It really seems like summer when the tomatoes turn red on their vines. Last week was a teaser with a couple of tomatoes and if the weather holds up they should could continue to appear in your bins the rest of the season. The first variety you are sampling are Early Girls. They have the perfect name and always seem to be the first to show their color.
I hope you enjoyed your quart of cherries in last weeks bin. The large cooler in the packing shed was turned off and the last few boxes of cherries were moved to the small CSA cooler. It just seemed right to pass on another quart of cherries.
Our crew on the farm has been busy putting the orchards back together after the storm. There were many downed limbs and even a few trees that went down with the strong wind. The bins and pails that were used for hand picking have been power washed, stacked, wrapped in plastic and tucked away for next year. The bean counters are sifting through all the paperwork and organizing the production records. We call all of this activity the post-harvest clean-up.
What to expect to find in your bin this week:
Nectarines
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Green & Purple Pole Beans
Cucumbers
Onions
Lettuce
Swiss Chard
Hungarian Peppers
Zucchini With Fresh Tomatoes and Mozzarella
MARK BITTMAN Time 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ pounds zucchini
1 ½ pounds tomatoes
1 pound mozzarella
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
Basil, for garnish
PREPARATION
Heat a charcoal or gas grill; the fire should be medium-low and the rack about 4 inches from the heat.
Cut 1 1/2 pounds zucchini into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
Rub zucchini with olive oil, salt and pepper; grill, turning once, until nicely browned and tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
As zucchini cooks, slice 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes and 1 pound mozzarella into 1/4 inch rounds.
Toss (or layer) with the zucchini, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil; season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with basil.
Swiss Chard with Currants and Pine Nuts
MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN Time About 40 minutes Yield Serves 4
This is a popular dish throughout the Mediterranean, particularly in Catalonia, Provence, and the Italian Riviera. It is often made with spinach, but I prefer to use Swiss chard, because the chard stands up to the cooking but still has a delicate flavor.
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons currants, raisins, or golden raisins
2 pounds Swiss chard, stemmed and washed in several changes of water, stems diced and set aside
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), minced
3 tablespoons pine nuts
Salt and freshly ground pepper
PREPARATION
Place the raisins or currants in a bowl and pour on hot water to cover. Soak 10 minutes and drain.
Fill a bowl with ice water. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and add the chard. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until just tender. Transfer to the bowl of ice water and let sit for a few minutes. Drain and squeeze out as much water as you can. Chop coarsely.
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the chard stems and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until tender. Add the pine nuts and cook, stirring, until they begin to color, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, just until the garlic begins to smell fragrant about 1 minute. Add the chopped greens and raisins or currants and toss together until they are well coated with oil and heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve, or allow to cool and serve at room temperature.
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