These are some wonderful students (and very hard-working, patient parents) from Key School and Broadneck High School, picking okra for the Saturday share and for donation to SHABACH. They have been helping us harvest each Friday since early July, sometimes bringing helpers from Broadneck High School. We're especially appreciative of their work because they come every week, and work independently without a great deal of instruction. Thank you! Photo by V. Robbins.
This week's share
Garlic - 1 head
Onions - 1/4 pound
Sweet Peppers - several each of green, red and orange
Eggplants - 2-3
Squash - 1-2
Tomatoes - about 4 pounds
Optional: a small bag each of hot chili peppers and okra, for those of you who like them.
Next week we will be starting to offer garlic for sale in bulk
Only $5 per pound for CSA members
*Cash only and we ask for everyone purchasing to use exact change. We will provide a dropbox for contactless payment*
U-pick
Continue to sign up for u-picking through the link below
U-PICK SIGN UP!!!
Everything is the same except we've removed chili peppers from u-pick--due to popularity the plants have asked for a break in order to keep growing peppers!
Tomatoes (field F) - all of the tomato varieties, IMPORTANT- these are not all tied up so be very careful where you step so as to not break plants or crush any good tomatoes!
Going down the field varieties include:
Sun golds, orange cherry tomatoes
Sunrise bumble bee, larger striped cherry tomatoes
Garden peach, small, yellow, fuzzy with blushes of pink when ripe
Green Zebra, yellow/green with green stripes
Verona, red plum
Roma, red oblong
New Girl, red slicing tomato
Okra (field B2)- this field is way out there, and you will need to walk a long way on foot to reach it. When you enter the farm you will keep right to go towards main office. You may park near the garage/shed beside the other vehicles, and from here continue on foot up the road that leads behind garage. As you are going up the hill you will be turning left once you see a covered firewood pile. The gate you come to is for the field B4 but B2 will be the small field connected to it in the far left corner. (Okra is an itchy plant wear long sleeves and gloves, and bring pruners!)
Any Flowers you see on the farm, but in particular, the Sunflowers are blooming nicely ( those are located next to the large parking lot on the same side of the driveway as the washing station). Some Zinnias could probably still be found (in the large field that is passed on your right on the way into the farm across from the 3 barns, in field "D")
Herbs (which for the most part are located behind the washing station, if you desire more "Regular" Basil it will be located down in field D near the zinnias)
Basils (Genovese "Regular", Thai, Kapoor Tulsi, Aromatto, Round Midnight, Greek, Lemon)
Cutting Celery (this is a celery grown for its leaves rather than stems)
Garlic Chives (now with edible flowers)
Lemon Balm
Lemon Verbena
Marjoram
Onion Chives
Oregano
Sage
Shiso
Sorrel
Spearmint
Summer Savory
Thyme
Recipes
Roasted Eggplant and Chickpea Stew
Good way to use up eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes!
Yield: About 6 servings
Ingredients:
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds potatoes
2 large peppers
vegetable oil
1 cup packed basil leaves
1 cup packed cilantro leaves
3 large garlic cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon roasted ground cumin
2 large onions, peeled and cut into eighths
1 pound eggplant, cut into long strips
2-3 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (1 can, rinsed)
Procedure:
Preheat the broiler. Bring 6 cups water to boil and add 1 teaspoon salt. Slice the potatoes lengthwise about 1/2 inch thick, boil them for 5 mintues, and drain. Halve the peppers lenthwise, press to flatten them, then brush with vegetable oil. Broil, cut side down, on a baking sheet until blistered but not charred. Stack them on top of one another and set aside to steam. When cool, remove the skins and cut the pieces in half. Set the oven temperature at 350 F.
Coarsely chop the basil, cilantro, and garlic, then puree in a small food processor with the olive oil, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Toss all the vegetables with 1 teaspoon salt, some freshly ground pepper, and the herb mixture. Using your hands, rub the herb mixture into the vegetables, especially the eggplant, then add the chickpeas and toss once more. Transfer everything to an earthenware gratin dish or a casserole dish . Rinse out the herb container with 1/2 cup water and pour it over all. Cover the gratin dish tightly with foil and bake until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove the foil, brush the exposed vegetables with the juices, and bake for 20 minutes more. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. On a rimmed baking sheet, spread bread in a single layer and bake until dry and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, vinegar, and oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add toasted bread and basil, toss to combine. Let sit 20 - 30 minutes to allow bread to soak up liquid. Top with dollops of ricotta and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Fried or Baked Okra
Still weary of slimy okra? If you haven't tried them breaded and fried/baked then you should definitely give this a try as it is a delicious side dish!
Ingredients
10 pods okra, sliced in 1/4 inch pieces
1 egg, beaten
1 cup cornmeal
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ cup vegetable oil ( if frying ons stove top)
Procedure:
For breading I typically toss the okra into the dry mix of cornmeal plus seasonings, then dip into eggwash, then back into cornmeal mixture. Once they are breaded you have the choice to fry them up in oil on the stove top or Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. On a rimmed baking sheet, spread bread in a single layer and bake until dry and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Also heard they were pretty tasty air fried too....
Meanwhile,if you want to spruce them up, in a large bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, vinegar, and an extra drizzle of oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add toasted bread and basil, toss to combine. Let sit 20 - 30 minutes to allow bread to soak up liquid. Top with dollops of ricotta and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Let us know if you give them try and if you are doing anything exciting with your summer bounty so far this year!
Thanks so much for being our members,
The Clagett Farm Team