Turtle Times
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Vol. 13, No. 16, Aug. 26, ‘08 7260 NW 58th St., Johnston 50131 278-4522 (577-9208)
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Rain: 8/22, sprinkles
In the Box . . .
Onion ‘Clear Dawn’ (storage onions)
Tomatoes ‘Dona’, ‘Golden Boy’, ‘Big Beef’, ‘Celebrity’, ‘Sioux’, ‘Garden Peach’, ‘Amish paste’, ‘Arkansas Traveler’, ‘Nebraska Wedding’, ‘Italian Gold’, ‘Green zebra’, ‘Evergreen’, ‘Pineapple’
Cucumbers ‘Tokiwa’
Summer squash ‘Zephyr’
Peppers ‘Islander’ (purple ones), ‘Romanian’ (light yellow ones), ‘Orion (green),’Ace’, ‘Lipstick’, ‘Jimmy Nardello’, ‘Tequila Sunrise’
Green beans (haricot vert) ‘Maxibel’ and ‘Masai’ (short ones)
Eggplant, raspberries, strawberries rotating sites
Swiss Chard (to anyone who requests it)
Ala Carte Herbs & Veggies ($1 ea): Lavender, mint, parsley, tarragon, thyme, lemon, lime, thai, and cinnamon basils, collards ($3)
Free herbs to anyone who requests them: marjoram, sage (and the basil buckets at each site or basil bouquets)
Farm Update
We have green beans, tomatoes and raspberries all starting to peak at the same time. Translated into farm crew “ese”, that means lots of picking time and not much weeding time these days. The weather has been beautiful, but we are sorely in need of rain. We are irrigating around the clock. Please do your rain dances.
Hopefully you have marked September 13 as the farm field day from 4-6 pm. Although you can visit the farm anytime, this will be a time with guided tours to showcase some of the research and new things we have tried at the farm this year. We plan to serve the watermelon that we are growing at the farm, as well as ice cream with an elderberry sauce from the elderberry bushes that we planted in our buffer zone. We hope you can come out for part or all of what we think will be a fun afternoon. There is also a PFI fundraiser garlic fest dinner afterwards at 7 pm at the Corn Crib Restaurant in Madrid. If you are interested, you can contact me for more information.
Request for Volunteers
I’ve threatened for years to take a vacation during the farming season. The only one I have taken in 13 years has been for 5 days for our daughter’s wedding two years ago. This year, John and I are going to go to Sweden for 10 days from Sept. 17 to 27, the last week and a half of the season. While I am leaving a very competent crew behind, I like to think that my hands will be missed. If you have ever wanted to volunteer at the farm (most likely picking something, cleaning garlic, etc.,) anytime the month of September would be the ideal time to do it.
Recipes
Last week’s recipe had an error in the oven temperature. Please correct it to 375 degrees.
Sue Forrester brought this recipe to the farm to share, and we all wanted the recipe.
Summer Onion Tart (from the food network)
1 12-inch pie crust (purchased or made)
2 large Vidalia onions, thinly sliced
2 T. olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 c. shredded gruyere cheese
¼ c. basil leaves
2 large tomatoes, sliced
3 T. grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Toss the onion slices with the olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Arrange the onions on the bottom of the pie pan. Spread the cheese on top of the onions. Layer the basil leaves on top of the cheese. Arrange the tomato slices on top, then sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the crust is golden brown. Cool slightly before slicing. Serve warm or room temperature. (6 servings)
Green Beans with Balsamic Pesto (from Bonnie Boal from The Splendid Table)
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove
1 1/3 cups basil leaves
3/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, blended with
½ teaspoon dark brown sugar
Combine the olive oil and garlic in a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Blend until almost smooth. Add the basil and cheese, and blend until the basil is finely chopped but not pureed. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and set aside.
Pour about 2 inches of water into a 6 quart pot. Place a collapsible steamer in the pot, cover, and bring the water to a fierce boil. Pile the beans in the steamer, cover the pot, and steam 6 minutes or until tender crisp. Turn the beans into a shallow serving bowl. Add the pesto to the beans, stirring in the vinegar and sugar mixture. Toss to thoroughly coat beans. Taste for seasoning, and serve hot or at room temperature.