Recipe Of The Week: Mild Salsa

Mild Salsa

8 cups  peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes (about 5 pounds)
2 cups of seeded and chopped green, red, or yellow bell peppers
1 cup of chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, minces
2 Tablespoons of minced cilantro
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of vinegar
2 drops of hot pepper sauce

Combine all ingredients in a large kettle.  Bring the mixture to a boil: reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Carefully ladle the hot salsa into hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 inch headroom.  Adjust lids.  Process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes.  Makes about 7 half pints.

Things Are Hopping

Things on the farm must be hopping because Andy didn't have time to write a newsletter and Lizzie didn't send a recipe.

I see an heirloom tomato this week.  And more of the best corn on the planet.  Have you tried the new way (well, new to me) to shuck corn?  Boil the ears just like you find them in the box.  Remove them from the water and cut about an inch or two off the bottom.  Hold it up bottom down and the ear comes out clean.  It is amazing and a time saver to boot!

Heirloon Tomatoes Are Coming

 Andy is hoping for a little bit of rain this week.  He is having to use the irrigation system which is okay, but rain from the sky would even be better.  The heirloom tomatoes (the large pink ones) have been so slow in ripening due to the colder weather we had.  Good news for all of us...it looks like they are coming on heavy real soon. 

Speaking of tomatoes...orders will be taken for canning tomatoes and canning peppers in the next month.  Canning tomatoes are the tomatoes that have the little cuts and nicks in them.  They aren't pretty to look at but they are great for canning.  Taste just a good as the pretty ones.  The peppers might have little black spots of them.  Those spots can be cut out and can just fine.  They don't quite make the grade to pack in our CSA boxes but are fine for canning and freezing.  The price for the tomatoes is $.50 per pound and the peppers are $10.00 per half bushel.

Please remember to bring your empty CSA boxes to your pick up location when picking up a new box.  Andy is running low on boxes and he really doesn't want to have to go buy new boxes.  Please bring back your empties.  And also be considerate of the pick-up location.  Breakdown you box and pack the egg cartons and green baskets in a CSA box.  Keep the pick-up area as nice as you find it.

Recipe of The Week: Chicken Bacon RanchPizza

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

Use the following ingredients to make the crust
2 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2/3 cup of milk
1/3 cup of oil

Mix together and press onto a greased cookie sheet or a 10 inch round pizza pan.  Bake at 350 degrees until barley done.

Cream together the following for sauce and spread on the baked crust:
3/4 cup of sour cream
4 ounces of cream cheese
3/4 cup of ranch dressing

Next, for toppings you will need:
1 medium onion chopped
1 pound of cooked and cubed chicken
1 medium tomato, diced (optional)
cheese, your choice
1/3 pound of bacon, fried and crumbled
1 cup fried diced potatoes (optional)
peppers and mushrooms (optional)

Put onions, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and mushrooms on sauce.  Cover with chicken and bacon.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Top with your favorite cheese and bake again until the cheese is melted.

Dinner In A Box

This is what I call Dinner In A Box!

 

I've notice that it is starting to be a little drier around here.  Lots more watering to do.  I have been having to water everything...flowers and vegetables.  Andy says that it is getting drier on the farm also.  They will probably have to start up the irrigation system again.  He is pleased that the crops are showing no signs of distress.

 

The sweet corn will be coming on in the second patch soon.

 

Growing Methods at Cedarmore Farm:

Everything starts with the soil. The plants depend on the soil for their survival.  To grow good healthy food the farmers must take good care of the soil.  There is an old saying..."So goes the soil, so goes the farmer."  And Andy would add to that..."so goes the soil, so goes the people."  Food grown in well managed soil will have food with more mineral content.  Unhealthy soil produces unhealthy plants that are prone to deseases and insects.  So food grown in unhealthy soils can be lower in minerals and usually need to be sprayed with toxic chemicals.  These chemicals are harmful to the microbes in the soil.  Andy feels that most of the large farms in our country do not pay much attention to their soils.  I feel sure this topic will be discussed again down the road.

 

 

Recipe Of The Week: Pineapple Carrot Salad

Pineapple Carrot Salad

 

3 ounces package of lemon gelatin

1 cup of boiling water

10 1/2 ounce can of crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup of pineapple juice

1 1/2 cup of grated carrots

1/2 cup of nuts

 

Dissolve gelatin in ho water.  Drain juice from crushed pineapple (add water if needed).  Add pineapple juice to gelatin.  Chill.  When mixture begins to thicken add pineapple, carrots, and nuts.  Pour into 1 quart mold or bowl.  Serve on lettuce with mayonnaise if desired.



Eggpalnt and Cantaloupe This Week

The Andy's and all the workers are busy on the farm.  I think it might be the busiest they have been this season with weeding, picking, canning, storing and planting.  the planting is to make sure that they have enough produce for the rest of he Summer Shares and into the Winter Shares.  I love what Andy says about the weeds...'with all the rain that we have had there is quite a bit of weed pressure'.  Seems like I might not be the only one that can't seem to stay ahead of all the weeds.

Got word that the bluegills are biting at Rocky Fork Lake.  Sounds like the weeds will get a break for a day.  A fishing and picnicking they will go.  Something I experienced last year when I got to spend the day fishing...we English mostly fish for the sport while the Amish do it to survive.  They are putting food on the table for the family as well and getting to spend a little time away the chores of the farm. Not to mention a little time of fellowship.

Recipe Of The Week: Green Bean Ham Potato Casserole

Green Bean Ham Potato Casserole

 

3/8 cup of butter

3/8 cup of flour

3 cups of milk

1 1/2 cups of grated cheddar or American cheese

4 cups of green beans, cooked

4 medium potatoes, cooked and diced

3 cups of ham, cooked and diced

bread crumbs optional

 

Melt butter and stir in flour.  Add milk, stirring constantly until thickened.  Remove from heat.  Add cheese and stir until melted.  Arrange potatoes in a buttered casserole.  Cover with green beans.  Pour 1/2 of the cheese sauce over the green beans.  Add ham and remaining cheese sauce.  Top with buttered bread crumbs if desired.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.



Recipe Share: Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

 1 cup chopped onion
 2/3 cup uncooked rice
 1 lb ground beef, seasoned for meat loaf
 6 tbsp butter
 4 oz chopped mushrooms, fresh or canned
 4 cups coarsely chopped cabbage
 3 cups spaghetti sauce

Saute onion, rice and meat loaf mixture in butter, mix together thoroughly.
Add mushrooms and spread mixture in bottom of large baking dish.  Top with
cabbage and then spaghetti sauce. 

Cover and bake 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Submitted by Carolyn Wolbers

Things Are Getting Back To Normal

Vacations are over and little fun adventures with the grandkids so hopefully blogging on Tuesday will get back on track.  It bothers me when I don't get them up.  Feel like I am letting Andy and Lizzie down.  They work so hard at making sure everything is great for the CSA customers...I just want to do my little part to help them.

 

The weather has been dry lately, although they had some really nice rains in the last 24 hours.  Andy went ahead and set up the irrigation system, so they will be ready to pump water in case there is a drought. 

 

The onions are all now harvested and on racks to dry.  So far the new drying system is working out really well.  Hopefully the new system will keep the onions dry through the winter.  Only time will tell.  Since the onion crop did so well, we can expect to get onions from now until the end of the fall season.  Hopefully we can use them as we get them but if there is an abundance there are several ways to store them.  Either put them in mesh bags and hang them up or lay them out in layers, one by one.  If space is an issue, you can probably go two or three layers deep.  Either way you do it be sure to store them in a cool dry place where temperatures don't fluctuate too much.  Another option is freezing.  (See the Recipe Of The Week)  There are a few CSA members who store their onions like this and they use them in soups and stir fries.   Great for all those winter soups and stews.

 

Field tomatoes are picking up and the hoop house tomatoes are slowing down.  That puts us in between right now.  Most of the tomatoes that we will be getting from here on out will be field tomatoes.