Farm Happenings for August 12, 2021

Thought it would be fun to see an aerial view of the Farm 

Hello Members - Happy Weekend!   How has your week been?  Farmers and the plants have enjoyed this week with its beautiful weather that has given the plants a growth spurt and allowed us to get on the fields with the tractors and do some much needed cultivating to remove the weeds.  

This will be our seventh week as we turn the corner into August  - and a few members have asked about - Pick Your Own - and when it may start?  Due to late planting and weather - best guess would be end of this month - and also a couple of Saturday's in September - for those who are new this year or have not joined us before - we designate certain Saturday's when you may visit the Farm from 9 am to 12 noon - to pick our own vegetables - there is no charge - and you may bring family or friends with you to enjoy your visit to the Farm - I will supply you with more details as soon as we are able to identify the first Saturday 

Sweet Corn is back this week  - the corn is offered per ear in your share - so if you want more than one ear, you will need to increase the number under the corn picture to the amount you want

How to Grill Corn on the Cob

1. In the husk – In this method, the ears of corn steam inside the husk, yielding juicy, tender kernels that are bright yellow and barely charred. I pull the husks of the corn back, leaving them attached at the base, and remove the silk. Then, I pull the husks back up and soak the corn in the husks for 10 minutes. (Soaking corn hydrates the husks, preventing them from burning too much on the grill.) After the corn soaks, I pat it dry and grill it in the husks until the corn is tender and light char marks form. I choose this method when I’m craving really juicy, sweet grilled corn on the cob, and I’m not as concerned about the char.

2. Straight on the grill – Choose this method if you’re all about the char! Here, I shuck the corn, removing the silk and husks, and cook the cobs directly on the grill. Cooking corn this way means that the kernels won’t be quite as juicy – they’ll lose some of their moisture to the hot grill grates. However, they’ll be nicely charred and full of smoky flavor. This method is also great if you’re short on time. With no soaking required, the grilled corn cooks up in minutes.

If you have leftovers -

 Note: Roast the jalapeño alongside the corn if you like.

Eggplant will be making its first appearance this week -  

Grilled Eggplant

This is our second fruit share week - and many members have commented that they really enjoyed their first fruit share - I spoke with Jim at Altamont Orchards and here are the fruits that will be in your share  - Blueberries - Donut Peaches - Nectarines - Pristine Apples - Ped Haven Peaches  - Shiro Plums - The fruit shares do not have choice - the best fruits available at the time are picked for your shares

Shiro Plums –   best of yellow plums. This variety beats all others in appearance and taste. Luminous yellow skin covers sweet, juicy flesh. Shiro plums may be eaten fresh out of hand. They also are good in desserts such as tarts and pies. They are commonly used to make preserves and jams. If they are still a little green, Shiro plums can be ripened at room temperature, turning a gold-yellow when mature. To speed up the ripening process, they may be placed in a paper bag. Shiro plums are soft when they are ripe, and can be easily bruised. Store them in a bag in the refrigerator, where they will be good for 2 to 3 days.

Easy Summer Crisp

Ingredients 2 lbs ripe plums, washed, dried, halved and pitted 1 cup blueberries or blackberries, washed and dried 1-2 tbsp. cane sugar zest of half a lemon 1 tsp vanilla extract 8 tbsp. cold, unsalted butter 3/4 cup oats (quick, old-fashioned or steel-cut) 1 cup whole-grain spelt or barley flour 1/2 tsp salt 2/3 cup brown sugar 1/2 tsp cinnamon dash of nutmeg, ground cloves and ground ginger 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Method Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl, toss together the first five ingredients. Spread evenly in the bottom of a deep 8-inch x 8-inch or 7-inch x 10-inch baking dish. Set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in the butter until it is mixed thoroughly and evenly with the dry ingredients and resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the mixture over the crisp and bake for 35-45 minutes or until the juices of the fruit bubble on the sides and the topping is golden brown. Let it cool slightly just so there are no scalded tongues. Serve alone or with a dollop of whipped cream, coconut whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Want to “health up” your crisp? – Substitute 1/4 cup of one of the flours with almond flour/meal – Add 2 tbsp ground flax to the crumb topping – Substitute half or more of the butter with coconut oil – Substitute half or more of the cane sugar with coconut sugar crystals – Substitute finely chopped dates for a portion of the sugar if you don’t want so much added sugar - Happy crisping!

Redhaven Peach An excellent freestone peach with red-blushed, yellow skin and firm, sweet, yellow flesh. Ideal for fresh eating, canning and freezing.  Freestone peaches have fruit that easily pulls away from the pit

 To ripen the easiest method is simply to leave peaches on the counter. Peaches like best to be kept on their shoulders (not their bottoms) and not touching one another.

If you want to speed things up, pop the peaches in a paper bag. It will contain the ethylene gas the fruit gives off, which hastens the ripening process.  Want to speed things up even more and ripen them faster? Add a banana in there, too, for even more ethylene action.

GRILLED Peaches WITH ALMOND WHIPPED CREAM & HONEY

Yield: 8 GRILLED Peach HALVES   prep time: 10 MINUTES   cook time: 2 MINUTES   total time: 12 MINUTES

Sweet grilled peaches topped with almond flavored whipped cream, toasted almonds, and honey, is the perfect finish to any dinner!  

INGREDIENTS FOR THE GRILLED Peaches ·      4 peaches, halved ·      1 t. butter, melted ·      3 t. honey, divided ·      2 T. sliced almonds, toasted

FOR THE ALMOND WHIPPED CREAM ·      1/3 cup whipping cream ·      1/2 t. almond extract ·      1 1/2 T. powdered sugar

INSTRUCTIONS 1.   Heat a grill pan over medium high heat 2.   In a small dish whisk together the melted butter and a teaspoon of honey. 3.   Cut the peaches in half and brush the melted honey butter on the cut side. 4.   Place the peaches cut side down onto the heated grill pan. 5.   Grill the peaches for about 2 minutes and then remove them from the pan and place them cut side up onto a plate. 6.   Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer, add the whipping cream, almond extract, and powdered sugar. 7.   Beat the whipped cream until stiff peaks form. 8.   Spoon about a tablespoon of the whipped cream on top of each peach half. 9.   Sprinkle on the sliced almonds and drizzle on the remaining 2 teaspoons of honey. Enjoy!

 Donut Peaches   One of the tastiest – and perhaps cutest summer stone fruits is the aptly named donut peach. They are the size and shape of a donut, especially when the small, round pit comes out, leaving a perfect hole in the center Ripe donut peaches are notably flavorful, juicy and sweet with a hint of almond.  The fruit's thin, red skin has little or no fuzz, so it doesn't have to be peeled.  Their small size lends itself to being eaten out of hand.

  Pristine apples – early summer apple -  they have a balanced, sweet-tart flavor with light astringent notes of spice, banana, and green apple.   It's skin is a beautiful lemon yellow that bears a delicate orange blush on its sun-side. Good for eating – cooking - baking – and applesauce making!

Baked Apples

 Dairy Free, Grain/Gluten Free, Paleo, Refined Sugar Free, Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal, Vegan   Servings: 4   Author: Every Last Bite

Ingredients 2 large apples 2 tbsp coconut oil melted 1 tbsp cinnamon 1 1/2 tbsp honey*

Filling 3 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut 3/4 tsp cinnamon 1 tbsp honey* 1/4 tsp nutmeg 3 tbsp coconut oil 1 1/2 tbsp almond flour pinch of salt

Toppings 1 can coconut cream 1 tsp honey* 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 cup toasted pecans chopped

Instructions 1.             Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius (390 degrees Fahrenheit) 2.             Peel the apples, core and slice in half. Place the apples face down on a cutting board and cut 3/4 of the way through the apple, continue making slices across the rest of the apple. Repeat with the other 3 halves. 3.             Combine the melted coconut oil, cinnamon and honey in a bowl. Place the sliced apples face down in a baking dish and liberally brush with the coconut oil, honey and cinnamon mixture. Cover the baking dish with tinfoil and bake in the over for 25-30 minutes or until the apples become tender.Remove from the oven and allow the apples to slightly cool. 4.             In a bowl combine the ingredients for the filling. Add 1-2 spoonfuls of the apple juice from the bottom of the pan to thin out the mixture. 5.             Using a fork, carefully place a small amount of the coconut mixture into each of the slits. Once the apples have been stuffed, return the baking dish to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes. 6.             While the apples are cooking, stir the coconut cream, honey and cinnamon together. Be sure not to over stir as the cream may become more liquid. 7.             To serve top each apple with a spoon full of the coconut whip and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Notes *Honey can be substituted with maple syrup to make this dish vegan

Nectarines - Nectarines & Peaches what's the difference?  It's no wonder we get these two summer fruits confused - they're almost identical genetically. The main difference between the two is peaches have a fuzzy coating, while nectarines are completely smooth without any coating. So, what does all this mean for cooking? For the most part, peaches and nectarines can be used interchangeably. 

 We are still very much in need of volunteers to help us at the Farm - we experienced significantly low numbers of volunteers this Spring and sign up is still low for the Summer months  - if you are considering volunteering at the Farm - please contact one of our farmers - Brandon to schedule your time - brandonm@regionalfoodbank.net  Thank you!