Two Farms Newsletter #412

**Corn Note: This is organic corn: many ears likely have a worm, that's organic corn! Just chop the end off with a large knife and the corn is perfect to eat! Eat it as soon as possible: it's tastier sooner. -zelda and julia

September 4, 2007

Table of Contents:

1) In your box this week
2) A Few Historical Recipes
3) Renewal Time
4) Tomato Time
5) Photos
6) Recipes
7) Which Farm?
8) Unsubscribe
9) Two Small Farms Contact Information

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1) In your box this week: Tomatoes, Tomatillos, Radishes, Rapini OR Spinach, Eggplant OR Onions, two mysteries

How to store this week's bounty: all (except tomatoes and tomatillos) in the fridge as soon as you arrive home.

The tomatoes can be stored at room temperature.

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2) A Few Historical Recipes from Julia

I started reading cookbooks like novels when I used to babysit, starting at about age 11. Before that I loved looking through my children's cookbooks that I received for birthday presents. Not much has changed. In college I was the one pouring through Mollie Katzen's now-classic Moosewood Cookbook and Enchanted Broccoli Forest.

In honor of those days I have some recipes from those cookbooks. More about cookbooks in two or three weeks.... If you're a fan of Andy's writing, make sure to sign up for his writing blog. We update it 2-4 times a month...

Italian Eggplant Salad
adapted from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen

1 eggplant (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 cup minced onion
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
3/4 Tablespoon salt
1 stalk celery, minced
3 medium tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
3-4 fresh leaves basil, minced
1/2 cup minced green olives
fresh-ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely minced parsley

Optional:
2-3 Tablespoons capers
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

1) Cut the eggplant into small (1/2 inch) cubes. Steam the cubes in a vegetable steamer over boiling water, until they are tender (15-20 minutes). Prepare the other ingredients while the eggplant steams.

2) In 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil, saute the onions and garlic with salt, until the onions begin to soften (5 minutes). Add the celery, and saute another 5 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, and cook a few minutes more.

Remove from heat, and transfer to a large bowl.

3) Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl, including the steamed eggplant (you don't need to cool it first). Mix well, and chill.

note: this salad is exceptional the day after it's made, so it can marinate thoroughly

Cauliflower Cheese Pie with Grated Potato Crust

julia's note: this crust is a GREAT alternative to a buttery-flour crust for most quiche/vegetable pie type dishes. I also make a mashed potato crust for quiche... that I learned in college from one of these two Mollie books!

Crust:

2 cups, packed, grated raw potato
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup grated onion

Heat the oven to 400 degrees
Set the freshly-grated potato in a colander over a bowl. Salt it and leave it for 10 minutes. Then squeeze out the excess water (which can be used as for soup stock) and add it to the remaining ingredients. Pat it into a well-oiled 9 inch pie pan, building up the sides of the crust with lightly-floured fingers. Bake for 40-45 minutes - until browned. After the first 30 minutes brush (or spray) the crust with a little oil to crispen it.

Turn down oven to 375 degrees

Filling:

1 heaping, packed cup grated cheddar cheese
1 head cauliflower, broken into small flowerets
1 medium clove crushed garlic
1 cup chopped onion
3 Tablespoons butter
dash of dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil or 2 tablespoons fresh, chopped basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs beaten together with:
1/4 cup milk
black pepper to tasted
paprika

Saute onions in butter for 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add herbs and cauliflower and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spread half the cheese into the baked crust, then the saute, then the rest of the cheese. Pour the custard over and dust with paprika. Bake 35-40 minutes - until set.

Going way back: here's a book that was published in 1967, and I had a copy in my book collection by 1970: I was 5 years old. I'm including a recipe with tomatoes for obvious reasons, but what I remember loving to make was their version of baked Alaska, which included a meringue, and using a very hot oven for 3 minutes so the ice cream didn't melt. The drama was quite fun at age 5!

Eggs in Tomatoes
from My Learn to Cook Book by Ursula Sedgwick, illustrated by Martin Mayhew

you will need:

bread crumbs
S & P
butter
eggs
tomatoes (one for each person)

small pointed knife
oven proof dish

1) Turn on the oven and set at 350 degrees.
2) Cut off the top of each of the tomatoes.
3) Scoop out the insides with a spoon.
4) Put the tomatoes into the ovenproof dish.
5) Sprinkle salt and pepper into the tomatoes.
6) Crack and egg on the edge of the dish and drop it into the first tomato. Repeat, until you have dropped an egg

into each tomato.
7) Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
8) Sprinkle with bread crumbs and top with a small piece of butter.
9) Bake until the white of the egg is firm (about 10 minutes). Serve quickly.

more recipes below in section #6

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3) Renewal time is coming!

Next week, September 12/13/14 is the last paid share of the current session. The final 9 weeks starts the week of September 19/20/21. Cost is $180 or $234 with flowers. You can mail a check to Two Small Farms, PO Box 2065, Watsonville, CA 95077. Please contact Zelda at the office: csa@twosmallfarms.com or 831-786-0265 to

confirm you want to continue.

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4) 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 reply to this email.

Also: another tomato upick at Mariquita Farm on Sept. 22nd.

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5) Photos:

tomatillos

Rapini Greens

Photo Gallery
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6) Recipes from Jennifer, Jeanne and Julia

What I would do with this week’s box, from Jeanne Byrne, of High Ground Organics. (Stephen's wife...) I’ll cook the rapini (broccoli raab) or spinach with garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute the garlic and pepper flakes in olive oil for a few minutes, add the washed, chopped greens and some course sea salt to the pot with a little water, lower the heat, cover, and cook until the greens are soft. This will take longer for the rapini than spinach.

Make sure there’s enough water that it doesn’t burn.

If I get cauliflower as the mystery, I’ll make potato cauliflower curry in my pressure cooker. This is an easy quick recipe if you have a pressure cooker and it’s really good. (Recipe below.) Otherwise I will parboil the potatoes

(boil until just barely soft when pricked with a fork; don’t overcook), cut them to similar sizes, then toss them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary (and maybe onion wedges) and roast them in the oven at 400 until done. OR if I have large potatoes, I’ll make “potato chips.” Slice them with a mandoline, spray with olive oil spray, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook on a greased baking sheet at 400 until slightly crisp. (One daughter likes them crispy, the other likes them still soft.) They need to be eaten right out of the oven to be good, which usually happens anyway.

I’ll make tomatillo salsa with one of Julia’s recipes and serve it with tortillas. I’ll make a Chinese radish salad with thinly sliced radishes and green or red pepper if I have one around. For dressing, use 2 TBS vinegar, 4 tsp. soy sauce, 1 TBS sugar. Mix well and toss. If I get an eggplant I will slice, salt, and coat it with olive oil, broil it, and chop to add to tomato sauce for pasta, or toss cold with sliced tomatoes and a simple vinaigrette dressing. Any remaining tomatoes we will eat on sandwiches and salads.


Cauliflower-Potato Curry, from Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure, by Lorna J. Sass

1 large head cauliflower
2 tsp. safflower or canola oil
2 tsp. whole cumin seeds
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
2 TBS tomato paste
2 TBS mild curry powder
1 tsp. ground coriander seeds
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
Pinch of cayenne
1 1/2 lb. thin-skinned potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 minced fresh coriander (optional)

Cut the cauliflower into florets about 2 inches wide across the top. Set aside. Heat the oil in the cooker. Sizzle the cumin seeds over medium-high heat just until they begin to pop, 5­­–10 seconds. Turn off the heat and add the coconut milk (stand back to avoid sputtering oil) and tomato paste. While stirring with a fork, sprinkle in the curry powder, coriander, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne. Bring to the boil. Set the potatoes and red bell pepper in the liquid and place the cauliflower florets on top.

Lock the lid in place. Over high heat, bring to high pressure. Lower the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 3 minutes. Reduce the pressure with a quick-release method. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow any excess steam to escape. If the potatoes are not quite done, replace (but do not lock) the lid and let them cook for a few more minutes in the residual heat.

Stir well to combine the cauliflower and the potatoes. While stirring, the cauliflower will break up into small pieces and amalgamate with the cooking liquid to create a thick sauce. Mix in the coriander (if using)

before serving.

2 tomatillo salsa recipes:

Tomatillo Salsa
2 pounds Fresh tomatillos
1 cup Onion -- chopped
1 Or 2 hot peppers, cored Seeded and chopped.
1 cup Fresh cilantro -- minced
1/4 cup Fresh lime juice
1-2 cloves garlic
salt to taste
Remove husks from tomatillos, wash throughly, dry and halve or quarter. Combine tomatillos, onions, chiles, and garlic in a non-reactive pan. Over med-high heat bring to boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 mins. Cool a little or a lot then put into blender with cilantro and lime juice, blend away, salt to taste, and you have some GREAT salsa verde Mexicano.

SWISS CHARD WITH BEETS, GOAT CHEESE, AND RAISINS
submitted Jennifer Levey; originally published in Bon Appetit

I made this recipe last week with the beets and chard from the previous week. It was a bit time intesive, but fantastic and I highly recommend it.

SWISS CHARD WITH BEETS, GOAT CHEESE, AND RAISINS
1 1/2 pounds red beets (about 3 large)

4 pounds Swiss chard

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large red onion, halved lengthwise, cut thinly crosswise
3/4 cup sliced green onions (about 3)
5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced crosswise with seeds
3 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice, drained
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons golden raisins

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 51/2-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled

2 tablespoons pine nuts
Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap beets individually in foil. Roast until beets are tender, about 1 hour. Cool. Peel beets, then cut into 1/2-inch cubes. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover; chill.)

Fold Swiss chard leaves in half lengthwise and cut stalks away from leaves. Cut leaves coarsely into 1-inch pieces. Slice stalks thinly crosswise. Reserve stalks and leaves separately. Cook chopped leaves in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 1 minute. Drain and reserve.

Heat oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Add sliced stalks; sauté until starting to soften, about 8 minutes.

Add onion and next 3 ingredients; sauté 3 minutes. Add drained tomatoes and 1 cup raisins. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Add chard leaves to pot; stir to heat through. Remove from heat; add lime juice and stir to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer chard mixture to large platter. Sprinkle with beets, goat cheese, pine nuts, and remaining 2 tablespoons raisins. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Bon Appétit
December 2005

Ways to use Tomatillos:

Before using, peel off the husks and rinse to remove the sticky residue. Other than peeling off the husk, do not peel the green skin.

Tomatillos are traditionally used in three ways — raw, boiled/blanched, or roasted/grilled:

Raw - Uncooked tomatillos add a fresh, tangy citrus-like flavor and are often used raw in Mexican table sauces. Finely dice or puree them.

Blanching - Mellows the flavor. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the whole tomatillos (husks removed and rinsed) and boil for about 5 minutes, until soft. Drain and crush or puree as directed in a sauce recipe.

Fire roasting - Leaving slightly blackened skins on enriches a sauce with a smoky, woodsy flavor. Can roast under the broiler, with a propane torch, or over an open flame such as a grill or a gas burner. Make sure the heat is quite hot, otherwise the tomatillos will turn mushy before being charred.

Dry roasting - Produces an earthy, nutty flavor. Place the tomatillos in a heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron). Turn heat to low. Roast for about 20 to 30 minutes, turning occasionally, letting each side take on a rich, burnished golden color before turning.

Punchy Tomatillo-Tomato Relish adapted from Chutneys and Relishes by Lorraine Bodger

Chop cleaned tomatillos. Combine with pullped, seeded, and diced plum tomatoes, minced spicy chile (such as hungarian, jalapeño, or anaheim), and red onion, chopped cilantro, and garlic. Add lime juice, tequila, and salt. Serve with grilled fish, burgers, chicken, or traditional Mexican fare.

Julia’s informal baba ganoush

Pulp from 1 or 2 pounds roasted eggplants
juice from one lemon, or 1-2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3-5 tablespoons tahini(toasted sesame paste)
2-3 finely chopped cloves garlic
small amount smashed up roasted pine nuts, optional
salt and pepper

Mix everything up together, you may need to mash the eggplant pulp together with a fork. You can add olive oil to make it smoother (and tastier.)

Eggplant with Hot Garlice Sauce (Adapted from Pei Mei's Chinese Cooking)

4-6 Chinese or Japanese eggplants

1 t chopped fresh ginger
1 T chopped fresh garlic
1 T Hot bean paste
2 T soy sauce
1 t sugar
1 t salt
1/2 cup soup stock or water
1 T chopped green onion

Cut eggplant into finger sized pieces-cut lengthwise, then into quarters etc.
Saute with some water in a non-stick pan/wok, until soft.
When soft, remove from pan.
On low heat, cook garlic, ginger, and hot bean paste for a minute, then add
salt, sugar, soysauce and stock/water. Return eggplant to the pan and cook for
about five minutes until garlic is soft and a sauce forms. If sauce is too
thin, thicken with 1t corn starch mixed with 2t water.

Serve over white/brown rice.

ORANGE AND RADISH SALAD WITH CINNAMON VINAIGRETTE

Vinaigrette
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/8 teaspoon Ground Red Pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine all of the above.

For the salad use your favorite greens. Toss with orange slices and thinly sliced radishes. Top with lightly toasted sliced almonds.

BROCCOLI RAAB W/CARMELIZED ONIONS
Pasta e Verdura, Jack Bishop

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large onion (about 1 lb.), thinly sliced
1 bunch broccoli raab
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 lb. pasta (linguine or other long, thin shape)

Saute onions over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden
brown, about 20 minutes. If the onions start to burn, lower the heat.
They should be richly colored to bring out their sweetness.

Meanwhile, bring several quarts of water to a boil ina medium sauce
pan. Roughly chop the greens and stem and boil in the hot water and
cook for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Add the garlic to the pan with the onions and cook for 1 minute. Add
the broccoli raab, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally,
until the broccoli raab is tender, about 5 minutes. Taste for salt and
pepper and adjust seasonings if necessary.

While preparing the sauce, cook and drain the pasta, making sure that
some liquid still clings to the noodles. Toss the hot pasta with the
broccoli raab sauce. Mix well and transfer portions to warm pasta
bowls. Drizzle each bowl with olive oil to taste and serve immediately.

BROCCOLI RAAB WITH SPAGHETTINI
The Victory Garden Cookbook, Marian Morash

1 bunch broccoli raab
1 sweet bell pepper (optional)
1/2 lb. spaghettini
1tbsp. chopped garlic
6 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups water or chicken stock
2 tbsp. butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Parmesan cheese

Wash and peel broccoli raab, and cut into 2-3 inch pieces; set aside.
Peel the pepper, and thinly slice. Break spaghettini into 2-3-inch
pieces. In a large saute pan, cook garlic in oil for 1 minute. Add
pepper, cook slightly, and stir in raab, spaghettini, and water or
stock. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for
approximately 10 minutes, adding additional water if necessary. When
broccoli raab is tender, and spaghetiini cooked, remove the cover,
reduce any pan liquids, and stir in butter. Season to taste and serve
with Parmesan cheese. Serves 4.

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7) Which Farm?

>From High Ground: Radishes, rapini, spinach, one mystery, Flowers.
>From Mariquita: Tomatoes, tomatillos, eggplant, onions, one mystery

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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

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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

in the box week of Sept. 5th

Tomatoes

Potatoes or mystery

Tomatillos

Radishes

Rapini OR Spinach

mystery from Stephen

Onions OR Eggplant

Two Small Farms Newsletter #407

August 1st 2007
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Table of Contents:

1) In your box this week
2) Eat the Profits
3) August Events
4) Photos
5) Recipes
6) Which Farm?
7) Unsubscribe
8) Two Small Farms Contact Information
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1) In your box this week: Tomatillos, Basil, Cebolla de Ribo Verde (little white onions), Serrano Peppers (spicy!), Romaine lettuce, Leeks, Romanesco OR Cauliflower, Strawberries OR Artichokes, Poblano Peppers OR Bell Peppers, Mystery

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

How to store this week’s bounty: all in the fridge as soon as you arrive home, except for the tomatillos and basil. The tomatillos can be stored at room temperature. When prepared they should be husked. This is an excellent job for a child who appears bored or a guest/spouse who needs to earn their keep. The basil: it shouldn’t get too cold so it won’t work in many parts of most fridges. It *may* keep in your vegetable drawer, or better yet the door of the fridge (which is often a tad warmer than the rest of the fridge.). Or on your counter. Or just make pesto within the first day: you’ll be fine!

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2) Eating The Profit by Andy

The tomatillo is related to the tomato. Its fruits look like immature green tomatoes wrapped in a papery husk, and they’re used throughout Latin America to make salsa verde, or else fried, baked, used in soups, or sliced thin for salads or sandwiches. The cultivar of tomatillo in your box is called Toma Verde. Of the half-dozen or so garden varieties of tomatillo available, Toma Verde is perhaps the most widely cultivated here in the United States. The seed is easy to get, the plants are easy to grow, the harvest is generous, and the plump fruits have a pleasant sweet / tart flavor. Yet in spite of— or because of— Toma Verde’s impressive list of domestic virtues, Ramiro Campos told me it was an insipid excuse for a tomatillo.

Ramiro worked for me as the foreman on my farm. We had a long history together. When I was a foreman at Frogland Farm in Watsonville I hired Ramiro as a harvester. When I got a job with Riverside Farms in Aromas as harvest manager, he went with me. When Riverside Farm grew and I became a co-owner, Ramiro became our head foreman, responsible to oversee production across hundreds of acres. Before I got married I shared my house with Ramiro, his wife Amparo, his baby daughter, and his sister. For me, living with the Campos family was better than a trip to Mexico. I got a chance to learn Spanish in a family setting, and I got to eat home-cooked Mexican food like I’ve never tasted in restaurants. “Wait until you taste salsa verde made with the tomatillos de milpa that grow wild on our ranch in Jalisco,” Ramiro said. “You’ll never grow Toma Verde again!”

There’s a flat one-acre field with decent soil below my house. Ramiro proposed that we grow a garden on it with the foods he missed from Mexico, like tomatillos de milpa. If I donated the field to the project and the tractor to work the soil, he’d do the sowing and cultivating. Ramiro’s brother, Renato, could help with the harvesting, and if I loaned my pick-up to the cause, Renato’s wife, Chupina, would sell the crops in the town of Pajaro. We’d split the profits equally. “Pajaro is full Jaliscanos, right off the ranch,” he said. “They’ll line up for baskets of tomatillos de milpa like they’re buying bus tickets.”

I considered Ramiro’s idea carefully. All we had for water was a spring on the hillside that had been dug out by great-grandfather and lined with bricks. A little domestic pump brought the water up to the house, and we barely had enough flow from the spring to wash the dishes, bathe five people, and flush the toilet.

“It’s an interesting idea,” I said. “But we don’t have much water. If we raise a crop, but we can’t clean our clothes, and your baby’s dirty, then where’s the profit?”

“Someday you’ll visit us at our ranch in Jalisco, Andrés, and you’ll see how much we do without water. We’re thrifty. We can grow the tomatillos de milpa without irrigation.”

We walked to the fence and looked out across into the field that spread beneath us.

“See how the field is slightly dished?” Ramiro said, pointing. “This field catches the rain. A foot down the topsoil turns to adobe, and adobe holds the moisture for a long time. If we’re careful when we sow, then the crops will root into damp soil follow the moisture down as the water table recedes in the summer. We’ll keep the field clean, so we don’t lose any moisture to weeds. Without irrigation, a second crop of weeds won’t sprout, and we’ll get a harvest without much labor.”

I didn’t have much to lose.

Ramiro’s uncle came back from a Christmas visit to Jalisco, bringing tomatillo de milpa seeds from plants he found growing wild in the huerta. Ramiro plowed the field in the second week of February, and hilled up in blank rows to soak up more rain. He planted trays with tomatillo seed in my little greenhouse. As the weather permitted, he cultivated the field with the tractor, destroying the weeds that had sprouted and loosening the soil.

When the soil was warm in the spring, Ramiro called on his brother, Renato, to come and help him. Then the two of them transplanted out the young tomatillo de milpa plants.

The tomatillos de milpa grew like weeds throughout the spring, even though our last rain fell on the first of April. By June, the field was a galaxy of yellow stars, as the tomatillos showed off their five petaled blossoms. The green papery husks appeared next, and slowly, through June and into July, tiny, nascent tomatillos gradually swelled within them into little round fruits.”

“Compared to los tomatillos de milpa, the Toma Verde are insipid,” Ramiro promised.

“The proof is in the salsa,” I said.

Ramiro filled the crown of a cowboy with tomatillos de milpa. The fruits were small than Toma Verde, hardly larger than a marble, and firm. Each tomatillo was wrapped in a sticky, papery husk. Some of the fruits were purple, others green or yellow.

“It looks like a lot of work to prepare them,” I said.

“You’ll see,” Ramiro said, holding out the hat for me to inspect. “The small size of the tomatillos de milpa doesn’t come at the cost of flavor. All that’s missing is the taste of muddy irrigation water, so the salsa verde will be rich, just like it is on the ranch.”

We built a fire in the yard and laid a comal on the coals. When the comal was hot, we peeled away their papery wrappers and spread the tiny tomatillos de milpa across it. We toasted them until the skins split with the heat. Amparo laid cebollas de rabo verde, or “green-tailed onions” around the edge of the fire to roast. She threw a handful of serrano peppers on the comal. When everything was ready she got out her mano y molcajete, or mortar and pestle. She mashed the roasted onions and tomatillos together with salt and a little flame blistered serrano chile, and served up an autentico salsita verde del rancho, to complement the beans and potatoes in a brace of perfect taquitos.

“Riquíssimo!” I said. “The tastiest! And the profit?”

Ramiro and Renato harvested the tomatillos de milpa. They loaded up the pick-up, and drove with Chupina down to the corner of Porter Drive and San Juan Road in Pajaro. An excited crowd of amas de casa crowded around the pick-up truck and admired the baskets of tiny tomatillos— “Qué lindo! Just like the tomatillos from mi tierra!”

But the housewives didn’t want to pay any more for tomatillos de milpa than they’d pay for regular Toma Verde tomatillos down the street at the frutería. “Un peso! Un peso,” they cried, thrusting single dollar bills in Chupina’s face..

It’s one thing to sell tomatillos for a dollar a basket if you can fill the basket with five plump, sweet/tart Toma Verde fruits, but it’s entirely different if it takes fifty tiny, sweeter/tarter tomatillos de milpa. The cost per hour for labor to harvest remains the same, no matter the size of the fruit. For tomatillo de milpa to be as profitable as Toma Verde, they’d have to cost ten dollars a basket.

Ramiro paid Renato out of pocket to help pick the tomatillos de milpa, but the harvest costs weren’t covered costs by the sales. On top of that, he paid Chupina for the time she spent trying to sell the tomatillos de milpa on the street corner. He was cross, but I was happy. “We’ve both profited equally,” I said.

Ramiro shot me a questioning glance.

“Now I know how good food on the ranch can be. And now you understand why I’m always worried about the cost of labor all the time. I have to! Amas de casa are the center of our universe, and they’re thrifty.”

“Amparo isn’t thrifty enough,” he said.

That was true. One of the problems between Ramiro and Amparo was her credit account at Joyeria Don Roberto. I changed the subject. “On the ranch in Jalisco, where money is scarce, picking wild tomatillos de milpa in the huerta is a necessity born of poverty, but up here, where there’s more money, eating like a campesino is a luxury!”

I could afford to make light of the situation. Ramiro was eating crow, and I was enjoying home-cooked Mexican food.

Or maybe Ramiro gets the last laugh. When their daughter reached school age, Ramiro and Amparo returned to Jalisco so she could get a proper Mexican education. Ramiro bought a ranch with the money he earned in California, and now he raises goats and makes cheese. His offer to host me when I travel to Jalisco still stands, and one day I’d like to make the trip. But no matter how novel Jalisco will seem to me, some things will be familiar— like the tomatillos. Every spring in the field below my house Ramiro’s wild tomatillos de milpa sprout like weeds among my herb beds, whether we work the soil, or not. It’s my business if I choose to grow Toma Verde, but Ramiro might say it’s my own damn fault if I choose to eat them.

copyright 2007 Andy Griffin

2 Tomatillos Photo: of the larger, more common 'toma verde' and the smaller, purple, wild tomatillo de milpa

Wild Tomatillo Plant photo: they are still growing in Andy's yard between a few rosemary bushes!
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3) Events

Strawberry U-Picks Summer Saturdays

Come pick your own berries at High Ground Organics, Saturdays 10 am to 1 pm, for the rest of July and August. $1.20/lb. Check in at the Redman House Farmstand first to pick up your empty flat(s). From Hwy 1, take Riverside Drive (Hwy 129) exit. Go west off the exit (toward the ocean). Turn right at the stop sign at Lee Rd. Pass the Chevron stations and turn into the farmstand parking area.

August 25th: Tomato Upick at Mariquita Farm in Hollister in the morning: 9am to 2pm. We know we’ll have plenty of tomatoes by then. We will also have Padron Peppers at this Tomato Upick Day!

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4) Photos:

Tomatillos

Serrano Chiles: (I’ll have a photo of our current serranos on the Chile recipe page by Tuesday afternoon)

White and Purple Sweet Bell Peppers: (I’ll have a photo of our current white and purple bells on the sweet pepper recipe page by Tuesday afternoon)

Leeks

Romanesco (can be cooked like any cauliflower!)

Basil
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5) Recipes from Doranne, Angela U., Eve, and Julia

Tomatillo Salsa Recipe adapted from about.com
Julia's note: you can first cook the onion and tomatillos in a small amount of water, then proceed with the recipe, and include the water when blending.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Onion: (any color); chopped
1/4 cup Fresh Cilantro; chopped
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 lb husked Tomatillos; Cut Into Halves
1 fresh serrano chile, seeded

Directions:
Place all ingredients in food processor workbowl fitted with steel blade or in blender container, cover, and process until well blended.
Makes about 1 1/4 cups sauce.

Vegetable & Chickpea Curry

1 tablespoon olive or other cooking oil
1 cup chopped onion or leek
1 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices carrot
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic
1 Serrano chile, seeded and minced
3 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 cups cubed peeled potato
1 cup coarsely chopped sweet (bell or other) pepper
1 cup cauliflower or romanesco, cut or broken up into florets
teaspoon salt
teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14 ounces) vegetable broth
3 cups fresh baby spinach or other cooking greens
1 cup light coconut milk
6 lemon wedges

Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and carrot, cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender. Add curry powder, brown sugar, ginger, cloves and chile. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Place onion mixture in 5-quart electric slow cooker. Stir in chickpeas, potato, sweet peppers, the cauliflower/romanesco, salt, pepper, ground red pepper, tomatoes and broth. Cover and cook on high 6 hours or until vegetables are tender. Add spinach and coconut milk, stir until spinach wilts. Serve with lemon wedges. Makes 6 servings.

submitted by Doranne H:

Hi , the following recipe is from Orangette
I've also roasted the cauliflower in bigger pieces for about an hour. It's simple but if you haven't tried roasted cauliflower you are missing out. Be sure to let it brown.

Caramelized Cauliflower
Adapted from Jim Dixon

1 head of cauliflower, white or green
Olive oil
Fine sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the head of cauliflower on a cutting board, and slice it top-down into ¼-inch slices, some of which will crumble. Toss cauliflower in a large bowl with plenty of olive oil and a bit of salt, spread it in a single layer on a heavy sheet pan (or two, if one looks crowded), and roast until golden brown and caramelized, turning bits and slices once or twice, about 25 minutes. Devour.

-----

What Angela U. will do with this week's box:

For this week's box: The basil will go into pesto in the freezer. The tomatillos and onions (and maybe leeks) will go into some variation on chile verde. The serranos will be seeded and chopped and then frozen in ice cube trays with a little water and one pepper per cube for Indian food some time later. Romaine is my girls' favorite lettuce so it will make a couple salads if it is a large head - (Sorry, Lena, my girls like olive oil and balsamic best.)

Strawberries go in shortcake if I have time ahead, or a fool (sliced and slightly sweetened and then barely folded into whipped cream) or with chocolate fondue (Heat 2/3-3/4 cup of cream just til steaming and add 12oz chocolate - chips will do, gourmet if you have it on hand... Let the chocolate sit in the hot cream for a few minutes to soften, whisk smooth and add a splash of spirit or vanilla if you like. Dunk berries and anything else you fancy. Yummy!)

With the Cauliflower/Romanesco I would make a pasta with mustard sauce from Tassajara (recipe below). I will hope for poblano peppers to put either in a "Pastel de Maiz" from a freind's recipe or to stuff and broil - a take-off from a local restaurant.

Mustard butter pasta with broccoli from The Tassajara Recipe Book

Note - I don't tend to follow recipes too closely - I use them more for inspiration. The following is pretty much straight from the book.

5/8 cup butter, softened (or part olive oil)
4 Tblsp dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic
2 Tblsp parsley, well minced
2 Tblsp chives, finely sliced or green onion, minced
Salt and Pepper
1 Tblsp oil
2 cups broccoli, cut into small flowerettes (or cauliflower or romanseco!)
3/4 pound pasta

Blend butter and mustard. Set aside.Slice garlic and pound it with a mortar with a healthy pinch of salt. When the garlic is pulpy add the parley and chives (or onions) and pound a bit more to release the flaovrs. Blend this mixture into the mustard mixture with a few twists of black pepper.

Bring a large amount of water to a boil with the tablespoon of oil and a spoonful of salt. Add the pasta to the boiling water. If you are using fresh pasta, add the broccoli at the same time. If using dried pasta, add the broccoli for the last couple minutes of cooking. As soon as the pasta and broccoli are done, drain and put them in a 12" skillet allowing a bit of the cooking water to dribble in. Add the mustard mixture and, over moderate heat, toss the mixture until everything is evenly coated. Keep the heat low enough that the butter doesn't bubble or fry as that would change the flavor. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste and serve.

Pastel de maiz - this is a recipe I was taught "by feel" from a friend from Guadalajara.

10 ears of corn, cut from the cob and processed briefly in a food processor. You want it chopped but not pureed. (You can use frozen corn but you'll need to add some milk or cream to get the right consistency.)
5 eggs, beaten
~1 1/2 cups flour
~1/2 cup melted butter
salt, to taste
cheese, grated (monterey jack, pepper jack, cheddar...)
peppers, seeded and sliced thinly (she always used poblanos)

Mix everything but cheese and peppers in a large bowl. Add a bit of millk if the mixture seems dry. You are going for a slightly-firmer-than-custard-like finished product something like quiche filling. Pour about half of the mixture into a well greased baking dish and then add a layer of cheese and peppers . Repeat layers. Bake at 350 until nearly set in the middle and beginning to brown on top. Cover with foil if it seems to be browning too fast. Time will depend on the depth of your dish. You can also make 2-3 smaller pasteles which would need less baking time. My friend always serves this with chicken mole.

Stuffed Poblanos - -similar to a dish served at Pajaro Street Grill in Salinas

Make a mixture of ~ 2 parts grated sharp cheddar cheese, ~1 part raisins, coarsely chopped and `1 part slivered almonds. Cut generous caps off the stem end of poblano peppers, remove core, seeds and ribs, leaving peppers whole. Fill peppers with the cheese mixture and reattach "lids" with toothpicks. Broil or grill, turning to char all sides. Makes a great light dinner with a salad and maybe some rice. (If you cook them under a broiler, line the pan with foil for easier clean-up.)

------

Submitted by Eve Lynch, San Francisco:

the following recipe is from Gourmet Magazine. I made it using leftover brown basmati rice and a lemon instead of an orange. It is refreshing and delicious. It may just be my new favorite way to use fennel. You have to try it!! To make it using leftover rice, use 3 cups of cooked rice, and toast the fennel seeds anyway, and add them to the rest of the ingredients. Very quick and easy. -Eve

FENNEL RICE SALAD (in case you still have your fennel bulb in your kitchen!)
The tang of citrus and the refreshing flavor of fennel give this side dish a lightness that other rice preparations just can't match.

1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 3/4 cups water
1 cup basmati rice
1 large navel orange
1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium fennel bulb with fronds
2 large scallions, thinly sliced

Toast fennel seeds in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant and a shade darker, about 2 minutes. Add water and 3/4 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Add rice and return to a boil, then cook, covered, over low heat until water is absorbed and rice is tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Spread rice in a shallow baking pan and cool quickly by chilling, uncovered, 5 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, grate zest from orange into a large serving bowl and squeeze in juice (about 1/3 cup). Whisk in vinegar, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Chop 2 tablespoons fronds from fennel, then discard stalks. Quarter bulb lengthwise and thinly slice crosswise.

Stir fennel bulb and fronds into vinaigrette along with cooled rice, scallions, and salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4 servings

Gourmet August 2007

Soft Polenta with Leeks

3 tablespoons butter
3 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced
2 1/4 cups (or more) water
2 cups canned chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 cup polenta*

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

*Sold at Italian markets, natural foods stores and some supermarkets. If unavailable, substitute 1 cup regular yellow cornmeal, and cook leek-cornmeal mixture for about 15 minutes rather than 35 minutes.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks; stir to coat. Cover and cook until leeks soften, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add 2 1/4 cups water, broth and bay leaf. Bring to boil. Gradually whisk in polenta. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until mixture is thick and creamy, stirring often and thinning with more water if necessary, about 35 minutes.

Remove pan from heat. Discard bay leaf. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter and Parmesan cheese. Season polenta to taste with salt and pepper. Divide polenta among plates.

Serves 4.

Bon Appétit February 1999

Leek Noodles
adapted from Ten Minute Cuisine by Green & Moine

In a wok, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add 2 shredded leeks and 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves. Add cooked noodles of any shape (about 1 pound when uncooked) and stir-fry until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

SAUTEED-BRAISED CAULIFLOWER
The Victory Garden Cookbook, Marian Morash

Slice or dice cauliflower, or cut into 1/4-1/2-inch flowerets. Melt a combination of butter and oil (or either one) and toss cauliflower in it until coated. Cover pan, reduce heat to low, and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with herbs and additional butter, if desired, and serve.

With Garlic & Oil: Add a garlic clove when tossing the cauliflower in oil.

With Tomatoes: To larger flowerets, add your favorite tomato sauce or peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes combined with fresh herbs such as basil. Cover and simmer as above until flowerets are barely tender.

In Vinegar: Saute in oil with garlic, add some red or white wine vinegar, then cover and cook until cauliflower is tender.

With Peppers: Toss the cauliflower in butter or oil with strips of red and green pepper. Cover, and cook until tender.

With Olives: Add black olives or large green olives stuffed with pimiento.

With Cream: Toss cauliflower in butter and coat with heavy cream. Cover pan and cook until cauliflower is tender. Uncover, and reduce cream so it just coats the cauliflower. Sprinkle with lemon juice; season with salt and pepper.

With Nuts: Saute cauliflower in butter, cover pan, and braise until barely tender. Uncover, add toasted almonds, walnuts, or pistachio nuts, saute over high heat for 1 minute.

With Capers or Anchovies: After sauteing in butter or oil, toss in capers or anchovies and cook for 1 minute before serving.

Tomatillo Chicken Soup
Adapted from Splendid Soups

1 chicken cut into 8 pieces
1 lb tomatillos coarsely chopped (husked first!)
1 onion finely chopped
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 jalapenos seeded and chopped
3 c chicken broth
2 T chopped cilantro

salt and pepper and then brown the chicken in a pan 8-10 minutes a side. Adjust the fat and lightly saute the onions and garlic. Add broth, tomatillos, jalapenos and chicken to pan. When chicken is done (~15 minutes) remove to cool. Skim any fat (I use a stick blender) and puree what is in the pan. The recipe calls for straining it, but I prefer it more 'peasant' and don't. Shred the chicken meat and return to the pan with the cilantro. Adjust salt/pepper (add cayenne if you need it) to taste and you have a great soup (I'll sometimes add a little lime juice to taste as well). Serve with sour cream and/or

shredded cheese.

Recipe Links:

Tomatillos
Cauliflower and Romanesco can both be prepared in any ‘cauliflower’ recipe
Basil
Peppers (not spicy)
Onions
artichokes
Strawberries
Salad Dressings

____________________________________

6) Which Farm?

From High Ground: Lettuce, Leeks, Cauliflower, Romanesco, Berries, Arichokes, Flowers
From Mariquita: Peppers, Onions, Basil, Mystery, Serrano Peppers, Tomatillos

__________________________________________

7) 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/
__________________________________

8) 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

In This Week's Box August 1st

Hello, in this week's box:

Tomatillos (this is a tomatillo photo)
Basil
Cebolla de Ribo Verde (little white onions)
Serrano Peppers (spicy!)
Romaine lettuce
Leeks
Romanesco OR Cauliflower
Strawberries OR Artichokes
Poblano Peppers (mildly spicy: for Wed)
OR Bell Peppers (sweet!) for Thurs & Fri
Mystery

Here are some great tomatillo recipes and ideas.

Some recipes recently submitted that will also be in this week's newsletter:

submitted by Doranne H:

Hi , the following recipe is from Orangette

I've also roasted the cauliflower in bigger pieces for about an hour.

It's simple but if you haven't tried roasted cauliflower you are missing out. Be sure to let it brown.

Caramelized Cauliflower

Adapted from Jim Dixon

1 head of cauliflower, white or green

Olive oil

Fine sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the head of cauliflower on a cutting board, and slice it top-down into ¼-inch slices, some of which will crumble. Toss cauliflower in a large bowl with plenty of olive oil and a bit of salt, spread it in a single layer on a heavy sheet pan (or two, if one looks crowded), and roast until golden brown and caramelized, turning bits and slices once or twice, about 25 minutes. Devour.

-----

What Angela U. will do with this week's box:

For this week's box: The basil will go into pesto in the freezer. The tomatillos and onions (and maybe leeks) will go into some variation on chile verde. The serranos will be seeded and chopped and then frozen in ice cube trays with a little water and one pepper per cube for Indian food some time later. Romaine is my gilrs' favorite lettuce so it will make a couple salads if it is a large head - (Sorry, Lena, my girls like olive oil and balsamic best.)

Strawberries go in shortcake if I have time ahead, or a fool (sliced and slightly sweetened and then barely folded into whipped cream) or with chocolate fondue (Heat 2/3-3/4 cup of cream just til steaming and add 12oz chocolate - chips will do, gourmet if you have it on hand... Let the chocolate sit in the hot cream for a few minutes to soften, whisk smooth and add a splash of spirit or vanilla if you like. Dunk berries and anything else you fancy. Yummy!)

With the Cauliflower/Romanesco I would make a pasta with mustard sauce from Tassajara (recipe below). I will hope for poblano peppers to put either in a "Pastel de Maiz" from a freind's recipe or to stuff and broil - a take-off from a local restaurant.

Mustard butter pasta with broccoli from The Tassajara Recipe Book

Note - I don't tend to follow recipes too closely - I use them more for inspiration. The following is pretty much straight from the book.

5/8 cup butter, softened (or part olive oil)

4 Tblsp dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic

2 Tblsp parsley, well minced

2 Tblsp chives, finely sliced or green onion, minced

Salt and Pepper

1 Tblsp oil

2 cups broccoli, cut into small flowerettes (or cauliflower or romanseco!)

3/4 pound pasta

Blend butter and mustard. Set aside.

Slice garlic and pound it with a mortar with a healthy pinch of salt. When the garlic is pulpy add the parley and chives (or onions) and pound a bit more to release the flaovrs. Blend this mixture into the mustard mixture with a few twists of black pepper.

Bring a large amount of water to a boil with the tablespoon of oil and a spoonful of salt. Add the pasta to the boiling water. If you are using fresh pasta, add the broccoli at the same time. If using dried pasta, add the broccoli for the last couple minutes of cooking. As soon as the pasta and broccoli are done, drain and put them in a 12" skillet allowing a bit of the cooking water to dribble in. Add the mustard mixture and, over moderate heat, toss the mixture until everything is evenly coated. Keep the heat low enough that the butter doesn't bubble or fry as that would change the flavor. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste and serve.

Pastel de maiz - this is a recipe I was taught "by feel" from a friend from Guadalajara.

10 ears of corn, cut from the cob and processed briefly in a food processor. You want it chopped but not pureed. (You can use frozen corn but you'll need to add some milk or cream to get the right consistency.)

5 eggs, beaten

~1 1/2 cups flour

~1/2 cup melted butter

salt, to taste

cheese, grated (monterey jack, pepper jack, cheddar...)

peppers, seeded and sliced thinly (she always used poblanos)

Mix everything but cheese and peppers in a large bowl. Add a bit of millk if the mixture seems dry. You are going for a slightly-firmer-than-custard-like finished product something like quiche filling. Pour about half of the mixture into a well greased baking dish and then add a layer of cheese and peppers . Repeat layers. Bake at 350 until nearly set in the middle and beginning to brown on top. Cover with foil if it seems to be browning too fast. Time will depend on the depth of your dish. You can also make 2-3 smaller pasteles which would need less baking time. My friend always serves this with chicken mole.

Stuffed Poblanos - -similar to a dish served at Pajaro Street Grill in Salinas

Make a mixture of ~ 2 parts grated sharp cheddar cheese, ~1 part raisins, coarsely chopped and `1 part slivered almonds. Cut generous caps off the stem end of poblano peppers, remove core, seeds and ribs, leaving peppers whole. Fill peppers with the cheese mixture and reattach "lids" with toothpicks. Broil or grill, turning to char all sides. Makes a great light dinner with a salad and maybe some rice. (If you cook them under a broiler, line the pan with foil for easier clean-up.)

------

Submitted by Eve Lynch, San Francisco

the following recipe is from Gourmet Magazine. I made it using leftover brown basmati rice and a lemon instead of an orange. It is refreshing and delicious. It may just be my new favorite way to use fennel. You have to try it!! To make it using leftover rice, use 3 cups of cooked rice, and toast the fennel seeds anyway, and add them to the rest of the ingredients. Very quick and easy. -Eve

FENNEL RICE SALAD (in case you still have your fennel bulb in your kitchen!)

The tang of citrus and the refreshing flavor of fennel give this side dish a lightness that other rice preparations just can't match.

1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 3/4 cups water
1 cup basmati rice
1 large navel orange
1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium fennel bulb with fronds
2 large scallions, thinly sliced

Toast fennel seeds in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant and a shade darker, about 2 minutes. Add water and 3/4 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Add rice and return to a boil, then cook, covered, over low heat until water is absorbed and rice is tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Spread rice in a shallow baking pan and cool quickly by chilling, uncovered, 5 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, grate zest from orange into a large serving bowl and squeeze in juice (about 1/3 cup). Whisk in vinegar, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Chop 2 tablespoons fronds from fennel, then discard stalks. Quarter bulb lengthwise and thinly slice crosswise.

Stir fennel bulb and fronds into vinaigrette along with cooled rice, scallions, and salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4 servings

Gourmet August 2007