Badger Rock Farm Veggie Share Newsletter - Week # 17

YOUR WEEKLY FARM UPDATE

This is the seventeenth week of your veggie shares, and it is starting to feel a bit like fall out there....especially in the chilly evenings and early mornings. Thankfully, we have (so far) been spared a frost, so summer veggies (like tomatoes and peppers) continue to produce. After the late arrival of summer temperatures, a warm fall is always desired (by me and the heat-loving veggies). I hope that we get one this year. But if a frost comes calling, there are still some veggies that will fare alright and be available for next week's share. Cabbage is one of them that you'll get to enjoy this week.

WHAT'S IN YOUR BAG

Tomatoes, Sweet Peppers & Basil

Bow-tie Pasta Salad

1 lb bow-tie pasta

2 tbsp olive oil

1 red bell pepper (or a couple of small red peppers), stemmed, seeded & cut into matchsticks

2 cups small tomatoes, halved or quartered

1 cup olives, pitted and halved

1 cup fresh mozzarella, shredded

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp salt (or to taste)

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup Romano cheese, grated

¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

½ cup fresh basil leaves, shredded

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add pasta and cook until done and drain. Pour pasta into a serving bowl and toss with 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Add the peppers, tomatoes, olives, mozzarella and garlic. Toss to combine. Add the remaining tbsp of olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, cheese and basil. Toss to combine and serve.

Cabbage – I am sure you will notice the small stature of the cabbage. I've been watching them for weeks, waiting for them to get larger. But then, one cracked, which told me that the size I saw was probably all the size I was going to get. These poor cabbage plants have been through a lot between the hail storms early this spring, the rains that brought on the flooding, and then the immediate switch to sweltering dry heat. I really think soil fertility is the biggest culprit here....a problem that will be remedied next spring with extra helpings of compost. Until then, however, I hope you enjoy your mini cabbage and onions :-).

Cabbage and Onions

1 small – medium head green cabbage, sliced
1 onion, sliced into ribbons

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tsp caraway seed

paprika to taste
1 tbsp olive oil (or as needed for sautéing)
salt & pepper to taste

Sauté the onion in the oil first, then add the cabbage. Stir thoroughly. Simmer for approx 20 min, stirring occasionally. Then stir in the garlic, salt, pepper, paprika and caraway seed. Continue cooking until the cabbage is tender (approx another 10-15 min). Great as a compliment to baked potato or polish sausage.

Lemon Cucumbers – The slicing cucumbers seem to be on their way out. The lemon cucumbers, named for their resemblance to the familiar sour fruit, continue to perform like champs. Several of you have told me you enjoy them, so here are a few more for your palate's pleasure. Enjoy and prepare as you would regular cucumbers.

Tomatillos & Hot Peppers – Even though it is delicious, there are other ways to prepare tomatillos besides making them into salsa verde. Here is one:
Tomatillo Guacamole
3 avacadoes, peeled, pitted & mashed
3 tomatillos, husked & chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 plum (or roma) tomatoes, seeded & chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
¾ tsp hot pepper, finely chopped (or to taste)
2 drops hot pepper sauce (or to taste)
salt to taste
In a medium bowl, mix avacado, tomatillos, onion, tomatoes and lime juice. Stir in chopped hot pepper, hot pepper sauce and salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 45 minutes before serving.