Two Farms Newsletter #414

September 17, 2007

Table of Contents:

1) In your box this week
2) Thelma Sanders
3) Renewal Time
4) Sunday Tomato/Pumpkin Upick! Sept. 23rd
5) Photos (photo to the left is of Red Friarelli
peppers: they are sweet not spicy.)
6) Recipes
7) Which Farm?
8) Unsubscribe
9) Two Small Farms Contact Information

1) In your box this week: Eggplant, Tropea Onions, Tomatoes, Red Chard,
Sweet Red Friarelli Peppers, mystery from Stephen (berries or
cauliflower or artichokes), Lettuce with a bunch of arugula (Wed), Salad mix
(Thurs & Fri),

This week's vegetable list: I try to have it updated by Monday night,
sometimes by Mon. aml

How to store this week's bounty: all (except tomatoes and onions) in
the fridge as soon as you arrive home. The Red Friarelli Peppers are
SWEET: they can be chopped into salad, confetti rice, great for sauteing
but not for 'roasting and peeling'. They aren't spicy, really and truly.

_______________________________

2)  Cookbooks, Today from Julia

Two weeks ago I talked about cookbooks from my past. Today some of the
cookbooks I go to most frequently include: The New Joy of Cooking, How
to Cook Everything, The Best Recipe, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone,
*Not* Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook, and one that has lasted from
then to now:
Madhur Jaffrey's World of the East Vegetarian Cooking. Some Vegetable
cookbooks that I look at at least once a week if not more often include:
Recipes from a Kitchen Garden, Chez Panisse Vegetables, and The Victory
Garden Cookbook. There are so many great cookbooks out there, I'm
likely forgetting a few that are so obvious that I can't even see them. I
do know that what's different about my life today from 20 years ago is
that I have WAY better ingredients at hand and far less time to fuss
over new and complicated recipes. Andy (he's my husband) loves to read
cookbooks by Marcella Hazan, and the Oliveto-ish cookbook "Cooking By
Hand", and the classic Zuni Cookbook by Judy Rogers. These are all great,
and I might actually attempt a few of their recipes... in 10 years when
I get to experience emptly nest syndrome. For now I'll be perusing the
"Ten Minute Cuisine" type books.

So on that note: This week I'll include recipes from a few of the above
books, especially for chard and eggplant!

Note to fans of Andy's literary endevours, he posted a lengthy, great
article.

Let the Recipes Begin!

My own gazpacho:

2-3 pounds tomatoes, peeled (easily done if given a 15 second boiling
water bath) a few red peppers, friarelli are great
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 garlic cloves, peeled (smashed if you like)
1/4 cup vinegar, red wine or sometimes I use rice vinegar, even though
it's not traditional pinch chile flakes if you like a kick to your
gazpacho
1 cucumber if available. (Andy lost most of his cucumber crop so this
year my gazapacho is sans cuke) S & P to taste

Roughly chop everything and mix. Then let sit for 1-2 hours to let the
flavors meld. Also possible: use a food processor for each item and
only use the pulse button, being careful not to over process any
ingredient. Some folks blend bread into their gazpacho, some drizzle a great
olive oil on at the end...
it's one of 'those' recipes where there are as many variations as there
are home cooks making it!

Cold Eggplant, Dressed with Yogurt
adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's World of the East Vegetarian Cooking

1 large or 2 smaller eggplants
1 cup plain yogurt
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil

Prepare steamer and start the water boiling. Peel and cube eggplants;
put into steamer and cover: steam 10-20 minutes or until eggplant cubes
are cooked through.
Remove the eggplant from the steamer. Put in a bowl and mash coarsely.
Allow to cool. Beat the yogurt with a fork or whisk until smooth and
creamy. Pour this over the eggplant. Add S & P. Mix and adjust
seasonings. Sprinkle paprika ove the top and then dribble some oil over the
paprika.

Tomato Jam
adapted from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook by Beth Henspenger

2 pounds ripe tomatoes
4 cups sugar
1 1.75 or 2 ounce box of powdered pectin (optional) grated zest of 2
lemons grated zest of 2 oranges
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 chunk fresh ginger, about 4 inches long, peeled and grated
2 cinnamon sticks

1. Peel, seed and slice or roughly chop tomatoes. Combine tomatoes with
the sugar, pectin if using, citrus zests, lemon juice, ginger, and
cinnamon sticks in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours,
stirring twice during cooking.

2. Remove lid. Turn the cooker to high, and cook 2-4 hours longer,
until the jam reaches the desired consistency. Discard the cinnamon sticks.


3. Ladle the warm jam into clean spring top glass jars (or use screw
tops with new lids); let stand until cool. Store, covered, in the
refrigerator for up to
4 months. This can also be frozen: many modern canning jars are also
freezer jars. Serve with cream cheese and whole grain bread or scones.

Confetti Rice: I got an idea to make a 'sopa' style rice but with the
red friarellis instead of tomatoes. Here's the recipe with a photo

more recipes below in section #6

________________________________________________

3) A Few Reminders on CSA Etiquette

We appreciate that most of you are very considerate of our hosts
when you pick up your boxes each week, but sometimes details get lost,
confused, or forgotten, so here's a little refresher on Pick-up Site
Etiquette. Our ability to deliver our fresh vegetables and berries to you
each week is completely dependent on our hosts. We greatly value their
input and work that they do, so we need to make sure that we are not
burdening them unduly.

It is your responsibility to flatten out your box and leave it in a
pile with the others. This is important because there is limited space for
empty boxes. When flattened and stacked in one pile, they take up less
space and it keeps things easily accessible for other members who
arrive to pick up their veggies. (Please accomplish this without tearing
the tabs on the boxes; they cost over $1 each and we can't use them again
if the tabs are ripped. Squeeze the tabs so they come out easily.)

Don't leave your trash at the pick up site.

Check off your name on the sign in sheet, so we know who has picked up
in case of a problem.

Check off your name on the flower sign-in sheet if you get flowers.

Arrive on the delivery day and within the time frame set for your
pick-up site. Two Small Farms only guarantees a box for you on the delivery
day - this is when the produce is still fresh, and we want to respect
the privacy and lives of our hosts. The host is under no obligation or
expectation to hold vegetables through another day. If they do, it is
out of their graciousness and is not to be abused.

Thank you.
______________________________

4) Tomato/Pumpkin Upick this Sunday, Sept. 23rd 9am to 1pm

This Sunday is our Tomato/Pumpkin/Weird Squash Upick day at Mariquita
Farm in Hollister on SUNDAY Sept. 23rd. 9am to 1pm. join us! Tomatoes
are 50 cents a pound. Bring a friend. We'll also have a Pumpkin Patch!
Directions and more information

Tomatoes! We can sell 20# of San Marzano 'paste' tomatoes as an
'extra'. 20# boxes are $29 delivered to your

pick up site. Contact Zelda in the office to order. 831 786 0625 or
csa@twosmallfarms.com

What one bulk tomato buyer did with her tomatoes: a nice photo gallery
of a canning project

and another blog entry about tomatoes from our friend and SF customer
Marcus Rector

_______________________________________

5) Photos:

Sweet (not spicy) Red Friarelli Peppers

Photo Gallery

_____________________________________

6) Recipes and What Nina will do with the box!

Here is my plan for this week's box, from Nina in San Carlos

Using Chard, Peppers, Onion: Frittata with sauteed chard, sweet
peppers, onion (or leek from last week), seasoned with thyme, marjoram, s&p,
topped with grated parmesan cheese.

Using Eggplant: Baba Ghanoush, using Julia's informal recipe. I mix it
in the food processor, and instead of tahini use almond butter and
toasted sesame seeds. Very delicious! Use as dip for pita chips.

Using Tomatoes, Onion, Lettuce: Greek Salad with chopped tomatoes,
thinly sliced onions, chopped Kalamata olives, chopped cucumber (peeled and
seeded), and crumbled feta cheese with olive oil, balsamic vinegar,
and S&P. Can serve as is or over a bed of lettuce.

If I get berries, I'll wash them and serve them sliced for dessert.

If I get cauliflower, I'll roast it and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

If I get artichokes, I'll try this dip/spread:

Artichoke Dip/Spread

Very loosely adapted from The Maui Vegetarian; I found a site that
listed some of the ingredients and will improvise to make my own.

Use whatever amounts appeal to you!

Artichoke hearts, steamed until very soft
Onions, chopped
Garlic, minced
Sweet Peppers, stems trimmed and chopped
Spicy Chili Pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
Lemon Juice
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Cashew pieces

Cut the artichokes in half, remove the choke, and steam until the
hearts are very soft. Place hearts in bowl of food processor. Sauté the
onions, garlic, sweet peppers, and chili peppers in a bit of olive oil
until soft. Add to hearts with lemon juice, olive oil, and S&P. Process
until desired consistency. Toast cashew pieces over medium heat in a
small frying pan. Sprinkle on top for a garnish or mix in. Use as a dip for
pita chips, spread on toast, or add to a sandwich. Enjoy!

in case you still have squash around: from Alice Englander:

Butternut Squash Soup
Recipe courtesy of Gourmet Magazine )

1 medium butternut squash (about 2 1/4 pounds)
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger, optional
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups chicken broth
1-2 cups water, as needed
Salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream for garnish

Cut squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Arrange the
halves cut side down in roasting pan that has been sprayed with nonstick
vegetable oil spray. Bake squash in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until
very tender. Set aside to cool. When the squash is completely cool,
scoop the flesh from the skin. While the squash is baking, cook the onion
and the ginger in the butter in a saucepan, over moderately low heat,
for 5 minutes or until the onion is softened, Add the broth and simmer
the mixture for 10 minutes, covered. Add the squash pulp to the sauce
pan. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor, in batches, and
puree until smooth. Add enough water to achieve the desired
consistency, and salt and pepper to taste. Return the soup to the sauce pan and
cook over moderate heat until it is hot. Garnish each portion with the
heaping teaspoon of low-fat sour cream.

Fish Peperonata

Saute a whole mess of red friarelli peppers and some onions and garlic
in some olive oil with S & P over medium heat for 20-30 minutes or
until cooked through and starting to brown just a little.

cook the fish like you know you're supposed to: in a pan over high heat
until barely cooked through then serve with the peppers. OR place the
cooked peppers in a glass baking dish and place the fish on top then
bake, making sure to remove the pan and serve before the fish is cooked
too much.

Eggplant "Caviar"
adapted from Entertaining 1-2-3 by Rozanne Gold recipe can be doubled
easily

1 medium eggplant (about 1 pound)
3 tablespoons prepared black olive tapenade
1 tablespoon freshly sqeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Put eggplant on baking sheet and prick with fork. Bake for 1 hour. Cut
eggplant in half. Scoop out flesh and mash in bowl with tepenade and
lemon juice. Add salt, if desired, and black pepper to taste. Mix well
and chill.

Chard and Tomatoes
from Too Many Tomatoes, Squash, and Other Good Things by L. Landau and
L. Myers

2 T olive oil
1 onion, diced (or ½ bunch scallions, chopped, including at least have
the green part)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 large tomatoes (or equivalent with different sized tomatoes), peeled
and diced
1/2 cup cooked ham (optional)
2 cups cooked chard (easy to blanch: just immerse roughly chopped
leaves in boiling water for 1-2 minutes)
butter
S & P
Nutmeg
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until golden. Stir in the
tomatoes, ham if using, and chard and heat until bubbly. Add butter,
Salt and Pepper and nutmeg to taste. (This dish can be kept 'lighter' by
skipping the ham and the butter!) Serve, sprinkling with the parmesan
cheese.

Chard-Tomato Peasant Pasta
recipe told by Martin to Julia

1 bunch Erbette Chard, cleaned, stems removed, and very roughly chopped
(can be in fairly large pieces)
olive oil
garlic cloves, peeled and chopped (3?)
4-5 medium sized ripe tomatoes, chopped
fresh pasta, we used Cafferata's fresh spaghetti
splash of white wine or squeeze of lemon
S & P

**note: have tongs or other utensil to fish cooked chard out of the
water so you can boil the pasta in the same water. another note: save a
little pasta water for the final dish....

Bring one large pot of water to boil, then add a couple of teaspoons of
salt. Add chard pieces to the water and cook until blanched, 2 minutes
or so. Fish out the chard with tongs or strainer. Add pasta to water
to cook if using dried pasta...

Meantime, cook the garlic in the oil in a large saute pan for 1 minute
over medium or medium high heat until softening a little, make sure it
doesn't burn. Add blanched chard & chopped tomatoes. Cook for 5-7
minutes. Cook up the pasta now if you're using fresh pasta.

Now the fun part: toss everything together, with a splash of white wine
or lemon juice, and add a little of the pasta water to make everything
a tad soupy. Adjust seasoning (add S & P to taste) and EAT.

pepper recipes

chard recipes

Salad Dressings

Eggplant Recipes

More Recipes

____________________________________

7) Which Farm?

From High Ground: Lettuce/Salad, mystery, Flowers.
From Mariquita: Tomatoes, Peppers, Onions, Chard, eggplant

__________________________________________

8) Unsubscribe/Subscribe From/To This Newsletter

Two Small Farms Blog

BLOG ADVANTAGES: I can change mistakes after I post them. I don't have
to subscribe/unsubscribe folks. Old

newsletters easily accessed. Links! (I send this newsletter out as
plain text so more folks with differently-abled

computer systems can easily read it.) You can sign up for email updates
to the Two Small Farms Blog on the main

blog page:
http://twosmallfarms.blogspot.com/

__________________________________

9) Two Small Farms Contact Information

Two Small Farms
Mariquita Farm/High Ground Organics
Organically Grown Vegetables
831-786-0625
P.O. Box 2065
Watsonville, CA 95077
csa@twosmallfarms.com
http://www.twosmallfarms.com
http://www.mariquita.com
http://www.highgroundorganics.com