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Pickup Today on the FRONT PORCH

This week’s share:

broccoli

chard

cucumbers

wax, purple & green beans

sweet peppers or hot peppers

kale

thyme ?

musk melon

rutabaga

summer squash

tomato

This Past Week…

We planted more lettuce, radish, and carrots. We also replanted the buckwheat that we planted previously. That got washed away with the rains, so we’ll try it again. Buckwheat helps keep the weeds down, is good erosion control, and also adds nutrients to the soil for the next crop next year.

Thyme and marjoram were grown from seed, and now that both are mature, this amateur doesn’t know which one is which. If you know what your mystery herb is, please let us know!

The muskmelons have ripened, and are so ripe that you can chose to take one if you wish. They really should be eaten right away.

Much of your produce has been washed, but we want to remind you to wash your food before you eat it.

Some of the broccoli has a disease that kills the plants. Some of the plants are just getting it, and we sorted through the side shoots as best as we could. If you see any that are turning black or grey, this is a sign of the mosaic disease. Just throw that piece away.

Summer squash…are you tired of it yet? It just keeps on coming, so if you want more of it, feel free to take some. The kids have had their fill of it at my house.

Until next week, enjoy life!

~ Kathy


Enchiladas

(using spinach, kale, chard, etc.)

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch greens
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
10 (6 inch) corn tortillas
1 (19 ounce) can enchilada sauce

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion; cook for a few minutes until fragrant, but not brown. Stir in spinach, and cook for about 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat, and mix in ricotta cheese, sour cream, and 1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese.

In a skillet over medium heat, warm tortillas one at a time until flexible, about 15 seconds. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the spinach mixture onto the center of each tortilla. Roll up, and place seam side down in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the remaining cup of Monterey Jack.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until sauce is bubbling and cheese is lightly browned at the edges.



R and R Pudding
(Rice and Rutabaga!)

1 cup water
1/2 cup long-grain white rice
1 pound rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 dash ground nutmeg
2 eggs, separated

Place the water into a saucepan, add the rice, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir once, cover, reduce heat to low; and simmer until all moisture is absorbed and rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the rutabaga into a large pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook until the rutabaga are tender and can be pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 2 quart casserole dish.

Drain the rutabaga, and place into a mixing bowl. Add the milk, butter, sugar, salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg. Beat or mash the rutabaga until smooth. Stir in the cooked rice, and beat in the egg yolks.

Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold gently into the rutabaga mixture. Spoon mixture into prepared casserole dish.

Bake in preheated oven until top is lightly browned, about 1 hour.

This week’s share:
basil
broccoli
carrot
wax, purple & green beans
eggplant
sweet pepper or hot pepper
kale
summer squash
tomato

This Past Week…

Has been very uneventful – love it!

The peppers are sloowwwwly making an appearance, as are the eggplant.

As we were washing the chard today, we noticed that it just wasn’t up to our standards. So, there will be no chard this week, but we’ll see what we can do for next week.

Some carrots are finally getting large enough to pick, so you’ll get some of those. It was not easy finding larger carrots that weren’t split from all the rain. We’ll just keep planting more in hopes that they’ll be delicious this fall.

Today you will either have a green bell pepper (sweet) or a long, thin hot pepper. Hopefully there will be enough for both kinds soon!

We’ve had a surprise visitor to the garden. A great deal of the sweet corn has been either beaten down by the wind and rain, or attacked and devoured by what we think are raccoons. They weren’t very diligent about hiding the evidence.

During the extreme hot weather, the plants slow down their production. Such is the case with the cucumbers. Last week we were begging people to take them so they wouldn’t be wasted, and this week we have none to share. The same with the summer squash and musk melon. Keep your fingers crossed for melons next week.

Pesto

From allrecipes.com

2/3 cup packed, coarsely chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons pine nuts or sunflower kernels
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, peeled

Ratatouille

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
salt to taste
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 zucchini (or summer squash), sliced
1 large onion, sliced into rings
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, sliced
2 large tomatoes, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat bottom and sides of a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic until lightly browned. Mix in parsley and eggplant. Saute until eggplant is soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Spread eggplant mixture evenly across bottom of prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Spread zucchini in an even layer over top. Lightly salt and sprinkle with a little more cheese. Continue layering in this fashion, with onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, and tomatoes, covering each layer with a sprinkling of salt and cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Sweet and Savory Kale

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 teaspoons white sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
4 cups stemmed, torn and rinsed kale
1/4 cup dried cranberries
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mustard, sugar, vinegar, and chicken stock, and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the kale, cover, and cook 5 minutes until wilted.

Stir in the dried cranberries, and continue boiling, uncovered, until the liquid has reduced by about half, and the cranberries have softened, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with sliced almonds before serving.

Stuffed Eggplant

1 eggplant, halved lengthwise
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Scoop out the flesh of the eggplant, chop, and reserve. Season shells with salt and pepper, and coat with some olive oil; set aside.

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Saute sausage and garlic until sausage is evenly brown. Stir in the reserved chopped eggplant. Season with parsley, salt and pepper. Pour in wine, and cook 5 minutes. Mix in the bread crumbs and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. If mixture is dry, stir in more olive oil. Stuff mixture into eggplant shells, and sprinkle top with remaining Parmesan cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until eggplant is tender.

Eggplant Parmesan

From allrecipes.com

(This recipe still tasted great even without the mozzarella!)

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
 garlic clove, minced
1 small eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 medium tomato, thinly sliced
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Combine oil and garlic; brush over both sides of eggplant slices. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes; turn. Bake 5 minutes longer or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Place half of the eggplant in a greased 1-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the basil and Parmesan cheese. Arrange tomato slices over top; sprinkle with remaining basil and Parmesan. layer with half of the mozzarella cheese and the remaining eggplant; top with remaining mozzarella. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 5 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

Dried Basil

I’ve found the easiest way to have chemical-free basil for cooking is to put it in a brown paper bag and set it on your car’s dashboard for a few days in the hot sun. Just shake it a few times when you think of it. When it’s completely dry, grind it in your coffee bean grinder, then put it in an airtight container.

Have a great week!


Kathy