Share #7, July 31, 2010

In the box:

Tomatoes - new!
Cabbage
Kale
Scallions - last time
Carrots
Beets
Potatoes
Zucchini
Celery
Garlic
Salad Mix or Chard/Parsley

Notes from the field: We are very happy to distribute the first tomatoes this week, especially after losing our entire crop last year to the Late Blight that swept through the Northeast and Midwest. We are keeping our fingers crossed, but so far the crop looks happy and tastes wonderful! Thanks to a mini-grant from the Conservation Service, we constructed a hoophouse this spring and filled it with tomatoes, that are now reaching seven feet in height. If they continue to grow and produce, many delicious tomato sandwiches are in your future!

We harvested our bulb onion crop this week, which was affected by the extremely wet weather but still yielded a nice return of yellow and red onions. This is the last week for the scallions, a Japanese variety that has performed very well in this summer's heat.

Holler Fest Preview Concert Sat., July 31. Hear some sweet tunes from Billy and Angie, two members of your musical Frog Holler Farm team, plus other local favorite musicians.The Holler Fest web site tells you more!

Recipe Corner: The fixin's for a delicious Beet Soup or Borscht are in your share this week! Here is one variation of this traditional dish. Serve warm or cold!

Borscht Recipe

• 8 cups veggie broth
  
• 1 large onion, peeled, quartered, or one-half bunch scallions, chopped
  
• 3 beets, peeled, chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled, chopped
• 1 large russet potato, or several small ones, peeled, 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 cup sour cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Bring broth, vegetables and dill to boil and simmer until done, around thirty minutes. Remove pot from stove and stir in vinegar. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with sour cream and remaining 1/4 cup dill. Serves 6.

This is the time of year when you need to lock your car for fear of zucchini showing up in the back seat! We do love zucchini and summer squash at Frog Holler and eat it often. Here are some options for enjoying this generous vegetable.

Zucchini Fritters Recipe

1 lb of zucchini (about 2 medium sized), coarsely grated
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1 large egg
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup grape seed oil or olive oil
Sour cream or plain yoghurt

1 Salt the zucchini with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Try to remove the excess moisture from the zucchini by either squeezing the liquid out with a potato ricer, or by squeezing with paper towels.

2 Whisk egg in a large bowl; add the zucchini, flour, scallions, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Mix to combine well.

3 Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook fritters in two batches. Drop six mounds of batter (2 Tbsp each) into the skillet. Flatten slightly. Cook, turning once, until browned, 4-6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve immediately, with sour cream or plain yoghurt on the side.

Or how about transforming the humble zucchini into a delicious dessert! (From Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver)

ZUCCHINI CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
(Makes about two dozen)
1 egg, beaten;
½ cup butter, softened;
½ cup brown sugar;
1/3 cup honey;
1 tbsp. vanilla extract;
Combine in large bowl.
1 cup white flour;
1 cup whole wheat flour;
½ tsp baking soda;
¼ tsp salt;
¼ tsp cinnamon;
¼ tsp nutmeg;
Combine in a separate, small bowl and blend into liquid mixture
1 cup finely shredded zucchini;
12 oz chocolate chips.
Stir these into other ingredients, mix well. Drop by spoonful onto greased baking sheet, and flatten with the back of a spoon. Bake at 350°, 10 to 15 minutes.

Meet the Interns : Kathryn (Kat) Curtis and Julien Chazot

Kathryn(Kat) Curtis is that rare breed of individual - an Ann Arbor native! Although Kathryn has roots on the immediate area, her studies have taken her across the globe. While attending Kalamazoo College, Kat realized her true passion was language and learning about different ways of life. She studied abroad in Quito, Ecuador and continued her travels after graduation in Brazil, home of samba music and coconut juice, and also Argentina, where the red meat convinced her being a vegetarian wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Kat decided to s pend some time close to home and applied for a Frog Holler internship. She started working with the King family this April and loves cleaning scallions and playing The Game (ask Dorothy, previous featured Frog Holler intern). Kat has enjoyed learning that lettuce looks like a mini Christmas tree when it goes to seed and also about the many uses of kale. She is very thankful to the King family for this unique and meaningful experience.

Kat harvesting garlic

Julien Chazot is the first international intern in Frog Holler history. The volcano region of France is where he calls home; a place known for good cheese, wine and a famous song by Georges Brassens, L'Auvergnat. He has been working hard at the school of life for 22 years but is very interested in green energies. If you are interested in these things too, you should come talk to him at market! Julien applied to work at Frog Holler farm for two months after graduating college and before visiting his beloved aunt in Montreal. It was also a way to visit Kat!Though Julien has much experience baking- his chocolate almon d pies and lemon meringue pastries are devoured in seconds!- he has never eaten so many vegetables in his entire life as he has consumed in the past month here at Frog Holler and he feels great! His favorite farm activity is racing about on his bicycle between harvesting carrots and pulling garlic. Julien has been greatly impacted by the depth of dedication and passion with which the farm team embraces each day.

Julien harvesting garlic

An epic lunch from Kat and Julien: five different chard dishes!

Two Favorite Recipes from Kat and Julien:

From Kat: Stewed Zucchini Tomato Sauce

In a sauce pan, fry 5 cloves of garlic, 3 scallions and a tablespoon of red pepper in 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Let cook until the garlic is golden. Add diced Frog Holler tomatoes and tomato sauce and heat until warm. Add three medium sized zucchini, whole, and simmer for 1 hour. After an hour, serve over warm pasta and top with grated parmesan cheese. A simple, tasty delight!

From Julien: Lemon Pie Filling or Pudding

Juice of 4 lemons, plus the lemon zest from the rinds
1 generous cup sugar
4 whole eggs
2 oz. butter

Beat the sugar, lemon juice and zest vigorously with the eggs and then cook all ingredients in a double boiler. When filling starts to thicken, place immediately in the refrigerator. It will continue to thicken as it cools. Delicious and refreshing as a pie filling with a classic meringue topping or a pudding sprinkled with fresh blueberries.

Julien's pastries about to disappear!