Can you spot Paco in the tall grass? He's excited about potatoes.

Cooling Off?

The evening temperatures sure are dropping! We've been sleeping with a comforter and enjoying it thoroughly! That might just be because we're so tired though...we're still hustling really hard every day to get all of our summer crops harvested and to keep our fall crops happy! It's all good though, because we're at peak delicious food season with the bounty of summer crops plus the return of some of our cooler weather faves like Swiss chard. Soon it will be my favorite time of year - spaghetti squash + tomato season!! We're also gearing up for next year, planting double the amount of strawberries we had last year and soon getting our garlic in the ground. We're thinking ahead and getting excited!

Speaking of thinking ahead, stay tuned for announcements about our 2018-2019 winter CSA shares. We should have more details and sign ups ready to go next week!

We spent most of this week looking at potatoes. These are all off to a good home now, with plenty left to last through the winter!

What We're Eating

Pasta with Swiss Chard and White Beans

It's simple, it's delicious, and we love it. Hooray for the return of bitter flavors to compliment the sweet and sour of tomatoes!

Adapted from Love and Lemons

6 oz pasta, of a long and skinny shape ideally
1T olive oil
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems diced, leaves coarsely chopped
1t balsamic vinegar
1 large tomato or 1 pint cherry tomatoes, chopped into bite sized pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup cooked white beans, drained and rinsed
shaved pecorino cheese
¼ cup pine nuts, optional
salt & pepper

Instructions

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chard stems and a pinch of salt. Give them a stir, then add the chard leaves and gently toss until they begin to wilt. Add the balsamic, tomatoes, garlic, white beans, freshly ground pepper, and toss. Once the chard is cooked down, add pasta and remove from heat. Serve with shaved pecorino cheese and pine nuts on top

Grilled Pepper and Torn Mozzarella Panzanella

From smitten kitchen

4 1-inch slices bread, country-style
3 large red bell peppers, halved, seeds removed. Throw in a in a hot pepper if you're a fan of spice!
1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoons capers, drained (rinsed if salted)
4 ounces mozzarella, torn into bite-sized pieces, or 4 ounces bocconcini
Fresh herbs — snipped chives, basil, or parsley or a mix thereof — to finish (optional)

Prepare vegetables: Place bread, pepper halves, and onion wedges in a large bowl and drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil, then sprinkle 1 teaspoon kosher salt and many grinds (or about 1/4 teaspoon) black pepper. Use your hands to toss everything together until oil coats everything.

To grill: Heat your grill to medium-high, or if yours is small and dinky like mine, high heat. Spread peppers and onions across grill grates and grill, lid down, flipping as needed, until onions are charred in spots (they’ll be done first) and peppers are blistered and blackened in many spots and beginning to soften. Transfer onions to a plate as they’re done; transfer peppers to a bowl. Use bread in bowl to swipe up any excess salt, pepper, and/or oil in it and place slices on grill. Grill until toasted on both sides. Transfer to plate with onions.

No grill? You can do all of the above under your broiler, or in your oven at 450 degrees F. Broilers vary wildly in how robust their heat is, so keep an eye on it. Vegetables tend to take longer in the oven, up to 40 minutes, but check in at 20 to be safe. In both cases, turn vegetables and bread as needed to get an even color.

Marinate peppers: Place foil or a lid over peppers in bowl to trap heat. Once they’re cool enough to handle, remove as much of the skin as you can. This is unquestionably the most annoying part so do only as much as would bother you to have to eat. (For me, this is almost every speck but you’re probably less crazy.) Cut peppers into 1/2- to 1-inch wide strips.

In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together sherry vinegar, remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, sugar, about 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (and more to taste), and garlic. Add capers. Add peppers to bowl and let them marinate for as little as 5 minutes or up to a day, even. The longer they souse, the more pickled they’ll taste. After 5 minutes, however, they still have plenty of flavor.

To assemble and serve: Shortly before you’re ready to eat the salad, add onions to the bowl with the peppers. Tear bread into chunks and add to bowl, along with mozzarella. Mix gently, making sure the dressing coats the bread. Taste and add more seasoning if needed. Finish with herbs and serve in big heaps.

Bring us your boxes!

Please remember to return your box from the previous week when you pick up your share! Many thanks!

Have a great week!

Joanna and Bryan