Blue Gate Farm News – Volume VII,  Number 9  –  July 29, 2008

 

In this week’s box:

Beans: Mixed- Carson (yellow) and Empress (green)

Potatoes: Caribe (blue skin, white flesh) or Red Gold (red skin, yellow flesh)

Tomatoes: assorted (see below)

 

For those with the Cheese option: sun-dried tomato and plain chevre

For those with the Egg option: one dozen free-range eggs (assorted colors)

For those with the Herb option: Basil: Genovese, Parsley & Tarragon

For those with the Honey option: choice of comb or liquid

 

Featured Recipe(s) (see below):  Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto

 

Rain this week: 4.25 ” (from 7/22 - 7/28)

 

What’s up on the farm?

Whew! Every time we think this crazy stormy weather pattern is past it comes back for another round. We had more wind and rain than we needed this week, but no major damage, just some limbs down. We hope none of you suffered more serious damage. The annual digging of potatoes and garlic began in earnest this past week. Any day that it is dry enough in the garden we are trying to get those crops out and into storage to cure before the soggy soil causes them to rot. We also started the official tomato harvest this week, so the rest of the newsletter will be an attempt to introduce you to the wide variety of tomatoes that will be appearing in your boxes for the foreseeable future. All but two of our tomato varieties (Juliet & Golden Rave) are heirlooms which for all intents and purposes translates to delicious flavor but often some cosmetic flaws. We hope you can look past their blemishes and celebrate the large range of amazing colors and flavors.  Enjoy!

 

  Big Zebra – A large green and gold striped tomato with some red inside and delicious flavor.

Blondkopfchen – Small yellow 1” fruits with excellent sweet taste.

Cherokee Purple – Large maroon tomato with green shoulders and sweet, rich flavor.

Costoluto Sport – Red fluted tomato with few seeds and sweet flavor, great for roasting, and fresh eating

Dr. Wychee Yellow – Large orange tomato with meaty, rich tasting flavor.

Druzba (Friendship) – Round, 4” red tomatoes with good sweet, but tart flavor.

Golden Monarch – Large bright yellow fruits with sweet, tangy flavor.

Golden Rave – Small 1 – 2 oz plum shaped tomatoes with good tomato flavor. A perfect snaking tomato.

Japanese Trifele – A dark maroon, pear-shaped tomato with sublime, rich flavor.

Jersey Giant – Large 6” long, pepper-shaped fruits with thick, rich flesh and few seeds. Good paste or roaster.

Juliet Tomato – Small 1 – 2 oz red fruits that are the perfect flavor and shape for slicing onto pizza or salad.

Mule Team – Red, medium-sized fruits with a sweet flavor and good acid balance.

Paul Robeson – Large, brick-red fruits with dark green shoulders. Has a sweet, rich, smoky flavor.

Speckled Roman – Long pointed fruits with red and yellow striped skin. Meaty flesh with excellent flavor.

White Beauty – Medium-sized, smooth white-skinned tomato with sweet, juicy flesh.

 

 

 

Best from the farm,

 

Jill & Sean

 

Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto

Don’t limit this pesto to just pasta; try it on pizzas and roasted potatoes, in an omelet, or over

grilled vegetables. You can make an equally delicious variation by using cilantro instead of basil.

Serves 2

 

2 pre-roasted tomatoes or 1 large

fresh tomato

2–3 cloves garlic, peeled, halved

3 tablespoons pine nuts

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup fresh whole basil leaves

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons butter, softened

salt

freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine the tomatoes, garlic, pine nuts, and oil in a blender

and process until just combined. Add a handful of basil and process

again briefly; continue adding the basil in small amounts until all

is combined.

2. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and butter and season with salt and

pepper to taste.

 

Recipe source: The Real Dirt on Farmer John Cookbook, adapted from the Seed Savers calendar, 1998