Green Tomatoes

GREEN TOMATOES

‘Tis the season to harvest all of the tomatoes left on the vine. If they are picked green, they have potential. If left to freeze, you miss out on the goodness.

Here are ideas for using those green tomatoes:

SALSA:

green tomatoes can be substituted in any salsa recipe for the red ones. Your salsa will look a little like a tomatillo salsa and have a bit more tang than a red one.

PICKLES:

slice tomatoes and sprinkle with 1 tsp salt. Let stand 30 minutes then add ½ cup vinegar, ½ cup water, and 1 tbsp sugar. Add dill or other spice if desired. Pack in a jar and compress so tomatoes are under liquid. Refrigerate. They can be used after one day and will last for a month.

CHUTNEY:

any mix of fruit, vegetable and onions combined with vinegar, a little sugar and spice for a delicious accompaniment to roasted vegetables, fish, chicken or pork.

Combine 2 medium green tomatoes, an apple peeled & diced, a small onion diced, ¼ cup rice vinegar, 2 small sliced red chile, ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp salt, and ¼ cup chopped cilantro. Bring all to a boil and lower to a simmer. Cook until all are soft – about 30 minutes. Leave chunky or purée using a food processor or stick blender. This will last in the fridge for at least one week and can be frozen.

Hakurei Turnips

HAKUREI TURNIPS

Separate the greens from the bulb and store them in the fridge.

Greens need to be used in a day or two.

The bulbs will last a couple of months in the crisper.

A Lovely Fall Salad

Sweet Potato, Celery and Apple Salad with Turnips! Grate or julienne one small sweet potato, a cored tart apple, and one bunch of Hakurei turnips. Thinly slice a scallion and a stalk of celery. Toss all with a dressing made from 1tbsp of grated ginger, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 4 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Top with chopped cilantro and sesame seeds.

Recipe from New Entry CSA

Quick Pickled TURNIPS

Thinly slice a bunch of hakurei turnips, place in a bowl, and sprinkle with 1tsp salt. Let sit for 20 minutes. Drain turnips and pack in pint jar. Add ½ cup vinegar, ½ cup water, 1 tsp sugar, ½ tsp black peppercorns and three slices of ginger. Cover with a watertight lid and shake jar to combine. They will be ready to eat in about 1 hour. Store in the fridge where they will last about one week. Recipe from Serious Eats

Okra

OKRA

Or also known as ochra, gumbo, or ladies’ fingers in English speaking countries. It can be grown in many different warm regions. We usually eat the seed pods but other parts of the plant can be eaten including the leaves, buds, flowers and stems.

Raw okra is rich in dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Its viscous juice can be used to thicken soups and stews. In addition, okra can be eaten fresh, pickled, sautéed or fried.

Keep okra dry and do not wash it until you are ready to use it. Store it in the crisper drawer in a paper or plastic bag. Discard if it becomes slimy or moldy.

If you don’t like the slime…

Try roasting or grilling okra whole if you do not like the slime that appears when you cut them. Toss okra in a small amount of oil. Add garlic powder, salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika to taste. Roast at 400 for 30-40 minutes or grill until crisp and brown. Serve with a mayo/hot sauce dip, if desired.

Or you can pickle that!

To quick pickle okra, place whole pods in a pint-sized jar with some peppercorns, a chile if desired, and ½ cup of vinegar, ½ cup water, 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp sugar. Let them absorb the brine for a couple of days.. and enjoy! Good refrigerated for 2 weeks.

Onions

ONIONS

Caramelizing onions brings out their natural sweetness while calming the sharpness of raw onions.

  • Use 2 tbsp. butter for each pound of thinly sliced onions.
  • Place in a large skillet and cook on medium heat until the onions start to take on some color.
  • Turn the heat down to low and slowly cook for an hour or two stirring now and then.

Alternatively, use a crockpot on low heat. Do not cover the onions, as you want them to sauté not steam.

The caramelized onions will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a week. Or, you can portion them and freeze them for months.

Using your caramelized onions

Try them on a pizza, a sandwich or burger, or a slice of toast. Heating them with beef broth makes French Onion Soup. Add to eggs for a great dinner. Some hard cheese will also pair nicely.

Asian Greens

ASIAN GREENS

Lovely late season greens are here!

Treat Asian greens like lettuces. Rinse to hydrate then spin dry or place on towels and gently dry. Store in a salad spinner or in a bag or container with a towel or two to absorb moisture.

Stir-Fry

Chop greens and other vegetables in small pieces. Grate vegetables that are denser: carrots and other root vegetables.

Make a sauce with 1 Tbsp. grated ginger and 1 Tbsp. garlic added to ½ cup soy sauce. Add red pepper flakes or a diced pepper for some spice. Add 1 tsp. of cornstarch, which will thicken the sauce when you add it at the end of the stir-fry.

Stir-fry in a large skillet or wok with oil. Save your olive oil for other uses and use canola or peanut oils that can take high heat. Add the sauce when the vegetables are tender crisp.

Another sauce idea!

Add soy sauce to a fruit or tomato salsa for an interesting taste. Add extra ginger and garlic if desired. Add some cornstarch to thicken.

Beans: Green and Yellow

BEANS: GREEN AND YELLOW

Beans are here!

Unwashed beans can be stored in a plastic bag or container in the crisper drawer in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. To use, wash and cut off the stem end – cutting pointed end is optional. Beans can be cooked in many ways.

Blanching: Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil and blanch green beans until tender crisp. Drain and dry.

Try sautéing the beans with one of GJ Farmstead’s purple scallions in olive oil.

Simmering beans with fresh salsa makes a great accompaniment to spicy foods.

Add beans to your stir-fry!

Blanched green beans can be frozen. Spread them on parchment paper to freeze and then transfer to a storage bag or container.

Green and yellow beans can also be pickled. Make vinegar solution by heating of ½ cup of vinegar, ½ cup water, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and 1 tsp. of salt. Cut beans to fit in a jar. Pour solution over beans and add other seasonings as desired. Red pepper flakes, crushed garlic cloves, and/or dill seed are all good additions.

Let jar cool and place in the refrigerator. Wait about one week for the beans to pickle. If you want to can the beans, please follow a tested recipe or attend one of my classes to learn more!

Salsa

SEASON OF SALSA

[this week, Cinda took tomatoes, onions and peppers fresh from Green Junction Farmstead’s booth, washed them off, and made fresh salsa live as this week’s sample]

Now that all of the nightshades are finally here, it is the season to make salsa. Nightshades are the family of vegetables that includes tomatoes and peppers.

Fresh salsa, salsa fresca, salsa crudo, and pico de gallo (meaning beak of the rooster) are all different names for a similar blend of tomatoes, onion, peppers, cilantro, and lime juice.

This is not so much a recipe as some guidelines for making your own salsa whatever you choose to call it. You just need the main ingredients and the proportions are your choice. You like lots of spice? Use a spicier pepper or add more of them. Not wild about onions? Leave them out. Hate cilantro, leave it out.

Here is how I like to make a fresh salsa:

Chop one large or two smaller tomatoes into a size that will fit nicely on a taco or a chip. Chop a small onion to a similar size. Chop the pepper of your choice in a little bit smaller dice than the above ingredients. Chop some fresh cilantro. Mix all in a bowl with some lime juice and add salt to taste.

Enjoy!

Gourmet Salad Blend

Green Junction Farmstead GOURMET SALAD BLEND

This is an amazing blend (from Green Junction Farmstead) of fresh salad greens that have just been picked!

Add your bag of greens to a salad spinner and refresh them with a spray of water from your faucet. Then spin the greens and drain the water from the bowl. Spin again to get the greens nice and dry. Store greens in the salad spinner in the refrigerator.

No spinner? Save a clamshell from store-bought lettuce (but never tell farmers that you purchased lettuce from the grocery store.) Rinse the lettuce in a colander and let drain. Spread lettuce on a towel and let dry a bit. Store in a container with a towel to absorb moisture. Use a dry towel if it becomes too damp.

Make salads! The Centers for Disease Control lists salad greens in a list of fruits and vegetables that help reduce chronic conditions. A 2-cup serving of greens contains more than 100% of your daily requirement of vitamin A with very few calories. Go Greens!

Try making homemade salad dressing using ½ cup oil and ¼ cup vinegar (of your choice.) Add minced garlic, ginger, or scallions and add ½ to 3 tsp. of flavorings like mustard, ground spices, soy sauce, sesame oil, maple syrup, honey, or fresh herbs. Have fun with flavors and store your dressing in the refrigerator. Use dressing within one week.