To Err is Human, but a Pumpkin is 'Da Vine!

I gave out the Rouge Vif d'Estampes Pumpkins as part of the CSA share this week and, I have to say, I hated to see them go. I had grown quite attached to the little buggers. I suppose I owe my pumpkin-loving office mate, Tom, a big thank you. He convinced me to grow pumpkins this year, despite my fairly adamant initial refusal. I'm glad he talked me into it - I'm already planning next year's pumpkin crop.

Rouge Vif d'Estampes is a C. maxima type of heirloom pumpkin that is deep red-orange, flattened, and heavily sutured. It was the prototype for Cinderella's carriage pumpkin and is sometimes sold as "Cinderella" pumpkin. It's semi-sweet flesh is good for pies and soup. Some people like it for all kinds of pumpkin cooking. Others think it is better left as an ornamental. Either way, it should be stored in a cool (but not cold), dry, well-ventilated place out of direct sunlight (for maximum longevity).

Pumpkins are loaded with vitamin A and C, as well as alpha and beta carotene and fiber. They are also high in potassium. They can be baked, steamed, boiled or microwaved, but once cut, should be refrigerated in a loosely sealed plastic bag for no more than a week, or frozen for later use. Recipes for pumpkin pie abound on the Internet and in recipe books. Some other recipes you might enjoy can be found at these websites:
http://tinnedtomatoes.blogspot.com/2007/08/spicy-orange-soup-colour-not-fruit.html
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/pumpkin.htm
http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,fresh_pumpkin,FF.html
http://www.mariquita.com/recipes/Pumpkins.html
http://www.vrg.org/recipes/vjpumpkin.htm

Eggplant

Eggplant is native to India. The name eggplant developed because the fruits in 18th Century Europe were yellow or white and resembled goose eggs. It was first thought to be poisonous when brought to the US (as were other nightshades, like tomatoes), but Thomas Jefferson grew eggplants in his garden in Monticello, and they were a favorite food of Andrew Johnson. As part of the nightshade family, eggplants need hot days and warm nights to ripen and should be cooked to eliminate the solanine they contain. They can be baked, stuffed, sauteed, grilled, fried or steamed, but are always best when fresh.

I am growing two heirloom cultivars of eggplants this year - the common Black Beauty (pictured) and the Italian violet and cream-colored Rosa Bianca . A few recipes you might like to try include:

Baba ghanouj: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/001483eggplant_dip_baba_ghanouj.php
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeId=1

Eggplant Basil Sandwiches
1 firm, slim medium eggplant, peeled, and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices
Kosher salt
1 package (8 oz) softened cream cheese (did you know there's a "Pittsburgh" Cream Cheese produced by Titusville Dairy?)
1/2 C minced fresh basil
3/4 C soft bread crumbs
3/4 t salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper
2 large eggs
vegetable oil (for cooking eggplant)
Lightly salt eggplant slices with kosher salt; place in colander and weight the slices with a heavy pot. Let stand in sink at least 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Mix cream cheese and basil in small bowl until smooth. Combine bread crumbs, 3/4 t salt, and cayenne pepper on sheet of waxed paper. Crack eggs into a pie plate or shallow dish; froth with a fork. Spread eggplant slices with herbed cheese, using about 2 t on smaller slices and slightly more on larger ones. Make sandwiches with the slices. Dip sandwiches first in beaten eggs, then in crumbs until well coated. Heat oil to 1/8 inch depth in large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. When very hot, fry sandwiches, in batches without crowding, until crisp and golden on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Serve warm (not hot). Sandwiches can be kept warm in preheated 225 degree oven while remaining sandwiches are cooked. These are nice with a thick tomato sauce. Makes 8-10 sandwiches.
Recipe by Abby Mandel, from her book Celebrating the Midwestern Table

Eggplant Cheese Casserole
olive oil
2 small eggplants (about 1 pound total), sliced into 1/3-inch-thick rounds
salt and pepper
1 onion, sliced into rounds
1 red or green pepper, cut into strips
2 C chopped fresh tomatoes
3-4 T chopped fresh basil
1 C grated mozzarella and/or Parmesan cheese
Heat 2 T oil in nonstick skillet; add eggplant and cook (in batches if necessary) on both sides until barely tender. Lay eggplant in a baking dish and season well with salt and pepper. Saute onions and pepper strips until barely tender in a bit more oil. (Alternatively, you may brush vegetables with oil and grill them.) Layer onions and peppers over eggplant. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with tomatoes and basil. Top with cheese. Bake at 375 degrees, 45 minutes. Makes 4 servings.
Recipe by Dela Ends, Scotch Hill Farm

Enjoying You Enjoying Vegetables

Tomatillos were part of the CSA share again this week, and I was thrilled to hear that one of the CSA members used the earlier tomatillos to make Salsa Verde for a gathering at her daughter's school and got rave reviews!!!! Of course, she's a really good cook, but I'm glad my tomatillos could help. Earlier this summer another CSA member sent a photo of a beautiful-looking salad that she created with veggies from her weekly share. She even posted it on Facebook and tagged me on it:) Other members and friends have mentioned how they (and/or their children!) tried this or that vegetable for the first time and actually liked it. I even had one customer tell me last week that his children are becoming tomato lovers thanks to the sungold and heirlooms he bought from me earlier. And someone this week told me how much her family liked the Blue Ballet Squash. Ahhh...that sure does my soul good!

I just love hearing that people are enjoying the veggies - it makes all the weeding in the hot sun (like most of the last several weeks), harvesting in the pouring rain (like today), washing, and packing worth it.

Winter Squash

Winter squash is so named because it can be kept into the winter months if stored in a dry, cool (50-55 degrees) location. There are several different types of winter squash - the best known being butternut and acorn squash - and all are loaded with nutrients. Ten times higher in vitamin A than summer squash, it is also an excellent source of potassium, fiber, and complex carbohydrates. For more information on Squash (both summer and winter), check out: http://whatscookingamerica.net/squash.htm.

Some recipes for the various squash available at Log House Gardens:

Butternut Bisque
2 T butter
1 med. onion
1 C carrots (diced)
Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onion and carrots and saute over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.

3 C chicken or vegetable broth
Add, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

2 C winter squash (cooked)
1/2 C plain yogurt
1 C evaporated mile or additional plain yogurt
2 T maple syrup
Add and transfer mixture to a blender or food processor in small batches; puree until smooth. (Skip this tep if a chunky soup is preferred.). Return to saucepan and cook over medium heat until hot. Season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder. Garnish with sour cream or plain yogurt. Serves 4-6

Note: Seeds from the squash can be cleaned and dried, then toasted with oil and salt and sprinkled over the soup.
Recipe by Terry Carufel-Wert, Madison, Wisconsin


Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti Squash can be prepared in any of the following ways:

• Bake It -- Pierce the whole shell several times with a large fork or skewer and place in baking dish. Cook squash in preheated 375?F oven approximately 1 hour or until flesh is tender.
• Boil It -- Heat a pot of water large enough to hold the whole squash. When the water is boiling, drop in the squash and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on its size. When a fork goes easily into the flesh, the squash is done.


• 
  Microwave It -- Cut squash in half lengthwise; remove seeds. Place squash cut sides up in a microwave dish with 1/4 cup water. Cover with plastic wrap and cook on high for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on size of squash. Add more cooking time if necessary. Let stand covered, for 5 minutes. With fork "comb" out the strands.
• Slow Cooker or Crock-Pot - Choose a smaller spaghetti squash (unless you have an extra large slow cooker) so that it will fit. Add 2 cups of water to slow cooker. Pierce the whole shell several times with a large fork or skewer, add to Crock Pot, cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours.

Once the squash is cooked, you can use the "noodles" just as you would spaghetti noodles - just add your favorite sauce. Here's a link to a recipe for a very colorful sauce: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spaghetti-Squash-I/Detail.aspx

Blue Ballet Squash

Blue Ballet is a smaller version of the Blue Hubbard. It has a sweet, deep orange flesh and can be used in place of other winter squash in most recipes - especially pumpkin. One large blue Ballet can usually feed a family of four.

Peel, cube, and steam, then toss with mashed, sauted cranberries and raspberry jam for a special treat. Or, check out this yummy-looking recipe for Winter Squash Souffle:

http://web.mac.com/elementsintime/creatinglandscape/Elements_In_Time_-_Creating_Edible_Landscape/Entries/2008/1/26_Winter_Squash_Recipes.html.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good: The tomatoes are ripening!!!! Yeah!!!!!

The Bad: Something has been eating them!!!!

The Ugly: It wasn't easy (they are good at hiding!), but I found two of the culprits this afternoon (my mom also found one in another garden, yesterday) - the dreaded Tomato Horn Worm!!!!

I'm still not sure how I feel about killing them. Actually, I do know how I feel. I don't like it. I think it's wrong - as all killing is. But, selfish/greedy human that I am...I killed them. It wasn't easy and I still feel yucky about it, but I killed them. All because I didn't want to share my newly ripening tomatoes! I wonder what Jesus would have done???:)

By the way...for your information/edification...if you happen to find a horn worm that has little white egg-like sacs on it, DO NOT KILL it! Those sacs are actually cocoons of the horn worm's natural predator - the Braconid Wasp. Also...I don't really think tomato worms are ugly - I think they're pretty cool-looking.

Instead of Rain

"Man - despite his artistic pretensions, his sophistication, and his many accomplishments - owes his existence to a six inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains." - Author Unkown

And when it doesn't rain for awhile, "man" (i.e. woman) has to figure out other means of getting water.

For the most part, it's been a wet/rainy year, so the drip-irrigation system I ordered this past winter has remained in its box until this weekend. Without much rain the past couple of weeks, I knew I was pushing my luck by not having any sort of irrigation system installed. I kept expecting it to rain, but, despite distant thunder, reports of rain around the region, and my being forced off the road by a 20-minute downpour, the farm has managed to remain pretty dry.

So...this weekend I set out to install the irrigation system. As per my usual mode of operation, I spent hours studying the directions, reviewing the drawings of the system I designed, and carefully checking each part as I planned exactly how it would all fit together. I then napped, ate, reviewed my plan again, then finally dug in and started to put it together. Fifteen minutes later (only a slight exaggeration), I had it all together and working. It was that easy. Seriously. Not the rocket science exam I had expected at all. Oh, to have the type of personality that just jumps right in and does it! It would save me so much time and agony.

Anyway, the drip lines are in (I may add a few more later) and are working well to irrigate the newly planted seeds for Fall. Now I just have to mulch and get those rows covered. If all goes well, there should be produce through the end of October.

Tomatillo Time!

The tomatillos are beginning to ripen. I picked about a peck of them today, so I thought I should prepare you all with information about this "strange" fruit.

Very popular in Mexico and other parts of Central America, tomatillos are just beginning to become known and used widely across the US. They are used mostly in salsa verde, but can also be eaten raw, stir-fried, chopped into salads, or made into preserves or pies. Tomatillos stored at room temperature will last about 1-2 weeks. For longer-term storage, refrigerate in husks, but not in a plastic bag. Also, don't store with vegetables and fruits that give off ethylene gas such as apples and pears, as ethylene gas will cause the tomatillos to spoil more quickly.

To learn more about tomatillos and/or find recipes for using them, here are a few websites you might want to check out:
http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/tomatillo.html
http://whatscookingamerica.net/tomatillos.htmtscookingamerica.net/tomatillos.htm
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/tomatillos.htm
http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch25.html

In addition to those websites, here are two recipes you might enjoy. Both come from the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition:

Tropical Tomatillo Banana Salsa
1/2 pound tomatillos
2-3 serrano chiles, seeded and minced
3-4 T minced green onion
1-2 t minced garlic
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T (or more to taste) lime juice
1 medium banana
salt and pepper

Husk the tomatillos, wash them, and cut out the cores. Finely chop the flesh and place it in a bowl. Stir in the chiles, green onion, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice. Mash or finely chop the banana, then stir it into the salsa. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with plaintain chips or tortilla chips, or use as a sauce to top grilled fish. Makes about 2 cups.


Pork Chops with Tomatillo Chile Sauce
4 pork chops (about 2 pounds)
salt and pepper
1 T vegetable oil
1 C chopped white onion
1 T minced garlic
3-4 finely chopped jalapenos
12-14 tomatillos (about 1.5 lbs total), husked and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 t dried oregano
1 1/2 t chile powder
1-2 t sugar

Season pork chops generously with salt and pepper. Let stand while you prepare the other ingredients. Heat oil in large, heavy skillet over medium-high flame. Add chops and brown well on both sides. Reduce heat to medium, transfer chops to a plate, and add onions, garlic, and jalepenos to skillet. Cook, stirring often, until tender (about 7 minutes). Stir in tomatillos, oregano, and chile powder. Bring to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is saucy (about 20 minutes). If it is very tart, stir in sugar to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Return pork chops to the skillet, nestling them in the sauce. Cover and simmer until chops are cooked, about 10 minutes. Corn bread is a great accompaniment. Makes 4 servings.