Turtle Times

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Vol. 14, No. 15, Aug. 25, ‘09     7260 NW 58th St., Johnston 50131  278-4522 (577-9208)

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Rain: 8/15, 0.5”; 8/21, 0.1”

In the Box . . .

Garlic ‘Spanish roja’

Soybean ‘Musamayo’

Beet ‘Chioggia’

Summer squash ‘Raven’, ‘Costata romanesco’, ‘Sunburst’, ‘Dark star’, ‘Zephyr’

Cucumbers ‘Marketmore’, ‘Tokiwa’

Tomatoes ‘Dona’, ‘Brandyboy’, ‘Paul Robeson’, ‘Golden boy’, ‘Amish paste’, ‘Better boy’, ‘Jet Star’, ‘Black Krim’, ‘Pineapple’, ‘Green Zebra’, ‘Evergreen’, ‘Arkansas Traveler’, Nebraska Wedding’, ‘Gilberty’, ‘Myona’, ‘Italian gold’, ‘Celebrity’

Peppers  ‘Ace’,‘Romanian’, ‘Islander’, ‘Sweet Banana’, ‘Orion’ (green), jalapeno, ‘Tiberon’ ancho, ‘Saigon’, ‘Sunray’, ‘Franks’, ‘Sweet Tolli’s’, ‘Lipstick’, ‘Sweet Chocolate, ‘Yummy’, ‘Mini chocolate’

Basil

Ala carte options: mint, chocolate mint, rosemary, lavender, parsley, tarragon, thyme ($1 ea.), kale ($3)

Free to those requesting it: sage, basil bouquet

Email (angela@turtle-farm.com) if you want any of these free or ala carte items

Farm Update

The tomato bounty has hit us.  If anyone wants to come to the farm and pick tomatoes for yourself, we will designate a row for that. Please call to inquire before coming so that we can give you directions (577-9208), and please come soon.  Crops do not wait for us to find a convenient time.  We also want to remind you to continue to wash your produce as we have asked you to do throughout the season.  On occasion, we find bird droppings on tomatoes when they are below convenient perching posts or cages.  When we see them, we discard them, but it’s the possible ones that we don’t see that we are concerned about.

Peppers are hitting their stride as well.  If you have more than you can use up, they freeze well raw either whole or cut up.  Someone asked about varieties of peppers, so I thought it was time for a pepper primer.  For online newsletters, see the attachment. 

At the same time, the cucumbers are taking a nose dive.  The new planting will supply some, but it is not as bountiful as the old planting.

October shares are due Sept. 1.  If you do not remember if you have paid or if you even got in on the October share, feel free to email me to inquire.  I plan to send out notices of any amounts due as well as ala carte balances in the next few weeks.  Meanwhile, the regular season will continue through Oct. 2, while the October share will be the following four weeks in October.

Recipes

For those new to edamame soybeans, pick off the beans, rinse pods, and put in boiling salted water for about 8-10 minutes, drain, sprinkle with salt and squeeze out the beans into your mouth.  The perfect fast food!  Beets, are best (according to Louise Moon and me) if baked, whether wrapped in foil or in a tight glass or ceramic baking dish (with a little water in the latter).  Bake at 380 to 400 degrees for an hour or more until beets are tender when stabbed.  The skins rub off with a paper towel while still warm, and are best dressed with your favorite vinegar (raspberry here) while warm.  Then add olive oil, garlic or onion.

Recently on the Splendid Table NPR radio show, they were mentioning using sage, rosemary, and lemon (juice and rind) marinade on eggplant before bushing with oil and grilling or broiling.  I tried it this weekend and liked it very much.  I also liked this recipe that Lisa Vetterlein brought to the potluck.

Sauteed Zucchini and Corn Salad (serves 4)

(Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cooking School Cookbook, 2008)

2 tbsp unsalted butter

3 1 large or 2 small leeks (1 ¼ C.), halved, sliced crosswise into very thin half-moons, washed well

coarse salt and pepper

1 medium zucchini or yellow squash, trimmed and cut into ¼ inch dice (1 ½ C)

2 ears of corn, kernels removed (1 ½ C)

2 tablespoon heavy cream

¼ cup chiffonade of basil (roll the basil up lengthwise and cut in thin slices so when unrolled you have thin strips of basil leaf

lime juice

Saute in large skillet, medium heat, leek in butter and season with salt. Cook until translucent, about 2 min. Add zucchini and corn until tender and color still bright, about 2 more minutes.  Stir in cream and basil and season with salt and pepper. Add lime juice, 1 tsp at a time.  Serve warm or room temp, garnished with basil leaves.