This week your basket contains: beans, carrots, kale, basil, cucumber, summer squash, tomatoes, garlic, onions, and cherry tomatoes. 

With the basil producing well, my thoughts go immediately to pesto.  This recipe utilizes kale as well, making it perfect for this week’s basket.

KALE PESTO

2 cups packed torn kale leaves; stems removed

1 cup basil leaves

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup toasted walnuts

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a food processor, combine the kale leaves, basil leaves, and salt. Pulse 10 to 12 times, until the kale leaves are finely chopped. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Scrape down the sides of the processor. Add the walnuts and garlic and process again, then add the cheese and pulse to combine. Toss with your favorite pasta and serve immediately. From Epicurious.com.

Kale also makes a great salad.  This is our favorite recipe.

KALE SALAD

1/8 cup flax or olive oil

1/8 cup lemon juice

1 Tbs. soy sauce

1 bunch kale

1 small onion thinly sliced

shredded carrot

¼ cup  sunflower seeds

sesame seeds

sprouts (optional)

sliced mushrooms (optional)

Mix oil, lemon juice, and soy sauce.  Add the thinly slice onion and set aside to marinate while preparing salad greens.  Wash and coarsely chop the greens and place in a large bowl for easy mixing.  Add carrots, seeds, and any optional ingredients to the greens and mix gently by hand.  Pour dressing and onion mixture over greens and continue mixing by hand to insure even coating and aiding absorption of the dressing.  Let sit for 20-30 minutes before serving.

Tomatoes are also hitting their stride right now.  The recipe below is a tip that was passed along to us by a subscriber a few years ago.  We like the results so much that we use this method as the basis for the 50+ quarts of sauce we can each year.

VERY EASY TOMATO SAUCE 

I just quarter the tomatoes (any that don’t get eaten within four or five days), cherry and sungold tomatoes I leave whole, quarter an onion or two and place these in a baking dish. Then I peel and add four or five garlic cloves, fresh basil, rosemary, etc. and drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil all over everything. Then I roast it all in allow oven – 300 to 325 degrees, for three or four hours or until everything is mushy. Once it’s cooled, I dump it all in the food processor and voila! thick rich roasted tomato sauce. The most recent batch included a smallish fennel bulb and a coarsely chopped eggplant. The roasting seems to bring out the natural sweetness of those delicious tomatoes.

We have a limited number of PADRONE PEPPERS this year.  If you are a fan of these lovely little peppers, we can send along a pint (as they are available) for $3.  Just email to order.

It continues to be a great year for BLACKBERRIES.  Come on out and pick to your heart’s content.  Just let us know when you expect to come; we like to say hello and can point you in a good direction.