
Thank you, volunteers!
Wow, it’s been a busy week at the farm! There are tons of crops to harvest right now – eggplant, cucumbers, summer squash, alisa craig onions, arugula, beets, carrots, pick-your-own beans & herbs, and the season’s very first watermelon for this weekend . . . which means it really is summer. Lucky for us, every Wednesday we have additional hands on the farm to help the farm crew out. A few CSA members are regulars and we now have the North East Community Center Farm & Food Education Program joining us for six weeks. Because of the additional help, we were able to weed four rows of potatoes in no time and we had more fun because we were all working together and motivating each other to finish the job! We really appreciate all of our volunteers hard work and wouldn’t be able to get a lot of the big jobs done without you.
What else means summer? Tomatoes, of course. We’ve really been taking care of them, and they should be ripening soon. The farm crew just put another 7,500 plants into the ground, so you know you will be eating very well all the way into fall. You’ll continue to see fresh onions in your share for another one to two weeks, followed by storage onions in a couple of weeks that we’ll have for the rest of the season. Right now, we’re harvesting summer beets and carrots with tons more seeded for the fall. Just this week, we seeded spinach, daikon radishes, and turnips. For now, it’s all about making summer meals with eggplant, cucumbers, and summer squash.
Enjoy!
The Farm Crew
Andy, Betsey, Colin, Meghan, & Trevor
PICK UP TIMES . . . REMINDER:
Saturday On Farm: 9:00am – 1:00pm
Tuesday On Farm: 2:00pm – 6:00pm
Wednesday Davis & Warshow: 11:00am drop
Wednesday Brooklyn: 12:00pm – 1:00pm or 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Wednesday Garden City: 3:00pm – 7:00pm
Friday North East Community Center: 3:00pm – 6:00pm
RECIPE OF THE WEEK - Excerpts from 12 Recipes for Grilled Eggplant from Mark Bittman The New York Times
For the complete series, click here.
Greek Style Eggplant
Slice eggplants in half lengthwise; make shallow cuts on flesh side. Combine 1/3 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup each minced onion and minced or puréed olives (or tapenade); brush all over eggplant, pushing into slits. Grill, covered and turning as needed, until flesh is soft and skin is crisp, 20-30 minutes. Garnish: Crumbled feta and more olives.
Bruschetta
Grill whole eggplants, turning occasionally, until blackened and collapsed, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool, peel and mash; combine with toasted whole garlic cloves, 1 diced tomato, olive oil, lemon juice and minced garlic. Spread onto slices of baguette.
North-African Style Eggplant
Cut eggplants into 1-inch-thick rounds; make shallow cuts on both faces and rub with a mixture of 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon minced garlic. Add 2 tablespoons honey and 2 tablespoon ground cumin. Grill, covered, until tender and lightly browned, turning and brushing with more oil as needed, about 20 minutes. Layer with grilled tomato and onion and if you like, cooked ground beef or lamb. Garnish: Parsley.