Peak tomato
It’s almost September and in the garden we are at the tail end of our planting. Just a few hardy greens remain to be planted, such as spinach and arugula. As temperatures moderate, cool weather crops, such as broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, beets, escarole, and carrots, breathe a sigh of relief. Their growth is slower during hot weather and speeds up when it is cooler. It seems counter intuitive but these crops get planted during the hottest part of the summer. It is important to have them already established once this cool weather arrives, because the amount of daylight is decreasing, so they only have about a month to do some serious growth. Warm weather crops keep chugging along, I regret that I chose a poor place to grow the last crop of summer squash which is why you have seen such small amounts of it this month. I think we will have tomatoes for at least another two to three weeks. The plants are showing some early blight, which is normal for us. Also, once the night temperatures are regularly in the 40s, tomatoes lose some of their flavor (like when you put a tomato in the refrigerator).
Picking garden flood
Last Wednesday the picking garden flooded for a few hours. Make sure anything you intend to eat from the lower garden gets washed thoroughly! -Aaron
Vegetables
Melon Potatoes Eggplant, squash or cucumber Peppers Tokyo Bekana Tomatoes Garlic
Herbs
Upper Garden: Mint, Oregano, Sage, Thyme, Chives, Garlic Chives, Tarragon, Hyssop, Catnip , Winter savory, Lovage, lemon balm
Lower Garden: Parsley, Marjoram, Cilantro, Dill, Summer Savory, cutting celery, Borage, Basil
Flowers: Nasturtium, Snap Dragon, Shasta Daisy, Dahlia, Sunflower, Amaranth, Dyer’s Coreopsis, Echinacea, Nigella, Zinnia
Tomato Tart
dough:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
6 tbsp ice water
Mix flour, sugar, and salt in food processor. Add butter and mix until butter pieces are pea sized. Add ice water and mix until dough forms. Shape into a disc, wrap and chill at least 30 mins.
topping:
1 1/2 lbs tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
black pepper
1 cup grated Gruyere
Cut tomatoes into 1/2” slices, set in colander and sprinkle with salt. Let drain for 30 minutes.
filling:
1 1/2 cups fromage frais or whole milk ricotta
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp minced basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
1/3 cup Parmesan
1/2 tsp salt
pepper
cayenne
If using fromage frais, mix all ingredients by hand. If using ricotta, mix all except herbs in a blender or food processor until smooth then stir in herbs. Heat oven to 400, roll dough to a 14” circle for a 10” tart pan. You could make this like a galette and use a baking sheet and fold the edge over. Spread filling on dough, leaving a 2 inch border, then add tomatoes, garlic and black pepper. Fold border over to make a crust. Bake 15 minutes, then sprinkle with Gruyere. Bake for 20-30 minutes longer. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, allowing it to cool before serving. from DavidLebovitz.com
Tokyo Bekana spring rolls
1 can coconut milk
6 oz boneless chicken breast
1 bunch Tokyo Bekana, shredded; reserve largest leaves
2 scallions thinly sliced
4 carrots, grated
10 basil leaves, julienned
10 mint leaves, julienned
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp honey
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
10 rice paper wrappers
peanut or ponzu sauce for dipping
In a medium saucepan, add coconut milk and chicken and bring to a simmer. Poach until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Cool in liquid. Remove and shred, discard liquid. Combine chicken, shredded Tokyo bekana, scallions, carrots, basil, and mint. Combine vinegar, oil, soy sauce, ginger, honey, and sesame oil, then pour over filling. Chill 1 hour. When ready to serve, lay reserved leaves on work surface. Divide filling between leaves and roll each into a bundle. Fill pie plate with cold water. Dip one rice paper into the water then lay on smooth surface. Put vegetable bundle in center, wrap it up and set aside in a covered container. Serve immediately with dipping sauce. from nesfp.org