Hi everyone,
We’re officially on the back half of the season. It’s been an amazing season so far, and we really couldn’t do it without the support of you all, so thank you. With that, there is definitely room for more members in the CSA Club and if you have friends, family, or other loved ones that aren’t eating local, send them our way (tell them to mention you when they signup, and we’ll have a goodie for you).
This weeks share is filled to the brim with the best that the summer has to offer. Eggplant, tomato, peppers, corn, more tomatoes, and leek. This is the time of year that I dream about the rest of the year.
The recipe this week comes from Azziza and is a Punjabi eggplant dish. It’s perfect for the tomatoes and eggplants in the share!
Hope you all enjoy the share!
-Ben
The GOAT of spicy peppers. Whenever Nichols includes tomatillos in the shares, they usually sneak a couple jalapeños right in along with them. Because they know.
The small size of fingerlings make them a breeze to use. The smaller ones you don’t even need to cut for a perfect roasting size. The skin on these are still pretty thin so they would be considered ‘new’ and are best kept refrigerated.
Leeks are a top-tier allium. We split them down the middle to best clean them, and then cut them into nice manageable sizes pieces. Like this, they are easier to use than onion or garlic. Simply slice and they’re ready to be the base of flavor in whatever you’re cooking.
These were some of the biggest bell peppers I’ve ever seen. Because of that we went ahead and sliced them for you. This way they are more compact in the refrigerator, easy to snack on (they’re super sweet with fruity notes, so highly recommended), or one cut away from a dice for cooking with.
Compared to the japanese eggplant we had a couple shares back, these are more similar to your typical eggplant but a little rounder with a speckled purple skin. Eggplant is a great carrier of flavor since it readily absorbs any flavorful sauce that it’s cooked in.
Also called ‘St. Edmund’s Pippin’, this apple is an early variety of ‘russeting’ apples. Russeting is the term used for apples that develop a brown-ish yellow color when ripe. Of russeting apples, St. Edmund’s are consider to have some of the best flavor, although are not the best storage apples so enjoy promptly!
A relative of tomatoes, despite looking so different on the plant (they grow with a papery husk). Most commonly used for sauces, particularly salsa verde. My favorite way to make salsa verde is to roast the tomatillos with onion and jalapeño until they are slightly charred and soft. Then you just blend it all up and add salt to taste.
Romas are the most famous variety of plum tomatoes. These are more fleshy than heirlooms or slicing tomatoes, making them great for making a sauce with as they are less watery. But they still taste pretty great just for a salad or sandwich also.
Corn was domesticated in Mesoamerica some 9,000 years ago and has been a staple crop for cultures since. Today, it’s the third largest food crop in the world behind wheat and rice. In the U.S. though, livestock eats more corn than people do. We think that’s pretty silly.
Don’t be afraid to toss the container of corn in the freezer if you feel like you won’t be able to get around to cooking with it. You’ll be happy to have it in a couple months when you’re missing summer.
These are sometimes called cape gooseberries, but gooseberries are something entirely different. If you’ve ever had ground cherries before, their characteristic tartness is probably what you think of. These ones from Nichols are absent of that tartness, and because of that notes of cotton candy and vanilla are noticeable. They sort of remind us of cream soda.
This is my favorite variety of kale. Dark green, with bumpy looking leaves, it’s often called “dino kale.” It’s hardy with a crisp texture that holds up well to sautéing or roasting.
There’s no such thing as too many tomatoes this time of year. Cherry tomatoes are great since they generally last a little longer, are easy to snack on, and slice into pretty cross-sections to cook with or garnish just about any dish.
