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2017 CSA Summer July 22th Squash Blossom & Figs

2017 CSA Summer July 22th Squash Blossom & Figs

  • Squash Blossoms
  • Fig Leaves and Fruit
  • Gold Bar Zucchini
  • Yellow Squash
  • Tomatoes
  • Baby Salad Mix
  • Baby Arugula
  • Micro Color Mix
  • Cucumbers
  • 10×10 Mint
  • Spearmint Flower Bunch
  • Collard Bunch

Squash Blossom & Figs

A bountiful CSA: extra cucumbers? Think cocktails, pickled slices or tzatziki. With the tomatoes, a gazpacho, no cooking necessary. Try the zucchini and arugula together as a salad: prep spaghetti noodle-like slices and toss the arugula in. Roasted Collard wraps, squash blossoms pressed into quesadillas, spring rolls of microgreens, dried mint tea for the cupboard during these hot months..a sweet spearmint flower syrup for the bar. Take home fine dining that can be easy to prepare and bursting with flavor. Other recipe ideas can be found at our weekly blog, listed bottom left.

 

The good, the…well, and the ugly, but not bad when considering the ripe figs in the mix this week. The ones that are ugly are the ones i eat first! They seem to have almost made jam out of themselves. The rest do well in the fridge for a week, lending to some exciting new combinations for your meals this week the leaves are also useful, tasty and considered by some, theraputic.  Recipes can be found for fig leaf tea used to help mitigate insulin requirements for people who have type 1 diabetes. The aroma of the toasted fig leaf is my favorite. I like to toast it in the oven gently until it is olive colored and dry, crumbling it (fine, like gumbo filé) for later use in cookies, rice, stir-fry, and tea (see photo mid-right).  Maybe you will pick up the scent of coconut. The fresh leaf can be used without toasting first, such as using it to infuse warm cream mixtures like ice cream or custard. I think the flavor is more robust and deep with a toasting. Keep in mind that if you would like to use the leaves as a wrap for baked peaches or grilled fish, then use fresh and untoasted for best results at steaming the flavor throughout. If you are unsure about dusting some toasted fig leaf into your rice as you steam it, consider laying a part of the leaf (enough to span the diameter) in to disperse the fresh flavor into your rice. Much appreciations for your help in utilizing the fruits of our labors, love leslie.

 

2017CSA_Summer_Jul_15 Fig and Leaf box

2017 CSA Summer July 15th Figs

2017 CSA Summer July 15th Figs

  • Fig Leaves and Fruit
  • Ginger & Turmeric
  • Gold Bar Zucchini
  • Thai Basil Cuttings
  • Green Tomatoes
  • Baby Salad Mix
  • Baby Arugula
  • Baby Tatsoi
  • Cucumber
  • Thyme
  • Dill
  • Pea Shoots

Figs in tarts, figs in ice cream, figs in cookies, bars or pastry (like Nabisco’s Fig Newton) are probably more familiar uses for the fig tree. But the leaves are also useful, tasty and considered by some, theraputic.  Recipes can be found for fig leaf tea used to help mitigate insulin requirements for people who have type 1 diabetes.                                                                                                                       The aroma of the toasted fig leaf is my favorite. I like to toast it in the oven gently until it is olive colored and dry, crumbling it (fine, like gumbo filé) for later use in cookies, rice, stir-fry, tea and syrup. The fresh leaf can be used without toasting first, such as using it to infuse warm cream mixtures like ice cream or custard. I think the flavor is more robust and deep with a toasting. Keep in mind that if you would like to use the leaves as a wrap for baked peaches or grilled fish, then use fresh and untoasted for best results at steaming the flavor throughout. If you are unsure about dusting some toasted fig leaf into your rice as you steam it, consider laying a part of the leaf (enough to span the diameter) in to disperse the fresh flavor into your rice. Remove the leaf before eating, like you would bay laurel. Here is a menu suggestion from Stanley Stephan on Chowhound: Appetizer: Grilled Fig Leaves Stuffed with Chevre
Entree: Salmon in Fig Leaves with nasturtium butter
Vegetable: potato torta baked on fig leaves
Dessert: Peaches Baked in Fig Leaves.

 

midnight harvest Turmeric and Ginger

2017 CSA Summer July 8th Squash & Peppers

2017 CSA Summer July 8th Squash & Peppers

  • Baby Carrots
  • Ginger & Turmeric
  • Calamondin Oranges
  • Thai Basil Cuttings
  • Potatoes
  • Yellow Summer Squash
  • Bell Pepper
  • Baby Salad Mix
  • Watercress
  • Tomatoes
  • Cucumber

Just a peak at a few of the creatures that visit the farm… the second photo at right was being shared around: accessible food brings new friends 😉 The deer and the groundhogs have been the worst for us, taking out broccoli, kale and a few others. We have replanted but hard to wait.. our sweet potatoes have been getting hit and we have been vigilant, transplanting from greenhouse kept cuttings. But squash is finally going fast, hence the plethora in your share. The thai basil cuttings include a few flowers and quite possibly some seed, if you would like to sprinkle it in a pot nearby your kitchen. Thanks for helping me out with the carrots: a section of plantings of carrots, spinach, etc, got overrun by weeds and grasses. Since this section needs to be dealt with, i wanted you to at least enjoy the delicacy of baby carrots and fresh tops before it all gets turned over. The greens are edible, can be run thru the juicer, be made into pesto, soup or dressing.

The photo of the juvenile constrictor, the black snake as we know them, against the blue background is to introduce you to a local friend that is sometimes mistaken for a venomous snake because of its markings. These snakes are a sigh of relief…less fear of stumbling across a copperhead. Only once have i seen a copperhead here, and nowhere near the busy cultivated areas of the farm. Now the black snake on the other hand…see ‘em all the time.