We have a very diverse selection of produce for you this week. We included purslane, which is a succulent green with a tart lemony flavor. It’s exceptionally nutritious- high in iron, vitamins A&C, antioxidants, and omega 3 fatty acids. We enjoy raw in fresh salads, such as in the recipe below, but it is also delicious steamed or sauteed. It is naturalized to our environment, so you may have seen the green growing in your yard or around town, but our’s is a cultivated varieity which we devote a small amount of bed space to. We had our first decent harvest of eggplant this week, with more to come in the future. We included carrots, a chantenay variety which forms a blockier taproot than nantes types. We use a no-till permanent bed system to preserve the organic matter in our soil, but this makes carrots our most challenging crop to grow since they prefer freshly tilled, loose soil, though we do find some success with the chantenay varieties. Thank you for supporting our farm and have a great week!
tomato, cucumber, and purslane salad
Chop all the cherry tomatoes and cucumber into bit sized pieces. Mince purslane disregard large stems. Mince 1 jalapeno with the seeds removed.
In a large bowl combine tomato, cucumber, purslane, jalapeno, 2-3 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
romaine salad
Rinse and chop the romaine and set aside. To make dressing whisk together 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, Salt and freshly ground pepper
Place lettuce in large bowl. Top with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, and dressing. Toss and serve. You could add nuts and dried fruit to this salad if you would like.
grilled turnips and carrots
Rinse, peel, and chop turnip and carrots. Toss in bowl with 3 to 4 Tbsp cooking oil or lard, 1Tbsp thyme, salt and pepper.
Allow cast iron skillet to warm on the grill on medium to high heat. Add turnips and carrots cover and cook stirring occasionally until soft. Remove lid and cook until lightly brown. Toss with 1/2 tsp honey and serve.
broccoli, celery soup
Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven and add the all of the onion diced and all of the celery ribs diced and some of the greens. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Do not allow these ingredients to brown. Add a generous pinch of salt to prevent this from happening. Add 4 cloves garlic minced and cook, stirring, until the garlic smells fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Add all the broccoli chopped, 1/2 cup rice, 2 quarts water or stock, A bouquet garni (made with a bay leaf, a Parmesan rind, and a couple of sprigs each thyme and parsley), and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Remove the bouquet garni and let sit for a minute off the heat. Add freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt.
Using a hand blender, or in batches in a regular blender, purée the soup. Return to the pot and heat through, stirring. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Serve, topping each bowl with a sprinkle of chopped herbs and with other garnishes of your choice.
almost ratatouille
chop eggplant, and summer squash and preheat the oven to 450.
Toss the chopped eggplant with olive oil and salt on one baking sheet, and the chopped squash and on another baking sheet. Arrange the vegetables in an even layer. (Using two pans gives the vegetables room to breathe and lets us split the veggies by cook times.
Bake both pans in the oven at once, stirring halfway. The eggplant will finish sooner than the other pan.
Meanwhile, make a simple tomato sauce on the stovetop by chopping your tomato and cooking with 2 Tbsp minced garlic. You can add more tomatoes or tomato sauce if you would like. Stir the roasted vegetables into the simmering tomato sauce as they’re ready.
Lastly, add fresh basil and cheese. Serve immediately, or let it cool to room temperature before refrigerating for later.
Ingredients
The first table shows the ingredients that come in the share. The table after that shows the ingredients you would need to make the recipes.