In the Box

• Sungold Tomatoes
• Spaghetti Squash
• Walla Walla Onions
• Cucumber
• Lemon Basil
• Green Peppers
• Zucchini & Patty Pans
• Radicchio
• Hot Peppers
• Anise Hyssop or Lemon Balm

Sungolds are back. They took a week off when the weather got very nice and cool. Those 50 degree nights made for nice sleeping, but tomatoes won’t ripen when it is that cool. I hope we will now have a great supply of these little sugary treats.

Cucumbers finally began producing enough to put them in your boxes. They are very delicious.

Radicchio is also in your boxes. This looks like lettuce, but is not. It is actually a little bitter when eaten raw. I do like it cooked. The recipe in this newsletter is quite good.

You each got either anise hyssop or lemon balm. Anise hyssop has purple flowers and a licorice flavor. Lemon balm has a strong lemon scent. Both herbs make great iced tea and I’ve included a recipe in this newsletter. Lemon balm is also good chopped and added to salads or cooked with fish. Anise hyssop can be used in desserts - especially cake frosting.

You got a small bunch of lemon basil. I like to sauté this up with Walla Walla onions, zucchini, patty pans, and peppers. Then I mix the veggies with hot pasta (or spaghetti squash) and add some good cheese. With a side salad, you have a great dinner.

And finally, you got your first spaghetti squash this week. Now spaghetti squash is not a true winter squash. It is in between the summer and winter squashes. However, I was truly surprised to watch them progress and realize that we need to harvest them. Usually, we harvest spaghetti squash at the end of August or beginning of September. It was odd to pick them before we picked any melons (which I hope to pick soon). I don’t know if the early harvest is due to the warm advanced growing season or the black plastic we planted the squash into. Probably both.

They are a delicious squash. Cut them in half or quarters and scoop out the insides. You can steam or bake them until a fork goes through the skin easily. Then scoop the flesh out of the skin. It is in strands like spaghetti (thus the name). You can eat it with tomato sauce, pesto or try the casserole recipe in this newsletter.

By the way, the heirloom tomatoes are starting to ripen. They will be in your boxes soon along with red peppers and more cucumbers.

This Week’s Recipes

• Radicchio Supreme
• Spaghetti Squash Casserole
• Herbal Iced Tea

Greenhouse Raising Party

This Saturday, August 4th is our greenhouse raising party. We will start at 2 pm and work until 7. Then we will have food and relaxation.

We have the bows up for one greenhouse. We need to put up the purlins and the baseboards. Also we could build and raise bows for the second greenhouse.

We need folks of all skill levels to help with the building project. If you want to do something else, you can help with the dinner preparations. Or I can find something to be weeded. It is also possible to just sit in the shade and cheer us on.

I need folks to RSVP so we can prepare the proper amount of food. If you can, bring a folding lawn chair for dinner.

Also if you have a cordless drill, ratcheting wrenches and a deep socket set, they would be helpful in the building process. 6 foot or 8 foot ladders would be nice as well.

So I hope you can join us. Children are welcome. (Riley will keep them all busy!). Please RSVP.

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Ingredients:

¼ lb radicchio, shredded
1 small onion, sliced thin
¼ cup red wine
1 tart apple, cored and cubed
½ tsp caraway seeds
Directions:

Put all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover tightly and simmer over low heat 20 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Source: Try-Foods Intl., Inc.

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Ingredients:

1 6 to 8 inch spaghetti squash
1 cup chopped onion
2 medium cloves crushed garlic
2 fresh tomatoes
½ lb fresh, sliced mushrooms
½ teaspoon oregano
salt and pepper
1 cup cottage or ricotta cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella
¼ cup freshly chopped parsley
1 teaspoon (or more) of fresh basil
dash of thyme
1 cup fine bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese for the top
olive oil for sauté
Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Bake it, facedown, on a buttered tray at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until easily pierced by a fork. Cool until it can be handled. Scoop out insides.

While the squash bakes, sauté the onions and garlic with salt, pepper, mushrooms & herbs. When onions are soft, add freshly chopped tomatoes. Cook until most of the liquid evaporates.

Combine all ingredients. Pour into buttered 2-quart casserole. Top with lots of grated Parmesan. Bake at 375 degrees, uncovered, about 40 minutes.

Source: The Moosewood Cookbook

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Ingredients:

3 to 4 sprigs of herbs
up to ¼ cup sugar
1 quart boiling water

Directions:

Put herbs and sugar into a quart jar. (¼ cup of sugar makes very sweet tea. Adjust according to your tastes. Honey or other sweeteners will also work). Cover with boiling water. Stir until sugar dissolves. Let steep for several hours or overnight. Remove the herbs, put into the refrigerator. Enjoy when thoroughly chilled.

Source: A Luna Circle Farm original

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This Saturday, August 4th is our greenhouse raising party. We will start at 2 pm and work until 7. Then we will have food and relaxation.

We have the bows up for one greenhouse. We need to put up the purlins and the baseboards. Also we could build and raise bows for the second greenhouse.

We need folks of all skill levels to help with the building project. If you want to do something else, you can help with the dinner preparations. Or I can find something to be weeded. It is also possible to just sit in the shade and cheer us on.

I need folks to RSVP so we can prepare the proper amount of food. If you can, bring a folding lawn chair for dinner.

Also if you have a cordless drill, ratcheting wrenches and a deep socket set, they would be helpful in the building process. 6 foot or 8 foot ladders would be nice as well.

So I hope you can join us. Children are welcome. (Riley will keep them all busy!). Please RSVP.

No comments yet »

In the Box

• Walla Walla Onions
• Sweet Basil
• Tomatillos
• Hot Peppers
• Garlic
• Green Pepper
• Head Lettuce
• Zucchini & Patty Pans
• Braising Greens
• Eggplant (Farm site only)

Last week we harvested all the garlic. We pull it out of the ground, spray it to remove loose skins, bunch it and hang it to cure. The wash shed has lots of bundles of garlic hanging. It is quite lovely.

All garlic is harvested about this time of year. The flavor is very strong when it is fresh and fades as garlic is stored. I love garlic, so this is my favorite time for garlic.

Walla Walla onions are in your boxes for the first time. These are wonderfully sweet onions. You can eat them cooked or raw. The greens are also edible. The last week I have been eating a lot of dishes that start out by sautéing garlic, onions, and zucchini. Then I figure out what else is going in the dish.

Also in your boxes this week are all the ingredients for salsa verde (green salsa). Tomatillos are the round green fruits with the husks. They are distant cousins of tomatoes. And they make an excellent salsa.

Tucked into the bag of tomatillos is a little cilantro. Plus you have the garlic, onions and hot peppers. For hot peppers you have a Hungarian Wax (medium) and a Serrano (hot). Use the one that fits your heat preference. But be sure to add it a little at a time.

If you’d like to try something a little different, try roasting the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and pepper. Simply put a little oil on a cooking sheet and place the veggies on it. Roast at 200 degrees until everything is soft. Then blend together. It is a different and delicious dish.

Sweet basil is also in your boxes. Use basil in pasta, rice and chicken dishes. The best way to store basil is to give the stems a fresh cut and then put them in a cup of water. Leave the cup on the counter until you are ready to use it. Most refrigerators are too cold for basil. That is why it often turns black in the fridge. It will also turn black if it gets wet. So don’t wash it until just before you are ready to use it. In fact, I don’t usually wash it at all unless it is sandy. And until it rains, we don’t have to worry about it being sandy.

Eggplants are starting to mature. We don’t have a lot of plants however. So I will be giving eggplant to one pick up site at a time. There are 2 varieties. One is the long Asian type. The other is the traditional egg shape with purple and white stripes.

This Week’s Recipes

• Salsa Verde
• Super Stuffed Tortillas

Riley Writes

It is so dry. I need some mud puddles to splash in. And I really need to do some digging, but the ground is so hard. Mom wants to plow up some of the field, but it would be helpful if it would rain first…

We keep weeding, but there is still so much to do. My job is to go around and give everyone kisses while they are down at my level. Mostly I like to surprise them when they aren’t looking so that they squeal with surprise.

The garlic harvest was fun. But I don’t get to eat any garlic or onions. Mom says they aren’t good for dogs and cats. So I don’t get to taste the food she makes with them. It smells so good. It’s not fair!!!

Greenhouse Raising Party

We will have our fun with big metal pieces on August 4th. We will start at 2 and work until 7. Then we will have a big taco/burrito dinner. No experience is necessary. We will have jobs for all skill levels. You can also help with the food. Or if you really want, there are always weeds to pull. It is also possible to just come to the farm and play with Riley. More details will be in next week’s newsletter. Please RSVP so I can plan the food. I hope you all can make it.

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Ingredients:

¾ lb tomatillos
a few sprigs of cilantro
hot pepper of your temperature choice
1 small onion or several small scallions
1-3 garlic cloves

Directions:

Peel the husks off the tomatillos. Place in a blender or food processor. Add cilantro, garlic, and hot pepper to taste. Blend. Chop onion and add to salsa mix.

Source: A Luna Circle Farm original

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Ingredients:

1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion
1 green pepper
2 cups corn
1 small-medium zucchini
1½ tablespoons ground cumin
2 cups cooked black beans
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
6 tablespoons salsa
green onions, sliced
fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper
flour or corn tortillas
cheddar cheese, feta or queso blanco

Directions:

Sauté garlic in 2 teaspoons oil for 1 minute. Add onion and pepper and sauté until crisp-tender.

Add corn, zucchini, and cumin, and continue to sauté until all vegetables are tender but not browned.

Add beans. broth, and salsa, and cook until there is no excess moisture. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper, sliced green onions, and chopped fresh cilantro to taste.

Preheat a fry pan with a bit of oil and place a tortilla in pan. Add cheese in center of tortilla and add ½ cup vegetable filling. When the tortilla is crispy, remove and fold in half. Or place a second tortilla on top, flip, and fry crisp.

Source:  Simply in Season

No comments yet »

It is so dry. I need some mud puddles to splash in. And I really need to do some digging, but the ground is so hard. Mom wants to plow up some of the field, but it would be helpful if it would rain first…

We keep weeding, but there is still so much to do. My job is to go around and give everyone kisses while they are down at my level. Mostly I like to surprise them when they aren’t looking so that they squeal with surprise.

The garlic harvest was fun. But I don’t get to eat any garlic or onions. Mom says they aren’t good for dogs and cats. So I don’t get to taste the food she makes with them. It smells so good. It’s not fair!!!

No comments yet »

We will have our fun with big metal pieces on August 4th. We will start at 2 and work until 7. Then we will have a big taco/burrito dinner. No experience is necessary. We will have jobs for all skill levels. You can also help with the food. Or if you really want, there are always weeds to pull. It is also possible to just come to the farm and play with Riley. More details will be in next week’s newsletter. Please RSVP so I can plan the food. I hope you all can make it.

No comments yet »