Badger Rock Farm Veggie Share Newsletter - Week # 16

YOUR WEEKLY FARM UPDATE

Week #16 of your veggie shares, and the first delivery in September, comes after a number of gardeners in the area (and even across the state) were hit by an early frost. Thankfully, my garden was spared. A great relief because of our slooooww spring, and because there are still so many things in progress. Many (many) green tomatoes on the vine, squash and more. Hopefully we will get a couple more weeks of frost-free weather to allow those veggies to mature. In the meantime, I hope that you enjoy this week's share!

WHAT'S IN YOUR BAG

Leeks, Onions, Garlic and Purple Majesty Potatoes – This veggie combo comes together in potato and leek soup. The purple skin and flesh of the purple majesty potatoes will give your meal a colorful flair.

Purple Potato and Leek Soup

1 ¼ lbs purple potatoes (any color potato can work here)

2 cups chopped leeks (use the light green and white parts only)

1 onion, roughly chopped

1-2 cloves garlic

¾ tsp salt

½ tbsp dried sage

1 bay leaf

2 ½ cups water

2 tbsp sour cream

Saute the onions and garlic in a pan until translucent. Remove them from the heat. Boil the potatoes, sage and bay leaf in the 2 ½ cups of water. After 15 minutes, add the chopped onions and leeks and continue boiling until the potatoes are tender. After potatoes become tender, remove the bay leaf and let everything cool. Then, add the sour cream and process in a blender or food processor until smooth. Heat through, serve and enjoy!

Zucchini – My Billings farmer's market booth-mate, Mary Jane Beadle, suggested this yummy way to prepare zucchini for a summer meal.

1 lb zucchini

1 egg

2 tbsp flour

1/4 tsp salt

Vegetable oil (for frying)

Grate the zucchini into a large bowl. Beat the egg with a fork and mix it into the grated zucchini. Sprinkle the mixture with the flour and salt and stir until thoroughly combined. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Heat a generous layer of oil (approx 1/4 in deep) in a large frying pan over medium-high heat to a temp of 350-375F (You can test this by dropping a bit of batter into the pan. It should sizzle immediately). When oil is ready, place generous spoonfuls of batter into the pan and flatten slightly with the back of the spoon. Approximately 4 fritters should fit into the pan at once. Cook until browned on one side and then flip the fritter over until it is golden-brown on both sides. Transfer the cooked fritters to a paper towel lined plate to drain and repeat process with the remaining batter. Recipe makes approx 8 fritters.

Eggplant – Eggplants are continuing to enjoy where they were planted this year....in the hoop house. I think they appreciate the added heat. You might see either Diamond eggplants (larger and more bulbous-shaped) or the long, thin Pingtung eggplants (the asian/oriental variety) in your bag this week. Remember to debitter your eggplant by slicing it as you would for your recipe and sprinkling it liberally with salt. Allow it to sit and drain for an hour or so, rinse & press with a towel to dry and it is ready to be prepared for dinner. Here is another way to prepare eggplants for the table:
Grilled Eggplant Salad

Olive oil

1 large eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1/2 in. slices

1 cup salsa

6 oz black beans

1 tbsp lime juice

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat your gas grill or prepare your charcoal fire. Brush oil onto one side of eggplant slices and place them on the grill, oiled side down. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until tender. Brush oil on tops of slices, flip them over, and grill until tender (approx another 6 to 8 min.). Cool slightly and then chop on a cutting board. Combine eggplant, fresh salsa, black beans and lime juice in a large salad bowl; toss to mix. Add salt and pepper to taste needed.

Kohlrabi – Kohlrabi is the interesting round baseball (or slightly smaller) sized veggie in the bag with your leeks and eggplant. To prepare it, peel it (much as you would a broccoli stem) and eat raw, chopped into a salad or steam.

Lemon Cucumbers – The lemon cucumbers continue to come on strong. Called “lemon” because of their appearance and not their taste, you've probably already discovered that they taste much like regular cukes, with a slightly sweeter flair. They may be prepared in any of the same ways you'd use a standard cucumber.

Badger Rock Farm Veggie Share Newsletter - Week # 15

YOUR WEEKLY FARM UPDATE

Week #15 of your veggie shares brings an exciting addition: sweet corn! Also new are tomatillos, which are often used to make salsa verde. The sweet corn comes to us courtesy of gardener extraordinaire, Mary McCatherine. I had the pleasure of visiting her garden this week and was so impressed. I am not pleased with how my corn is turning out (lots of missing kernels), so I think you will be much happier enjoying hers. The weather has still been dry, dry, dry, so watering has been a high priority. As we exit August (can you believe tomorrow is the beginning of September?), we still have a lot to look forward to. Winter squash is coming along. The tomatoes are continuing to ripen in greater quantities, as are pumpkins and a few other interesting things (leeks and some giant beets to name a couple....). I hope that you enjoy this week's produce.

WHAT'S IN YOUR BAG

Tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, potatoes and hot peppers are present in your shares again this week. Below you will find another simple salad recipe that uses the tomatoes, cukes and basil. You will also find a recipe for salsa verde (which uses the tomatillos and hot peppers). And, of course, there's a way to fix sweet corn, if you're in the mood for a different way to enjoy that summer treat.

Tomatillos & Hot Peppers – Perfect for preparing a batch of salsa verde! Salsa verde can be used for dipping chips, or it can be spooned over chicken, enchiladas, or any other dish that needs a little added zing. This recipe doesn't call for it, but you can add lime juice if you enjoy that flavor. I am sorry that I don't have the cilantro for you this week. I'd really hoped to, and hopefully will in the future. I've had a hard time getting the seed to germinate in this heat. I think we're making progress on that front, though.

Salsa Verde

1/2 pound tomatillos, husked

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1-2 hot peppers, minced (to taste, depending on heat preferred)

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

½ tbsp chopped oregano

1/2 tsp ground cumin

¾ tsp salt (or to taste)

1 cup water

Place the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and peppers into a saucepan. Season with cilantro, oregano, cumin, and salt. Pour in the water and bring to a boil over high heat. After it boils, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the tomatillos are soft (approx 10 to 15 min). Then, using a blender, puree the tomatillos and water in batches until the mixture is smooth. Serve!

Grilled Corn on the Cob – Corn on the cob is good after being boiled or steamed, but grilling allows for a different way to enjoy this summer treat. To prevent the shucks from flaming, soak the cobs (in their shucks) for half an hour or so before grilling. Then, remove the outer leaves so that just the inner-most layer, and the silks, remain. Place the ears onto your hot grill and put the lid down. Turn every couple of minutes to prevent burning, until they are heated through. There will be some blackening from the grilling process, but this is ok and will add to the bbq flavor (just so long as they're not burned). Add butter, salt, or whatever condiments you prefer (plain is good too, of course) and enjoy!!


Tomato Cucumber & Basil Salad

4 roma-style or small to medium tomatoes

1 medium cucumber

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp olive oil

¼ tsp sugar

2 tsp chopped fresh basil

freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

Slice the tomatoes and cucumber (peeled or not, depending on your preference) thinly and place them in a medium bowl. Combine the vinegar, oil and sugar and mix well. Drizzle this mixture over the tomatoes and cucumber. Toss and then sprinkle with the chopped basil.

Badger Rock Farm Veggie Share Newsletter - Week # 14

YOUR WEEKLY FARM UPDATE

Can you believe we've arrived at the 14^th week of this season's veggie deliveries? The summer sure is going by quickly. Finally, this week, there are some larger tomatoes to be had. I apologize...a couple have grasshopper bites in them. So frustrating to have a beautiful tomato marred that way, but I think that it will still be delicious! It's been hot, dry and windy for the past several days (well, the hot and dry part has lasted much longer....). That weather ripens summer's veggies, as long as everything stays watered (which has become almost a full-time job!!). So far so good, though!

WHAT'S IN YOUR BAG

There are some familiar visitors to your bag this week. Onions, tomatoes, cucumbers and purple basil are all continuing to do well in the garden. New this week are crookneck and/or patty pan summer squashes (if this is your first experience with patty pans, they are the ones that look like flying saucers :-) and eggplant. Look below for information and preparation ideas for these two newcomers.

Eggplant – There are two types of eggplant included in your share this week. There is the commonly seen bulbous-shaped eggplant, and an oriental variety (Pingtung) which is long and thin (also sometimes called Asian or Japanese eggplant). Before cooking eggplant (especially larger ones), it is recommended to “degorge” or “debitter” them. To accomplish this, slice them up as needed for your recipe, sprinkle them with salt and allow them to drain for an hour or so. This draws out any bitter liquid that might exist around the seeds. You can then rinse them, and add them to your recipe.

Eggplant Parmesan

1 large eggplant (or 2 small), sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces (about eight)
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
2 tbsp olive oil
1 (25-ounce) jar pasta sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan

Preheat oven with a baking sheet inside to 375°F. Coat eggplant slices with beaten egg, then bread with bread crumbs. Spread the oil on a hot baking sheet and place your eggplant slices on it in a single layer. Bake 15 minutes, flip and bake another 10 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 475°F. In an 8 x 10-inch oven-proof dish, layer pasta sauce, then eggplant, and top with cheeses. Repeat, finishing with cheese. Bake until the cheese melts and turns golden in spots, about 15 minutes.

Summer Squash (crookneck and/or patty pan) – Patty pans are summer squash, just like yellow crooknecks, and they can be prepared in the same ways you would usually prep crookneck squash or zucchini. Personally, my favorite way to enjoy them is chopped up and steamed, with a bit of salt and butter added when they are served (yum!!). A friend also loves to grill patty pans. She wedges them, brushes them with olive oil and seasonings, chops an onion and wraps everything in foil, which she then grills. Delicious!!!

Badger Rock Farm Veggie Share Newsletter - Week # 13

YOUR WEEKLY FARM UPDATE

This week's share contents finally make me feel like summer has arrived (albeit in mid-August). Zucchini, tomatoes, hot peppers, basil, carrots, cucumbers and potatoes are all present, and the plants are promising that more is on the way. They (and I) were really happy about the nice rain that we got on Monday as well. It was only the second shower the farm had received in well over five weeks. Everything likes Mother Nature's water far better than what comes out of the sprinkler.

WHAT'S IN YOUR BAG

Carrots – Carrots are this week's substitute for salad mix. I went to cut the salad and realized the older lettuce had mostly bolted, and the recently planted lettuce is still teeny tiny. So, we'll give it a couple of week's to reach cut-able size while we eat other selections from the garden.

Basil – If you would like to preserve that fresh basil taste for winter use, there is an easy way to do so. Simply put the leaves, and enough olive oil to mix well with the basil, into your food processor and process until you have a pesto-like paste (this is basically pesto without the cheese and nuts). You can then divide this mixture into serving sizes, place it in freezer bags and freeze it. Perfect for that summertime basil flavor in December!

Tomatoes & Hot Peppers Goodie Bag –The smaller tomatoes, particularly the Glacier and Roma varieties, are continuing to ripen, as are the hot peppers. The hot peppers included here are called Czech Black (like their name, they are the dark purple/black peppers) and the yellow New Mex Joe Parker. Both are mildly to mid hot, depending on the sensitivity of your taste buds :-).

Cucumbers – The cucumbers are really starting to come on strong. If you ever have more cucumber than you do appetite on a given day, but you don't feel like going through the hassle of jarring up a bunch of pickles, here is a method my mother-in-law (and I) use for keeping them tasty a bit longer. In a bowl, mix up a brine solution. Typically this would be vinegar and water (2 parts vinegar per 1 part water) and salt to taste. You can also add to the mix freshly chopped onions, garlic, or whatever other flavor you desire. Then, thinly slice your cucumbers and add them to the bowl. You want enough brine solution so that the cuke slices can all be submerged. Place a lid on your bowl, keep in the fridge and enjoy!

Potatoes – The early season potatoes are ready in abundance right now. The varieties included this week are are Sangre, Rose Gold, Dark Red Norland, and a few Purple Majesty thrown in for good measure.

Zucchini – One of my favorite ways to prepare zucchini is to stuff it. Here is a simple recipe for that. Feel free to dress it up by adding hot peppers, fresh tomato slices on top (add towards the end of baking so they don't become burned) or whatever else sounds good to you.

Stuffed Zucchini

1/2 pound ground beef

1 large zucchini, ends trimmed

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 16 oz jar spaghetti sauce

1/2 of a 6 oz can sliced black olives, drained

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook and stir the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until the meat is browned, breaking the beef up into crumbles as it cooks, about 10 minutes. Drain off excess fat, and transfer the beef into a mixing bowl. Slice the zucchini in half the long way, and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/2-inch thick shell all around the zucchini. Chop the scooped-out zucchini flesh, and add to mixing bowl. Stir in the bread crumbs, garlic, spaghetti sauce, black olives, and Parmesan cheese; mix the stuffing well. Lightly stuff both halves of the zucchini with the meat mixture. Place the zucchini halves into a baking dish, and cover tightly with foil.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, remove from oven, and remove the foil. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese over each zucchini half. Move an oven rack to within 6 inches of the oven broiler's heat source, turn on the broiler, and broil the zucchini until the mozzarella cheese is browned and bubbling, about 5 minutes.

Badger Rock Farm Veggie Share Newsletter - Week # 12

Your Weekly Farm Update

It is a landmark week....the season's very first red tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet peppers are making an appearance in your share. Finally! The peppers and tomatoes are just beginning their turn towards ripeness, so there's not a huge abundance of them yet. But having enough to share with each of you this week gives reason to hope for the bounty that is to come. Enjoy!

WHAT'S IN YOUR BAG

Salad Mix – Including various lettuces, beet greens, sorrel, mint, dill, johnny-jump-up blooms and calendula petals.

Chard – It has turned into a regular battle with the grasshoppers, and now the blister beetles (one of my least favorite nemeses), for the chard leaves. Row cover fabric helps quite a bit, but I am always impressed at how a few (and sometimes more than a few) clever bugs can sneak underneath and still do their damage. Happily, there were enough (fairly) good-looking leaves to share with you this week.

Chicken & Chard Soup (courtesy of a favorite recipe from summertomato.com)

-1 medium chicken, quartered

-1 bunch of chard, trimmed

-3 garlic cloves, minced

-2 medium onions, diced

-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded & chopped

-1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

-4 cups chicken broth

-2 cups water

-1 tsp thyme

-1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped

-juice of 1 lemon

-2-3 tbsp olive oil

Heat olive oil in a pan large enough for the quartered chicken to cover the bottom. Add the chicken skin-side down and cook on medium heat for approx 8 min. Turn over and cook for another 5 min. Remove chicken from the heat and set it aside. Shred the chard by cutting out the stems (you can save them for addition to a salad or another recipe), stacking the stem-less leaves and cutting them into thin 1/4-inch streps. In a 4-qt pot, cook the onion, garlic and jalapeno peppers over medium heat for approx 10 min, or until the onions are translucent (but not brown). Then add the thyme and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the broth, water, tomatoes and chicken to the pot and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer gently for 15 min or until the chicken is cooked through and firm to the touch. Remove the chicken and set it aside to cool. Add the chard to the soup and simmer for another 10 min. Remove the chicken skins and cut chicken into bite-sized chunks. Return the meat to the soup, and the parsley and simmer for a couple more minutes. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, and serve!

Red Rubin Basil – This purple basil tastes like its sweet, green relative, and can be used in any recipe that calls for regular sweet basil.

Cucumbers – This week's share contains a special addition. The smooth-skinned cucumbers are from my garden...the old standby pickling cukes. They are starting to come in but are a bit slow on the uptake. Mary Jane Beadle, who I share a booth with at the Billings farmer's market, had a great abundance of her Orient Express cucumbers (wrinkly skin) and asked if I would like to share them with you. She also does not use sprays, etc, so you can count on their non-toxicity, their quality and, of course, their deliciousness.

Tomatoes – Glacier tomatoes, with their slightly-larger than golf-ball size, were the first to turn red for me this year. You are getting the first of them! The larger tomato is an Opalka, grown from seed saved by my mother-in-law. There were some, but not an overwhelming amount of tomatoes or peppers, so they got combined into a goodie bag of the very first of these summer favorites. There will be more to come, as there are just loads of green tomatoes still on the vine. Can't wait!

Sweet Peppers – Included are green bell peppers and sweet banana peppers (long, thin and yellow).

Here is a recipe that uses your tomatoes, cucumber and peppers:

Veggie Salad with Balsamic Vinegar & Feta

-6 plum tomatoes, diced

-1 small cucumber - peeled, quartered lengthwise, and chopped

-1 green pepper, chopped

-3 green onions, chopped

-1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips

-3 tbsp olive oil

-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

-3 tbsp crumbled feta cheese

-salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large bowl, toss together the tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and feta cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Badger Rock Farm Veggie Share Newsletter - Week # 11

BADGER ROCK FARM NEWSLETTER

YOUR WEEKLY FARM UPDATE

The heat continues to be the most notable thing that comes to mind when I recall the past week at the farm. It has been weeks since the last drop of rain fell on any of the plants. Dragging around a hose and sprinkler, and checking on the drip irrigation system has become a major priority. So far so good, though. Things are growing like crazy (even if they do droop a bit in the mid-afternoon heat, no matter how much water they have. Them and me both). New potatoes are the most recent addition to your share, with many more new additions to come over the next few weeks.

WHAT'S IN YOUR BAG

Kale – The kale took a bit of a beating during the last hail storm (a couple of weeks ago now), but it has happily made a recovery and is once again looking healthy. For those of you that might be tired of your greens, I included a recipe for kale chips this week. Everyone likes chips, right :-D??

Kale Chips

1 bunch kale

1 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 tbsp sherry vinegar (or whatever vinegar you prefer: balsamic is also good)

salt, to taste

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Cut away stem and thick inner ribs from each kale leaf and discard (or cut into a salad). Tear the leaves into uniform bite-size pieces. Wash the torn kale and spin it dry in a salad spinner or dry with paper towels until very dry. Put the kale pieces into a large resealable bag and add half of the olive oil. Seal the bag and squeeze it around so the oil gets distributed evenly on each of the kale pieces. Add the remaining oil and squeeze the bag more, until all kale pieces are evenly coated with oil and are slightly 'massaged.' Open the bag, sprinkle the vinegar over the kale leaves, reseal the bag, and shake to spread the vinegar evenly over the leaves. Spread the leaves evenly onto a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until leaves are mostly crisp (approx 35 min). Check them often to make sure they're not burning. Season with salt and serve.

Garlic & Chives – This week's recipe for both of these items can be found under the 'New Potatoes' description. I hope you enjoy it!

New Potatoes – Ever wonder what the difference was between new potatoes and regular potatoes? New potatoes are simply immature potatoes. Less of their sugars have been converted to starch (when compared with mature potatoes), and their skin is more fragile (as you can probably see, it is easily scuffed when harvesting). You can try the recipe below, which also includes two other items that are in your share this week: garlic and chives. But they are also great steamed or boiled.

New Potatoes with Garlic and Chives

1 lb new potatoes

1/3 cup melted butter

3 large garlic cloves (or 5 smaller ones), crushed

2 tbps chives, chopped

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Wash the potatoes and halve (or quarter, if they are larger--you want the pieces to be relatively uniform in size) them. Place pieces in a baking dish and sprinkle with the salt, pepper and chopped chives. Stir the crushed cloves of garlic into the melted butter and allow to sit for a few minutes. Then drizzle the garlic butter over the potatoes and mix everything together well. Bake at 350 degrees in an uncovered dish for approx 45 min, or until the potatoes are tender and golden brown.

Carrots – I think it was one of the veggie subscribers that told me one of their favorite ways to make carrots was to cook them whole. I couldn't agree more. Here is recipe that describes how to do just that! (flip page over for recipe)

Roasted Whole Carrots with Garlic

1 pound medium carrots

1/4 cup water

4 garlic cloves

1 tbsp oil

1 tbsp butter, melted

salt & freshly ground pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a medium baking dish combine the whole carrots with the water, oil, butter, salt and pepper. Cover with foil and roast for 30 minutes or until carrots are tender. Uncover and roast for approx 30 more minutes, until the water has evaporated and the carrots are lightly browned in spots. Transfer the carrots and garlic to plates and serve.