Turtle Times
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Vol. 12 No. 12, July 24, ‘07 7260 NW 58th St., Johnston 50131 278-4522 (577-9208)
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Rain: 7/16, 0.6”; 7/19, 1.1” (Yeah!)
In the Box . . .
Carrots ‘Nelson’ (from Growing Harmony Farm)
Tomatoes ‘Dona’, ‘Cosmonaut Volkov’, ‘Arkansas Traveler’, ‘Amana Orange’, ‘Celebrity’, ’Sungold’, ‘Juliet’, ‘Black cherry’, ‘Principe Borghese’.
Eggplant ‘’Pingtung Long’ (some sites)
Peppers ‘Antohi Romanian’ (some sites)
Green beans ‘Bush Blue Lake’, ’Kentucky Wonder’ (some sites)
Cucumbers ’Marketmore’, ‘Diva’, ‘Poona Kheera’
Scallions, ‘Evergreen Hardy’ and ‘Lisbon’
Summer Squash ‘Sunburst’, ‘Costata Romanesca’, ‘Dark Green’, ‘Goldie’, ‘Zephyr’
Basil
Herbs available by request by anyone: sage, parsley
Herb share availability: mint (regular and chocolate), marjoram, thyme, sage, rosemary, lavender, lemon or lime basil, thai or cinnamon basil, tarragon (call ahead)
Farm Update
It was a perfect day Saturday for a field day—great temperature, good crowd, fun food. But it ended with an ironic note—a small yellow plane buzzing nearby--crop dusting. One of the heirloom crops that we had for sampling was sunberries (Bonnie Boal made a berry crisp with them). They are related to the garden huckleberries that apparently are best picked after first frost, but they look pretty tempting right now with shiny black berries. These are two ala carte crops. I’ll try to get a picture to put on the website of these interesting plants.
And first, the good news of the week—the tomatoes are coming on strong. The bad news is, that back in spring with those two strong winds storms we had that took out a number of tomatoes and peppers, some of the casualties were the favorite ‘Sungold’ cherry tomatoes, so those are in limited supply. The same for jalapeno peppers. Also this week, we have Gary Guthrie’s great carrots. Gary is not certified organic, but uses organic practices. Last week and this Tuesday we will have given out Swiss chard to all those who requested extra greens on their registration forms, and we will continue to do so about every other week as long as they hold up. If there are others out there who didn’t get some and would like to in the future, e-mail or call me as we should have a good supply.
Recipes
David DeForest Colvig sent in this creative recipe below for our abundant summer squash. And Sue Forrester found this Saffron Zucchini Couscous recipe at this Food Network link. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_33171,00.html
Salmon Cakes with Lemon-Tarragon Aioli
¾ lb cooked salmon – flaked (leftovers, or about 1 can)
1 medium summer squash (zucchini) – grated, salted, squeezed to remove excess moisture
½ cup green onion – diced
1 large garlic clove – minced
½ cup unseasoned bread crumbs
½ tsp salt
pepper to taste
2 eggs – beaten
Grate the zucchini, lightly salt it and put it in a strainer or wrap in cheesecloth. Allow it to sit for at least 5 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients. Squeeze as much moisture as you can out of the zucchini. Then, mix the first four ingredients well with a fork to break up any large salmon chunks. Add bread crumbs, salt and pepper and mix well. Add eggs. Mix well and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Pre-heat skillet over medium heat. Coat skillet with oil or butter. Shape salmon mixture into cakes that are about ½ inch thick and 3 inches in diameter. Sauté cakes in oil for 6 minutes. Turn cakes and cook for 4 more minutes. Remove from pan and keep warm while cooking the rest of the cakes. You may need to add more oil to the pan. Makes 10 – 12 cakes.
Lemon – Tarragon Mayonnaise (Adapted from Sauces, by James Peterson)
2 egg yolks
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp salt
Pinch of white pepper
1 T tarragon flavored white wine vinegar (or unflavored white wine vinegar)
1 cup safflower or other light oil (I used canola oil. Do NOT use olive oil)
2 T fresh tarragon, chopped fine
Juice and zest of ½ lemon (approx. ½ tsp zest and 1 T juice)
In a mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks, mustard, salt and pepper. With mixer on medium speed, slowly add oil to the egg mixture – about 1 tablespoon at a time – pausing to let oil become incorporated into the egg mixture. As more oil is added the mayonnaise will begin to noticeably thicken. Once the mixture has thickened you can add the remaining oil in a slow, steady stream. Add the tarragon, lemon zest and juice. Less juice makes for a heavier mayonnaise, more juice a lighter one. Makes about 1-½ cups.