Week #15; Lows and highs of the week.

“I’m waterboarding in my own sweat.”

Yup, it’s been that kind of week.  The quote above was overheard during a sweaty sweet corn harvest.  The derecho two weeks ago blew down parts of this week’s sweet corn field.  That was the same storm that damaged so much field corn in Iowa.  Sweet corn still ripens when blown down but is much harder to pick because the stalks are a tangled mess.  Even though outside, we wear our masks when working this close together.  The harvest was worth the sweat.  This is an unusually nice batch of corn.

Everyone claims a row (if you can find it), picks the ripe ears and puts them on a conveyor attached to our harvest wagon.  Ben and Karen count every ear, an essential step for dividing up the corn.

And now the highs

We are grateful that farming allows us some semblance of normalcy.  Our small community can work together and socialize every day, unlike many people working in isolation.  Above, we had a socially-distant happy hour to mark two crew members returning to school or other work.  It takes two photos to show everyone!  People sitting close together share a household.  It was a treat to sit around and share a few cold drinks.

Our second planting of kale and collards is ready for its first harvest.  Leaves from these young plants are very tender, a difficult thing to achieve during hot summer weather.  It was an easy harvest.  The field is weed-free and open to cooling winds.  In a planting this large, we can spread out and take off our masks.  You may have noticed that we stopped sending greens earlier this summer.  The first planting gets tough and fibrous.  It’s a pleasure to move into our second planting.

On a 90 degree day, this is everyone’s favorite path back to the buildings, cooled by irrigation spray.

Veggie List & Veggie Notes
Week #15, August 27/28, 2020
– Weekly shares
– EOW/ green

Sweet corn, ~10 ears
Collards or kale, 1 bunch
Watermelon (by site, yellow or red)
Plum & slicing tomatoes, 3 lb total
Peppers (bell/ frying), ~2
Carrots, ~2 lb
Walla Walla onion, 1 0r 2
Garlic, 1 bulb
Curly parsley, 1 bunch
By site; Silver Slicer cucumber or a few snack peppers or an extra frying pepper.

Next week’s box will probably contain tomatoes, sweet corn, melon, peppers, greens and other summer veggies.

Sweet corn – This batch of ‘Incredible’ variety is the prettiest batch yet.  We expect to have sweet corn again next week.

Garlic –  These large-cloved bulbs are the German Extra Hardy strain.

Curly parsley – We are finally sending an herb other than basil!  Enjoy it!

Mixed plum & slicing tomatoes – Wow, the tomatoes ripened quickly during this hot spell.
 

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I encourage you to spread your tomatoes on plates so you can keep an eye on them.  Eat first the ripest ones or any showing flaws.  The yellow arrow shows small inconsequential flaws that will grow with time.  Eat now.

Left, fully ripe yellow tomato.  Right, less ripe yellow tomato, showing some greenish coloring.
Yellow tomatoes get very soft when they are ripe.  We’re experimenting with harvesting yellow tomatoes less ripe, so you have a chance to eat them before they are overripe.  You might get a tomato that’s ready to eat (above, left) or you might get one that needs a day or two on your kitchen counter (above, right).

RECIPES

Visit our 2020 Recipe Log or our 2019 Recipe Log or join our Facebook discussion group.

LOCAL THYME/ Cooking 101
Corn, Pepper and Pinto Bean Burritos
Corn, Kale and Goat Cheese Fritters
Pizza with Tomatoes and Peppers

LOCAL THYME/ Cooking 202
Zesty Corn Relish
Parmesan and Kale Frittata topped with Fresh Tomatoes
Spicy Tomato Juice

LOCAL THYME/ Quick & Easy Meal
Chickpea and Collards Curry with Tomato and Coconut Milk

RECIPES FROM LAUREN

TOMATO PIE WITH BROWN BUTTERED GARLIC
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Takes 2 hours (a little more if making the crust from scratch)
Serves 4-6

1 batch favorite store-bough pie crust (or make your own; my favorite tomato pie crust is here)
4-5 pounds tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
6 garlic cloves, sliced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1-1/2 cups shredded havarti*
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried)
1/2 Walla Walla onion, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
2. If making your crust from scratch, get this going first so it has plenty of time to chill in the freezer. If not, hop to step 3.
3. Core tomatoes and then cut into 1/4-inch slices. Lay tomato slices out on two large baking sheets so that they are mostly in a single layer. This may take four pounds of tomatoes or it may take five depending on how thick your slices are. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in preheated oven for 45 minutes until the tomatoes look dehydrated and most of the liquid has evaporated. Rotate your pans a couple times to ensure even cooking.
4. While the tomatoes bake, melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium low heat. Add garlic and cook until the butter smells browned. It will foam and then turn clear and then begin to brown, about 5-8 minutes. Stir and check the pan often during this process to ensure it does not burn. Place a fine mesh sieve over a small bowl and strain out garlic while saving the butter.
5. Transfer garlic to a cutting board and finely chop.
6. Combine garlic, mayonnaise, cheddar, parmesan, and parsley in a small bowl. Stir until smooth.
7. By now your tomatoes should be done cooking. Remove them from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375 degrees.
8. Roll out your pie crust and place in a 10-inch pie pan. If using a pre-made frozen pie crust, I recommend using two crusts. This is a lot of tomatoes and it will overflow if you just use one. Place aluminum foil and pie weights (or rice or dried beans) inside and bake for 15 minutes. If you purchased a pre-made crust you can skip this step.
9. Remove crust from oven. Place all but the 10 (of the most perfect) roast tomato slices into the pie crust in even layers. Spread mayo mixture over the top and then arrange 10-12 cooked tomatoes over the top followed by thinly sliced onion. Glaze the whole thing with your prepared garlic butter by slowly drizzling evenly over the top.
10. Bake for 45- 55 minutes until the crust is golden. Let cool at least 5 minutes before slicing or devouring.

*Any favorite cheese would work here. I love havarti and tomato together, but a mild cheddar, Gruyere or Swiss would all also work great!
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SWEET CORN PASTA SALAD
Serves 8-12 as a side
Takes 40 minutes

1 pound pasta, the type is your choice
1 silver slicer, seeded and diced
1/2 Walla Walla (or other sweet) onion
3 colored peppers, diced
4 ears corn, husks removed

Dressing:
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon white wine or white vinegar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil on the stove over high heat. Once boiling, add pasta and cook to al dente according to package directions.
2. While pasta cooks, prepare your dressing by whisking together all ingredients.
3. Drain pasta in a colander and let sit for a minute to lose some of the water, then add to a large bowl. Add dressing to noodles while they’re still warm and toss to combine. Set aside.
4. Refill stock pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add sweet corn and cook for 7 minutes. Meanwhile, chop your other veggies. Rinse corn under cold water to cool and then cut off kernels with a knife. Add cucumber, onion, peppers, and corn to bowl. Toss to combine.
5. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired.

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COLLARD & CARROT SALAD WITH PECANS AND FETA
20 minutes
Serves 4-6

1 bunch collards or kale, stems removed, thinly sliced
1 pounds carrot, peeled and shredded (or cut into matchsticks
4 ounce feta, crumbled
2 cups toasted pecans, toasted for 5 minutes in a 400 degree oven and roughly chopped

Maple Dijon Dressing
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 hefty pinches salt (about 1/2 teaspoon)

1. In a large bowl, combine collards (or kale) and carrots.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients until smooth. Add to greens and carrots, and toss until well-coated.
3. Add feta and pecans. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

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