As you may know, the Bay Bridge will be closed beginning Wednesday night this week.  Among the millions of people inconvenienced will be our two delivery drivers, who will have to take alternate routes into the city.

We hope to ensure timely delivery of your boxes by sending the trucks out from the farm an hour early (4 a.m. vs. 5 a.m.), but we ask your patience and understanding if traffic causes them to be delayed.  Just to be on the safe side, you may want to show up at your drop site a bit later than normal -- unless of course you normally arrive just before it closes.  Thanks for your understanding!

There is an eggplant in the Medium and Large boxes today, but it comes from one of our neighbors, Riverdog Farm.

Eggplant is related closely to tomatoes and peppers (Really? But I love those!) and it produces in a similar way:  a single plant makes fruit constantly over a month or longer, and the fruit must be harvested every few days or it becomes overripe.  And it must be used within a few days of harvest.

Instead, we try to work with our neighboring farmers who are growing eggplant to put it in your boxes a few times each summer.

Tomato season at Terra Firma started very early this year, and we are fully expecting to quickly tail off after Labor Day.  Don't worry, tomatoes will not disappear from your boxes any time soon.  But the volume will likely be less.

One of the best ways to get good tomatoes in the winter is to can your own now.  It's not hard to do:  I just core them, cut them in half, roughly puree them in the food processor and then cook them down for a few hours.  If you can the sauce while it's still cooking, all you have to do is sterilize the jars in hot water and fill them.  A ten pound box will make 4-6 quarts, depending on how much you cook them down.  Almost every year I find myself wishing I had done more.

So if you have been been putting off buying a 10 lb. box, now is the time.  Order now before they are gone!

Grapes in your boxes today may have stems that aren't bright green like they are in the stores.  We don't treat our grapes will sulfur gas after harvest, so the stems turn brown.  The grapes themselves are still crisp and sweet.  Store in the fridge until you eat them.

Sneak Preview:  Extreme hot weather in July forced us to push back the planting of our fall Green Bean crop, which we normally start harvesting in mid-August.  With any luck, you may see some beans next week but if not it will be the following.  Once it starts, the season will continue until frost or heavy rains arrive.

Recipe:  Ratatouille Re-Imagined
This recipe takes the components of traditional ratatouille and scrambles them into something completely different.

Using a sharp knife or vegetable peeler, cut one eggplant into thin slices lengthwise.  Stack them on top of each other and then slice them into long ribbons -- fatter or thinner depending on your preference.  Place them in a bowl and salt generously then toss.  Allow them to sit for 10 minutes.

Cook the eggplant in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then drain and rinse to cool.

Use a vegetable peeler to make paper thin slices of 2-3 zucchini lengthwise. Cut the slices to the width you like, or leave them as they are.  You want about 3 C. loosely packed.

Dice 3 tomatoes, making sure to save their juices.  Place in a bowl and salt, then sprinkle with olive oil.  After five minutes, toss the tomatoes and the squash together.

Slice 1 onion and 2 sweet peppers.  Saute in olive oil over high heat until the peppers are soft and the onions begin to caramelize.  Add 1 clove minced garlic and saute another minute or two.  Turn off the heat and add the eggplant to the pan, and toss with the other vegetables.

Add the vegetables from the pan to the bowl with the tomatoes and zucchini.  Taste and season with salt, pepper and a little red wine vinegar.