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Tomato Tomato Join Our List 2634 S. 156th Circle Omaha, NE 68130 402-933-0893 Store Hours Monday-Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Closed Sundays
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This Week With Jody Fritz...
Hi all!
The school year is just beginning and we know that adjustments abound at this time of year. But the CSA remains a constant and we thank you for your continued support of the program. We do understand that schedules change and time is a hot commodity as the end of summer settles in. That said, if for any reason you find that you are unable to make your pick up date, please let us know ahead of time and we will do what we can to accomodate you.
Also, the trade up table is alive and well. To our store customers, if there is anything in the bag that you do not want, please ask our employees what we have available for trade and they will assist you. For our La Vista customers...please ask Scott about the trade up. He generally brings a small variety of extra produce with him to the drop.
We want to let each of you know that we really appreciate the due diligence you are showing in returning your egg cartons and your CSA bags. Please keep them coming, as we are still somewhat short on bags; and the egg cartons are recycled in order to keep costs down for and from our egg vendors.
Important reminder to those of you who have not paid your second half payments. We are still missing some second half payments from a few of our members and ask that you please come to the store, call or pay on line as soon as possible. We will need this in order to continue providing you with fresh produce each and every week.
It's a very good thing that you are eating all those vegetables and fruits to keep you healthy and strong, as this week your bags will be fairly heavy again. We are including Honeydew Melons and Eggplant this week. Not only are you eating right, but you're getting a weightlifting course as well. How is that for full service health...?
Also, remember that if you do not find everything you need in your bags for your weekly meal requirements, the store will also have quite a bit of fresh produce and a variety of other products available.
Thanks again for your support of the local farmer, the CSA and the store. We really do value you as a customer...and please let us know if there is any way we can improve your CSA experience. We are always open to suggestions.
Best regards until next week,
Jody Fritz
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What's In Your Bag?
Week Twelve August 16-18
Farm Fresh Eggs or Cheese from Jisa Cheese, Brainard, NE
9 Grain Bread from Great Harvest Bread Co., Omaha, NE
Honey Dew Melons from Lambert Melons, Ewing, NE
Eggplant from Johnson Farms, Fremont, NE
Golden Arrow Peppers from Johnson Farms, Fremont, NE
Zucchini from Clear Creek Organic Farms
Cucumbers from Garden Fresh Vegetables
Please note that produce is subject to change due to weather or unavoidable events. |
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Scott's Culinary Corner
When I think of English Cucumbers I think of Greek food. Why do I think of Greek food you might or might not ask? I think of Greek food because of the cucumber based sauce that most Greek restaurants prepare as a side to place atop their delectable treats. The sauce, for those of you that want to test your linguistic prowess, is called Tzatziki (pronounced za-ziki). Perhaps the best Tzatziki sauce I had the pleasure of tasting was in an Athens kitchen in the home of the mother of a good friend of mine. I had never tasted anything quite like this at the time, but knew after devouring a second plate of Souvlaki and vegetables with this sauce as a side, I had to have the recipe. My friend's mother was quite protective of all house made recipes, though after a few days of relentless begging (I can be quite persuasive when it comes to food as some of you know), she gave in, deciding that I was an American and would not provide any serious competition to her in the land of her birth. She did, however, make me pledge in all honesty, never to share her secrets with her neighbors, as they had made numerous attempts over the years to gain the secret of this sauce. Her secret...? It was the cucumbers, she said. She used English Cucumbers and just the correct amount of Greek Yogurt. Below I have included this recipe in her honor. I do so hope that none of her neighbors are reading this newsletter. I would hate to create an international incident...
Did You Know...
And now...a few fun facts about eggplant ('cause I knew you were just waiting with bated breath for this portion of the newsletter)...
Eggplant is native to southern India and Sri Lanka.
It is part of the nightshade (Solanacene) family, which also includes tomatoes, potatoes, and chili peppers.
Tobacco is also a member of the nightshade family. Like tobacco, eggplant and other nightshade plants contain nicotine, though to a lesser extent than tobacco.
Eggplants aren't REALLY vegetables, they're berries. Which isn't that strange, considering other fruits are commonly mistaken for vegetables - like tomatoes.
Eggplants and tomatoes are actually related. They both belong to the nightshade family with the famous literary poison - deadly nightshade. But don't worry, eggplant isn't toxic (at least not in normal amounts).
A study published in 1993 in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that eggplant has by far the highest level of nicotine of any vegetable. But it's such a small amount that there's really no need for concern. You would have to eat between 20 and 40 pounds of eggplant to consume the amount of nicotine you'd get smoking one cigarette.
But eggplant had a bad rap before it's comparison with cigarettes. Ancient Persian philosophers ascribed all kinds of ailments to them - from pimples to epilepsy.
People in the U.K. called them aubergines. The word "aubergine" goes all the way back to the ancient Indian language Sanskrit. The eggplant is believed to have originated in India, where it is considered to be the King of Vegetables.
The word "eggplant" that we use in North America comes from British-colonized India, where at the time, a small, white, egg-like variety of the vegetable was all the rage.
In Renaissance Italy, it was called a mala insana or "crazy apple".
Japan even has a proverb about eggplant:
"The happiest omen for a New Year is first Mount Fuji, then the falcon, and lastly eggplant."
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Related Recipes
Tzatziki (Greek Cucumber Sauce)
Ingredients
1 English cucumber
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon medium wine vinegar
3 cups full-fat strained Greek yoghurt
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
½ tablespoon finally chopped dill leaves
Preparation
Remove the skin of the cucumber and grate it. (not finely)
Finely grate the garlic.
Salt the cucumber and leave it in a colander for half-an-hour and then drain well.
Put it in a bowl with the garlic and the rest of the ingredients.
Mix them all well with the help of a fork.
Put the dip in a bowl, add salt and decorate it with few dill leaves.
(Goes very well with Greek Chicken. Just type Greek Chicken into All Recipes for a great recipe)
Bangan ka Bhurta (Indian Eggplant-From my travels in India)
Ingredients
Serves: 4
1 eggplant
1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 TOV or Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 sprigs fresh coriander, chopped
Directions:
Preheat the oven grill. Place the eggplant in a baking tray, and grill for 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until about half the skin is scorched. Place eggplant in microwave safe dish. Cook 5 minutes on High in the microwave, or until tender. Cool enough to handle, then remove skin, leaving some scorched bits. Cut into thick slices. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Stir in onion and cook until soft and translucent.
Mix in eggplant and tomatoes. Season with cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Continue to cook and stir until mixture is soft. Garnish with coriander to serve.
Honeydew Melon Salsa (Southern Cal...San Diego specifically)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup Honeydew Melon diced
1/2 cup diced pineapple
1 tsp serrano chili seeded and minced
1/2 cup red onion finely chopped
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp raspberry vinegar (available in Honey Creek's cooler in the store)
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp honey
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Combine melon, pineapple,chile and onion; whisk oil, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice and honey; pour over fruit mixture and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or chill. Use within 24 hours.
Stuffed Golden Arrow Peppers (From Southwest USA)
Ingredients:
6 to 8 large Golden Arrow Peppers (more are available in store or just half recipe if needed)
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (Clear Creek Organic Cheddar goes well in this)
1 small tomato, diced
1/2 small green pepper, diced
1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, diced
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
12 to 16 bacon slices
Directions:
Cut a slit lengthwise in each Golden Arrow Pepper, cutting to, but not through the other side. Remove seeds. Combine cheese and next six ingredients. Spoon mixture evenly into each pepper, and wrap each with two bacon slices. Secure with wooden toothpicks. Place peppers on a rack in a broiler pan. Broil five and a half inches from heat four to five minutes on each side, or until golden.
Garlic Zucchini Soup (This recipe is a local delight given to me from a good friend while I was in South Africa)
Ingredients:
2 Medium Shallots - Chopped
4 Cloves Garlic - Finely Chopped
2 Medium Leeks - Sliced
2 Medium Onion - Chopped
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 1/4 Pounds Zucchini - Thinly Sliced
8 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
1 Teaspoon Pepper
4 Medium Red Potatoes - Peeled And Sliced
8 Ounces Sour Cream - Optional
3 Tablespoons Green Onion - Chopped
Salt - To Taste
Directions:
Saute shallots, garlic, leeks and onions in butter in large pot until tender. Add zucchini, water, bouillon, pepper and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt. Add half of mixture to food processor or blender and process until smooth. Top with sour cream and green onions.
For further recipe information to assist you in preparing meals, a couple sites that I highly recommend are the Taste of Home healthy living site and All Recipes. These have always been wonderful standbys for me. See ya next week!
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