Elysian Fields Farm Community Supported Agriculture Wednesday July 30th, 2003 Week 15 What's New This Week!!! Produce Full Share Half Share Size in Share Farmer Market Value Size in Share Farmer Market Value Tomatoes 3 lbs. $6.50 2 lbs. $4.50 Corn 5 ears $3.00 3-4 ears $2.00 Eggplant 3 lbs. $3.00 3 lbs. $3.00 Cherry Tomatoes 1 pint $2.50 1 pint $2.50 Green Peppers one $0.50 one $0.50 Colored Peppers one $1.00 one $1.00 Cucumbers 1 1/2 lbs. $2.00 - - Serano Peppers a few $1.00 a couple $0.75 Blueberries 2 pints $7.00 1 pint $3.50 Total   $26.50   $17.75 What's growin' on? Hello there everyone. Hope you all have had a good week. This week has been a big blur, and I have to struggle to remember all of its details. I can fill you in on the highlights though. The blueberries have been a big part of the farm's harvest. The are still quite abundant and can be picked by members, once again, at any time. We have been doing some hoeing, which is pretty on going here, and some bed preparation for the fall plantings. This Thursday we will seed the last planting of beans, cucumbers and squash, which should be ready for the last few weeks of shares. The previous planting will be a few weeks sooner than that. We also plan to seed fall greens such as arugula, mixed lettuce, spicy lettuce mix, head lettuce and bok choi. We also plan to plant some more turnips, radishes, beets and carrots, the later two of which may or may not make it in time for the last few share deliveries. I ran some numbers as of last week and it seems that with the summer abundance we are now back on track, with the average full share amounting to $21.31 and the half share averaging $12.24 for the last fourteen weeks. Oh yes, I am not sure if I have mentioned yet, but a few people have asked about the yellow round cucumbers. They are an heirloom variety of cucumber called 'Lemon cucumber', the name coming from the look of the fruit not the taste. The are quite tasty though, with a sweetness that the normal cucumbers don't have. If you want to save the seeds and replant, they will be true to their seed (meaning they are not a hybrid). We have moved onto the second planting of tomatoes, with a bit of a smaller yield, mainly due to the smaller size of the fruits. The black plastic mulch on the first planting helped a lot with the abundant yield of the first planting. The second will be on for a few more weeks, but unfortunately, as I mentioned last week, the third planting is not fairing all that well. A soil born disease, spread from similar plants in the same family, perhaps tobacco, seems to be in the soil were the third planting is. In talking with a neighbor who grows, I have learned that this can be fairly common, in that he has learned from experience were on his farm he can plant tomatoes, and were he can't. I guess I am too! Recipes, Cooking, and Storage Tips We have an abundance of eggplant this week, so I hope you all are fans. I have included here a few recipes for them, so indulge! Baba Ghanoush:     1 1/2 lb. eggplant     3 Tb lemon juice     1 tsp salt     2 tsp minced garlic     3 Tb Tahini     1/4 cup chopped parsley     2 Tb olive oil     1/2 cup toasted pine nuts Cut the eggplant into large chunks. Salt and drain for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Dip eggplant into oil and place in a baking pan in one layer. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until barely tender. Remove from oven and scoop out meat. You should have about 2 cups. Beat with the lemon juice in a mixer or food processor until smooth. Mash the salt and garlic together, mix with the sesame paste, and combine with the eggplant. Cool, stir in the parsley, and serve drizzled with olive oil and pine nuts. Eggplant Parmesan:     2 lb. eggplant     salt     3 eggs     1 1/2 to 2 cups dried breadcrumbs     1/2 cup oil     1 cup grated Parmesan     4 tsp chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried     3/4 lb. sliced mozzarella cheese     3 cups tomato sauce Peel the eggplant and slice into 3/8-inch pieces. Salt and let drain for 30 minutes, pat dry. Beat the eggs with a tablespoon of water. Dip the eggplant slices first into the eggs, then into the crumbs. Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a frying pan then saute the eggplant slices until golden brown on both sides. Remove and drain. Place half the eggplant slices in a baking pan, sprinkle with one third of the Parmesan cheese, half the oregano and one third of the mozzarella cheese. Cover with half the tomato sauce. Repeat the layers. Bake in a preheated over at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. What to look forward to... We can expect more colored peppers coming in the next few weeks, as they are just starting to turn. I get very excited over their beauty, and challenge to grow them to their maturity. As mentioned last week, melons and beans will be in shares in a couple of weeks and we can also expect more winter squash. You will most likely receive Acorn squash next week, as well as onions and more of the same. Elise. Elysian Fields Farm: Community Supported Agriculture

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