CSA Share Week 18: From our farm to your table this week

Eggplant
Red Tomatoes
Spaghetti squash
Sweet corn              
Yellow squash  
Watermelon

Tips for using &/or preserving your produce…

Eggplant

When you’re hosting friends or bringing dishes to a potluck this Labor Day weekend, try this yummy eggplant dip, courtesy of our friends at Elmwood Stock Farm.  The yogurt provides a nice, creamy consistency and a nice bit of added protein.

Roasted Eggplant and Yogurt Spread with Onions and Olives

1 medium to large eggplant6 T Kalamata olives, chopped2 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped1 ½ T fresh basil, de-stemmed and coarsely chopped½ small onion, finely chopped½ tsp favorite seasoning mixture 8-12 oz Greek yogurt

Roast eggplant whole on a baking sheet in the oven for about 50 minutes to 1 hour at 400°F.Meanwhile, prepare and mix the olives, garlic, basil, onion and seasonings together in a bowl.
When the eggplant has cooled enough to handle, cut off the stem end, slit the skin and scoop out all of the eggplant pulp.  Mix the pulp in with the other ingredients.  Start adding the yogurt and stirring it in until you have a spreadable consistency.
Refrigerate several hours or overnight to allow flavors to meld.  Serve on flatbread or with favorite crackers or bread as a dip.

Tomatoes
Tomatoes will continue to ripen until our first frost (usually mid-October) but their productivity decreases markedly with the shortening days.  I’m sure you’ve noticed that it’s not light quite so early in the morning or as late into the evening.  I love living in this region because, as much as I love the unique joys of each season, I also love to see them go as much as I love the arrival of the next!  Shorter days and cooler temperatures will enable me to coax Ford into the house for a few more hours each week and am certainly looking forward to that! 

In the meantime, enjoy the last of the tomatoes of 2012 by canning or preserving them.  Although you won’t find cherry tomatoes in your basket, if you have some at home you might consider roasting them on a cookie sheet then freezing them. They are WONDERFUL in fall or winter pastas or on pizza.  You can also preserve your tomatoes by canning using a simple boiling water bath method.  Here is the website (& link) for step-by-step instructions on canning tomato products from the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Extension program: http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/fcs3/fcs3327/fcs3327.pdf   You can can up to 7 quarts in a large boiling water bath canner and when chili & soup weather arrives, you’ll be SOOOO glad you did!

Sweet corn
You’ll find a few more golden ears this week and in the weeks to come.  Savor those delicious kernels.  Because I teach evening classes on Tuesday and Thursday, those are “Daddy nights” for Finley.  This week Ford took Finley along with him in the fields when he checked the corn on Thursday night and, before Ford could get him back home, Finley ate an entire ear – raw!  …and for you mothers out there, don’t worry, he didn’t get a tummy ache.

Spaghetti Squash
This is usually the first winter squash that we harvest.  It is shaped a bit like a football (but the ends are rounded, not pointy) and ranges in color from creamy white to yellow.  The interesting thing about this firm winter squash is that, when baked, the hard flesh flakes apart in long strands that resemble spaghetti!  Naturally, my first instinct when Ford began growing it was to serve it up just as I would spaghetti – topped with marinara and cheese!  (Like this recipe: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/spaghetti-squash-spaghetti/ )  That does happen to be a delicious way to enjoy spaghetti squash and, if you’re counting calories, this will fit into your calorie budget much more easily than a hearty pasta.  More recently, I’ve decided to branch out and explore the world of not-so-traditional spaghetti squash dishes.  Here’s one I’d like to try but haven’t gotten around to it just yet.  See below:

Spaghetti Squash with Cranberries, Almonds and Feta from Vicky on www.tastykitchen.com, adapted from Savoring the Thyme Ingredients 1 whole Spaghetti Squash ¼ cups Olive Oil 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar Salt And Pepper, to taste 2 cloves Garlic, Minced ⅔ cups Feta Cheese, Diced ⅔ cups Dried Cranberries ½ cups Slivered Almonds ¼ cups Fresh Basil, Slivered   Preparation Instructions   1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Using a knife pierce holes all over the spaghetti squash (so it doesn’t explode in the oven). Place squash on a pan and bake for 1 hour.   2. In a bowl whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic. Set aside.   3. When it’s done, remove squash from the oven. Allow squash to cool for 15 minutes then cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and surrounding fibers and discard them. Using a fork, shred the insides of the squash—the strands will start to resemble spaghetti.   4. In a bowl combine the shredded squash with the dressing, feta, cranberries, almonds and basil. Toss to combine.

Yellow Squash
Did you know you can finely chop OR slice your squash, blanch it, dry it then freeze it for use later on in the winter?  The deeper we get into the school year the more I find myself using quick methods to store excess veggies for cool weather meals.  These will be perfect for things like squash/zucchini bread or a Thanksgiving squash casserole!  Did I tell you I’m ready for fall?

Watermelon
Slice and enjoy, that’s all you need to know.  Happy eating.

 

As always, please feel free to contact me for clarification, further information, or to share your own adventures in cooking local, USDA-certified organic produce.  amanda.waterstrat@gmail.com