I love the month of August. I am sure I am biased as it is my birthday month. I relish the ripening of the summer fruits: tomatoes, peppers, melons, and more. It always feels like we have waited so long for them to appear and they are so delicious when they do. The tomatoes we have been offering so far are from the tunnlels but the ones in the field are starting to turn as well. Maybe next week we will have some. The tunnel peppers are just starting to color up.
I am a little worried about the watermelons as it seems the crows have found them this year. I think they are thirsty and looking for water, as so many creatures are right now. Going into this season, we were prepared for more pressure from the deer, rabbits, and more, as there is less forage in the woods and pastures. I have to be honest that I did not think fully about the lack of water in the soil as well. We have had more gopher pressure, plus you may have noticed large holes in the fields around the CSA barn. A badger has taken up residence. We have always had badgers on the farm but never this close to human activity. We think they may be attracted to the wetter soil or gophers (which may be more abundant due to the wetter soil) or both. Please be careful for the holes! Most of the time we are able to accept minimal crop loss to share this space with the creatures, but when the pressure is more intense we do try to deter them. I am hoping the crows leave some watermelons for us. We are also planning to cover them with a shade cloth soon but shade cloth has been backordered.
This Week’s Pick List:
Eggs
Red Gold New Potatoes
Candy Onions
Alto Leeks (Young and tender!)
Evergreen Hardy Scallions
Yaya Carrots
Rhonda Beets
Pink Beauty Radish
Hakurei Turnips
Solaris Fennel
Diamond, Money Maker, Beatrice, Purple Shine, and Shimoda Eggplant
Dark Star, Yellowfin, and Cocozelle Summer Squash
Mideast Peace, Silver Slicer, Sweet Marketmore, and Addis Pickle Cucumbers
Taiwan Flat and Caraflex Cabbage
Rainbow Lacinato and Old Growth Palm Kale
Champion Collards
Ruby Red Chard
Parsley, Basil, Cilantro, and Dill
Head Lettuce
Albion Strawberries
Pick your own: padron and shishito peppers, jade and dragon langerie beans. Along with the flowers, there are shiso, purple and thai basil in the annual field.
Saltonstall Olive Oil (Please bring your own jars!)
Revolution Bread
Filigreen Farm Peaches and Blueberries (Friday only!)
Rigatoni with Eggplant Puree, from foodnetwork.com (Thanks to Emma Logan for the recipe suggestion!)
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes (you can also use whole tomatoes cut into large chunks)
3 cloves garlic, whole
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 pound rigatoni pasta
1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl combine the eggplant, cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Spread the vegetables out in an even layer on the baking sheet. Roast in the oven until the vegetables are tender and the eggplant is golden, about 35 minutes.
While the vegetables are roasting, place the pine nuts in a small baking dish. Place in the oven on the rack below the vegetables. Roast until golden, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and reserve.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl and reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid.
Transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor. Add the torn mint leaves and extra-virgin olive oil. Puree the vegetables.
Transfer the pureed vegetables to the bowl with the pasta and add the Parmesan. Stir to combine, adding the pasta cooking liquid 1/2 cup at a time until the pasta is saucy. Sprinkle the pine nuts over the top and serve.