In the share this week:
2 lbs green beans
1 pie pumpkin
1 bunch green onions
1 bag salad mix
1 lb tomatoes
1 bag banana, poblano and jalapeno peppers
1 cucumber
Thoughts from Farmer Anna:
The heat and humidity of summer is back a bit this week, but it's still not so bad as it is in mid-July. We are focused on getting more beds ready for fall planting and weeding the crops that have already sprouted. I'm working on balancing my work on the farm and helping the kids with their school work. There are lots of things we are missing this school year, but there are also plenty of positive aspects to doing school at home. I am getting to spend more time with the kiddos than I ever do during normal school year or during the busiest parts of the summer. I do feel some guilt that I have so little time to spend with the kids during the summer when they are off school. So this year will give us some special quality time together.
We are bringing in more of the winter squash this week. Cute little pie pumpkins are coming in your shares. These typically store for months, so they can be used for decoration for awhile before you cook them if you like. Butternuts will be next, but they'll need to cure for a bit before they go into shares. We are harvesting lots of beautiful green beans this week, so they'll be 2 lbs in shares this week. That's enough to make a mess of beans, or to freeze some if you don't want to use them this week. The salad mix lettuces have really appreciated the cooler temperatures these last few weeks, so we have enough for shares again this week. I'm looking forward to lots more of this awesome mix in the fall. Green onions are back on this week as well and the cucumbers are having a last bit of production before they are done for the season. Even with succession planting, it's tough to have cucumbers past August (or even past July sometimes) since the insect and disease pressure is so high. I'm happy that we've had at least some cucumber production from June through August!
Recipes from Maria:
Roasted Tomatillo and three Pepper Guacamole
Ingredients
8 tomatillos
1 poblano pepper
1 jalapeño pepper
1 banana pepper
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp olive oil
4 avocados
½ red onion, diced
½ lime, juiced
1 ½ tsp cumin
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
garnish with Cojita cheese and roasted and salted pepitas
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400℉.
Place the tomatillos, poblano pepper, jalapeño pepper, banana pepper, and garlic on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and roast for about 10-15 minutes. (You will need to remove the garlic before the other vegetables.) Once the vegetables are roasted and browned, remove from the oven and allow to cool until they are easy to touch. Peel the vegetable skins. Remove the seeds and chop the peppers. Chop the tomatillos. Mince the roasted garlic.
Place the chopped vegetables, avocados, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Garnish with the Cojita cheese and Pepitas. Enjoy!
Lebanese Pumpkin Hummus
Ingredients
1 small pumpkin, peeled and cored, I used butternut squash
2-4 tbsp lemon juice (depending on the sweetness of your pumpkin)
1 garlic clove, pressed
5 tbsp tahini
½ tsp salt, more to taste
¼ tsp hot chilli powder (optional)
olive oil, for roasting
fresh parsley or coriander, to garnish
black and white sesame seeds, to garnish
2 tsp chilli oil or extra virgin olive oil, to garnish
Instructions
Heat up the oven to 425° F and line a baking tray with a piece of parchment paper. Cut your pumpkin into evenly sized pieces and coat in a little olive oil. Bake for about 30 minutes – until soft and lightly caramelised. Alternatively, you can steam your pumpkin instead and scoop out the pulp.
Transfer pumpkin to a food processor (as opposed to the traditional hummus, a food processor works much better here than an upright blender). Add tahini, pressed garlic, salt, chilli, and lemon juice to taste. Whiz until smooth. If the paste is too thick, trickle in 1-2 tbsp of water to thin it out.
Transfer the hummus onto a plate, smooth it with the back of a spoon. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil or chilli oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds and fresh herbs. Serve with toasted pita or sourdough bread.