Dear CSA Member
The summer is quickly slipping by. The fields are still full of summer favorites and we will continue to harvest. The torrential rain storms that were forecast for our area did not make it this far north. We were very grateful. There has been plenty of rain this summer and wet conditions in the field make it harder to pick, to wash and transport your shares.
This week there are eggplant once again. Steven from the Yorkville CSA has passed on this information. Lori, the site coordinator at Yorkville is working testing more recipes and they are all posted on the farm website Recipe Section. Please take a look. Lori has tested all of the recipes and I am sure they are delicious.
Steve writes, “If the goal is 1) to free up all that fridge space used up by multiple eggplants and 2) cook eggplants with the least possible effort:
Super easy – put the two bell eggplants in the oven at 350 until they are soft (wasn’t timing it exactly but probably 20 minutes, turn, another 20 minutes). Scoop out all the goo and put it in the blender with a bunch of tahini (2-3 ounces). Blend, blend, blend; salt, pepper, paprika, lemon juice. Very nice. Top with chopped scallions and/or sesame seeds to make the presentation a little more classy. Minimal effort, probably a million good baba ganoush recipes out there.
“Tried something similar with the oriental eggplants but they don’t bake the same way. It’s good but lends itself more to a chunkier eggplant salad.”
The pulp—or goo, as Steve calls it—can be used in many other dishes.
Abuganoush, a variation on the baba variety: Instead of puree-ing the pulp, chop it roughly and combine with a diced tomato, a diced cucumber, a diced pepper, two tablespoons of chopped parsley and a diced onion or scallion. Drizzle in some olive olive and season with salt, pepper, and cumin.
Thai Eggplant Dip: While you’re puree-ing the pulp, add 2 tablespoons of finely minced fresh ginger, a tablespoon or two of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil (start with one tablespoon and add more to taste). Sprinkle with a tablespoon of chopped parsley.
Bagnacaudaganoush: I just made this one up, and it’s pretty good: Puree the pulp with several cloves of garlic—roasted garlic is even better—and several anchovy fillets. Add oil to get the consistency you want. You probably won’t need salt—the anchovies are very salty.
A very nice share of tomatoes and peppers both sweet and hot along with onions, cucumbers and Thyme. New this week is Kale. It is a treat to have a green that we have not harvested since the spring time.
There are bulk tomatoes but they do sell out. If you would like to order tomatoes by the 25 pound box, please go to the farm website, Marketplace and then place your order. The boxed tomatoes will be delivered with the CSA shares.
Enjoy the wonderful harvest.
Don’t forget to mark you calendar for the Fall Farm Festival September 6 from 11:30-3.
Deborah for everyone at Stoneledge Farm.
