July 18 CSA

Yellow Onion crop hanging in barn to cure

 As of today, we have all the yellow onions harvested and hung in the barn.  It's about 40 bushels or 2000 lbs.  though they won't all be good...some will rot.  We are 1/3 thru with the red onions which will probably be about 70 bushels.  It is a monumental job and we'll all breathe a sigh of relief when its finished!
The rain of last week has brought some challenges with it though it was good to have the water.  The tomatoes do have some late blight and we're not sure if we can control it so there may not be alot of tomatoes...enjoy whats in your box this week and keep your fingers crossed for more!  We are combating powdery mildew in the winter squash and melons.
The  eggplant, okra and celeriac absolutely loved the rain/heat combination and are thriving!  

Ripe Heirloom Tomatoes!

 Your box this week:  small shares: 1 lb. tomatoes, 1 lb. chinese and fairytale eggplant, 2 lbs. tomatillos, 1 jalapeno, 1 bell pepper, 1 savoy cabbage, 1 canteloupe melon, 1 head of garlic, 1 sweet onion.  Regular shares:  3 lbs. tomatoes, 2 lbs eggplant, 2 garlic, 2 sweet onion, 1 lb. squash.

The bell peppers all have a blemish of some kind but are mostly edible.  I didn't attach a monetary value to them, but thought you might be able to use / enjoy one and there were more than we could eat.  More peppers will be coming later!
The fariytale eggplant can be used the same as any other.  They are especially good in stirfries and curries.
We hope you enjoy the melon as much as we do.  It is a welcome treat in the middle of a hot job of harvesting to find a ripe melon and break it open to share right in the field.
Tomatillos are a relative of tomatoes that possess a flavor like sour green apples on their own.  Most commonly they are used to make salsa verde, a Mexican food staple.  I will attach a recipe that can be used for salsa or cooked a bit more and used for chili sauce.  They are also a great additon to roasted chicken or pork.

Fairytale Eggplant

                                  SALSA VERDE

2 lbs. tomatillos

1 to 4 jalapeno peppers, peeled, seeded, minced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1 tsp. salt

1 cup finely chopped onions

2 cloves garlic

Juice of a lime (more or less)

1. peel husks off tomatillos and wash

2. Boil in lightly salted water for 7 to 10 minutes or until just soft.  Drain, puree in blender.

3. Put ground tomatillos and all other ingredients together in a bowl and let sit 1 hour before serving.  Add more salt and lime juice to taste.

This salsa makes a great enchilada sauce when you leave out the lime juice and let all ingredients simmer together for 45 minutes.

For a more robust flavor, roast the tomatillos in a hot oven until brown and soft (about 20 minutes at 450).