Planting pine trees

2013 Season

Welcome to the 2013 growing season!  In January we installed a 22×36 greenhouse which is now full of spring seedlings.  We are currently prepping and repairing fencing and irrigation for the season.  We hit a drier spell and were able to mold board plow about an acre. Recently we have had heavy rains  and are currently waiting for it to dry out so we can start prepping the for spring planting.  In January we also planted 2,000 loblolly pine trees as windbreaks and borders.

Fall Harvests, winter plans and 2013 CSA

After a very busy year, we are winding down our harvests and cleaning up the fields for next year.  Although we will miss the farmers markets during the first weekend in December, (traveling to the Georgia Farm Bureau’s annual conference), we will be back at the Grant Park Farmers Market until it closes on December 16th.  We bid farewell to our other markets and the CSA for this year and are now looking towards next year’s plans.  If you should need some of vegetables this month (including kale, collards, broccoli, turnips, cabbage,  sweet potatoes or a large winter pie squash), please email or call us to arrange a pick up.

If you are interested in knowing more about our 2013 CSA, please send an email to farmer(at)jacksonlowevegetablefarm.com and ask for more info.  We’ll send you the application and complete information soon, as we are in the planning stages of our program for next year.

Manyof folks ask us what we do in the winter time.  We are currently removing the plastic mulch and drip tape from our fields.  Then we will spread lime where necessary, plant cover crops, and get ready to hit the ground running in early spring.  We are installing a greenhouse this winter, which needs to be up and running by mid January 2013.  We will also be improving and expanding our fencing and irrigation to include 5 more adjacent acres.  We will be improving our vegetable storage building with more insulation.  By late January we will be seeding and caring for vegetable transplants in our greenhouse, and in February we begin preparing for our first spring direct seeding in the field.  Although we do not sell many vegetables in the winter, we stay very busy.  We are also getting our 2013 CSA information together over the next month so that we can have our applications ready by the new year or earlier.
Thanks again for your support this year.  We had a good year in which we produced more than double the amount of food from the previous year.  We hope to continue to improve our production and provide even more high quality fresh, naturally grown vegetables to our local communities.

 

Late Summer Frenzy

The farm is bustling with fall planting activity, which will continue for the next month, although the bulk of planting will occur in the next week.    For now, we do have some new shots of the farm and the crops that are currently producing (below).  It’s also the time of year for harvesting winter squash. Look for unique varieties and old favorites this fall.  We started with Spaghetti squash last week, and this week we move on to the tender Delicata Squash.  We will have butternut, acorn and maybe a few surprises… Also some gigantic Candy Roaster Squash, Pink Banana’s, Tennessee Sweet Potato (Large winter squash) and more!  Enjoy a few action shots below of the farm and green bean picking last week.

Sweet Potato Greens, below:

Ashli from Plan to Plate has some delicious recipes for us. These recipes use ingredients from LAST week and THIS week, so feel free to substitute if you need to!

 

Summer Stew

3 pieces of bacon, chopped

2 Cups pink-eyed peas, shelled, rinsed and drained

½ Cup chicken broth

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 pepper of your choice, chopped

2 – 3 tomatoes, chopped

bowl full of okra, ends cut off, chopped last minute into 1 inch discs

splash of red wine vinegar

1 T Cajun spice rub

2 bay leaves

 

In a large pot, turn your burner to medium-low and cook your bacon until evenly crisped.  Then remove crisp bacon to a paper towel lined plate.  Drain all but about 2 T or a thin layer of bacon grease from the pot.  Then add your peas and toss them in the fat.  Let them cook for about 2 minutes.  Add your broth and cook another 5 minutes or so.  Then add your garlic, okra, pepper, tomatoes, vinegar, seasoning, bay leaves and salt and pepper.  Stir and allow the mixture to cook over medium low, simmering for about 15 – 20 minutes or until the liquid is mostly absorbed, and your okra and peas are tender.  Toss your crisped bacon back into the pot.  Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.  You may want to add a dash or two of hot sauce to spice it up.

Serve alongside grilled shrimp or chicken and enjoy!

 

 

White Beans with Squash and Tomatoes

1 can white beans, rinsed and drained well

1 T EVOO

1 large or 2 small cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 zephyr squash, diced small

1 large or 2 small farm fresh tomatoes, cut in half- squeeze out seeds, then cut into a small dice

2 T fresh parsley, leaves chopped

1 T fresh chives, cut with kitchen scissors into small pieces

juice of ½ a lemon

good pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper

 

Heat a small pot with EVOO in the bottom to medium heat.  Add garlic and stir for about a minute.  Add your beans, squash, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt, and pepper.  Cook just until the beans and squash are heated through, a couple of minutes, and then remove from the heat to a large bowl.  Stir in the remaining ingredients.  Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.

 

Italian Turkey or Pork Sausage with Green Beans, Roasted Red Pepper, and Spaghetti Squash

For the squash:  Preheat oven to 400°.

1 spaghetti squash

olive oil, butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

pinch of red pepper flakes

handful fresh parsley and oregano, chopped

shredded parmesan cheese to finish

 

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.  Drizzle with cut side with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Then place that fleshy side down on a sheet pan.  Roast for 30 – 45 minutes or until you can easily pierce it with a paring knife.  Remove from the oven and let it cool enough to handle.  Then use a fork to scrape the insides of the squash, pulling out the strings and placing them into a bowl.

Heat a large pan with a good drizzle of olive and a pat of butter to low heat.  Add your garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.  Add the squash and toss to coat with the garlic.  Add herbs and season with salt and pepper.  Toss and taste.  Adjust seasoning to your liking.

 

For the sausage:

Heat a large pan with a small drizzle of EVOO to medium heat and cook your sausage until browned on all sides and cooked through.

Remove to a plate and cut into discs when cool enough to handle.

 

For the green beans:

Wash and snap your green beans.

Bring a pot of water to boil.  Salt the water when it boils.  Then add your beans.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until you reach desired doneness.  (You can carefully pull one out and run it under cold water to taste it.  It should still be bright green and have some crunch to it.)  Then drain the water and drizzle a touch of butter or EVOO over your beans, toss in once diced roasted red pepper (you can roast and chop one, or just use a couple pre-roasted peppers and dice them up), and season with salt and pepper.

 

Serve your sausage on top of your spaghetti squash and alongside your green beans or toss it all together.   Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!

August is an intense month on a vegetable farm in North Georgia.  Not only because of the heat and humidity, but because August is the crucial time when many fall crops need to be planted.  However, the usual farm schedule of harvesting, weeding, packing orders and going to market doesn’t slow down.  We are planting whenever we can and to be cliche’, we are officially burning the candle at both ends!   August is the month when you feel the most fatique, the most “burnout” about the hard work.  But, the good part about August is the continued abundance of summer foods! Okra, Tomatoes, Squash, Peas.  We are also enjoying some Figs from a neighboring farmer, and soon we will enjoy muscadines and scupernongs!  A few winter squash are starting to roll in as well… the seasons will soon change even though it doesn’t feel like it now. Below is a picture of a recent summer meal with sweet corn, roasted zephyr squash and a tomato, eggplant, bell pepper goulash!

Okra is in abundance this month as the plants get rolling.  Picking okra is one of those things: some folks dread it, some can’t get near an okra plant without breaking out in a rash, but picking okra can be ok- I mean, you don’t have to bend over as much, right?  Okra plants are really cool plants.  A relative of cotton, Okra came from Africa and is still used prevalently in the South- not only in it’s fried form, but Okra is also natural thickener.  That’s why it’s used in Gumbo and Goulash.  The best modern way to cook okra, in our opinion, is either grilled or roasted.  All that’s needed is a little salt and pepper and throw it in the pan or on the grill for 10-15 minutes.  You can also freeze whole, unwashed okra very easily!  It may not be ideal for frying after frozen, but great in soups and gumbos.

Here’s a recipe for Southern Fried Okra from our friend, Ashli of Plan to Plate.

Southern Fried Okra

(makes 30 pieces)
10 Clemson Spineless and/ or Red Burgundy Okra
½ C cornmeal flour
1 t paprika
1 t granulated garlic
½ t salt, plus salt to sprinkle on after frying
1 egg (or just the egg white)
1 T water
couple good dashes of your favorite hot sauce
canola or vegetable oil for frying

In an iron skillet, heat enough oil to measure about ½ inch up the pan to 350°.  (Measurement depends on how large your skillet is.)  Meanwhile, create your dredging station.  In a shallow bowl, combine your egg, water, and hot sauce.  Stir to combine the wet ingredients well.  Next, in another shallow bowl, combine the cornmeal, paprika, granulated garlic, salt and pepper.
To cut your okra pods, you’ll need a sharp knife and a steady hand.  Lay the okra on your cutting board horizontally in front of you.  Instead of cutting it into little rings, I suggest you cut it long-ways.  This gives you much more surface area for the cornmeal to crisp around the okra.  So, cut off the top first and discard it.  Then slice lengthwise across the okra making about a ¼ of an inch thick slice.  Then, flip the pod over and use that flat side to stabilize the okra for your next slice.  Once more, slice through the okra.  This will create 3 long slices per pod.
Now you’re ready for the fun part!!  Dunk the okra in your egg mixture in small batches, being careful to coat each slice entirely.  Then, transfer the okra into the cornmeal mixture, covering each slice completely.  When your oil is nice and hot, it will be shimmering, but not smoking.  Try carefully placing one piece of okra in the oil first.  If it begins to fry and bubble right away, you are ready to add more okra.  If not, wait until the oil is ready.  Be careful not to overcrowd the skillet with your okra.  This is a super quick process.  Use a high temperature safe tool to gently move the okra around in the oil.  It only takes about one minute for the okra to become golden brown and delightfully crispy.  Carefully remove the finished product to a paper towel lined plate, and sprinkle a little salt over the okra right away.  Fry up the rest of your okra and enjoy the amazing Southern crispy goodness!

Tomatoes are still in abundance, although not as crazy as a few weeks ago.  We still have 20-25lb boxes of canning tomatoes available for $25 at the markets and $20 locally in Rockmart.  Here’s Ashli’s simple summer salsa recipes to help you make the most of your tomatoes!

Fresh Salsa

I usually use 1 pint of small tomatoes or 3 -4 medium tomatoes to:
1/2 medium red onion, chunked
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 or 2 jalapenos (seeded unless you like it real hot!)
1/2 a large green bell pepper, chunked
juice of a lime
small handful cilantro leaves
good pinch salt and pepper

Pulse all ingredients in your small food processor until you are happy with the consistency.  Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.  If you have excess liquid (which I usually do), strain 2/3 of the salsa through a mesh strainer.  Enjoy!

And why not a guacamole recipe to go with it?  Ashli knows her stuff on the guac- she says to use Lemon juice instead of Lime juice for tasty guacamole!

Guacamole

For 3 ripe avocados, I use:
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 red medium onion, diced small
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic,pressed
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
small handful cilantro leaves, chopped
good pinch salt and pepper

In a small bowl, mash avocados first and squeeze the lemon juice over them.  Then add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine well.  Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.

Summer’s Tipping Point

 

As we reach the halfway point on our CSA, we are reminded that the days are technically getting shorter, even if it doesn’t feel that way.  We are coming down the other side of the season, heading towards fall and our third growing season this year.  August 1st represents the first approved day of fall planting for many crops in our zone, such as broccoli, kale and even cabbage.  There is a risk in planting this early, but if you wait too late, these crops won’t form a very large “head” or possibly none at all.  Needless to say, fall planting has commenced and will continue for the next month and a half.

That being said, we are still in the midst of summer’s glory.  Cantaloupe, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Corn.  Just a few items in the CSA this week and at the markets.  Watermelons abound and Okra is just getting started.  We will miss these pleasures in several months, so hang on to summer while you can.

We are still swimming in tomatoes on the farm, so if you’re interested in buying a box or ten of beautiful, ripe tomatoes in several shades, give us a shout and we’ll bring a box for you to the farmers markets or you can come pick one up! $25 gets you 25 pounds of tomatoes for canning, sauce, paste or whatever your tomato fancy.

RECIPES

Let’s get down to business with these tasty summer vegetables.  First off, here’s the link to our friend, Ashli’s blog, where she lays it down with Herb Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast with Homemade Tomato Sauce, Polenta Cakes, and Roasted Squash. Look Out! This looks really delicious!!

Ashli has also provided us with a link to a recipe from last year in which she made Baba Ganoush, an easy Eggplant Dip.

And finally, a nice summer pasta salad featuring orzo and summer vegetables:

Mediterranean Orzo Salad:
1 Cup orzo
Bring a pot of water to boil.  Salt the water when boiling and add your orzo.  Boil for about 7 minutes, or until just al dente.  Drain your pasta, remove it to a large bowl so it can cool down, and drizzle it with EVOO.  Stir occasionally as it cools.
 
Green bell pepper, diced
1 zephyr squash, shredded
1 small eggplant, cut into 1 inch discs and grilled, diced
good handful of roasted sunflower seeds
½ Cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 fresh tomatoes, seeded and chopped
Handful fresh parsley leaves, chopped
 
For the Lemon Oregano Vinaigrette:
Zest and juice of a lemon
1 squeeze of honey
1 garlic clove, peeled and chunked
3 sprigs fresh oregano leaves
2 T red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 C or so EVOO
 
In a small blender or food processor, combine all ingredients EXCEPT EVOO.  Blend the ingredients to break down.  Then stream in the EVOO slowly while you blend, allowing the dressing to thicken and come together.  Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
 
Add all salad ingredients to your bowl of cooled orzo.  Drizzle on your dressing a little a time, tossing to incorporate the flavors.  Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
Serve as a simple summertime vegetarian meal or alongside your favorite protein!

Tomato Crazy

It’s finally here: full-on Tomato season in North Georgia.  Now is the time to can, make sauce, make salsa, and just take a bath in ripe, red tomatoes.  Our CSA has been enjoying several pounds of tomatoes each week, and this will continue in the foreseeable future.  Tomatoes are an American staple as far as we’re concerned, so stock up! They freeze great, and canning whole, peeled tomatoes has never been easier.  Be sure to ask about canning specials at the farmers markets!

 

The farm is going pretty well- it’s that time of year when you can sort of see the light at the end of the tunnel, but you’re still in the middle of it all.  We are almost ready for the first fall planting, which will take place on our original 6 acre field.  We are also planting our high-tunnel tomatoes, which will hopefully take us through November with tomatoes.

RECIPES

We want to help you utilize all the wonderful produce this season, including tomatoes, eggplant and peppers.  Our friend, Ashli, got back to blogging this week and has a fabulous, unique and hearty eggplant-potato-squash recipe.  She also gives us several links to past posts in which she uses lots of tomatoes! 

Ashli of Plan to Plate has also developed some creative eggplant recipes for you to try.

Eggplant Caprese Stackers
One fresh eggplant- slice into 1″ thick discs cross wise and lay pieces out on a sheet pan.  Sprinkle with salt and allow them to sit for 20 – 30 minutes to remove some of the moisture.  Then pat dry with paper towels.  Place slices back on your sheet pan.
Heat a skillet (or 2 makes this process go faster) with a good coating of EVOO in the bottom to medium heat.  Cook each slice of eggplant for a few minutes per side, seasoning with salt and pepper, browning them as evenly as possible.  When each piece is browned and tender, remove to a paper towel lined plate.  You may need to add more oil to your pan during cooking, as the eggplant will absorb a lot of oil.  Let the oil heat before adding your next batch.
 
1 container Buffalo mozzarella cheese (egg-shaped)- sliced into 1/2″ to 1″ discs
2 tomatoes, sliced
fresh basil, large leaves picked off- 1 leaf per each piece of eggplant, about 10 – 12 leaves
1 lemon, zested
handful of pine nuts, toasted
fresh arugula
 
To build:
Lay one piece of cooked eggplant on a tray or plate.  Top with 2 slices of cheese, 2 leaves of basil and a couple threads of lemon zest.  Then add a sprinkling of pine nuts and a small bunch of arugula leaves.  Top with another piece of eggplant.  Repeat until you have used all of your eggplant.  If you end up with an odd number of eggplant slices, make a double stacker!  

Rolled Eggplant with Ricotta and Tomato Sauce

Preheat the oven to 375°.
You’ll need a good Cup or 2 of tomato sauce to finish this dish.
For the eggplant: slice eggplant on a mandolin longways- very carefully…using the guard.
In a shallow bowl, use a fork to beat together:
1 egg
dash of water
pinch of Italian seasoning
pinch of salt and pepper
 
In another shallow bowl, combine:
1 ½ Cups bread crumbs
1 T Italian seasoning
1 t granulated garlic
½ t paprika
good pinch of salt and pepper
 
Once your eggplant is sliced, begin heating a large skillet with a thin layer of canola oil in the bottom to medium heat.  Dunk each eggplant strip in the egg mixture, and then into the breading.  Be sure to pat the seasoning onto each slice.  Shake off any excess breading and place the breaded slices into the hot oil to pan fry.  Don’t crowd your pan…you can actually use two pans to speed the process if you like.  Once your eggplant is nicely browned on one side, flip it carefully and brown the other side.  Between batches, you can add more oil and scoop out any blackened crumbs.  Let the oil reheat before adding a new batch of eggplant.
When you have finished browning your eggplant, you’re ready to roll!
 
For the filling:
½ container ricotta cheese
¼ Cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
several leaves fresh basil, chopped
small handful parsley leaves, chopped
pinch of Italian seasoning
zest of a lemon
good pinch salt and pepper
1 egg
Stir to combine.
 
Take the ricotta cheese mixture and spread a nice ¼” layer across each slice of eggplant.  Ladle some tomato sauce into the bottom of a large glass dish creating a bed of sauce to place your rolls upon.  Then start from one end of an eggplant slice and roll away from yourself like you would a jelly roll.  Place your roll-up seam side down in your glass dish.  Continue rolling until you’ve rolled up all of your eggplant and placed them in the dish.  Then ladle some tomato sauce across the middles of your rollups and sprinkle with a little bit of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
 
Bake covered for 15 – 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Serve your eggplant rollups alongside a simple green salad and enjoy!

Finally, Ashli offers a a healthy and delicious way to prepare squash and zucchini- Baked Squash Fries!

 

Baked Zucchini / Squash Fries
1 medium to large zucchini or squash
Wet mixture: ½ Cup milk, 1 t Dijon or whole grain mustard, ¼ t salt, freshly ground pepper
Breading mixture: ½ Cup panko breadcrumbs or your own homemade breadcrumbs
¼ Cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, shredded on the small side of your box grater
1 t paprika
1 t dried oregano or Italian seasoning
¼ t salt, a few grinds of freshly ground pepper
 
Preheat oven to 400°.  Using the tines of a fork, scrape the skin of your zucchini to create nooks and crannies for the breading to stick.  Then, slice it into 3 inch by 1 inch sticks- or close to it!  In two shallow bowls, create your wet and dry mixtures.  Next, dunk each stick into the milk and then into the cheesy breadcrumbs, pressing the crumbs onto the zucchini.  Lay your fries out in an even layer on a sheet pan.  Drizzle lightly with EVOO and roast them in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and tender.  Serve hot.  Enjoy!

Goulash Galore and more…

This week is special.  We have a boatload of homegrown tomatoes, but we also have JLVF sweet corn AND Okra!!!  You know what that means?  Goulash!  It’s time for some McGinnis Family Goulash.  I’m talking about the perfect summer triad of corn, tomatoes and okra simmered together in a skillet and served along side some cornbread, maybe some crowder peas or even some country fried steak and rice. Yes ma’am, this is summer:

McGinnis Family Goulash

1 onion, diced

2 tbsp butter or olive oil

2-4 ripe tomatoes, diced

1/2 lb okra, sliced in half inch pieces

2 ears corn, kernels removed

salt and pepper to taste

melt butter or heat olive oil in large skillet.  add diced onion and simmer for 5 minutes.  add tomatoes, okra and corn.  simmer for 50-20 minutes until thickened. salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.

Ok, now that we have the Goulash out of the way, we can talk about the farm.  The farm is, of course, busy as we enter the fall planting frenzy.  Over the past month we have been preparing the old “turtle bend” field for the fall planting.  It started with mowing the spring crops and then removing the drip tape. Then we started to plow again, allowing the deadened plants to “compost” in the soil. Now we are trying to further break down the soil and organic matter so that we can plant crops like broccoli, kale, cabbage, carrots and beets.  Ideally, we would rotate the fall crops to another area, but this year we are working with what we have.  Meanwhile, we are preparing another 12 acres on the new farm for a late summer cover crop.  This will give us more space next year so that we can begin to implement more cover cropping and crop (seasonal) rotations.

Otherwise, the summer crops are doing well- we expect Eggplant for the CSA next week, and tomatillos aren’t far behind.  The winter squash is doing well as more rounds of green beans and watermelon await.  We hosted a farm tour through Georgia Organics this week, and it was fun.  There were lots of good questions and it made us think about having a CSA tour later this fall when things calm down a bit.

Some of you may be wondering what to do with the bounty of squash at the markets, in your CSA share, or from your garden.  This week the CSA will receive several Golden Zucchini.  This is a great squash to grill because of their size and shape and also the flavor.  Just slice lengthwise, salt and pepper and throw it on the grill.  You can also marinate the slices in an italian dressing type marinade (oil, vinegar, salt, spices, herbs…you get the idea) and then grill it.  We have also been dicing them up for our lunchtime quesadillas.  Just saute it with a little onion, cumin and red pepper flakes until soft, then make a quesadilla with montery jack or pepper jack cheese and your homemade summertime salsa!

RECIPES

We have some good ones from Ashli of Plan to Plate this week.  She skipped a week posting on her blog since she traveled up to meet her new niece who was just born.  We’ll let her slide…but we miss you Ashli!  No worries, she has taken very good care of us, and we’ll begin with her delicious Chicken Cacciatore!

Chicken Cacciatore: McPrice Style

1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 boneless, skinless breasts of chicken

2 small or 1 large onion, sliced into strips

2 small or one large green bell pepper, sliced into strips

1 jalapeno, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

½ C of wine (you can use red or white)

3 – 4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped

¾ C chicken broth

¼ C basil leaves, chopped, plus a few leaves ribboned for garnish

1 sprig of fresh oregano, leaves minced (save some for garnishing)

pinch of sugar

juice of ½ a lemon

freshly shredded parmesan cheese

Heat a large skillet with EVOO in the bottom to medium high heat.  Pat your chicken dry and season with salt and pepper on both sides.  When the oil is nice and hot, add the chicken to the pan.  Seal in the flavor by cooking for about 3 -4 minutes on each side.  The outside will become golden brown, but the inside will not be cooked all the way through yet.  When both sides are browned, remove the chicken to a plate.

Turn your heat down to medium, add the onions and peppers, and season with salt and pepper.  Allow the veggies to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, and then add your jalapeno and garlic.  Cook another minute and then deglaze your pan with wine.  Allow the wine to cook out a few minutes and then add your tomatoes, broth, fresh herbs, sugar, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.  (You can use a good pinch of dried oregano here instead of fresh, if that’s what you have on hand.)  Let the liquid come up to a boil, and then turn your heat down to low.  Allow the flavors to combine and the liquid to cook down for about 15 minutes.  When you are happy with the thickness of your sauce, taste it and adjust seasoning to your liking.  Next, add the chicken breasts back into the pan, turning to coat them with the sauce.  Allow them to finish cooking in the sauce, about 15 – 20 more minutes.  Chicken is finished when an internal meat thermometer reads 165° in the thickest part of the breast.

Meanwhile, cook up your favorite pasta to al dente.

To finish, put some pasta into your bowls, top the pasta with chicken, and ladle on your sauce.  Sprinkle some fresh parmesan cheese over each bowl and finish with fresh herbs.  Buon appetito!

Ashli is known for her creative salads- here’s a perfect summer salad:

Roasted Corn and Tomato Salad with fresh Basil

4 ears of fresh corn, shucked

3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 – 7 leaves of fresh basil, stacked, rolled up and cut into thin ribbons

pinch of sugar

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450°.

Put your ears of corn on a sheet pan.  Drizzle them with EVOO and salt and pepper.  Toss to coat.  Roast in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes or until the kernels are just tender, rotating often as the kernels begin to brown.  Remove and allow the corn to cool enough for you to handle it.  Use a knife or a corn stripper to carefully strip the kernels from the cobs into a bowl.

**You can totally opt to grill your corn!  Just grill over medium high heat, turning often, until the corn has great color and your kernels are just crisp tender.**

Heat a large pan with a drizzle of EVOO to medium heat.  Add your shallot and cook it, stirring often, for about 2 – 3 minutes.  Then add your garlic and cook another minute.  Add your corn to the pan, and add a small pinch of sugar, salt, and freshly ground pepper.  Stir to combine.  After about a minute, add your tomatoes and basil and turn off the heat.  Toss to combine, and give it a taste.  Adjust seasoning to your liking.

Serve hot or at room temperature.  Enjoy!

And another salad:

Black Bean, Corn and Tomato Salad

3 ears corn, roasted or grilled and stripped from the cob

1- 2 scallions, chopped, tops and bottoms discarded

1 jalapeno, minced

1 heaping T Mexican spice rub (1 T paprika, 1 T chili powder, 1 T cumin, 1 t granulated garlic, good pinch dried oregano, pinch chipotle powder, good pinch salt and pepper.  Taste and adjust salt level to your liking.)

Juice of a lime

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 – 3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1/3 Cup crumbled cotija cheese or feta

In a large bowl, combine all of your salad ingredients.  Feel free to add other peppers and/ or red onion to the mix!  Drizzle with a bit of EVOO to make the salad ingredients move-able.  Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.

Summer Lovin’

Now that the extreme heat wave has passed, we are finally enjoying some “normal” summer weather, complete with afternoon thundershowers and highs in the 80’s.  Although things have “cooled down,” it’s still an oven out there!  The humidity is up, making it a true Georgia summer.  Our crops are thriving for the most part, and we are now busy preparing our former spring field for fall plantings.  We are also preparing other land for cover crops, including a late summer cover crop of buckwheat and Iron & Clay Pea, and a fall cover crop of rye, clover and austrian winter pea.  Cover crops help build organic matter in our soils, protect against erosion, compete with weed seeds and retain nutrients in the soil.  This is a cornerstone practice of sustainble agriculture and one that we are excited to implement as we become better stewards of our farmland.   Speaking of fall planting, it’s a little crazy that it’s almost time to start planting kale and broccoli again, but August is only weeks away!

This week we have our first harvest of watermelons!  The CSA will receive a unique variety called “Sorbet Swirl.”  It’s a yellow-meated watermelon and it’s delicious!  We are also beginning to harvest our Sugar Baby watermelons, which are a very sugary red-meated melon.  We have a few other varieties that are still growing out there, like the heirloom Charleston Gray.

We are harvesting the first of our okra this week, and the CSA will begin to enjoy it NEXT week when we have enough.  We are also harvesting more and more tomatoes as our plants mature- we will have lots at the farmers markets from now until the fall, so come out and stock up!

RECIPES

Ashli has outdone herself again with another excellent and wonderfully simple summertime menu of Green Beans, stuffed Tomatoes and Grilled Hanger Steak.

Next, Ashli pulls one from the archives of last year’s CSA share to give us a creative and delicious Watermelon Salad Recipe.  You can scroll down to the recipe, or enjoy her story of a farmers market visit from one year ago!

Finally, Ashli lets us in on her secret to snazzed up green beans!

For the green beans:
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 T butter, 1 T olive oil
¾ Cup sliced almonds
zest and juice of a lemon
EVOO, salt and pepper

Cut your yellow onion in half and then slice the onion into strips.  Heat a medium sized pan with 1 T butter and 1 T olive oil to medium low.  Add onions and a pinch of sugar and salt.  Cook slowly until onions are brown and sweet.  If the onions are starting to look dry, add a touch of water to the pan.  After 20 – 30 minutes, turn off the heat.
Toast your almond slices over medium low heat until just golden brown.
Wash and snap off the stem ends of your green beans.
Bring a pot of water to boil.  Salt the water when it boils.  Then add your beans.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until you reach desired doneness.  (You can carefully pull one out and run it under cold water to taste it.  It should still be bright green and have some crunch to it.)  When the beans are ready, drain the water and place beans in a large bowl.
Mix your beans with the zest and juice of a lemon, your almonds and onions, and salt and pepper.  Drizzle with EVOO and toss to combine.  Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.  You could totally add a chopped fresh tomato to this dish too!

Don’t forget to check out Ashli’s business, Plan to Plate.  She offers many services for our CSA members, including menu preparation, grocery shopping and meal preparation.

We have one more recipe for you from our ancestral archives.  This one is a simple relish Mecca’s family makes as a topping for green beans.

Green Bean Relish

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

1 tomato, diced

1/2 sweet onion, diced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl about a half an hour before serving. Let sit at room temperature and serve over green beans.  (I reduced the amount of sugar and salt, but you can put more.)

Thank you and enjoy your summer vegetables!

Heat Wave

Wow, what a weekend!  With record temperatures and strange weather, we welcome in summer’s cornerstone month, July!  We have good reason to celebrate the coming of July.  It was one year ago on July 1st that our son, Silas, was born.  Needless to say, we had a great time on Sunday celebrating his birthday.  Sunday was also the last day of the recent heat wave when temperatures reached 106 degrees.  We had an unexpected thunderstorm around 5pm that turned the heat wave around and brought over a half an inch of rain!  Along with this very windy event, we also had a small amount of pea-sized hail, which luckily did minimal damage to our crops.  All in all, we’re glad the “oven effect” has subsided for now, although we still have mid-upper 90’s for most of this week.

We do have some new farm pictures to share.  Below you will see some recent pictures of our summer fields on the “new” farm.  Lots of tomatoes, squash, okra and melons to see here, along with beans and a little corn.

 

RECIPES

First we have a link to Ashli’s Plan to Plate Blog where you can catch up with her weekend market visit and get an excellent holiday menu!

She’s also given us a great Asian Cucumber Salad recipe that also utilizes some of the vegetables from last week if you are overloaded.. Happy 4th!

For the salad:
1 large or 3 small cucumbers, sliced in half lengthwise and seeded
1 large carrot, shredded on a box grater
1 scallion, chopped
1 rib celery, sliced thin
1 rounded t sesame seeds, toasted lightly in a dry pan over medium low heat
1 kohlrabi, peeled and sliced into matchsticks (optional)
1/4 head green cabbage, sliced thinly (optional)
 
Salt the cut side of your sliced cukes and place them in a colander for about 20 – 30 minutes.  Then pat them dry and slice them into half moons.  This will remove some of the moisture in the cucumbers and allow the dressing to stick without becoming runny.
 
Dressing:
2 T rice wine vinegar
1 T low salt tamari or soy sauce
2 T sesame oil
½ t chili paste or a small chili pepper
squeeze honey
1 inch ginger, peeled and chunked
juice of half a lime
 
Combine dressing ingredients in a small food processor and whir until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.  Place salad ingredients in a large bowl and drizzle lightly with dressing.  Toss the veggies to coat them well and let the salad sit for at least 10 minutes, preferably longer, in the fridge before serving.