20 July 2012

 After a month without a drop, David reports that an inch and a half of rain fell on the farm yesterday.  All his soil conditioning and composting had kept his soil fairly moist during that drought, but they did need rain and he swears his “tomato plants all grew about six inches overnight.”

Things are ripening suddenly and the tomato harvest is just about to begin, about a month ahead of schedule.   The peppers and eggplants are about to come on as well, so prepare your kitchens for a deluge of late summer crops.

In your boxes this week, you’ll find:

Blueberries

Blackberries

Garlic (organically-grown by one of David’s Amish neighbors)

Green Peppers

String beans or Roma beans

Chayoga beets

Cucumbers

Red Potatoes

Roasted Beets and String Beans with Greek Yogurt and Garlic Oil

1 bunch beets, stemmed and peeled

1 pound string beans, stemmed

2 cloves fresh garlic

Extra virgin olive oil

½ cup plain Greek yogurt (preferably Fage “Total”)

Salt and Pepper

Thinly slice the garlic and add it to 1/3 cup of olive oil in a shallow pan or skillet over medium low heat.  Heat just until the garlic begins to cook slightly, then turn off the heat and allow the garlic to soften in the oil.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss the peeled beets with a splash of the garlic olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper, then wrap in two layers of aluminum foil, crimp tightly, and place on a sheet pan.  Roast until the beets are fork-tender, about thirty minutes.   Unwrap them from the foil and allow them to cool.  Then cut them into halves or quarters.  

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil.  While the beets are cooling, boil the string beans just until tender (about five minutes), then transfer them to a colander to drain.  They will continue to cook slightly in the colander, out of the boiling water. 

Re-season the beets with salt and pepper and then toss with the yogurt.  Toss the green beans in the remaining garlic oil and season with salt and pepper.  Arrange the dressed green beans on a pile in the center of a serving plate, then add the beets on top.  Serve while still slightly warm.