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.