Week 10 - Produce Box

Hope y'all are enjoying the summer veggies. We are in the process of tilling and replanting the spent parts of the gardens. We have lots of rows to re-plant, places where the potatoes, swiss chard, spring onions, cabbages, beets and carrots were. We are planting another round of beans, more onions and swiss chard and probably some other things. I can tell summer has set in really well because during the heat of the day the plants wilt and the garden has a forlorn look with the empty rows waiting to be re-planted.

The garden plots are giving us bounteous blessings(veggies). The first of the watermelons are ready this week and our family can testify that they are delicious. The kids ate one on the front porch in just a few minutes the other night while watching the sunset. The corn is so good (very sweet)whether you leave it on the cob or cut it off.

Here is what is in your box this week: Corn, Cherry or current tomatoes, slicing tomatoes, cucumbers, various peppers (chili, jalapeno, serrano, poblano, anaheim, bell, bannana), eggplants (both Japanese and Thai(kermit), watermelon, yellow squash, patty pan squash and a cabbage.

A lot of you are asking me what are the little, round, cute, green things? They are Thai eggplant. You can fix them just like you do the Japanese eggplant in a stir fry. Traditionally they are used in Thai curries. Here is a recipe for Thai curry: http://www.templeofthai.com/recipes/thai_green_curry.php

Vivian Howard at the Chef and the Farmer in Kinston does this appetizer with watermelon that I absolutely love. She dices watermelon, puts it on a plate with small chunks of plain chevre, toasts pistachio or pine nuts and then drizzles a balsamic glaze (reduced balsamic vinegar and sugar) across the watermelon. It is an absolutely delicious gourmet thing to do with watermelon.

Our family loves to stuff peppers, poblano and frying type peppers. We stuff them with chorizo (from our Berkshire pigs) that we have crumbled and browned, add goat chevre and then roast in oven. We also love to kick supper up a notch by making soft tacos with chorizo, goat cheese and sauteed jalapeno, onion and cilantro.

On fasting days we love to make a veggie tomato sandwich. You can either use a crusty type of rustic bread or make it with no bread, just a Dagwood stack of tomatoes (heirlooms of red, purple, and yellow) with fresh (real thing) mozzarella stacked between the tomatoes. I cut some corn fresh off the cob, fry in skillet for a couple of minutes, sprinkle the corn between the layers, add a couple leaves of basil b/w each layer and drizzle a homemade balsamic vinagrette b/w each layer. It is so good especially on a really hot day that we don't even use bread and you are full upon eating a tall stack.

We hope to go to the river on Sunday for Independence Day, do a little fishing and swimming. Our menu will either be a Low Country Boil w/ shrimp, crabs, onions, andouille, potatoes and corn or we will grill shrimp kabobs and roast corn w/ a homemade herb butter. Of course, watermelon is on the menu for dessert. I am sure that you have a great time of family fun and eating planned as well.

I am thankful for the blessings of living in the United States and all the freedoms that we do have. Let's be thankful this holiday for what we have been blessed with and remember in our prayers and thoughts those who don't have the freedoms of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that we as Americans hold dear.

The Rainbow Meadow Farms family