyourown.org/freezingeggplant.htm
Start with fresh eggplant - as fresh as you can get. If there is a delay between harvesting and freezing, put it in the refrigerator or put ice on it. Harvest before the seeds become mature and when color is still uniformly dark. Some varieties and size freeze better than others. Like many vegetables, eggplants do become soft after freezing and shed water as the cell walls rupture. The traditional black varieties hold up a bit better than the purple Chinese and Thai types, but in many dishes (like Indian baigan bharta) it won't matter.
Step 2 - Wash the eggplant!
I'm sure you can figure out how to rinse the eggplant in plain cold water.
Step 3 - Peel and slice the eggplant
Just take a sharp knife and cut of both ends (about 1/4 of an inch, or half the width of an average woman's little finger). Then peel the eggplant - an ordinary vegetable peeler works best.
Step 4 - Slice the eggplant
Slice 1/3-inch thick slices.
Prepare quickly, (if you leave it sit cut for more than a half hour, it will start to discolor). Do enough eggplant for one blanching at a time.
Step 5 - Get the pots ready
Get the pot of boiling water ready (about 2/3 filled), and add 1/2 cup of lemon juice to each gallon of water. Also get a LARGE bowl of ice and cold water ready to receive the eggplant after blanching.
Step 6 - Blanch the eggplant.
All fruits and vegetables contain enzymes and bacteria that, over time, break down the destroy nutrients and change the color, flavor, and texture of food during frozen storage. eggplant requires a brief heat treatment, called blanching, in boiling water or steam, to destroy the enzymes before freezing. Cook (blanch) the eggplant for 4 minutes.
Begin counting the blanching time as soon as you place the eggplant in the boiling water. Cover the kettle and boil at a high temperature for the required length of time. You may use the same blanching water several times (up to 5). Be sure to add more water from time to time to keep the water level at the required height.
Step 7 - Cool the eggplant
Remove the eggplants from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and place in i ce water to cool for about 5 minutes (until cold).
Cooling them quickly prevents overcooking. Keep adding more ice as needed.
Drain thoroughly 2 or 3 minutes)
Step 7 - Bag the eggplant
I love the FoodSavers (see this page for more information) with their vacuum sealing! I am not paid by them, but these things really work. If you don't have one, ziploc bags work, too, but it is hard to get as much air out of the bags. remove the air to prevent drying and freezer burn. TIP: If you don't own a vacuum food sealer to freeze foods, place food in a Ziploc bags, zip the top shut but leave enough space to insert the tip of a soda straw. When straw is in place, remove air by sucking the air out. To remove straw, press straw closed where inserted and finish pressing the bag closed as you remove straw.
If you want slices for frying later; pack the drained slices with plastic wrap between slices. That will help to keep them from sticking to each other.
Note:
If the eggplant is very wet, after draining it, just put it in the food saver bag and freeze it (unsealed and upright) in your freezer. THEN, several hours later or the next day, when it is frozen, you can seal it with no mess!
Step 8 - Done!
Pop them into the freezer, on the quick freeze shelf, if you have one!
Source:
http://www.pickyourown.org/freezingeggplant.htm
Boom and Bust of Tomatoes
I said it this week. Perhaps I shouldn’t have, but I did. I said I hate growing tomatoes. Of course this isn’t true across the board, as long as I am a farmer I will probably grow tomatoes. But this week…I hate growing tomatoes. Monday morning my coworkers and I walked around the field like usual to make a plan for the week. We walked past the tomatoes and I thought they looked particularly bad. They had been suffering a little from late trellising, but they seemed to look worse. I looked closer. This was not just damage from trellising. There were brown dots, and yellow spots, and many, many, dead, brown leaves. It’s hit: a tomato disease. We weren’t sure at first which of the many diseases had struck, but it was clear, there was some fast deterioration going on. Since Monday I’ve done some research, and my best guess is that we have both Fusarium Wilt and Septoria Leaf Spot. One strikes from the inside out, the other strikes from the outside in. Both stay in your soil for multiple years. While I’m still looking, I haven’t found an organic control for Fusarium. Penn State Extension recommends for organic growers to use a copper fungicide to slow down (but not stop) Septoria. Tomatoes are delicious, beautiful, versatile vegetables that everyone loves. They also are completely dependent on a tremendous amount of human aid to grow and survive. They require staking and trellising, otherwise they flop on the ground and the fruit rots and the plants are even more susceptible to disease from the soil. They require pruning to create air circulation that also helps prevent disease, and creates larger fruit. And they grow incredibly fast, so neither trellising nor pruning are one-time events, they must be repeated throughout the season as they grow. They also have the capability to sprout roots from any part of their stem or branches, so if they do lie on the ground, they will start rooting in, making them even more sensitive to being forced upright again. If it rains or is there is dew on their leaves you can’t touch them because the water makes them an even more inviting place for disease which could travel on you, from one plant to another. You need to constantly be watching for any sign of disease on a leaf or fruit that you then need to remove in hopes of stopping it from spreading to another. In short, if you look at them wrong they fall over and die. Every year on this farm I’ve had trouble with tomatoes and identified some frightening disease at a point in the season that seems unfairly early. “After all this work I’ve put into you, you are going to shrivel up and die on me? In AUGUST?!” I was going to spray copper and fertilizer on the tomatoes today (Saturday), but there is rain in the forecast and I can’t afford the time or the resources to spray them if it will be washed off that quickly. Looking at the forecast, Monday is another option. So today, myself and two high school interns spent cumulatively 11 hours pruning off diseased leaves and branches. We got about one a half of our 8 affected rows finished. I’m not quite sure where I’ll find the remaining 71.5 hours to tend to the rest. If I did nothing else for the entire 6-day workweek that would completely fill my average weekly hours. I think at this point it’s appropriate to laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of tomatoes. We silly humans bend over backwards for these vines that have us wrapped around their tendrils. All for $4.00 a lb (at your highest paying market). On a brighter note, we can celebrate the fact that this year we had tomatoes over a month earlier than last year, thanks to our hoop house. Also, harvests have been on average three times larger than last year as well. And this is about the same time as last year that our tomatoes started dying, so all in all, it’s been a good year! I feel like this is one of those very tough decisions farmers have to make about time and energy input versus potential output (or lack thereof). I’m considering ripping out the most diseased section in an effort to save the ones that are less affected at this point. So if anyone wants to join our emergency tomato triage team, give me a call. Seriously (802-274-4503).
Baked Eggplant with Tomatoes
Ingredients:
• 1 medium eggplant, about 1 1/4 pounds
• 1 small can (about 8 ounces) tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Heat oven to 375°. Peel eggplant; slice into 1/2-inch slices. Cook in boiling salted water for about 5 to 8 minutes, or just until tender. Drain. Combine tomatoes, thyme, and garlic salt. In a 1-quart casserole, layer eggplant, half of the tomato mixture, and half of the grated cheese. Repeat layers, ending with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes at 375°.
Serves 4.
Source:
http://southernfood.about.com/od/eggplantrecipes/r/bl50418a.htm
• 1 medium eggplant, about 1 1/4 pounds
• 1 small can (about 8 ounces) tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Heat oven to 375°. Peel eggplant; slice into 1/2-inch slices. Cook in boiling salted water for about 5 to 8 minutes, or just until tender. Drain. Combine tomatoes, thyme, and garlic salt. In a 1-quart casserole, layer eggplant, half of the tomato mixture, and half of the grated cheese. Repeat layers, ending with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes at 375°.
Serves 4.
Source:
http://southernfood.about.com/od/eggplantrecipes/r/bl50418a.htm
Cheese Filled Eggplant with Tomato Pepper Sauce
Ingredients:
• 1 medium eggplant
• nonstick cooking spray or olive oil spray
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup diced roasted red peppers
• 2 large tomatoes, seeded, peeled, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• dash pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• dash pepper
• ***Filling***
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil
• 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• dash pepper
Directions:
Remove ends from the eggplant. Slice lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil and arrange the slices on the baking sheet in a single layer. Spray the slices with nonstick cooking spray or spray or brush with olive oil. Broil until browned.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add onion and sauté just until tender. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute longer. Add peppers, tomato, 1/2 teaspoon basil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a dash of pepper. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until vegetables are softened.
Combine the filling ingredients, mixing to blend well.
Heat oven to 375°.
Spoon the tomato mixture into a 2-quart baking dish. Spoon a few teaspoons of the cheese mixture onto the end of each slice of eggplant. Roll up and place on the tomato mixture, seam-side down. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Serves 4 to 6.
Source: http://southernfood.about.com/od/eggplantrecipes/r/r80731a.htm
• 1 medium eggplant
• nonstick cooking spray or olive oil spray
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup diced roasted red peppers
• 2 large tomatoes, seeded, peeled, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• dash pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• dash pepper
• ***Filling***
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil
• 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• dash pepper
Directions:
Remove ends from the eggplant. Slice lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil and arrange the slices on the baking sheet in a single layer. Spray the slices with nonstick cooking spray or spray or brush with olive oil. Broil until browned.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add onion and sauté just until tender. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute longer. Add peppers, tomato, 1/2 teaspoon basil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a dash of pepper. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until vegetables are softened.
Combine the filling ingredients, mixing to blend well.
Heat oven to 375°.
Spoon the tomato mixture into a 2-quart baking dish. Spoon a few teaspoons of the cheese mixture onto the end of each slice of eggplant. Roll up and place on the tomato mixture, seam-side down. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Serves 4 to 6.
Source: http://southernfood.about.com/od/eggplantrecipes/r/r80731a.htm
Pizza Without Red Sauce
Pizza Without Red Sauce
Ingredients:
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto
• 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 unbaked pizza crust
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 1 bunch fresh spinach,
• 1 sweet onion, sliced
• 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 1 (6 ounce) package feta cheese, crumbled
•
Directions:
1. Preheat oven according to pizza crust package directions.
2. In a small bowl combine butter, olive oil, garlic, pesto, basil, oregano and Parmesan cheese. Spread mixture evenly on pizza crust.
3. Arrange tomato, spinach, onion and jalapeno on pizza. Top with crumbled feta cheese.
4. Bake according to pizza crust package directions.
Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pizza-without-the-red-sauce/detail.aspx
Ingredients:
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto
• 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 unbaked pizza crust
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 1 bunch fresh spinach,
• 1 sweet onion, sliced
• 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 1 (6 ounce) package feta cheese, crumbled
•
Directions:
1. Preheat oven according to pizza crust package directions.
2. In a small bowl combine butter, olive oil, garlic, pesto, basil, oregano and Parmesan cheese. Spread mixture evenly on pizza crust.
3. Arrange tomato, spinach, onion and jalapeno on pizza. Top with crumbled feta cheese.
4. Bake according to pizza crust package directions.
Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pizza-without-the-red-sauce/detail.aspx
Double Tomato Bruschetta
Ingredients:
• 6 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, stems removed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 French baguette
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
•
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven on broiler setting.
2. In a large bowl, combine the roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.
3. Cut the baguette into 3/4-inch slices. On a baking sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown.
4. Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the baguette slices. Top the slices with mozzarella cheese.
5. Broil for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/double-tomato-bruschetta/detail.aspx
• 6 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, stems removed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 French baguette
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
•
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven on broiler setting.
2. In a large bowl, combine the roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.
3. Cut the baguette into 3/4-inch slices. On a baking sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown.
4. Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the baguette slices. Top the slices with mozzarella cheese.
5. Broil for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/double-tomato-bruschetta/detail.aspx
Henry Got Crops Represented at the National Rooted in Community Conference
By: Clare Hyre
"We had a fun, full, educational week learning about food justice at the University of Pennsylvania," says W.B. Saul student Yona Hudson. This past week over 170 youth from around the country came together at a youth lead, youth empowerment, food justice conference sponsored by UNI (the Urban Nutrition Initiative). There were workshops, on food justice, field trips to local farms, and youth came together to write a unique Youth Food Bill of Rights.
On Thursday, July 28th, twenty plus visitors came to Henry Got Crops! CSA/W.B. Saul High School to get a taste of an urban CSA high school and to tour our fields. We tasted vegetables, pet calves, and spoke with food science teacher Mr. Guy Amaroso about making homemade pesto from HGC basil. “I have gained insight and knowledge in self-expression and leadership within the food movement," Hudson says after leading the field-trip.
A series of workshops were presented by youth and while I attended an interactive workshop on our food systems presented by The Food Project youth from Boston, Massachusetts, Yona attended a workshop "Food Justice vs Food Injustice " and the UNI lead "Food as a Major Agent of Social Change" workshop. On Friday afternoon, Awbury's farm intern Hannah Slipekoff joined me and Tyneshia in leading a workshop on co-ops and facilitated poster-making based around cooperative principles. These posters where brought to the day of action.
On Saturday after a full morning of sign making, chanting and excitement the youth and their chaperones traveled to the Convention Center lawn to celebrate and read the Youth Food Bill of Rights. One representative from each group spoke and Yona read # 2 of the Bill of Rights. It stated "we the youth demand an end to the mistreatment of workers, farmers, animals to the environment, which is caused by our current food system." Seventeen other statements followed and we hope this youth-created document will influence the movement for a healthier and more equitable national food system. Please check it out at www.youthfoodbillofrights.com and sign your support for the youth and food justice!
Although the transition back to our everyday lives will be hard, RIC provided us with support and enthusiasm to continue doing food justice work at our various sites around the country. Youth exchanged email and phone numbers, regional educators discussed projects to work on together, and we're all preparing for late October to celebrate National Food Week! We're so proud that Weaver's Way could be represented at RIC and excited to introduce more Saul students to it's power at the next conference.
"We had a fun, full, educational week learning about food justice at the University of Pennsylvania," says W.B. Saul student Yona Hudson. This past week over 170 youth from around the country came together at a youth lead, youth empowerment, food justice conference sponsored by UNI (the Urban Nutrition Initiative). There were workshops, on food justice, field trips to local farms, and youth came together to write a unique Youth Food Bill of Rights.
On Thursday, July 28th, twenty plus visitors came to Henry Got Crops! CSA/W.B. Saul High School to get a taste of an urban CSA high school and to tour our fields. We tasted vegetables, pet calves, and spoke with food science teacher Mr. Guy Amaroso about making homemade pesto from HGC basil. “I have gained insight and knowledge in self-expression and leadership within the food movement," Hudson says after leading the field-trip.
A series of workshops were presented by youth and while I attended an interactive workshop on our food systems presented by The Food Project youth from Boston, Massachusetts, Yona attended a workshop "Food Justice vs Food Injustice " and the UNI lead "Food as a Major Agent of Social Change" workshop. On Friday afternoon, Awbury's farm intern Hannah Slipekoff joined me and Tyneshia in leading a workshop on co-ops and facilitated poster-making based around cooperative principles. These posters where brought to the day of action.
On Saturday after a full morning of sign making, chanting and excitement the youth and their chaperones traveled to the Convention Center lawn to celebrate and read the Youth Food Bill of Rights. One representative from each group spoke and Yona read # 2 of the Bill of Rights. It stated "we the youth demand an end to the mistreatment of workers, farmers, animals to the environment, which is caused by our current food system." Seventeen other statements followed and we hope this youth-created document will influence the movement for a healthier and more equitable national food system. Please check it out at www.youthfoodbillofrights.com and sign your support for the youth and food justice!
Although the transition back to our everyday lives will be hard, RIC provided us with support and enthusiasm to continue doing food justice work at our various sites around the country. Youth exchanged email and phone numbers, regional educators discussed projects to work on together, and we're all preparing for late October to celebrate National Food Week! We're so proud that Weaver's Way could be represented at RIC and excited to introduce more Saul students to it's power at the next conference.
Thai Basil and Eggplant
Thai Basil and Eggplant
Ingredients:
• 1 medium eggplant
• nonstick cooking spray or olive oil spray
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup diced roasted red peppers
• 2 large tomatoes, seeded, peeled, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• dash pepper
Directions:
For a vegetarian dish, substitute soy sauce or salt for fish sauce.
Slice the eggplants into irregular shapes for easy turning in the pan. When it is sliced into a small disk, it tends to stick to the bottom of the pan and makes it difficult to flip or turn.
Chop garlic and slice chili peppers. Pick the leaves from the stem of the Thai basil.
Heat a pan or wok over high or medium high. Add oil, chili peppers and garlic. Stir until the garlic turn golden brown. Add eggplant and stir. Add a cup of water and cover the pan or wok with a lid. Keep the lid close until the eggplant is cooked. It should take about 5-7 minutes before the eggplant is done. The eggplant turns from white to translucent when it is done. Almost all of the water should have been evaporated at this point. If the eggplant is still not cooked, add a little bit more water and keep lid closed until the eggplant is ready. Add fish sauce and sugar and stir. Add Thai basil and quickly stir to heat the basil, so that it retains it color. Turn off heat immediately.
Serve hot with rice.
Source: http://www.thaitable.com/thairecipe/Basil-Eggplant
Ingredients:
• 1 medium eggplant
• nonstick cooking spray or olive oil spray
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup diced roasted red peppers
• 2 large tomatoes, seeded, peeled, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• dash pepper
Directions:
For a vegetarian dish, substitute soy sauce or salt for fish sauce.
Slice the eggplants into irregular shapes for easy turning in the pan. When it is sliced into a small disk, it tends to stick to the bottom of the pan and makes it difficult to flip or turn.
Chop garlic and slice chili peppers. Pick the leaves from the stem of the Thai basil.
Heat a pan or wok over high or medium high. Add oil, chili peppers and garlic. Stir until the garlic turn golden brown. Add eggplant and stir. Add a cup of water and cover the pan or wok with a lid. Keep the lid close until the eggplant is cooked. It should take about 5-7 minutes before the eggplant is done. The eggplant turns from white to translucent when it is done. Almost all of the water should have been evaporated at this point. If the eggplant is still not cooked, add a little bit more water and keep lid closed until the eggplant is ready. Add fish sauce and sugar and stir. Add Thai basil and quickly stir to heat the basil, so that it retains it color. Turn off heat immediately.
Serve hot with rice.
Source: http://www.thaitable.com/thairecipe/Basil-Eggplant
Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa
Ingredients:
• 2 teaspoons grated lime zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
Whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve each time.
Cook quinoa in a medium pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 2 quarts water), uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in sieve, then set sieve in same pot with 1 inch of simmering water (water should not touch bottom of sieve). Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel, then cover sieve with a lid (don't worry if lid doesn't fit tightly) and steam over medium heat until tender, fluffy, and dry, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and remove lid. Let stand, still covered with towel, 5 minutes.
Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.
Source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Black-Bean-and-Tomato-Quinoa-238939#ixzz1Ur90Saqw
• 2 teaspoons grated lime zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
Whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve each time.
Cook quinoa in a medium pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 2 quarts water), uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in sieve, then set sieve in same pot with 1 inch of simmering water (water should not touch bottom of sieve). Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel, then cover sieve with a lid (don't worry if lid doesn't fit tightly) and steam over medium heat until tender, fluffy, and dry, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and remove lid. Let stand, still covered with towel, 5 minutes.
Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.
Source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Black-Bean-and-Tomato-Quinoa-238939#ixzz1Ur90Saqw
Purslane Potato Salad with Curry
Serves 4-6 people
Since purslane is such a popular food in India, it just makes sense to spice up your purslane potato salad with a bit of curry. Mix the salad while the potatoes are still warm (not hot!) and they’ll soak up more of the flavors of the salad.
Ingredients:
• 3 cups potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks, and boiled just until tender.
• 3 stalks celery, minced
• 1-2 green onions and stems, diced
• ½ cup sliced bell pepper
• 2/3 cup raw purslane leaves
• ½ to 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
• While potatoes are still warm, add remaining ingredients and stir well to coat vegetables. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Source: http://www.culinarymusings.com/2008/06/purslane-not-a-weed-but-a-wonder/
Since purslane is such a popular food in India, it just makes sense to spice up your purslane potato salad with a bit of curry. Mix the salad while the potatoes are still warm (not hot!) and they’ll soak up more of the flavors of the salad.
Ingredients:
• 3 cups potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks, and boiled just until tender.
• 3 stalks celery, minced
• 1-2 green onions and stems, diced
• ½ cup sliced bell pepper
• 2/3 cup raw purslane leaves
• ½ to 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
• While potatoes are still warm, add remaining ingredients and stir well to coat vegetables. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Source: http://www.culinarymusings.com/2008/06/purslane-not-a-weed-but-a-wonder/
Purslane Cucumber Salad
Serves 4.
This recipe includes two of the earliest garden vegetables and herbs: cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. It’s a good light side dish.
Ingredients:
• 1 cup cucumber, halved
• lengthwise and sliced.
• 2/3 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• ½ cup purslane leaves
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
• 2-3 Tablespoons rice vinegar (start with 2 tablespoons, and add more if needed)
• 1-2 teaspoons sugar
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
This recipe includes two of the earliest garden vegetables and herbs: cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. It’s a good light side dish.
Ingredients:
• 1 cup cucumber, halved
• lengthwise and sliced.
• 2/3 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• ½ cup purslane leaves
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
• 2-3 Tablespoons rice vinegar (start with 2 tablespoons, and add more if needed)
• 1-2 teaspoons sugar
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Update...From Vacation!
It is typically difficult to impossible to get away for any time off during the growing season. But when one of my closest high school friends told me a few months ago I was invited to her wedding in Vermont in August, my heart ached to attend her wedding. At first I told her, I would come IF I felt like I could get away from the farm, but was afraid to commit. As the event got closer I knew how important it was to me to participate in this big event and I started thinking about how to make it happen. Earlier in the season I mentioned this potential trip to Molly, the apprentice working at the farm this season, and she immediately saw it as a great opportunity to spread her wings and be farm manager for a few days. I was thrilled to have such a confident and excited response from her. As August came closer I knew that she and Clare, the education coordinator, and Ariel, the summer intern, would have no problem keeping things running smoothly. But I also knew that having all hands on deck at all times is critical and with me gone the harvest would take until dark. So I called out to the multiple support circles we have for Henry Got Crops, asking for folks to volunteer at the farm on Thursday and Friday when I was away. I emailed the Weavers Way Farm Committee, our general public volunteer list, and certain working share members who had previously voiced interest in helping out above their working share commitment. I was blown away with the response I got. If Molly has any trouble at all when I am away, it will be managing all the willing helping hands that said they would show up! Never before have we ever had such a well staffed harvest! It made me stop and reflect a moment on what it really means to be community supported. I truly feel like we at Henry Got Crops are part of a larger network of community members genuinely interested in pitching in to make agriculture work. In this case, that meant preserving my sanity a little, letting me take a mini break from the farm, and making it possible to participate in an important life event, non-farm related. I also feel so grateful to have such an amazing team on the farm that I didn’t even think twice about leaving it in the good hands of Molly, Clare and Ariel. Thank you to everyone who helped out on Thursday and Friday. By the time you all read this I will be back in Philly, on the farm like usual, hopefully looking a bit more refreshed. But for now, I’m going to go scrub my nails, change into a dress and celebrate with some old friends.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Basil Mojito Cocktail
Ingredients:
• 6 ice cubes
• 10 basil leaves
• 1/2 glass soda water
• 1 small table spoon sugar
• 3 lime slices
• 2 shots rum
Directions:
Place basil leaves, sugar and lime slices into a chilled pint glass or a tumbler. Lightly muddle until the sugar dissolves and the basil smell becomes more intensely. Add rum (Bacardi Superior) then stir, fill with ice and on top it with soda water. ENJOY.
Source:
http://www.cocktailmaking.co.uk/displaycocktail.php/1188-Basil-Mojito
• 6 ice cubes
• 10 basil leaves
• 1/2 glass soda water
• 1 small table spoon sugar
• 3 lime slices
• 2 shots rum
Directions:
Place basil leaves, sugar and lime slices into a chilled pint glass or a tumbler. Lightly muddle until the sugar dissolves and the basil smell becomes more intensely. Add rum (Bacardi Superior) then stir, fill with ice and on top it with soda water. ENJOY.
Source:
http://www.cocktailmaking.co.uk/displaycocktail.php/1188-Basil-Mojito
Lillet-Basil Cocktail
Ingredients:
• 1 cup ice, plus more for serving
• 1/2 cup Lillet Blanc
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) gin
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
• Splash of tonic water
• 1 cucumber spear, for garnish
• 1 cinnamon stick, for garnish
Directions:
Put ice, Lillet, gin, orange juice, and basil in a cocktail shaker; shake well. Fill a glass with ice; strain mixture into glass. Add tonic water. Garnish with cucumber spear, cinnamon stick, and basil sprigs.
Source:
http://www.marthastewart.com/314112/lillet-basil-cocktail
• 1 cup ice, plus more for serving
• 1/2 cup Lillet Blanc
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) gin
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
• Splash of tonic water
• 1 cucumber spear, for garnish
• 1 cinnamon stick, for garnish
Directions:
Put ice, Lillet, gin, orange juice, and basil in a cocktail shaker; shake well. Fill a glass with ice; strain mixture into glass. Add tonic water. Garnish with cucumber spear, cinnamon stick, and basil sprigs.
Source:
http://www.marthastewart.com/314112/lillet-basil-cocktail
The Cuke
Time: 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ chilling.
Ingredients:
6 limes, rinsed
1 cup packed mint leaves, no stems, plus 6 sprigs for garnish
3 unwaxed cucumbers
½ cup sugar
2 cups vodka or gin, preferably Hendrick's gin
Sparkling water.
Directions:
1. Thinly slice 3 limes and place in a pitcher. Juice the rest and add juice to pitcher. Add mint leaves. Slice 2 cucumbers and add, then add sugar. Muddle ingredients. Add vodka or gin. Place in refrigerator to steep 30 minutes or longer.
2. Peel remaining cucumber and cut lengthwise into 6 spears.
3. Fill 6 highball or other large glasses with ice. Strain mixture from pitcher into each. Top with a splash of sparkling water, garnish each glass with a sprig of mint and a cucumber spear, and serve.
Yield: 6 servings.
Source:
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/ingredients-herbs/summer-cocktail-the-cuke-051157
Ingredients:
6 limes, rinsed
1 cup packed mint leaves, no stems, plus 6 sprigs for garnish
3 unwaxed cucumbers
½ cup sugar
2 cups vodka or gin, preferably Hendrick's gin
Sparkling water.
Directions:
1. Thinly slice 3 limes and place in a pitcher. Juice the rest and add juice to pitcher. Add mint leaves. Slice 2 cucumbers and add, then add sugar. Muddle ingredients. Add vodka or gin. Place in refrigerator to steep 30 minutes or longer.
2. Peel remaining cucumber and cut lengthwise into 6 spears.
3. Fill 6 highball or other large glasses with ice. Strain mixture from pitcher into each. Top with a splash of sparkling water, garnish each glass with a sprig of mint and a cucumber spear, and serve.
Yield: 6 servings.
Source:
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/ingredients-herbs/summer-cocktail-the-cuke-051157
Cucumber Limeade
Courtesy of shareholder Nancy Dearden. I had it at her house last week and it is fantastic!
Ingredients:
• 1 cucumber, partially peeled.
• 2 cups cold water
• Juice of two limes
• 1/8-1/4 cup agave. (Taste along the way to get the perfect sweetness). A mild tasting honey works as well.
• 4 mint leaves
Directions:
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Give it a taste and add whatever you like if needed. Pour over ice. Best served right away and enjoyed with friends!
Serves 4.
Ingredients:
• 1 cucumber, partially peeled.
• 2 cups cold water
• Juice of two limes
• 1/8-1/4 cup agave. (Taste along the way to get the perfect sweetness). A mild tasting honey works as well.
• 4 mint leaves
Directions:
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Give it a taste and add whatever you like if needed. Pour over ice. Best served right away and enjoyed with friends!
Serves 4.
Tomatoes
Our tomatoes are IN! I am proud to announce that last week was the first week we had enough tomatoes for everyone to get some. Many of you may have notice our tomatoes look quite different from the ones you get in the store. This is because most of our tomato varieties are heirloom varieties, not conventional varieties. Halfway through the pick-up on Tuesday I wrote a sign on the tomatoes that read, “these are supposed to be ugly.” Do not be discouraged by their scabby, cracked, asymmetrical appearance. They are bred for exceptional flavor, not appearance. They come in various shapes and colors and never look like a typical, round, red tomato. Their most defining and unifying characteristic is that they are FRAGILE. Often the crack in the time it takes for us to carry them up the hill from the vine and into the pick-up area. In an effort to reduce the oozing, puddle mess of tomatoes that might otherwise greet you in the bin, we try to pick the tomatoes a couple days early to give them a little resiliency. This way you not only have a completely bruised tomato, but you hopefully have the option of eating it the day after you go to the farm if you so desire. This being said, not matter what you do, heirloom tomatoes will always be a little bit of a mess. To reduce this, please do not handle them more than you need to when selecting your tomatoes from the bin, this only bruises them even more. Also, please always keep the tomatoes upside down in the bin, with their stems facing the floor. This distributes the weight of the tomato more evenly, reducing the bruising caused from their own weight. I will steal a few words from my coworker Nicole Sugerman, who explains heirloom tomato history:
In Nicole’s last Shuttle article, she discusses heirlooms quite eloquently:
““Heirloom” is a label given to open-pollinated vegetables (meaning you can save seed from these tomatoes and grow the same type of tomato from it the next year) grown before World War
I. During the first world war, innovations and changes in food distribution and eating habits meant that food was being shipped farther and stored for longer; during this era, the modern supermarket came into prominence, meaning food was standardized, consolidated, and distributed en masse.
These changes had great implications for plant breeding. Vegetables began to be selected for traits such as hardiness during shipping, uniformity of appearance, and shelf life. In contrast, vegetables bred before this time were instead selected for traits like taste, texture, and interesting appearance.
While we can and do grow heirloom varieties of every vegetable available, the difference in taste and quality is perhaps most prominent for tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes are notoriously fussy to grow; they produce fewer tomatoes per plant they get diseases easily, and the fruit cracks or bruises if you so much as touch it too hard. But the taste is so exceptional that it is all worth it. Moreover, growing heirloom tomatoes really embodies all the reasons for a food co-op to have its own farms, and illustrates the joy in re-localizing our food supply; heirloom tomatoes can only be grown either in a person’s backyard or in a farm very near where they are being sold, being virtually impossible
to ship or store for long periods of time.”
In Nicole’s last Shuttle article, she discusses heirlooms quite eloquently:
““Heirloom” is a label given to open-pollinated vegetables (meaning you can save seed from these tomatoes and grow the same type of tomato from it the next year) grown before World War
I. During the first world war, innovations and changes in food distribution and eating habits meant that food was being shipped farther and stored for longer; during this era, the modern supermarket came into prominence, meaning food was standardized, consolidated, and distributed en masse.
These changes had great implications for plant breeding. Vegetables began to be selected for traits such as hardiness during shipping, uniformity of appearance, and shelf life. In contrast, vegetables bred before this time were instead selected for traits like taste, texture, and interesting appearance.
While we can and do grow heirloom varieties of every vegetable available, the difference in taste and quality is perhaps most prominent for tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes are notoriously fussy to grow; they produce fewer tomatoes per plant they get diseases easily, and the fruit cracks or bruises if you so much as touch it too hard. But the taste is so exceptional that it is all worth it. Moreover, growing heirloom tomatoes really embodies all the reasons for a food co-op to have its own farms, and illustrates the joy in re-localizing our food supply; heirloom tomatoes can only be grown either in a person’s backyard or in a farm very near where they are being sold, being virtually impossible
to ship or store for long periods of time.”
Tomato Basil Soup
Ingredients:
• 4 tomatoes - peeled, seeded and diced
• 4 cups tomato juice
• 14 leaves fresh basil
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup butter
• salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Place tomatoes and juice in a stock pot over medium heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree the tomato mixture along with the basil leaves, and return the puree to the stock pot.
2. Place the pot over medium heat, and stir in the heavy cream and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Do not boil.
Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/rich-and-creamy-tomato-basil-soup/detail.aspx
• 4 tomatoes - peeled, seeded and diced
• 4 cups tomato juice
• 14 leaves fresh basil
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup butter
• salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Place tomatoes and juice in a stock pot over medium heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree the tomato mixture along with the basil leaves, and return the puree to the stock pot.
2. Place the pot over medium heat, and stir in the heavy cream and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Do not boil.
Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/rich-and-creamy-tomato-basil-soup/detail.aspx
Mashed Yellow Squash
Ingredients:
• 4 yellow squash (other kinds of squash work just as well).
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Dip slices of green tomato Slice and steam or boil squash until tender. Pour off any remaining water.
2. Mash the squash slightly. In a medium size pot place mashed squash, onion, butter, milk, salt and pepper. Mix well and heat over a medium flame. Serve warm.
Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/yellow-squash/detail.aspx
• 4 yellow squash (other kinds of squash work just as well).
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Dip slices of green tomato Slice and steam or boil squash until tender. Pour off any remaining water.
2. Mash the squash slightly. In a medium size pot place mashed squash, onion, butter, milk, salt and pepper. Mix well and heat over a medium flame. Serve warm.
Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/yellow-squash/detail.aspx
Braised Baby Onions with Orange Juice and Balsamic Vinegar
Ingredients:
• 2 pounds fresh small cipolline onions or pearl onions
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Directions:
Blanch onions in large pot of boiling salted water 15 seconds. Using slotted spoon, transfer to large bowl of ice water to cool. Trim root end if necessary, leaving core intact. Peel onions.
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add onions and sauté until onions have deep golden brown spots, about 9 minutes. Add orange juice and vinegar; bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until onions are just tender when pierced with knife, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer onions to medium bowl. Boil juices in skillet until syrupy and reduced to 2/3 cup, about 3 minutes. Pour over onions. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm or bring to room temperature before serving.)
Source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Braised-Baby-Onions-with-Orange-Juice-and-Balsamic-Vinegar-232100#ixzz1T2Mihl1t
• 2 pounds fresh small cipolline onions or pearl onions
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Directions:
Blanch onions in large pot of boiling salted water 15 seconds. Using slotted spoon, transfer to large bowl of ice water to cool. Trim root end if necessary, leaving core intact. Peel onions.
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add onions and sauté until onions have deep golden brown spots, about 9 minutes. Add orange juice and vinegar; bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until onions are just tender when pierced with knife, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer onions to medium bowl. Boil juices in skillet until syrupy and reduced to 2/3 cup, about 3 minutes. Pour over onions. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm or bring to room temperature before serving.)
Source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Braised-Baby-Onions-with-Orange-Juice-and-Balsamic-Vinegar-232100#ixzz1T2Mihl1t
Urban Farm Bike Tour
Despite the heat (which hovered around 100), a great crowd turned out for the 2011 Urban Farm Bike Tour. This is the second year Henry Got Crops has been a stop on the tour. My best guess is that between the long ride and the short ride, there were probably close to 100 participants. We all started at the Weavers Way Mort Brooks Memorial Farm, then the long ride (which I participated in) headed to Henry Got Crops where bikers ran through the sprinkler to cool off. Yona Yudson, a junior at Saul and previous intern at Henry Got Crops, led the tour with me. Participants seemed particularly impressed with what a unique high school Saul is, as well as the number of families participating in the CSA. We then continued on to our neighbors at the Schuylkill Center, the Urban Girl Farm. At this site Teens 4 Good also have about half an acre and work with high school students, much like we do. Next was Heritage Farm at Methodist Homes, a farm started by the Weavers Way apprentices from last year, Sarah and Chloe. This farm is situated on a campus for women and children in transition. Next up was Marathon Farm, managed by a Weavers Way intern from two years ago, Adam. Marathon Farm was started by the new nonprofit branch of Marathon restaurant. It includes a community garden, a farm stand, and sells to the restaurant. After that we continued on to SHARE where we admired the raised beds and immaculate hoop house of their demonstration farm. SHARE is a food distribution center for the general public, as well as food cupboards. Last on the tour was Wyck Historical House with an impressive 300 year old garden. They have the oldest rose garden in the country, and deep, beautiful, fertile soil. We all reconvened where we started at the Mort Brooks Memorial Farm for beer, hamburgers, veggie burgers and watermelon. A few musicians played in the shade of the trees and the Mt. Airy Bike Collective made fruit smoothies with their human powered, bike blender. While the bike tour was an impressive tour, it really was only a snapshot of all the great farms and gardens that are popping up all over Philly. The bike tour has been happening every year for the last four years, hope you can make it next year!
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