The stars of this week's shares are Paste Tomatoes. We primarily grow juicy heirloom slicers here at Circle M, but we do plant a fair amount of oblong paste or Roma tomatoes for those who like to make sauce. And this is the moment to do it! All of our paste varieties are perfect at once, right now, as if the earth were saying, "Fall is coming! Time to save some sunny tomato goodness to use this winter!" They've stopped putting energy into juice, and everything they've got is going into their pulpy flesh. You don't have to cook them down much to get a lovely thick sauce. We've given you lots of paste recipes links on the Box 7 Recipe Blog and there are even more on the Farmer Kriss pinterest page. Have fun and fill your house with the delicious smell of summer in a bottle.
Here's what's In The Box!
Basil: Now these plants are really rolling! DO try the Chocolate Basil Cake. It is a perennial favorite with our members, and with us! You have enough here to make that and pesto this week. As usual, store basil in the bag, outside of the fridge.
Tomatoes: Wowza, what a year for tomatoes! You’ve got a mix of pink Brandywine and Big Rainbow slicers, Early Girl small slicers, Big Beef giant slicers, sweet Green Zebras, and a mix of SunGold and Juliets in your cherry boxes. We’ll take the plastic boxes back, by the way! But most importantly, you've got the pastes: striped Vilms, red Federal and orange Banana. Our chefs love these for Italian dishes, and you will, too.
Spinach: First picking of this! Yummy! Eat as your fresh salad this week and save the cooking for later in the fall.
Eggplant: A banner year for eggplant, too! This is the year to make babaganoush on the grill, if you haven’t before. Roasting eggplant yields an unbelievably creamy and flavorful flesh.
Zucchini and Summer Squash (Full Boxes Only): This may be the last week for these, but celebrate their flavor this week the way they would in Provence with Ratatouille! Or make up the amazing Zucchini Chocolate Cake recipe we have on the Farmer Kriss Pinterest Page.
Purple and Green String Beans: First picking of these. Delish. Don’t worry, they turn green when cooked – use just like a regular string bean.
Peppers: Sweet Green and Purple Bells, Yellow Bananas, Red Jimmy Nardello sweet fryers and spicy Jalapenos.
Cucumber (Shorties Only): Still going strong, still sweet and crisp. We sliced these this week and dipped them in Babaganoush.
Herb Bag: Oregano, Sage, Parsley
Mixed Kale: Now is the time to make Kale Chips!!!! We polished off a big bowl of these at lunch today in about 3 minutes. So addictive. We put several recipes up at the Farmer Kriss pinterest page, but the basic idea is: heat oven to 350. Rip up the curliest kale leaves in your bunch and spray with olive oil. Toss with salt and pepper. Bake on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes or until crispy.
All Red and All Blue Potatoes: These potatoes are as good as they look. Yum! It’s a good week to make Zuppa Toscano. See the recipe at the Box 7 Recipe Blog .
Garlic: Cured and ready to store in the pantry, should you not use it up in the next week.