Farm NewsLetter 09/11/06

47th Avenue Farm Newsletter
Sept. 4th, 2006

Tomato weather
Salsa contest
Italy
Looking for land

There are only a few winter shares left. Please sign up this week if you want to continue with the farm through the winter (Nov-April). This last summer season sold out and we already have a waiting list for the winter season. To hold your place, please fill out the attached membership form and bring it with a check to pickup, or mail them to Laura Masterson, 6632 SE 47th Ave, Portland, OR 97206

Sweet Corn!! Heirloom Tomatoes!! Orange Gypsy Peppers!!
And a lot of rain L

The long awaited symbols of summer have finally arrived. We all have different ways to pass the seasons. For some, going back to school signals the end of the summer. For me, these crops signal the peak of the summer season. Fall may be in the air, but it isn’t quite here yet and I’m going to enjoy the sweet bounty of summer for as long as I can. Of course, our artificial divisions of the year into seasons may help us understand the passing of time, but the reality of mother nature rarely fits neatly into these false categories. Overlap of crops can introduce confusion into our strict notions of seasonlity. We only use greens in the fall one of our restaurant shcf’s said to me this summer when I offered them gorgeous bountiful bunches of chard this summer. I started to explain that chard is actually an extremely successful wummer green that fades a bit in the fall, the he just wasn’t quite ready to hear this. This week you’ll have collards in your share, and it may take some creative cooking to pare them with traditional summer but they were so big and so beautiful, calling to us in the field, begging to be picked at the peak of perfection. Even the same crops can change across the seaon, Collards may not be as sweet in the summer as they are after a few frosts, but the leaves are more succulent and tender

obvious always much more messy than we’d like her to be. pays no heed. the seasons can’t really

You’ll find collard greens, another harbinger of fall, in your share today.
This week we have a bumper crop of Anaheim chiles. This particular variety is called Big Chile II and has the traditional semi-flattened long green shape. This type of chile is also known as California green chile, long green pepper, or chile verde. The large, mild chiles are perfect for chiles rellenos. Mexican cooks also like to dice or purée them, and then add them to sauces, soups, and casseroles. They have a tough skin, but it peels off easily if you first char the chiles over a flame and then steam them in a paper bag for several minutes. Donna Kennedy suggests roasting them over the direct flame of the burner on a gas stove or putting them on an oiled pan skin side up 1 inch below a preheated broiler. Keep turning as they blister and brown. The skin should come easily away from the flesh. Be careful not to char them too much or you will burn right through the flesh.
The Weather: Hopefully this warm weather will ripen our heirloom tomatoes!
Thank you everyone for all your help!

Your share this week may include:

Anaheim Chile Peppers Best when roasted and peeled first. Try baking them in cornbread or fold them into quesadillas. These have very little heat. (see salsa recipe below, or chile rellenos Sept 4th newsletter)
Cilantro
Carrots Bunches of sweet baby carrots
Cucumbers These slicers are thin skinned and tasty.
Sweet Corn!! What more can I say?
Eggplant Use these long thin Asian eggplant just as you would the fatter Italian varieties.
Kale
Hot Peppers Jalapenos (green) are pretty mild, next up the heat ladder are cayenne peppers (red) and hottest amongst the varieties we grow are the habeneros (yellow-orange)
Potatoes
Summer Squash Probably not a lot a people are going to be sad to hear the squash is slowing down.
Tomatoes These little Stupice tomatoes from the greenhouse are super tasty
Tomatillos Both purple and greens ones in the mix- time to make salsa verde!
Mustard Greens Saute these greens in one big batch so that the cooking is done all at once. They will keep in the fridge for several days, and can be used over pasta, in quiche, ploenta…

Tomatillo & Green Chile Salsa
From Shareholder Sherril Gelmon

3 Long Green Anaheim Chiles
12 med tomatillos
garlic
1/2 c, chopped white onion
1/4 c, minced cilantro

Roast 3 long green chiles in the flame of a gas burner or under a preheated broiler, turning them until they are lightly but evenly charred. Cool on a plate, covered; rub away the burned peel. Stem and seed the chiles and coarsely chop them. There should be about a 1/2 cup.

In a medium saucepan, place 12 husked tomatillos; cover with water. Set the pan over medium heat, bring to a simmer, and cook uncovered about 10 minutes until soft. Drain and cool them.

In a blender or food processor, combine the tomatillos, green chiles, 1/2 c. water, 1-2 peeled and chopped cloves of garlic, and 3/4 tsp salt. Puree on high speed until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, and stir in 1/2 c. finely chopped white onion and 1/4 c. minced cilantro.

Cover and refrigerate for a least 1 hour. Adjust the seasoning. Refrigerate, and use.