Cream Cheese Stuffed Poblanos

Ingredients:

• 4 poblano peppers
• A bit of olive oil or a spray oil
• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• 4 ounces shredded white cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon spicy chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ tablespoon ground cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Juice from 1 lime
• Chopped cilantro for garnish

Preparation:

1. Get a grill going good and hot, to about medium-high heat.

2. Lightly oil the poblano peppers and set them on the grill. Close the lid. Flip the poblanos a few times throughout as you grill, about 10 minutes or so, until the poblano skins are nicely charred. Remove from heat and cool. Set them into a sealable baggie and allow them to steam. Cool, then remove and peel off the skins. (Alternatively, you can either oven roast or flame roast the poblano peppers. See the post discussion.)

3. Slit the poblanos up the side and open. Scoop out the insides.

4. In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, and salt and pepper. Mix well.

5. Stuff the cheese into the poblano peppers and set them back onto the grill over indirect heat. Close the lid and cook about 10 minutes to allow the cheeses to melt. Alternatively, you can bake the cream cheese stuffed poblano peppers for 10 minutes or so in an oven at 375 degrees.

6. Remove and set onto serving plates. Squeeze lime juice over them and garnish with chopped cilantro.

7. Serve and enjoy!

chilipeppermadness.com

Cheesy Roasted Green Beans

 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound (500 g) of green beans, ends trimmed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh parmesan cheese shredded
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (or 4 cloves garlic, minced)
• 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese shredded

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Lightly grease a baking sheet with nonstick cooking oil spray. 
2. Arrange green beans on a baking sheet in a single layer. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl mix together olive oil, parmesan, garlic, salt, and pepper. Drizzle the oil mixture over the green beans and toss to evenly coat.
4. Bake for 20 minutes until vibrant and tender-crisp.
5. Remove from the oven and top with the mozzarella cheese. Return to the oven and broil (or grill) until the cheese melts and becomes golden (about 4-5 minutes).
6. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve immediately.

cafedelites.com

Blistered Shishito Peppers and Tomatoes

 

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 12 ounces shishito peppers
• 1/2 cup sliced yellow onion
• 1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder
• 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons sliced fresh basil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Preparation:

1. Heat a large skillet over high. Add canola oil and shishito peppers; cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add sliced yellow onion and five-spice powder; cook 2 minutes. Add halved cherry tomatoes; cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in sliced fresh basil, lower-sodium soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

https://www.cookinglight.com

How to Pick Cherry Tomatoes, Ground Cherries and Basil

Cherry tomatoes- our cherry tomatoes are located to two areas: in the large hoop house (plastic greenhouse) in the field, and in the you-pick section, near the flowers and herbs. We will be alternating pickings between these two areas to give each area time to recover from heavy picking. In the hoop house, all the cherry tomatoes are the same variety: Sun Gold. Pick these when they are dark orange. The row in the you-pick section in the field is half Sun Gold (the first half if you are coming from the main pathway), and half Sakura. Pick the Sakura’s when they are bright red. Gently pull the tomatoes from the vine. Avoid the cracked ones, they might be over ripe.

Ground Cherries- These are a peculiar vegetable, closely related to the tomato, but much sweeter. Ground cherries get their name from the fact that you can harvest them from the ground. They are ready when the outer husk (they are also known as husk cherries) is dry and light brown. Sometimes at this point they are still attached to the plant, but often they fall off the stem when they are ripe. You can pick the ones on the ground or the brown ones on the plant. The variety we are growing is called Goldie. Peel the outer husk back and enjoy!

Basil- we have four different kinds of basil, I encourage you to try them all. They are (in order from the main pathway): lemon basil, Thai basil, Purple basil and green basil (the traditional king). We recently planted a second planting of all green basil. In years past our basil has been cut short by a disease called Downy Mildew, so this year we are hoping a second planting will come in strong just as the first is dying down.  When harvesting basil, take a pair of pruners or clippers and cut the stem just above the intersection of the main stem and a side shoot. By leaving the side shoots you are leaving a viable growing point for the plant to regenerate. Try to make your cut as close to this intersection as possible as to avoid leaving a “stump,” which will only turn brown and die back.

We Pick, You Pick!

Directions to harvesting your you-pick vegetables: The farm crew and I have started joking that our lives would be a lot easier if we just made the whole CSA share you-pick. Imagine all the weeding we could do!  While you-pick scallions sounds tempting to us, being very labor intensive vegetables to harvest, clean and bunch, we hope you are enjoying the balance of ready-to-go vegetables on the CSA table, and the participatory you-pick vegetables offered as part of your share. This year we have more you-pick options than ever before, and I must say I think our you-pick section is looking better than ever before as well! Most people pick at the end of the row that is closest to the main, central pathway. Try picking from the other end, near the sheep pasture to find some under-harvested plants. Soon to come in the you-pick section: purple beans!

Read over the following instructions as you decide what you want to pick this week:

Edamame

This is the first year we have ever (successfully) grown edamame, also known as soy bean.  Thanks to the volunteer day two weeks ago, these beds are ready for harvesting. Select the largest, plumpest bean you find. If you can’t see the outline of a bean inside the pod, its underdeveloped and you should leave it on the plant. Snap the bean off the plant by using your thumb to break the stem, using the same motion you would use to flick a coin into the air for a heads or tails toss. Be careful not to yank the bean, you will pull the whole branch off!

Paste Tomatoes

All the tomatoes are coming in strong right now. Despite the large quantity of heirloom tomatoes in your share, I encourage you to pick the past tomatoes in the field. Paste tomatoes, also known as plum or Toma tomatoes, have less water in them and are therefore great for making tomato paste. The regular heirloom tomatoes that you are receiving in your share are tasty and beautiful, but very watery and will take hours to cook down into sauce (although this has not stopped me from turning them into sauce in the past!). Pick paste tomatoes when they are three-quarters to fully red.

Cherry Tomatoes

We are offering cherry tomatoes in the field, the ones in the hoop house are finished. In the field we have many different colors. Generally, choose the brightest colors you can find. They come in red, pale yellow, orange, dark purple and a bicolor that is red and orange.

bowl of ice water for 5 minutes

Remove the tomatoes and easily peel off the skin

Place the tomatoes in a freezer bag, squeeze out excessive water

Tomatoes can be frozen for about a year