CSA Pickups -- Week 19

Roots Farm CSA
Week 19: August 31 & September 3

This Week:
-Butternut Squash (Backyard Harvest & Full Moon Farms)
-Peppers: Carmen, Lipstick, Islander, Green Bells, Cayenne, Jalapeno
-Eggplant: Nadia, Hansel, Gretel, Fairytale, Pingtung Long
-Basil: Sweet, Lemon, Thai, Purple
-Beans: Red Noodle
-Potatoes: Assorted (Full Moon Farms)
-Okra: Clemson Spineless, Red Burgundy
-Garlic: Inchelium Red, California Early
-Arugula
-Flowers: Assorted Zinnias

In the Field . . .
We’re watching some summer cover crops grow while tilling in others to make way for winter covers. And we just keep on planting for the Fall. Arugula is appearing again this week, I’m happy to say, and we continue to plant successions of it. Newly in the ground: more carrots, beets, radishes, and lettuce mix. Scallions are seeded in the greenhouse and more lettuce is getting seeded this week. The brassicas seem to be holding on despite caterpillar and grasshopper attacks and we’ve got our fingers crossed and the sprayer tanks loaded with BT. We’ve all been enjoying the cooler temperatures and rain, and it seems like fall is on the way . . .

Last Week of the Season!
Wow, can you believe it? 19 weeks come and gone already? How does such a thing happen? We sure hope that you’ve enjoyed your summer with us. It’s mostly been a good year, we think. We’d love to hear any feedback you have, both positive and constructive (i.e. please fill out our handy-dandy surveys) so we can continue to improve our performance. Thanks so much for joining us this year on our veggie-growing adventure--it’s a little different every time! We’ll still have veggies available through the Athens Farmers Market on Saturday mornings, as well as through Athens Locally Grown online later in the Fall for those of you about to go into withdrawal. And never fear, Roots Farm will be back in CSA action next spring for another full season of summer delights--look for notices in January about 2011 season details. We’ll miss you and we’d love to have you back!

Saturday Workday, September 11
Still want to come out and help at Roots? We’ve got another weekend opportunity for you coming up on Saturday, September 11 from 8am-noon. Come join us for a fall extravaganza of planting, weeding, trellising, and more! Early fall mornings are really nice out here on the farm . . .

Garlic!
Is in the veggie spotlight this week. STORAGE: Garlic stores well in a cool, dark, dry, and well-ventilated place for several months. Warm temperatures will encourage garlic to sprout. Do not refrigerate unless storing peeled cloves for a short time. For long-term storage, garlic can be minced and covered or blended with olive oil and placed in small airtight container and frozen. After removing from the freezer, keep it in the refrigerator. USES: garlic goes great in many, many dishes. From soups to salad dressings to spreads to mashed potatoes, stir-fries, muffins, breads, and more, it’s a super savory flavor. Here are some ideas for you . . .

RECIPES

Roasted Whole Garlic
4 large heads of garlic, left whole
1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the top 1/3 off of each head of garlic to expose the cloves. Place all 4 heads of garlic on a piece of aluminum foil; drizzle with olive oil. Tightly wrap up the garlic in the foil. Roast until the cloves are soft and creamy, 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on size. Serve as a spread over warm bread, mixed into other dishes, or simply by itself squeezed into your mouth. Yum! Try roasting a few sprigs of your favorite herb along with the garlic for some extra flavor nuance. From Farmer John’s Cookbook.

Roasted Garlic Muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk or cream
2/3 cup sugar or packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted, or vegetable oil
1 head roasted garlic, pulp mashed or chopped
zest of 1 lemon

Position rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a standard 12 muffin pan or line with paper liners. Whisk together thoroughly in a large bowl the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together in another bowl the eggs, milk or cream, sugar, and butter or oil. Add the flour mixture and mix together with a few light strokes just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Fold roasted garlic and lemon zest into the batter. Do not overmix; the batter should not be smooth. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in 1 or 2 of the muffins comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Let cool for 2-3 minutes before removing from the pan. Serve as soon as possible, preferably within a few hours of baking. Makes 12 muffins. (from the Joy of Cooking)

Feta Garlic Dressing
1 cup olive oil
2-3 Tbsp vinegar
2-3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp dried dill
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups grated feta cheese
1 cup milk or buttermilk

In a blender or food processor, whirl all the ingredients except the milk or buttermilk for one minute. With the blender running, slowly pour in the milk. As soon as the dressing thickens, turn off the blender or the dressing with separate and become runny. It should be thick and creamy. Chill at least 30 minutes so the flavors will meld. Refrigerated and tightly covered, Feta Garlic Dressing will stay fresh for 3-4 days. If the dressing separates, simply re-blend it. Serve it on crisp greens and raw veggies or any favorite salad. Makes about 3 1/2 cups. From the Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant cookbook.

Garlic Soup
2 medium tomatoes
6 garlic cloves, pressed
4 slices French, Italian, or whole wheat bread
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
4 cups vegetable stock

Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for 5 minutes and then peel them. Cut each tomato into 4 slices. Set aside. Spread the pressed garlic on both sides of each slice of bread. In a heavy skillet, saute each slice of bread in the oil until browned on both sides. Place each slice of bread in a shallow soup bowl. Top each one with 2 tomato slices. Add a pinch of fresh basil and a few drops of olive oil to each bowl. Add one cup of very hot stock to each bowl. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings. From the Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant cookbook.

For more garlic recipes, click here.