Winter Markets!

Hello all! We've made it to the slow end of our first season and are so pleased with the way things went! We're most excited about meeting many great people, in Grayslake, Prairie Crossing, and Rogers Park, who have been supportive and generous with their knowledge and help. Thankyou thank you to all our friends who helped to make this year a success.

We promise to get the season's last few newsletters up on the blog soon. In the meantime, you can find us in Rogers Park once a month at the

GLENWOOD SUNDAY MARKET!!!

The first winter market will be held this weekend, Nov 14th, from 9 am to 2 pm, Next door to the Glenwood Tap (near the intersection of Morse and Glenwood in Chicago). Check out the market site (http://www.glenwoodsundaymarket.org) for details. We'll be bringing eggs, beets, turnips, cabbage, boc choi and tatsoi, carrots, and maybe even some broccoli. We're looking forward to it.

Newsletter August 27th

NICK’S
FARM
REPORT
August 27, 2010

Hello all! We’re excited about the bag we’ve packed this week and we hope that you will be too. You will be receiving, along with many tomatoes, the makings for both salsa and ratatouille. Please see the recipes section for specifics. We hope that you get a chance to enjoy your tomatoes
while they are fresh (or give them to others to enjoy). However, if you experience tomato overload this week, please note that you can freeze tomatoes easily. In fact, I find that
frozen and defrosted tomatoes often work better than fresh in sauce and casserole recipes, since the tomato tends to lose a lot of its water content when it is frozen and then thawed. I
have included some instructions on freezing tomatoes in the “In Your Bag” section of the newsletter.

It seems that tomatoes in recipes often go hand in hand with peppers and eggplant. This is probably a direct result of the three plants flourishing under the same environmental conditions – the hot, dry days of late summer. Interestingly, peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant are members of the same family (Solanaceae), which also includes potatoes, tomatillos, and ground
cherries. Wild relatives of these cultivated crops include nightshade, a weed which is often found in suburban areas, and which bears poisonous purple fruits. I still distinctly remember
learning about nightshade during a nature walk that I took as a girl scout through someone’s back yard in Oak Park.

It may seem odd that nightshade has so many edible relatives. In fact, Solanaceae is only one of several plant families that feature both poisonous and edible members. Carrots, parsley,
cilantro, and parsnips belong to the family Apiaceae, which also includes such deadly plants as the water hemlock. It seems amazing that people, throughout the course of agriculture, have been successful in identifying and cultivating the edible members of these plant families. It is also a good reminder to those of us who love to browse the prairie for edible plants such as
purslane, lambs quarters and dandelions – always check to make sure that you know what something is before you eat it, and never assume that a plant that you find in the wild is edible
just because it resembles a garden variety cultivar. On a more cheerful note, please
enjoy all that the garden has to offer this week – 100% edible, organic, and
delicious!

In the CSA Bag This Week:
Tomatoes! – We have included about 6 pounds of tomatoes in your CSA share this week. See the recipes below for tomato intensive ideas like salsa and ratatouille. If you can’t finish all your tomatoes before they get soft, you can freeze them for use later in soups, stews, sauces, and casseroles. Place them in a Ziploc bag and freeze, if you plan on using them all at once at a later date. To freeze tomatoes so that they will be individually available, place them on a cookie sheet before placing them in the freezer, and combine in a bag once frozen through.
Onions –These onions have not been cured, so they should be stored in the fridge and used within a few weeks. You have received a mixture of cippolini and yellow storage onions this week.
Arugula – Store in a plastic bag in the fridge. If your greens are a little bit wilted when you get them home, run them under cold tap water before you bag them, and they will perk right up in the fridge.
Cilantro – Cilantro is the perfect addition to salsas, tacos, or spicy dishes like curries. Store it in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Flat Parsley – You will be able to distinguish the flat parsley from the cilantro in your bag by its more deeply divided leaves. The parsley bunches are smaller, as well. Store parsley in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Green Beans – These beans may need to be cooked slightly longer than your average green bean. They should keep in your fridge for about a week.
Eggplant – Please enjoy these eggplant - we think they are quite beautiful. Eggplant is a key ingredient in ratatouille, below, but I love to roast them as well. Just slice the eggplant thinly, salt, and let stand for about ten minutes. Rinse, brush well with olive oil, and bake in a 350 F oven, turning often, until the slices are soft and brown (this can take anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes, depending on how thick your slices are). Remove and eat in slices, or blend and use as a dip. Eggplant will keep either on your counter for about a week, or longer in your fridge.
Sweet and Bell Peppers – The sweet peppers in your bag will take one of three forms this week. Some of you have received bell peppers, which resemble those that you buy in most grocery stores. Some of you have gypsy peppers, which are thinner than a bell pepper, but still stout looking. Their taste is similar to bell peppers, although we find them more flavorful and sweet. The bell and gypsy peppers will range from green to yellow to red. Both bell and gypsy peppers can be used for salads or cooking. You will also find some long, gnarled-looking red peppers in your bag. These are an heirloom variety of pepper, “Jimmy Nardello”, that is great for cooking or salads and is quite sweet. Store all peppers in your fridge.
Hot Peppers – (Note: wear gloves or wash hands thoroughly after handling peppers, and be sure not to touch your eyes or other sensitive areas during or after chopping peppers!!) There are two types of hot peppers in your bag this week. One kind, the jalapenos, are easy to distinguish, as they are short, stubby, and green-purple in color. Jalapenos are spicy, and can be used in salsas or sauces, or stuffed with a mixture of cream cheese, mozzarella, and cumin and baked or deep fried to make jalapeno poppers. The other hot pepper is a Hungarian Hot Wax, and has an elongated, smooth appearance, with coloration from yellow to red. We have noticed that many of these peppers have only a little heat to their taste, but they are suitable as an addition to any recipe where you would use bell pepper, but where you would require some
spiciness. They would also be a good addition to salsa. Store hot peppers in your fridge as well.
Summer Squash – Remember that you can shred or slice and freeze zucchini and summer squash in a Ziplock bag! For immediate use, these store best in the warmer parts of your fridge.

Ratatouille
(from the Rodale Cookbook – this makes
about 10 servings, so halve the recipe if
you’re not having a huge shindig, or
freeze the leftovers for later)

2 medium sized onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
5 tbsp olive oil
2 pounds (about 2 smallish) zucchini or
squash, thinly sliced
2 pounds (about one large) eggplant,
peeled and cubed
2 medium or three small sweet pepper,
seeded and cut into 1 inch strips
5 medium sized tomatoes, peeled and
quartered
2 tbsp fresh parsley
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste

1. In a large, heavy skillet, sauté onions
and garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil for about 5
minutes.
2. Add squash, eggplant and green
pepper, adding more oil as needed. Stir
gently and sautè for 10 minutes. Stir in
the remaining ingredients, reduce heat,
and cover tightly.
3. Simmer for 15 minutes longer. Serve
immediately.

Basic Salsa
5 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 c onions, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp jalapeno (or to taste), veined,
seeded and chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 small bunch cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and puree to
desired texture (the result can be either
chunky or smooth, depending on how
you like your salsa). If desired, you can
hand chop all ingredients and forego the
puree for a very chunky salsa.

Newsletter, August 20

NICK’S FARM REPORT

August 20, 2010

Happy August everyone! We are on the downhill side of the season here, and nothing but good stuff to look forward to, produce-wise. The final seedings and plantings are going in the ground in the next couple of weeks, and the weeds have mostly given up trying to take over the garden, so things feel a lot more relaxed, which is nice.

Of course, anytime you’re on the farm and you start to relax, you need to look around for what you’re forgetting. The next big job we’re eyeing is the final chicken processing, and then the turkeys!

You will find in the bag this week some familiar things, and one new-ish item is the yellow wax beans. This is an item we meant to get to you earlier this year, but we had a failed seeding due to cold soil, so we bought them in from a neighboring farm. This is the Prairie Crossing Learning Farm, which is staffed by a group of enthusiastic high school students and presided over by an ace teacher/farmer. It is always nice to see young people around learning how the magic happens on the farm.

Also you will find some eggs in the bag, some of which are in a re-used egg carton. Pay no attention to the label on those, all the eggs came from us. Some of you will find that your eggs are different colors than you usually see as well. If you are one of the lucky folks who have a blue or green bunch of eggs, congratulations, you are eating eggs that were layed by our Auricauna chickens, bred to throw the pastel delights you received. They taste and cook just the same as the brown and white ones though, don’t worry.

In the CSA Bag This Week:

Kennebec baking potatoes – These potatoes have been partially cured, and will store for a few weeks in a cool place. A good baker and masher.

Yellow wax beans – Use these the same as you would a green bean, they are a nice presentation item in salads and soups.

Roquette Arugula – A tender, peppery mustard good in salads. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Baby beet greens – These baby beet greens are tender and delicious, and can be sautéed or used as a salad green. The baby beets can be grilled, boiled, steamed, or roasted in a 350°F oven until tender. We recommend removing the baby beets from the greens and storing both separately, in your fridge, in a plastic bag.

Tomatoes – Store tomatoes on your kitchen counter.

Beets – An excellent storage item, good cut thin for salads, cut thick and hearty for soups, excellent roasted with other root crops, and good for pickling as well. Kept in the lowest drawer in your fridge, wrapped in a bag, these will keep well into the winter.

Chicken eggs – These will keep in your fridge for over a month, but they have the best quality eaten fresh.

Summer Squash – These also store best in the warmer parts of your fridge.

I know it’s awfully hot out still to be turning on the oven or the stove, so these recipes are good if there is a break in the weather, or if you have a really solid air conditioner. Otherwise, maybe do like us and just put those beets and potatoes in a cool dry place, make up a salad, put it next to a beer, and wait for August to be over!

- Nick

Sesame Potato Salad

Dressing:

2 parts olive oil

1 part sesame oil

2 parts soy sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

1-2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds (optional)

(For a full share bag, this should be about ¾ cup of dressing. A half share would be about half that.)

Take about all the potatoes in this week’s bag, and half the wax beans. Cut them into bite-sized pieces, and boil them until tender. Drain off the water, and put the beans and potatoes in your serving bowl. Add the olive oil, sesame oil, and soy sauce and stir it all up. After that, if you have them, throw in the roasted sesame seeds and give it one last mix-up. If you can, put it in the fridge overnight so all the flavors get good and into the beans and potatoes. Serve cold.

Have you ever made Fritatta?

It’s easy! And so much nicer in the morning than cereal!

So: Take a squash, and cut it into thin slices, and sauté it in some butter or light oil in a skillet. Before the squash is quite cooked, add a bunch of chopped-up beet greens to the pan and sauté them and the squash until the leaves are limp, but not too wilted. Make sure you have a pie pan, and then beat about half a dozen eggs in a bowl (it is no good to beat all the eggs and then find out you don’t have a pie pan). Salt and pepper the eggs to taste, I go with about a teaspoon of each to start with. Oil the pie pan with butter or oil very liberally, and pour the beaten eggs into the pie pan. Add the sautéed vegetables to the eggs, and stir them in a bit to make sure they are covered by the egg. Now, slice a tomato and put the slices on top of it all, and pop it in the oven at 350 degrees until set, maybe 40 minutes. Serve hot, or cold as an antipasto.

One thing that is good is to add about a half a cup of grated cheddar cheese to the egg and vegetable mix before you put the tomatoes on, but this recipe will work well without it.

Newsletter, August 13th

NICK’S FARM REPORT

August 13, 2010

Greetings to everyone, and we are hoping that you are finding creative ways to beat the heat this week. As I write this, we’re watching the lightening and rain out of our living room window, so maybe we are in for some cooler weather in the next few days. At least it is cool right now, anyways!

The featured item in your bags this week is the TOMATO, a fruit that has just started ripening in earnest. If all goes well, and if we avoid the late-season diseases to which tomatoes are so susceptible, we hope to be providing many more tomatoes in weeks to come. You’ll notice that we grow tomatoes of all shapes and sizes – some which are ripe when golden, and some, when red; some are pear shaped, some are more fleshy than others, some stay small and some grow to be giants.

You may ask, why do we grow all these different tomato varieties? Where do they even come from? Most of the tomatoes that we grow are varieties known as “heirloom” – varieties which have been known to breed true for more than 50 years. There are heirloom varieties of every vegetable and fruit known to humans! These seeds have been passed down through families, between neighbors, and across oceans as immigrants to the US have brought with them their most beloved vegetables from the old country.

Often, heirloom varieties have been found unsuitable for large-scale production, because of irregular shape and size, ability to withstand shipping, or for having a shorter shelf life. However, we think heirloom varieties are super, and we are not alone! Heirloom varieties often yield fruits or leaves that are funky shapes and colors, which just makes them fun to grow. In addition, heirlooms offer a wider variety of delicious flavors, vegetables suitable for specific purposes (like the Amish Paste tomato), and vegetables that can do very well in small scale production. Heirlooms can also have regional disease resistance, heat tolerance or drought tolerance, that makes them especially suited for specific regions.

The potatoes in your bag this week are “German Butterball”, a variety that we got from the Baker Creek Seed Company this spring. Baker Creek not only provides a huge selection of heirloom seeds, but is also committed to discovering and propagating new and lost varieties of heirlooms. Their catalogs are amazing to look at, even if you’re not buying anything. We’d highly suggest checking them out!

In the CSA Bag This Week:

German Butterball potatoes – These potatoes have been partially cured, and will store for a few weeks in a cool place. They should be eaten as a new potato, however, as they have not been fully cured!

Cippolini Onions –These onions have not been cured, so they should be stored in the fridge and used within a few weeks.

Tokyo Bekana – This bright green, delicate mustard can be included in salads as a raw green, as an excellent substitute for lettuce. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Baby beets and greens – These baby beet greens are tender and delicious, and can be sautéed or used as a salad green. The baby beets can be grilled, boiled, steamed, or roasted in a 350°F oven until tender. We recommend removing the baby beets from the greens and storing both separately, in your fridge, in a plastic bag.

Tomatoes – Store tomatoes on your kitchen counter. See the recipes for gazpacho!

Green Peppers – Store in your fridge.

Slicing cucumbers – Cucumbers keep best in the warm part of your fridge.

Summer Squash – These also store best in the warmer parts of your fridge.

Before we get to the recipes, let me first just say that many of the recipes, serving, and storing suggestions from the newsletter are lifted directly from my mother’s kitchen. She is an amazing cook who relishes vegetables like none else I know, and has fostered a great love for veggies in both myself and my sister over the years. One of my favorite dishes she makes in the summer is gazpacho. This year, she has tried a recipe slightly different from the one she made when we were little – I think it’s great, and have included both the classic and modern recipes for your enjoyment! - Becky

Mom’s Classic Gazpacho

(from the Moosewood Cookbook)

4 cups cold tomato juice

1 small, minced onion

2 cups freshly diced tomatoes

1 cup minced green pepper

1 tsp. honey

1 clove crushed garlic

1 diced cucumber

juice of 1/2 lemon and/or 1 lime

2 Tbs. wine vinegar

dash of ground cumin

dash of tabasco sauce

2 Tbs. olive oil

Salt & black pepper to taste

1 tsp. basil dill, parsley, or other fresh herbs, if desired

Combine all ingredients, puree, and chill for at least 2 hours.

Mom’s Modern Gazpacho

(from the Wall Street Journal)

3 large tomatoes, cored and chopped

1 cucumber, peeled and chopped

1 bell pepper, cored and chopped

4-5 inches stale baguette, no crust

1 small garlic clove

1/3 c. olive oil

2 tsp sherry or red wine vinegar

½ tsp salt

(Tomatoes and peppers can be roasted beforehand if desired)

1. Soak the bread in cold water for 10 minutes.

2. Peel the garlic and chop in a blender until finely minced.

3. Squeeze as much water out of the bread as possible, and add it to the blender, along with the cucumber.

4. Blend until smooth, adding a little olive oil if the mixture does not liquefy.

5. Once smooth, add peppers and blend again until smooth.

6. Add tomatoes, oil, sherry or vinegar, and salt, and blend.

7. Taste, season to taste, and chill. Serve chilled, over ice, if desired.

Newsletter, August 6th

NICK’S FARM REPORT

August 6, 2010

We’ve made it to the midway point of our CSA program! We sincerely hope that you are all pleased with the vegetables you receive each week, and encourage you all to keep contacting us with questions and comments. It has been very helpful to receive feedback so far. This week’s bag was especially exciting to pack (maybe it is the tomatoes?) and we hope it is exciting to receive.

You might notice this week that the leaves of the red bok choi in your bags have small holes in them. Don’t worry – they are still edible, and still taste great. These little holes are caused by flea beetles, an insect pest that targets mostly vegetables in the mustard family (broccoli, cabbage, kale, and boc choi!). While the odd spot on a leaf can be sort of a badge of honor for organically grown vegetables, we do as much as we can to prevent the insects from completely taking over our garden! Not only do non-moth-eaten plants tend to look a little better in your bag, but insect damage can also affect the growth of the plants.

Interestingly, the types of pests that we experience here are very different from those seen in other parts of the country. Some insects require specific weather patterns to propagate during the summer, and others don’t overwinter well in cold climates. Some have natural predators in certain areas, and others are still in the process of spreading across the country, aided by the transport of produce across hundreds and thousands of miles.

There are a few methods that we use to deter pest insects in our garden. In the case of bok choi, arugula, and other tender mustard greens, we use row cover (kind of like a light blanket) to physically block the insects from access to the plants. Some people use sticky traps around their susceptible crops to trap pests, or plant “trap crops” – plants that are more attractive to the pest insects than the crops that we are trying to grow. There are even some companion plants that can be grown which have natural insecticidal or insect-deterring properties and which can help protect food plants from insect damage.

Even given all these tools, an organic farm field is really teeming with bug life. In turn, this draws birds, frogs, and many other creatures to our fields to seek food. I love seeing a new type of bug every day – most of them are non-pests and super fun to observe as they go about their business.

In the CSA Bag This Week:

Kale – I’ve included a recipe below for kale chips! This recipe is one that we hear over and over again, and it is one of our favorites. Store kale in a plastic bag in your fridge.

Cippolini Onions – The variety name for these onions is “Gold Coin” – they aren’t as golden once we remove the peels, but the coin shape is still very evident. These onions have not been cured, so they should be stored in the fridge and used within a few weeks.

Bok choi – This variety of dwarf red bok choi can be included in salads as a raw green, and in a sauté or stir fry. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Celery – This celery has smaller stalks and a much stronger flavor than that which you typically find in the grocery store. We love it! Store in your fridge, in a plastic bag.

Tomatoes – These first early varieties are “Firecracker” and “Jersey Giant”. Store tomatoes on your kitchen counter. Enjoy with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and basil!

Broccoli – To store, place in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Basil – Store in a glass of water on your kitchen counter.

Slicing cucumbers – Cucumbers keep best in the warm part of your fridge.

Summer Squash – These also store best in the warmer parts of your fridge.

Kale Chips

Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Wash kale well, and remove the stems of the leaves. Tear or chop kale into bite-sized pieces (about 1” square). Toss with olive oil, sesame oil, or any other flavored oil to coat, and spread, in layers 1 leaf deep, on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt, and pepper or any other seasoning that is desired. Bake for 15-25 minutes, stirring frequently, until kale begins to brown and becomes crisp. Remove from the oven, cool, and enjoy!!

Cucumber Water

We enjoyed some of this at the market last week, courtesy of the learning tent guru, Ann. She sliced some cucumbers into a jug of ice water, allowed it all to sit for a few hours, and poured. It was amazing to really taste the subtle flavor of the cucumber. You can add mint or basil leaves to the water as well, to impart a more complex flavor.

Stuffed Summer Squash or Zucchini

This recipe is adapted from the Joy of Cooking.

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

2. Cut squash in half, and scrape out the middle part of the squash (with all the seeds) with a spoon, leaving the shell intact. This was easier for me to do when I scored the inside of the squash length lengthwise and widthwise, to make little squares, which I then scooped out with a spoon.

3. Heat 1-2 tbsp. oil or butter in a heavy skillet. Sauté the inside of the squash with 2-3 chopped cippolini onions, 5-6 stalks of celery (leaves included), and some sausage, ground beef, or other meat, if desired. Stir frequently.

4. Cook until onions and squash are tender, then add 3-4 tsp. of chopped basil and salt and pepper to taste. You can also add about ½ c. bread crumbs at this point, if desired.

5. Fill hollow squash halves with the mixture, and top with shredded cheese.

6. Place filled squash halves on a baking sheet in 1/8 inch of water. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the squash shells are tender.

Newsletter, July 30th

NICK’S FARM REPORT

July 30, 2010

Hello to all at the end of one of the longest hot streaks in Illinois history! It seems like the 80-plus temperatures are finally beginning to subside, at least for a short time. Ironically, the end of the hot weather brings with it the first inclusion of some hot-weather crops in the CSA bag… tomatoes and peppers (Woo-hoo!). I hope you are as excited about receiving these first few treats as we are about harvesting them!

We spend a significant amount of time caring for our tomatoes and peppers, from greenhouse to field. Seeds get planted in the early spring, in flats that are often heated in chambers or on top of heat-mats to encourage germination. The seedlings themselves get transplanted several times during their early life, in order to give them room to grow as large as possible before we plant them in the field.

Tomato and pepper planting time comes after the last chance of frost (mid May around here), and is a busy time for all of the farmers at Prairie Crossing. Folks take great care when planting their tomato starts, planting them with supplemental nutrients from calcium meal, earthworm castings, or compost, and irrigating them well right out of the gate. Once the seedlings begin to grow in the field, they must be staked or tied to keep them growing upright and to keep their fruits from resting on the ground. All the time that they are growing, we take care to enter the tomato patch only when the plants are dry (to avoid spreading disease) and try to minimize the plant’s exposure to tobacco smoke or smokers (tobacco mosaic virus is a tomato disease that can be spread via cigarettes!). The pepper plants are slightly more hardy, but still require lots of nutrients to produce those big, tasty fruits! After all this work, we are quite happy to see the tomatoes and peppers begin to ripen.

Tonight, we’re also happy because we got to take the night off to go to the Lake County Fair (which is open through Sunday, if you’re looking for something fun to do this weekend). We had a blast checking out the vegetable entries, flower arrangements, and all of the animals (OK, maybe Nick wasn’t too taken with the flowers, but I was). They have some great looking bunnies and chickens there, as well as at least one very friendly goat, some MASSIVE cows, and some antique tractors. The fair is an important part of Lake County’s agricultural heritage, and we were glad to be able to attend.

In the CSA Bag This Week:

Carrots – To store, cut the remainder of the tops off of the carrots (we’ve trimmed them significantly this week already). Store in a plastic bag in your fridge.

Jalapeno and banana peppers – These first peppers of the season are of the hot variety, and can be used in dips, salsas, and main dishes to add some spice. Store in the fridge, and they should keep for several weeks.

Tatsoi – Like bok choi, tatsoi is a very mild green, and a member of the mustard family. Tatsoi is delicious included in salads as a raw green, and also holds up in a light sauté or stir fry, or in any other dish where bok choi is used. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Arugula – Yum! This planting of arugula really features that awesome, characteristic arugula flavor. Store it in a plastic bag in your fridge – if it looks wilted, dunk it in cold water before refrigeration, and it should perk right up. See below for a recipe for arugula and tomato salad, which you can make using the….

First tomato of the season!!!! – It may be small, but this first tomato brings with it the promise of many more to come. Store this newcomer on your kitchen counter.

Broccoli – See the recipe below for broccoli and potato curry. To store, place in a plastic bag in the fridge.

New potatoes – Store in a cool, dry place, and use within the next week or two.

Slicing cucumbers – I’ve included a few more cucumber ideas below to help incorporate these great summer veggies into your meals. They keep best in the warm part of your fridge.

Summer Squash – These also store best in the warmer parts of your fridge.

Arugula and Tomato Salad
(Adapted from the website “Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska” by Laurie Constantino)

2 cups or more shredded arugula
Salt
1/4 c. olive oil
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
8 - 16 anchovy fillets (if desired)

Sliced or cubed tomato

1. Whisk the olive oil into the red wine vinegar and season with freshly ground black pepper.

2. Mince the anchovy fillets (if desired) and mix them into the dressing.

3. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper or salt as needed.

4. Toss the dressing and arugula, and mound the tomatoes on top of the greens (there may be leftover dressing). Serve immediately.

Potato and Broccoli Curry

1 can of coconut milk
3-4 tbsp. of yellow curry paste (you can find this at imported foods stores) or 2 tbsp. or more of curry powder (to taste)

1 head broccoli, cut into florets and stem peeled and cubed
3 large potatoes
½ c. sliced or cubed carrots
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Salt and pepper, to taste
Cooked rice

1. Chop the potatoes into small pieces and place into a large pot of boiling water.

2. Heat 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil in a heavy skillet.

3. Add the curry paste or powder to the pan, and fry for about a minute while mixing with a spatula.

4. Pour the coconut milk into pan with the curry paste and stir.

5. When the potatoes are tender, drain them and add the broccoli and carrots to the potato pan.

6. Pour the curry/coconut milk sauce into the larger pot over the vegetables.

7. Cook at a lower temperature until the carrots and broccoli are tender.

8. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve hot over rice.

More Cucumber Recipes

Yogurt-Cucumber Salad

Mix thinly sliced cucumbers with yogurt, salt, pepper, a small amount of honey, and fresh dill, mint, basil, in any other herbs. Refrigerate and serve cold.

Quick Refrigerator Pickles

(From Edible Chicago Magazine. For more details, see http://www.ediblecommunities.com/chicago/summer-2010/cooking-fresh.htm)

Vegetables to pickle: beet, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, corn, fennel bulb, okra, onion, pepper, string bean, turnip

Basic Pickling Brine

1½ cups white wine vinegar
1¾ cups water
2½ tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt

Optional seasonings: bay leaf, celery seed, cilantro, dill, garlic (sliced cloves), mustard seed, peppercorn, red pepper flakes, rosemary, thyme

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Place the vegetables, sliced thinly and uniformly, into jars or plastic containers, pour the pickling brine over the top, and refrigerate. The pickles will be ready to use in 3 to 6 hours, but they are best if given a night to absorb all the flavors.