Blue Gate Farm News – Volume IV,  Number 11  –  July 10, 2007

 

In this week’s box:

Garlic: Inchelium Red (softneck)

Onions: Red Burgermeister (from Coyote Run Farm)

Patty Pan Squash: assorted

Potatoes: Caribe

 

For those with the Cheese option: Roasted Red Pepper Chevre & Salad Chevre

For those with the Herb option: Dark Opal Basil, Dill, Lemon Thyme, Edible Flowers

 

Featured Recipes: Tuscan-Style Grilled Vegetables with Aioli

 

Rain this week:  0.25”

 

What’s up on the farm?

Well there’s not much new to tell this week regarding our chemical issues.  Sean spent a lot of time on the telephone with various labs and experts, but none have been able to provide very definitive information on our situation yet.  We’ll continue to keep you updated as we know more.  We do want to thank everyone who have written or stopped by with words of support.  This certainly wasn’t how any of us envisioned the 2007 season going and we really appreciate your willingness to hang on for the bumpy ride.

 

As we don’t sufficient info about the remaining produce in the upper gardens, this week’s box is all from the south garden again. The exception is the onions which are a donation from our friends at Coyote Run Farm who planted a whole heck of a lot of onions! They say we are helping them out by making use of their surplus, but in truth they are just really good friends and neighbors.

 

The digging season began this week with the first harvests of garlic and early potatoes. While we really prefer hardneck garlic, we did have a small planting of softneck which you will receive all of this week. As it is not yet cured, if you don’t use it right away, please leave the stem and roots attached to unused bulbs. This will help them to dry and cure more fully. Once the stem and roots are thoroughly brown and dry they can be trimmed away and the bulbs stored. Store garlic out of direct sunlight with adequate ventilation. And if you are like us and eat all your garlic right away, don’t worry…the garlic harvest has only just begun!

 

This week’s diggings also included the first potatoes. Caribe is a beautiful purple-skinned potato with snowy white flesh. They are great boiled or steamed and make amazing light, fluffy mashed potatoes. As the potatoes are also newly harvested, their skins are still quite tender. Store them in a dark place with good ventilation unless you use them right away.

 

News from Lois at Reichert’s Dairy Air, “We have had 5 does kid recently, with 9 kids total:  Bud, Debbie, Dawn, Milkshake, Fred, Freda, Stewart, Stella, and Kahn (can you tell I'm letting human kids name the goat kids?)  Unfortunately, only 3 of them are girls, but hey, that's the way it goes.”

Best from the farm,

Jill & Sean

 

Tuscan-Style Grilled Vegetables with Aioli                        

Adapted from “The Vegetarian Grill” by Andrea Chesman (Harvard Common Press, 1998).

A bountiful assortment of grilled vegetables artfully arrayed on a platter with a knock-your-socks-off sauce of garlicky mayonnaise: this is a feast! It can be served as an hors d’oeuvre or will make a lovely summery meal with the addition of bread and cheese.  You can replace the vegetables suggested here with others as they come into season, and the leftovers can be used in pasta sauces, sandwiches, wraps, pizzas -- endless possibilities for terrific taste!

 

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, thyme, basil, or oregano
Salt and black pepper
1 ½ pounds potatoes, peeled, if desired, and sliced ¼ inch thick
4 ounces baby green beans, trimmed
4 ounces baby carrots
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 small zucchini, cut into quarters or eighths and sliced into 3-inch spears
1 small yellow summer squash, cut into quarters or eighths and sliced into 3-inch spears
12 imported brine- or oil-cured olives
1 recipe Aioli

1. Prepare a medium fire in he grill with a lightly oiled vegetable grill rack in place.

2. Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, fresh herbs, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Add the potatoes and toss to coat.

3. Lift the potatoes out of the marinade with a slotted spoon. Grill, turning occasionally, until browned and tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Arrange the potatoes on a serving platter.

4. Add the green beans, carrots, peppers, zucchini, and summer squash to the marinade and toss to coat well. Lift the vegetables out of the marinade with a slotted spoon. Grill, tossing frequently, until tender and grill-marked, about 10 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the grill as they are done and arrange on top of the potatoes.

5. To serve, scatter the olives on top of the vegetables. Pass the aioli on the side.

Serves 4.

 

Aioli
INGREDIENTS

4 garlic cloves
1 egg
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and black pepper

1. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, mince the garlic. Add the egg and process until completely mixed. With the motor running, slowly pour in 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Stop the machine and add the lemon juice. Then, with the motor running, slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil and process until the mixture is thickened and the oil is emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours before serving to allow the raw garlic flavor to mellow a little.