Tomatillo Gazpacho

This tomatillo-based gazpacho is gorgeously green with a tart flavor that complements the sweet shrimp and salty olives. Make this meatless by substituting ricotta salata or feta for the shrimp. Serve with: Cheese quesadillas. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and seeded 1 avocado, halved and pitted 1 pound tomatillos, (see Tip), husks removed, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped 1 15-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth 1 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 12 ounces cooked and peeled shrimp, chopped 1/4 cup green olives, chopped 2 scallions, sliced Directions: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until just beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Coarsely chop half the cucumber and half the avocado and place in a food processor. Add tomatillos, bell pepper, jalapeño to taste and the garlic. Process until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in broth, sugar and salt. Dice the remaining cucumber and avocado and place in a medium bowl. Add shrimp, olives and scallions. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil; gently toss to combine. Ladle the gazpacho into bowls and top each portion with about 3/4 cup of the shrimp salad. http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/tomatillo_gazpacho.html

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients: 1 cup quinoa 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock 6 small bell peppers, mixed colors, seeded and halved 3 tablespoons EVOO, plus extra for drizzling Salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 small firm eggplant, trimmed of half the skin, chopped 1 small to medium firm zucchini, seeded and chopped 1 red onion, chopped 1 fresh chile pepper, such as Fresno, thinly sliced, or 1 teaspoon dried crushed pepper 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, a handful, chopped 2 plum tomatoes, chopped 1 cup crumbled feta or ricotta salata cheese Instructions: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Drizzle the bell pepper halves with EVOO and season both sides with salt and pepper. Roast cut-side down until the skins begin to char and the peppers are just tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temp, then arrange in a baking dish cut-side up. Fill the pepper halves with the quinoa and vegetable stuffing and drizzle with EVOO. Cool and chill for a make-ahead meal. To serve, roast in a 375 degree F oven until the peppers are hot through. Serve the pepper halves topped with lots of cheese crumbles. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/quinoa-and-vegetable-stuffed-peppers-recipe.html

Shareholder Tanya's Bruschetta

Ingredients:

2 pounds of paste tomatoes (any tomato will actually work here but I'm getting lots of paste)
half a large onion or one small onion 
Four cloves of garlic
1/8 cup olive oil
Three sprigs of thyme
Three basil leaves
Salt

For the toast:

Day old French bread
Olive oil
granulated garlic

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375°. Pour olive oil in a roasting pan, add diced tomatoes, chopped onion and minced garlic, the herbs still on their stems, and salt to taste. Mix ingredients together and spread evenly in the roasting pan, herbs should not be on top or they will burn. Place in oven for at least an hour. Stir after 45 minutes and turn oven to 400°. Continue checking every 5-10 minutes until liquid is mostly gone and a little Browning has occurred. Serve the bruchetta on the warm croutons.

Update From the Fields

This summer has been wonderful weather for working outdoors. It has been cooler than usual, which makes it much more pleasurable for the farmers. Luckily, it hasn’t been too cool for any of the heat-loving vegetables. While our tomato production is going down quickly, it is due to the usual diseases that plague tomatoes in the mid Atlantic, not the cool weather. Our eggplants have been rock steady, with a consistent, reliable harvest. And the peppers are just beginning to really gain momentum. Even the cooler weather we’ve had this summer is still too much for the cool-loving greens, as you’ve been a major decrease in salad greens and the size of our lettuce heads, but both will increase again in the fall. Many of our fall crops are in the ground, such as fall broccoli, fennel and collards, as well as the turnips and radishes, and we are finished seeding carrots for the season. we are finalizing our late fall/winter growing plans for inside our hoop houses as well as in the field, to ensure we have a good harvest through the end of the CSA and even to our last Head House market, which goes into December.

Inspiration for What to Do with All of Those Paste Tomatoes

21 Quarts and 42 Pints of Henry Got Crops Paste Tomatoes! Shareholder Anna Hoover took advantage of our wholesale tomato offer and canned 100 lbs of paste tomatoes! A very impressive undertaking! Pam and David Chaplin-Loebell left for their family vacation but couldn’t leave without taking  a little bit of the farm with them! They made salsa and fresh tomato sauce to share with the whole family while getting some fresh air up in the Poconos. If you are interested in purchasing over 10 lbs of paste tomatoes from the farm stand, you can receive our wholesale price of $1.60/lb. Just send me an email and we’ll box them up in advance for you, or just swing by the farm stand on Tuesday or Friday afternoon and pick them out yourself. Enjoy the tomatoes, while we have them!

Grilled Tomatoes with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

3 yellow tomatoes
3 red tomatoes 
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Garnish: fresh basil sprigs

Directions:

Cut tomatoes in half; thread onto skewers, alternating colors. Brush with 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium heat (300° to 350°) 10 minutes, turning skewers often.
Combine remaining 2 tablespoons oil, vinegar, and basil; drizzle over kabobs. Garnish, if desired.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/grilled-tomatoes-with-basil-vinaigrette-10000000257441/

No Mayo Tuna Salad

Ingredients:

3 cans tuna, drained
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 carrot, shredded
1/4 cup diced onion (or scallions)
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/3 - 1/2 cup olive oil
2 -3 tablespoons lemon juice (1 lemon)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt, pepper and Cayenne pepper to taste 

Instructions:

In a large bowl, flake the tuna with a fork.
Add celery, carrot, onion and bell pepper.
In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, and mustard (or shake together in a jar).
Pour dressing into salad and stir to combine.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

http://www.ateaspoonofhappiness.com/no-mayo-tuna-salad/

Shrimp Scallion Dumplings

Ingredients:

3/4 pound peeled and deveined shrimp, finely chopped
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3/4 tablespoons minced peeled ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
3 scallions, finely chopped
About 36 dumpling or wonton wrappers

**Feel free to add any other veggies you may have!***

Preparation:

Stir together all ingredients, except wrappers, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Put a rounded teaspoon filling in center of a wrapper. Lightly brush edge of wrapper with water, then fold in half (diagonally if square) and press to seal. Form a tortellini shape by moistening 1 corner and bringing 2 corners together, pressing them. Form remaining dumplings.

Cook dumplings in 2 batches in a medium pot of gently simmering water until filling is just cooked, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a platter. Keep warm, covered.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Shrimp-Scallion-Dumplings-352859

Movie Night Recap

Thank you to everyone who attended Charlotte’s Web last Friday. The weather cooperated and we all giggled and ate pop corn and enjoyed the classic movie. I particularly love events like this, because it reminds me that the farm can be a space for our community to enjoy non-farming activities too, which brings an even deeper importance to this special little piece of land. Thank you all!

Guidelines for a Successful U-Pick

Harvesting Tomatillos:
•Harvest the ones that completely fill their husks
•To tell, touch the husk- if you can feel the tomatillo pressing against the husk, it is ready!
•Ripe tomatillos can have brown or green husks
•Do not eat the husk- peel before eating

Harvesting Ground Cherries:
•You can harvest them right off the ground (it’s why they are called ‘ground’ cherries!)
•They are ripe when the husks are brown or yellow, and the fruit inside is yellow
•To eat, peel back the husk and eat the fruit

Harvesting Cherry Tomatoes:
•All the cherry tomatoes in the field are “Sun Gold” and are tastiest when bright orange
•The cherry tomatoes in the hoop house by the driveway are various colors and varieties. When you walk in the door, from left to right: “Sunrise Bumple bee” (striped yellow and orange), “Yellow Pear” (bright yellow and pear shaped), “Black cherry” (purple with green shoulders), “Jasper’ (small and red). These cherry tomatoes are just coming into production, which means most of the tomatoes are near the ground on the plant.