Turtle Times

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Vol. 13, No. 15, Aug. 19, ‘08   7260 NW 58th  St., Johnston 50131  278-4522 (577-9208)

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Rain:  8/12, 0.4”; 8/13, 0.15”; 8/14, 0.2”

 

In the Box . . .

 

Potatoes ‘Sangre’  ( this week or next)

Garlic ‘Inchelium’

Tomatoes ‘Dona’, ‘Golden Boy’, ‘Big Beef’, ‘Celebrity’, ‘Sioux’, ‘Garden Peach’, ‘Amish paste’, ‘Arkansas Traveler’, ‘Nebraska Wedding’, ‘Italian Gold’, ‘Green zebra’, ‘Evergreen’, ‘Pineapple’

Cucumbers ‘Diva’, ‘Marketmore’, ‘Tokiwa’

Summer squash ‘Zephyr’

Peppers ‘Islander’ (purple ones), ‘Romanian’ (light yellow ones), ‘Orion (green),’Ace’, ‘Lipstick’, ‘Jimmy Nardello’, ‘Tequila Sunrise’

Eggplant, raspberries, strawberries and green beans rotating sites

Swiss Chard (to anyone who requests it)

Ala Carte Herbs & Veggies ($1 ea):  Lavender, mint, parsley, tarragon, thyme, lemon, lime, thai, cinnamon and sacred basils, collards ($3)

Free herbs to anyone who requests them: marjoram, sage (and the basil buckets at each site)

 

Farm Update

 

We started planting some fall crops ahead of the rains and cool weather this past week, and we already have spinach, pac choi, turnips, arugula, radishes, braising greens and lettuces coming up.  Likewise, we planted some things for the October share as well.  Hopefully in a few weeks we will know how many of those shares we can accommodate, as more of you were interested than we were planning for. 

 

This week we plan to give out the remainder of the ‘Inchelium’ garlic in the boxes, one of three that we grow.  We hope to dig another potato cultivar to give out either this week or next.  And we’d like to get the rest of the onion crops out of the ground before it rains again.  We’ve planned a lot this week while we still have the help that will soon slip away to school and other endeavors by this time next week.

 

We have lots of basil at the farm right now.  If you are not finding enough basil in the buckets at your site to make pesto, you can let us know, and we can put a bag in or with your box.  Also remember that you are welcome to come pick Sungold cherry and Juliet saladette tomatoes at the farm while they last.

 

 

 

Recipes

 

Julia McGuire, a former customer, sent this recipe for eggplant.  She writes, “I really like its simplicity and flavor, and I didn't see it listed on the Turtle Farm website. The person who submitted this is from Malaysia. It can be prepared in advance and baked when you are ready. Very easy. :-)”

Tomato, Eggplant, and Feta Turnovers from Zeny S.
2 medium sized eggplants
3 plum tomatoes
2 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. sage
2 sheets of phyllo dough, thawed
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Pre-heat oven to 735 degrees.  Thinly slice eggplants and tomatoes -- no more than 1/4" thick. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add eggplant. Cook until golden brown. Stir in tomatoes and sugar and allow to cook for a minute or until warmed through. Stir in the vinegar and sage. Cook for 2 minutes more.

Unroll the pastry sheets and cut in half. Spread 1/4 of the eggplant mixture onto half of one of the pieces. Sprinkle 1/4 of the feta, keeping the mixture away from the edges of the pastry. Fold the top half over and crimp the edges to keep from unfolding. [Julia's note: I spray olive oil on the unfolded pastry and filling to help the dough stick to itself.]
Repeat the filling process with the remaining 3 pieces of pastry.  Bake on a greased baking sheet for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Fabulous with tossed salad.  Servings: 4