CSA Week 16

1 bunch kale

1 bunch carrots

1 bunch purple top turnips

1/2 pound salad mix

1 pound onion

2 pounds Kennebec potatoes

sweet peppers, eggplant, delicata squash

The go-to CSA mantra is Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food, right? Well, there’s the flip side to this way groovy thought. Have you ever put yourself in my New Balance Classic running sneakers and thought about what it’s like to feed over a hundred people for 5 months? There are a lot of taste buds and belly tendencies in the mix and over the weeks I get to know what it is that you all fancy and what it is that you could do with out. I try to mix it up, keep it colorful, interesting, nutritious and delicious, with a balance of stables and bursts of wild cards. It all gets factored in as each share gets planned for the week, while I still keep in mind what is going nuts in the field, what sells well at market, what restaurants feature on their menus, and what we actually have time to harvest. Be that as it may, chefs and market customers can come and go, but CSA members are VIP’s in the Kettle world, therefore I take your feedback into consideration every time I plan your share, bunch a beet or snip a green.

As a window into the world of a CSA farmer, I have been know to think about the fact that Andy can’t stand chard, but Amanda is obsessed with it. The Snyder’s and the Van Oosterums can never, ever have enough potatoes, but Anita and Jackie don’t touch ‘em. Amy T., was way over cucumbers pretty early on, but Haven was ready to munch away on them in the car ride home. Jen H got full on lettuce, while Christine L. was psyched when she got the box that was accidentally packed with 3 heads. Nate doesn’t like collards and Terry is a recent convert (an now addict) to kale and bok choi. Lauren N, isn’t ready for fall root crops yet, but just posted an article on her blog, www.spicedplate.blogspot.com featuring BKF autumnal chow. Cindy loves her some eggplant, while Arunima tosses it on the trade table every time it shows up. The Hungarian Hot wax peppers hurt Shannon’s belly and although sweet to most, Rachel finds the purple Islander peppers spicy. Sarah B, says that BKF has the best garlic on the planet, and Darren and Skylar just do not ever have a taste for anything in the onion family. Then there’s the fearless, hardcore veggie power couples contingent of the Simpson/Riegel, O’Connell/Marks, Simpson/Korbet, Riegel/McEdward Dean/Henry and Hudson/Smith’s that know it all and eat it all, no matter what, no matter where. Linda H., is all sparkle, all the time. Some members chip away at the share and others plow through it in a few days. Folks get sick of tomatoes, but no one has never, not ever, traded a bunch of carrots in all my days as a Black Kettle farmer. Lots of crops, lots of opinions, nothing gets by me. If it’s not bugs, weeds or broken equipment, it’s your dinner menu, food allergies and cravings that put that hustle in this CSA bustle! Enjoy it y’all, because I sure do! So much love and bold italics…..

Moroccan Carrot Soup

Bon Appétit | April 2010

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

1 1 cup chopped white onion

1 pound large carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 2/3 cups)

2 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 cup plain yogurt, stirred to loosen

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Mix in carrots. Add broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes.

Stir cumin seeds in small skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes; cool. Finely grind in spice mill.

Remove soup from heat. Puree in batches in blender until smooth. Return to same pan. Whisk in honey, lemon juice, and allspice. Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle yogurt over; sprinkle generously with cumin.

All Roots Roast, You Can Do No Wrong

No Frills Veggie Splendor by Laura Higgins Neale

Set the oven to 375 degrees.

Drizzle olive oil onto a baking sheet.

Chop anything chunky that you have, including, but not limited to :

Potatoes

Rutabaga

Turnips

Beets

Carrots

Roll them around on a dish towel to absorb some of the excess water resulting in crispy veg.

Toss the veggies in the pan and move it all around with a wooden spoon.

Include whole cloves of garlic or chunks of onions, toss with salt and pepper and any herbs that may strike you, like oregano, thyme or rosemary. Sweet peppers roast nicely as well.

Pop in the oven and go along your merry way. Let roast for at least 30 minutes before checking, then poke your head in the oven, shake the pan, sample a turnip and give them some more time for the desired roasty and crispy effect.

Serve in a huge bowl and munch cold as leftovers.

CSA Week 15

today’s harvest

1 bunch collards

1 head lettuce

1 bunch carrots

1/4 pound arugula

1 pound rutabaga

1 pound sweet peppers

2 garlic

1 head savoy cabbage

delicata winter squash

Meadow Muses from Assistant Manager Shannon Gilpatrick….

Hello friends! At this point I’ve had a chance to meet and chat it up with almost everyone involved with the farm, but I’m sure you all still have questions about how exactly I ended up in the meadow and what I’m doing out there. Today I’ll put your minds at ease. I met Laura last year through some friends of hers that I had been working for at their farm in Kennebunk. I started as a working member of Black Kettle farm in June of 2010 and later took on a bit of hourly work. While out in the blazing sun that over the months transitioned into bitter cold, Laura and I talked at length about her travels, and to say the least I was inspired. I decided I was going to go on a four or so month trip through Central America and have a journey of my own. So in January away I went to Nicaragua, where I lived with a family and volunteered on a small organic farm for a month. During that time I took Spanish classes and really kicked it with the locals. I continued to travel through Nicaragua for another month and a half and at one point on the island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, I ran into the farmer friend who suggested I go work for Laura! I had a heads up she might be there, but I certainly wasn’t expecting to see her at pizza night. After Nicaragua I traveled in Guatemala and Mexico, ending at Mazunte on the Pacific coast, where I stayed on the beach for my last few weeks. Of course thoughts were pretty in the moment while on my trip, but I couldn’t help thinking once in a while about where I was going to call home when I returned to Maine, all I knew was that my dad had a little camper he said I could use. I was a bit concerned because the last thing I wanted to do was come home and spend all the money I was earning just to park the camper in a campground, when the real goal was to be able to go travel again the following winter. And that’s about the time Laura offered for me to work for her full time and live in the back meadow. Sure there isn’t running water or electricity, but I have a meadow all to myself. In all honesty, just having a room of my own that includes a fridge, stove and toilet is like ten steps up from the majority of places I stayed on my trip. Long story short, 2011 has been a great year! Filled with food, fireflies, farm work and the best experiences of my life.

Lamb Cabbage Rolls

www.seasonalontariofood.blogspot.com

Mix the Seasonings:

1/2 teaspoon ground celery seed

1/2 teaspoon ground dill or fennel seed

1 teaspoon dill weed

1 teaspoon savory (optional)

2 teaspoons dried mint

1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika

1 teaspoon salt

Make the Cabbage Rolls:

8 -12 large outer Savoy cabbage leaves

1 pound ground lamb

1 cup cooked and cooled rice, barley or other grain

1 large onion

1 medium-large carrot (2 cups when grated)

1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil

2 cups tomato sauce

1 to 2 teaspoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Heat the oil in a large skillet and cook the onions until quite soft, stirring frequently to prevent them from browning. Set them aside to cool.

Blanch cabbage leaves in the boiling water (use tongs!) until just softened, then put them in the sink to drain. Once the cooked vegetables are cool enough to handle, they can go into a mixing bowl with the meat, rice and seasonings. Mix well.

Shake each leaf dry and lay it out flat. Divide the meat mixture into 8 equal portions, and roll one portion into a rough tube. Put it in the middle of the cabbage leaf, then fold up the bottom (stem end). Fold in the sides, then roll up the leaf to finish. Put the cabbage roll in a large (9" x 13") lasagna pan. Do the same with the remaining cabbage leaves.

Drizzle the tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls, sprinkle them with the sugar, and cover them with foil. Bake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Roasted Red Peppers with Garlic

Bon Appétit | January 200

6-8 Sweet red peppers

1/4 cup olive oil

6 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced crosswise

1/4 cup Sherry wine vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss peppers with 1/4 cup olive oil in bowl. Transfer peppers to large rimmed baking sheet. Roast peppers until partially charred, turning every 10 minutes, about 50 minutes.

Transfer peppers to reserved bowl; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Cool 15 minutes. Peel and seed peppers over bowl. Tear each pepper lengthwise into 6 strips. Transfer pepper strips to heavy large skillet. Strain liquid from bowl into skillet. Add garlic, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil to skillet. Simmer over medium heat until liquid becomes syrupy, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes. Cool.

CSA Week 14

today’s harvest

1 head baby romaine lettuce

1 head savoy cabbage

1 bunch carrots

1 pound heirloom turnip

2 pounds Kennebec potato

2 heads garlic

sweet peppers

onions

eggplant

CSA is all about KNOW YOUR FOOD, KNOW YOUR FARMER, right? Well at this point you all seem pretty familiar with kale and you have no doubt made acquaintance with good ol’ carrots, lettuce, and onions. But, just who is this Laura person? It’s week 14, we have come a long way together, at this point I am ready to over share.

So, I am Laura Higgins Neale, I was born on January 21st 1977 during a raging blizzard in NYC and I am a triple Aquarius. I grew up in suburban New York and went to public high school and graduated in 1995. Even in my haze of being an 18 year old, I had some sense of clarity and came to college in Maine. I had my first farming apprenticeship in the summer of 1996 on a farm in Woolwich and graduated from Colby in 1995. Degree in Anthropology, random, yes. During college I worked on farms in the northeast, studied abroad in Bolivia, had good times with good friends (a few current CSA members in fact) and wore a whole lot of corduroy. Post college lent itself to many globe trots and traveling tendencies. I lived in Wyoming, Portland, Puerto Rico, and New Mexico and traveled in Central America and Cuba, when that got old I touched down in good ol’ San Francisco and had my time to shine. The Bay Area lead me to nothing but goodness. I worked for a few urban gardening, food justice based non-profit organizations, rode my bike a lot, fought the power, and met the most wonderful proactive, creative and inspiring people. Then when that got old, I hightailed it to Southeast Asia and on to India where I volunteered on an aloe and date farm, drank an insane amount of chai and bopped about until I found myself in Nepal where I trekked, ate an insane amount of lentils and bopped about until it was time to come on back to California where I had been accepted in the UC Santa Cruz Agro-Ecology Apprenticeship program. Six months of living on the farm at the University and receiving a formal training in agriculture, honed the skills acquired after being a lackey on several farms across the globe and made me realize that for sure, no doubt, let’s do this - growing food is my absolute passion. From then on, all I can do is farm the veggies without any interruption. Two great friends and I started Sol Food Farm in Sonoma County, California. After two years the over abundance of grapes and the lack of water and farmland in general there started to get to me, so I headed east and worked on a huge 400 member CSA in Connecticut. One thing lead to another, the universe stepped in, Maine took hold yet again and I got a job managing a farm (Wolf Pine) in Alfred. It only took one season to know that although I am still whole heartedly bi-coastal, my travelin’ days are over and Black Kettle Farm, an entity that had been with me over time, if only as just a twinkle in eye,has emerged. Three seasons deep and the tale continues to progress, transform and evolve. To be continued....

My favorite color is blue (but also sometimes brown and purple) I only listen to reggae music, I am a total beach person and I am obsessed with Mexican food.

Cabbage with Indian Spices

Farmer John’s Cookbook, The Real Dirt on Vegetables

3 TBLS vegetable oil or ghee

2 cups minced onions

1 1/2 tsps minced ginger

1 hot pepper (optional) or red pepper flakes

1 pound cabbage, shredded

1 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

pinch tumeric

3 TBLS water

1/2 tsp salt

Heat the oil or ghee in a skillet over medium heat and add the onions, ginger, hot pepper and sauté until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the cabbage, add coriander, cayenne and tumeric and mix well. Add the water and salt and reduce the heat to simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Adjust spices to taste.

Skillet Turnips and Potatoes with Bacon

Bon Appétit | October 2010

* 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

* 1 tablespoon sugar

* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

* 8 ounces thick-cut bacon slices, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces – if you’re vegetarian, just skip this or substitute with tempeh

* 1 medium onion, thinly sliced

* 4 large garlic cloves, peeled, crushed

* 1 1/2 pounds turnips, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks

* 1 1/2 pounds white-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks

* 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

Mix 1/4 cup water, vinegar, and sugar in small bowl. Combine oil and bacon in heavy large skillet; sauté over medium-high heat until fat is rendered, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onion and garlic; sauté until onion is golden, about 5 minutes. Add turnips and potatoes; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sea salt and toss 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium/low, cover, and cook until vegetables are almost tender, stirring and turning vegetables occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Push vegetables to 1 side of skillet. Pour vinegar mixture into cleared space. Toss vegetables with vinegar mixture. Spread vegetables in even layer in skillet; cook until golden and slightly crisp on bottom, about 4 minutes. Turn vegetables over; spread in even layer and cook until browned and slightly crisp on bottom, about 4 minutes. Continue to turn, spread, and cook vegetables until tender, golden, and crisp around edges, 7 to 8 minutes longer. Season with more sea salt and black pepper. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with parsley.

ALERT : Shannon Gilpatrick, farm assistant manager, is in the market for a reliable, and inexpensive automobile. Any input is greatly appreciated!

CSA week 13

1 bunch kale

1 head lettuce

1 bunch carrots

3 heads broccoli

1 bunch leeks

tomatoes

sungold cherry tomatoes

rutabaga

sweet peppers

hot pepper

As we trot on into September, Black Kettle Farm is living the truth, that the more things change, the more things just straight up stay the same. Things are constantly in motion on the farm. All of you certainly know this, as you never get the same produce from one week to the next. We no doubt keep you guessing and keep your taste buds on their toes. Tomatoes are on the way out, but the fall roots are pretty much jumping out of the ground. Cucumbers seem like a distant memory, but the winter squash is rising to the surface. Haven’t thought about a scallion in months, but the storage onions are curing in the green house. Change is absolutely every where, from the veggies and beyond. Steve, the cosmic feline, is feeling much better and is back to his way freaky self after his brush with death and chart topping temperature of 105 degrees a few weeks back. The pig pen is empty, if you catch my drift, and the absence of the girls is apparent. Many a pause has been taken in regards to animals, meat consumption and the way of the world, it’s really no picnic to “know your food” and it first it feels weird to do so, but then it feels even weirder and scarier not to. (Might I recommend a period of reflection?) On a way lighter note, a super duper positive change has been the record breaking farmer’s markets that we just keep on having. After making the command decision to step it up and go HUGE for the Labor Day market, we cruised on down to Portsmouth on in nothing less then a U-Haul truck and as a result, the farm absolutely blew it up and sold more produce and made more cash then ever before. As all of this is happening, and the days are getting ever so slightly shorter, some things just never, ever change. We still are blown away by the unrelenting abundance of this land, we are still constantly grateful for all the support and positivity bestowed upon the farm by friends, neighbors and real random strangers, we are still way obsessed with chard and even after 13 weeks we still cannot stop marveling at the kind, fun, whacky, and whole heartedly good times crew of CSA members that have found their way to the farm this season. Yay and hurray! Y’all are great, don’t change a thing!

Cook a lot and enjoy this food. We only have 6 weeks left of the fresh, fresh goodness!

Double Broccoli Quinoa

www.101cookbooks.com

3 cups cooked quinoa

5 cups raw broccoli, cut into small florets and stems

3 medium garlic cloves

2/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

2 big pinches salt

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup heavy cream

Cook quinoa (1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water, bring to a boil and lower the heat and cook for about 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed).

Now barely cook the broccoli by pouring 3/4 cup water into a large pot and bringing it to a simmer. Add a big pinch of salt and stir in the broccoli. Cover and cook for a minute, just long enough to take the raw edge off. Transfer the broccoli to a strainer and run under cold water until it stops cooking. Set aside.

To make the broccoli pesto puree two cups of the cooked broccoli, the garlic, 1/2 cup of the almonds, Parmesan, salt, and lemon juice in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil and cream and pulse until smooth.

Just before serving, toss the quinoa and remaining broccoli florets with about 1/2 of the broccoli pesto, top with the remaining almonds

Carrots and Rutabagas with Lemon and Honey

Bon Appétit | November 2001

* 1 1/4 pounds rutabagas, peeled, cut into matchstick-size strips

* 1 pound carrots, peeled, cut into matchstick-size strips

* 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

* 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

* 3 tablespoons honey

* 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

* 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives

Cook rutabagas in large pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes. Add carrots and cook until vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes. Drain.

Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add lemon juice, honey, and peel. Bring to boil. Add vegetables; cook until glazed, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Mix in fresh chives.

CSA Week 12

August 30 & 31

today’s harvest

1 bunch kale

1 head lettuce

1 pound beets

1 head broccoli

fresh onions

tomatoes

sungold cherry tomatoes

garlic

watermelon

basil bouquet

Lucky Number Twelve is really more like it. Here we are, about to turn the corner of Labor Day weekend. It is the quintessential summer and fall cross over moment. We have all been energetically sharing food and giving thanks together for the last 3 months and come whipping winds and black skies, the bounty just won’t quit! There is absolutely no reason to eat outside of the box this week. With the last of the season’s basil, to the first cutting of the fall broccoli, yet another fresh salad, a mountain of tomatoes and a watermelon for dessert.

Yes, Irene smacked us pretty had, but every thing was put away and strapped down tight. The fourteen foot sunflowers held on and road out the winds, as did the rock solid greenhouse, the barn roof and the deer fence. Even the freshly seeded arugula managed to keep it’s head above water. What could have been an epic washout, proved to not be all that bad, howsoever, a good ol’ bout of farmer weather anxiety and notions of pending doom did take hold for a moment there, but yet again, we have learned that “worry is not lucrative” and the Kettle and it’s bubble of safety and goodness continues to prevail. And because every thing always, always works out, the power juiced up again right before CSA harvest so we had flowing water, a working walk in cooler and bumping tunes to get us through the morning push.

As for the field, the veggies could not look better. A little Irene, and a whole lotta sunshine is really working for the fall crops. Look forward to gorgeous cabbage, carrots galore, roots, and baby greens. The most notable change that Irene did lay in her wake was the impact on the tomatoes. The creeping blight that gets invigorated by moisture is raging and the extremely strong winds that unleashed up on our bluff really rattled our girls hard. This huge burst will most likely lend itself to a dramatic shut off in tomato action, so enjoy them while you can!

Here’s to blue skies, crispy nights, fall fashions, good autumnal times and great, great veggie splendor! How much do we love September in Maine??

Kale and Walnut Pesto

Farmers John’s Cookbook – The Real Dirt on Vegetables

Farmer John Peterson and Angelic Organics

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 TBLS plus 1/2 tsp salt, divided

1/2 pound kale, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

fresh ground pepper

Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over high heat, stirring constantly, until they start to brown. Transfer to a dish to cool.

Boil 2 quarts of water and add 1 TBLS salt and kale. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

Put garlic, kale and walnuts in blender and pulse to combine. With the machine running, pour in the olive oil.

Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cheese and remaining oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Great warm with pasta, or cold on crackers. Pop it in the freezer and enjoy in February!

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Tried and True Veggie Goodness the Easy Breezy Way

Laura Higgins Neale and Black Kettle Farm

Set the oven to 250 degrees.

Locate a flat cookie sheet or baking tin. Pour olive oil to cover the bottom and then just a touch more.

Slice up all the tomatoes that you feel like using.

Crush garlic, but keep the cloves whole and toss it on the tray with the toms.

Place in the oven and go about your business for the next two to three hours. Check back every now and again and shake the pan or move all gloppiness around with a wooden spoon.

Add to any thing or just eat with a spoon. Tomatoes this way are an absolute show stopper and could not be easier. The roasted garlic and the sweetness of the tomatoes will knock your socks right off!

manga, Mainers, manga!

CSA Week 11

1 bunch swiss chard

1 bunch collard greens

1 bunch carrots

2 pounds new potatoes

fresh onions

sweet Islander peppers

tomatoes

sungold cherry tomatoes

asian eggplant

cucumber

We are deep into August and even though the Things to Do List is not as long as it was back in June, our bodies and souls are feeling the residual effects of work, work and more veggie work. It’s been lots of sun and lots of lugging cucumbers. A sign of the times presented itself this morning when I reached for a harvest tool and pulled out a bottle of ibuprofen. It’s lookin’ like late August in these parts. Howsoever, the current weather could absolutely not be better for growing and there is food and goodness coming out of every inch of this farm. Even though Sunday was stormy and swirly, we had a great CSA and Friends of the Farm Mixer. We held it down in the barn, shared great food and drink, bounced lots of babies and even caught a double rainbow. Thanks to all those that braved the storm and kicked it old school (as well as the keg) in the Kettle barn. It was such a treat to have you all here.

It brings me great pleasure to announce the arrival of another community member…

Welcome Jonah Mose Nilson, son to Rachel Gitelson and Doug Nilson, and brother to Eli of Yarmouth. Congrats! We love you!

This community is fertile and abundant indeed! On that note, I will shout it loud and proud that BKF just keeps on shattering all records at the Portsmouth Farmer’s market. Way to go Team Fabulous! For all those that are interested, this week’s share of produce would cost about $37.00 at a local farmer’s market.

And, because it is back to school time, I am assigning some required reading to inspire you as you unpack your veggie haul over the remainder of the season. Please check out this article from the Dana Farber Institute http://www.dana-farber.org/Newsroom/News-Releases/Summer-foods-that-may-fight-cancer.aspx. It’s all about how specifically fresh, local vegetables have the most nutritional and anti-cancer benefits around.

Stephanie Meyers, RD, LDN, CNSD, a nutritionist at Dana-Farber, says “we really want people to minimize the time between the field and the plate to get the most anti-cancer benefit," stresses Meyers. The author states that dark leafy greens, cooked tomatoes, anything orange, like carrots and squash (which is on the way) and locally raised, fresh garlic are the key steps to fighting cancer. Hurray! What great news, we are all doing sooo well! Much love and many blessings.

White Beans with Roasted Tomatoes

Gourmet | June 2004

For beans

* 1 lb dried cannellini beans (2 cups), picked over and rinsed

* 1 lb small onions (left unpeeled)

* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (preferably sea salt), or to taste

For tomatoes

2 lb large tomatoes, cored and halved crosswise

* 1 pint cherry tomatoes

* 1 teaspoon salt (preferably sea salt)

* 1 teaspoon sugar

* 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

* 1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves

Cook beans:

Cover beans with cold water by 2 inches in a bowl and soak at room temperature at least 8 hours. Drain well in a colander.

Blanch onions in boiling salted water , 1 minute, then drain and peel.

Cover beans with cold water by about 1 inch in a 5- to 6-quart pot and bring to a boil. Add onions and simmer, partially covered, skimming froth as necessary, until beans and onions are tender, 40 minutes to 1 hour. Stir in salt and let stand (in cooking liquid), uncovered.

Roast tomatoes while beans are cooking:

Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 500°F.

Toss tomato halves and cherry tomatoes with salt, sugar, and oil in a shallow 3-quart baking dish, then arrange tomato halves cut sides up. Roast tomatoes, uncovered, until large tomatoes are very tender with brown patches and cherry tomatoes are falling apart, 35 to 50 minutes.

Assemble dish:

Transfer warm beans and onions with a slotted spoon to a deep large platter. Arrange tomatoes decoratively on top of beans and pour tomato juices on top. Sprinkle with basil leaves.

Swiss Chard with Raisins and Pine Nuts

Farmer John’s Cookbook, The Real Dirt on Vegetables

1/4 cup olive oil, divided

1/2 cup thinly sliced onion

1 clove minced garlic

1 1/2 pounds swiss chard

1/3 cup raisins

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 tablespoon lemon juice

salt and pepper

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet and add onion and garlic. Cook until golden.

Add the chard in batches, adding more as the leaves wilt. Cover the pan between batches. Once the chard is wilted, add the raisins, pine nuts, lemon juice and remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

August 16 & 17

today’s harvest

1 head lettuce

1 bunch kale

1 bunch carrots

2 pounds new potatoes

1 bunch basil

fresh onions

garlic

sweet Islander peppers

tomatoes

asian eggplant

1 hungarian hot wax pepper

It is truly amazing what a little bit of rain can do for the temperament and perspective. I do not know if I could ask for a better timed two day stretch of gray skies and pleasant and steady precipitation. It feels like the farm is really and truly stabilizing after the absolute freak out that was this past July. These last few gray days have allowed for a much needed slower pace. We just may actually have a handle on things. The weeds aren’t as scary as they used to be, things that we have been waiting for all season, like tomatoes and carrots are flowing, and the groundhog in the fall crops doesn’t appear to be as hungry as he used to be.

The sprint portion is over and now we move into the endurance phase of the ol’ farming experience. The harvests are heavy and there is just so much food coming out of this little place, it’s almost staggering. We now have the glorious cross over of tender fall kale with new potatoes, and garlic that was planted last October alongside basil, cherry tomatoes and fresh lettuce. Crops that were planted in the beginning of the season, have been turned back into the soil and new rounds of greens and roots are coming on strong. After focusing on getting it all out there and growing, now we shift into getting it all in.

And for the record, the farm had its highest grossing farmer’s market EVER last Saturday and we are more then over half way through the CSA season. Things are moving along for sure as we cruise together into the best and most flavorful part of the year. A little rain, a whole lotta heat, a full moon, a bountiful harvest…such a time for celebration. Cannot wait to have you all down to the farm this Sunday!

Be sure to keep up with the Kettle!

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Check on the article in the August 5, 2011 New York Times Magazine by Mark Bittmen on using tomatoes. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/08/07/magazine/mag-07eat-recipes.html. It is a fantastic resource and will give you great ideas about how to make the most of your tomato haul. These days the shares have most (if not all) of the ingredients in these recipes. Here are some highlights from the article, but check it out in it’s entirety for some major inspiration.

Moroccan Style Tomato Soup With Chickpeas

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon ginger

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons coriander

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 pounds tomatoes, chopped

2 cups of stock

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas

Parsley or cilantro for garnish

1. Cook onion and garlic and ginger in olive oil for 5 minutes. 2. Add 2 teaspoons each cumin, coriander and cinnamon; cook for 1 minute. 3. Add tomatoes, stock and cooked chickpeas. 3. Simmer until saucy. 4. Garnish with parsley or cilantro.

Garlicky Pappa al Pomodoro

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped

3-4 tablespoons minced garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

2 pounds of tomatoes, chopped

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

2 cups day-old bread, torn

Basil

1. Cook onion and minced garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes. 2. Add tomatoes and vegetable or chicken stock. 3. Simmer until the tomatoes break up. 4. Stir in torn day-old bread, cover and let sit off the heat for 10 minutes. 5.. Garnish with shredded basil.

See you this Sunday! 3:00 Farm is Open! 4:00 Tour! 5:00 Veggie Pot Luck and Groovy Good Times Black Kettle Style!