Greentree Naturals CSA Newsletter - August 27, 2008

Fresh from the Garden News

Labor Day marks the end of summer for the tourists coming to town. For me, when the official tourist season ends, it means that we get our sweet little town of Sandpoint back for a while. Don’t get me wrong, out of town visitors are good for our community; they bring dollars and spend them here and this is a good thing. I mostly appreciate improved traffic conditions, and less of a cluster of people in line at the grocery store when they leave us.

At the Farmers Market, travelers are usually pretty happy to be here. Some have been coming here for many years and always stop by our market booth.

Beans, beans, beans! This is the latest we have had bean season. We are usually just ending, and this year, we are just starting. If you want to order more beans for making pickles or canning and freezing, the time is now to make an order with us! Beans are $4.00 a pound and we have LOTS. I used to think that phrase my mother used often “we have beans coming out our ears,” was an odd saying. But truly, I totally get it now. When the beans are on, we are harvesting several bushels per row every three days, and we have three rows of beans….lets see, 25 pounds to a bushel...you get the idea.

You may have noticed that the salad mix quantity goes up and down through the season. Hot weather makes it difficult to keep the greens coming. With all of the other things that you have in your bag, there are great alternatives for summer salads that do not require lettuce. Be creative!

What's Happening on the Farm...

These past few days of rain have been welcome, although the rain splashes dirt up on all of the outside vegetables. I wash everything, but with the excessive dirt from the rain, you may want to do an extra rinse.

We are so enjoying the peaches and hope that you are too. Get them while you can! I made a peach pie last night that was delicious and sweet without added sugar.

What's in the Bag

• Salad Mix—Always double washed but because of the rain making it extra dirty, you may want to wash again.
• Beets
• Cucumber
• Scallions
• Sweet Peppers
• Beans—Golden wax, your standard green and Italian broad beans. I chop the broad beans into 1” pieces, sauté in olive oil with garlic.
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Basil
• Garlic
• Stir-fry Special
• Summer squash
• Peaches—From Cliffside Orchard.

If you would like to order flowers, the timeline is the same as noted above for deliveries.

Although we make every effort to deliver a clean product to you, we recommend that you to examine and wash anything that you receive from us.

Recipes

BEANS Pickled Dilly Beans (This is really easy to make!)

Makes 4 pints

• 2 Lb fresh green beans
• 4 + small garlic cloves
• 4 heads of dill or 4 tsp dill seeds
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 1/2 cups white vinegar
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 4 Tbs kosher salt

Wash beans & break off the stem ends. Peel garlic. In each of 4 sterilized pint jars, put 1 garlic clove, 1 head or 1 teaspoon of dill seeds, and a pinch of red pepper. Fit beans in jars, allowing 1/2 inch head room at the top of each jar. (trim beans if needed.) Bring vinegar, water, and salt to a boil. Pour over beans, filling to within 1/4 inch of the rim. Fasten jar tops according to manufacturer’s directions and place in a boiling water bath, covering lids with 2 inches of water. Process at a hard boil for 5 minutes. Remove, and cool.

Green Bean Salad with Walnuts & Parmesan in Lemon Dressing from Farmer John’s

• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1 pound green beans
• 1 tsp salt plus more to taste
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 TBS fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon’s worth)
• 1 1/2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces fresh Parmesan cheese, thinly shaved (about 1/2 cup)

1.Toast the walnuts in a dry, heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over high heat until they start to brown in spots and become fragrant. (Be careful not to overtoast them, as they will burn very quickly once toasted.) Immediately transfer the nuts to a dish to cool.

2.Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the beans and salt; cook until tender but still firm, 3 to 5 minutes.

3.Transfer the beans to a colander in the sink and run cold water over them. Trim the beans if necessary.

4.Toss the beans and walnuts in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.

5.In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice and olive oil until well combined. Pour this mixture over the beans and toss until well coated. Transfer the salad to a serving platter or to individual plates. Gently scatter the Parmesan shavings on top.

This is very tasty and simple to make.

Three-Bean Salad

• 1 1/2 cups green snap beans
• 1 1/2 cups yellow wax beans
• 1 1/2 cups shelled beans
• 1 cup slivered green peppers
• 3/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 2/3 cup wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

Trim and blanch green and yellow beans; cook shell beans; cool. Combine with green peppers and onions. Halve the garlic and place it in a jar along with the vinegar, sugar, oils, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Discard garlic; toss dressing with vegetables until thoroughly combined. (serves 4)

You can substitute rinsed and drained canned kidney beans for shell beans.

Make a two-bean salad; toss whole green and yellow beans together with chopped basil and olive oil– lemon juice vinaigrette sauce.

"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous."
~-Aristotle