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Dear Common Thread CSA Members,
Thanks for spreading the word about our fall shares! We still have plenty of shares available, please keep letting folks know. Fall shares work well for college students, faculty and staff who come back to the area in the fall and for folks who are finding out about the CSA later in the season. Forms can be found on our website. If you signed up for the full season share, then you are already signed up for the fall. The last week for summer shares is next week, week 13 - the last week of August and fall shares will start week 14, the first week of September. We are planning a separate winter share which will be distributed
 bi-weekly November through January and plan to have sign up forms ready in a few weeks.
So we're sitting at the dinner table the other night and our 4 year old daughter Astrid says, "what's that colorful thing in the backyard?" Out between the carrots and the cover crop is a huge hot air balloon that landed in our fields. They landed very nicely in the drive road and not on any vegetables and added some magic to our evening.
What a cold August! It's been good for spinach, lettuce, beets, fennel and other cool loving crops but not great for ripening the hot weather crops, particularly tomatoes, eggplants and peppers. Luckily, we planted most of these crops under plastic tunnels which have given them extra heat. We're a little worried about the winter squash and brussel sprouts reaching their full maturity without the heat - cross your fingers!
Thanks to several members for sharing recipes (below) and pictures! The pictures at the top of the newsletter are Anne-Marie Lemal Brown's share and pyo flowers. There are a few recent pictures from members on our facebook page. Sarah also took a great picture of Stephanie with today's box share:
Remember to wash your tomatoes! Late blight seems here to stay which means we need to spray our tomatoes with copper, an organically approved fungicide.
From Lorraine Kaimal, Phoebe's grandmother (Phoebe worked with us this summer):
"Phoebe suggested I send you this recipe because she liked it so well when I made it, with your zucchini, of course."
Curried Zucchini Soup, hot or cold
6 small zucchini or 2 large, cut in chunks
1 large onion, sliced--about 1 cup
1/2 to 1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. fresh ginger, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
3 cups chicken broth or bouillon
3 Tbsp. uncooked rice
1 cup milk or half-and-half or cream
salt and pepper
minced chives for garnish
Combine first 7 ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer about 45 minutes. Puree in a blender or food processor. Add milk or cream, salt, pepper. Re-heat or chill thoroughly (about 4 hours) and serve garnished with chives.
Member Tara Verro shared this recipe:
"Tonight I cooked up Stuffed Eggplant using veggies from this farm and beef from our Creekside Meadows Farm CSA. The family really enjoyed it and if you are interested the recipe is below & from Food Network."
Mom's Stuffed Eggplant
Total Time: 1 hr 15 min
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 1 hr 5 min
Yield: 4 servings
Level: Easy
Ingredients
1 large eggplant
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 pound ground beef
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, small diced
1 red pepper, small diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup freshly chopped parsley leaves
1/2 cup freshly chopped basil leaves
1 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano, divided
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
2 chopped tomatoes
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the eggplant in half and scoop out the center, leaving enough meat inside the skin so that it holds its shape when baked. Boil the scooped-out center part until very soft, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium saute pan heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Add the seasoned ground beef to the pan and saute until all of its liquid is evaporated and the beef begins to brown slightly. Drain the beef, removing the extra, unnecessary fat. Let cool briefly and chop the cooked beef so that there are no large chunks of meat. In another medium saute pan over medium heat add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and saute the onions, peppers and garlic together.
In a bowl mix together the cooked eggplant, vegetables, cooked beef, herbs, 1 cup of the cheese, bread crumbs, and the egg.
Fill the scooped-out eggplant halves with this mixture, dividing it evenly among the 2 halves.
Top with chopped tomatoes and the remaining 1/4 cup of grated cheese, season with salt and pepper, place on an oiled oven tray or baking dish, and bake for 50 minutes in preheated oven. Let cool briefly, slice widthwise and serve.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-chiarello/moms-stuffed-eggplant-recipe.html
Wendy and Asher
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