Tomatoes
Harvest Moon Farms Salsa
4 very ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered
� sweet onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and cut in to 2 inch pieces
� jalapeno, seeds removed and cut in to 1 inch pieces (reserve seeds)
� cup chopped cilantro
� lime, juiced
1 T Sherry or red wine vinegar
1 T olive oil
1 T kosher salt
1 t Tabasco sauce
pepper to taste
Process onion, carrots, and jalapeno until the mix is pulpy. Add tomatoes and blend, add cilantro, lime juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, Tabasco, and pepper. Blend, pour in to a ceramic or stainless bowl (it will chill faster) and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably more.
Adjust heat by adding more jalapeno and/or the jalapeno seeds (that's where the heat is) and more hot sauce if you like it very hot.
Don't underestimate the importance of the salt. It might seem like lot but it's what makes the tomatoes "pop". |
Kale
This week you'll find some kale amongst the other goodies in your box. It is further known as lacinato kale most commonly, but can also be referred to as dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale. This is just one of the varieties of greens that we are growing this season on the farm. Other greens that we have include curly kale, collards, and 3 types of chard.
These hearty greens can grow in many climates but they do prefer cooler climates (Not that there is a cool climate in the country this week). The kale plants in the hoop-house are living proof of this as they are now going on 7 months old and over 5 feet tall. They have been enjoyed by the staff day in and day out.
Kale is a Brassica plant, meaning it is a member of the cabbage family, although it is a non-heading variety. The flavor of it is a mild cabbage flavor with some vegetal notes present. The texture is quite unique in the world of greens. If eaten raw, you might be chewing for a little while. Kale is rarely eaten raw because of its strong and dense texture. It can be sliced thin and added to salads to add an additional texture. Most commonly, kale is blanched for a few minutes and then saut�ed with other ingredients. Other ways that kale is enjoyed is fried, baked, and gilled. Fried or baked kale is a great substitute to potato chips. If you run out of milk, have no fear kale is here. Kale is a wonderful source of calcium, almost matching calcium levels of milk side by side. |