Tumbleweed Farm Harvest 15

Welcome to week 15 of your CSA! We hope you all had a lovely Labor Day weekend and hopefully got to enjoy a few tasty meals too. If your fridge is still full of veggies from last week just throw everything into a skillet with a little butter and salt and caramelize it until it's all cooked down and fragrant. Toss your veggie concoction over pasta for a quick "clean out the fridge" meal. We do this more often than not and it's always delicious!

This past week farm chores have kept us really busy and the harvest list is top notch. We're enjoying the cooler weather and it's amazing how much more energy we have with less heat. It's supposed to warm up a bit again but nothing compared to the extremes from the past few months so we can totally handle it! Thankfully we've made it through the halfway point and hopefully we'll be able to coast along for a while and enjoy the shorter days.

This week's CSA box is full of delicious goodies and we hope you're able to relax a bit in the evenings and enjoy some home cooked meals. After the recipe of the week I have some links to other recipes to help inspire you to cook through the box. Have a great week everyone and enjoy the sunshine! Cheers from Tumbleweed.

WEEK 15 BOX

  1. CARROTS
  2. TURNIPS
  3. GARLIC
  4. SCALLIONS
  5. HEIRLOOM TOMATOES
  6. ARUGULA
  7. BELL PEPPERS
  8. ANAHEIM PEPPERS
  9. JALAPEÑO PEPPERS & SERRANO PEPPERS
  10. EGGPLANT
  11. CUCUMBERS-SLICERS & LEMONS
  12. PARSLEY 

ROASTED EGGPLANT + CHICKPEA PIZZA WITH TAHINI & ZA'ATAR

Tahini Spread

  • 3 1/2 Tablespoons Tahini

  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • 1 clove of garlic, minced

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

  • pinch of salt + pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon honey

Pizza

  • 1 medium-sized eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas (if from the can rinsed, drained and patted dry)
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil (divided)
  • pinch of dried oregano
  • salt + pepper
  • 1 bunch of scallions, finely chopped (white and light green parts only)
  • 1 ball of your favorite pizza dough (homemade or store bought)
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons za'atar 
  • 1/4 cup minced parsley 
  1. Preheat the oven to 450F.
  2. Toss the cubed eggplant and chickpeas with 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil, pinch of dried oregano, salt and pepper. Place in a single layer on a prepared baking sheet and roast until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
  3. While veggies cook prepare the tahini sauce by combining all the ingredients together and mixing until thick and creamy. This works best with an immersion blender or small food processor. Taste test and adjust seasonings as need be.
  4. Heat a small skillet over medium heat with the remaining 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil. Stir in the chopped scallions and cook until soft and lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. Remover from the heat and set aside.
  5. Roll out your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Spread the dough with the tahini sauce and layer on the roasted veggies, scallions, cheese and za'atar. Drizzle the whole pizza with a tiny bit more olive oil and place in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. 
  6. Sprinkle minced parsley over the cooked pizza, slice and serve. 

 

MORE RECIPE IDEAS TO GET YOU THROUGH YOUR BOX

Tumbleweed Farm Harvest 14

It's been a lovely week here at Tumbleweed Farm. After months of ZERO rain the skies opened up and poured on us!!! It was the best weekend gift we have received all season and we loved every second of standing out in the pouring rain. Truly amazing!

This week brings our 14th harvest of the season and it's another tasty box. We're slowly beginning our potato harvest which is awesome and today they are making their seasonal debut in your share.

We hope you enjoy the recipe of the week and continue to relish in this cooler and comfortable weather we're having. The recipe calls for 1 (12oz) bottle of pale ale so I'd recommend filling up a growler at Migration Brewing before whipping up the recipe below. Then you'll have plenty of beer to sip on while you enjoy the chili! Anyhow, have a wonderful week everyone and be sure to kick back with some tasty meals and a few colds ones too. Cheers to the harvest!

HARVEST 14 BOX

  1. Cilantro
  2. Potatoes-Kennebec 
  3. Rainbow beans
  4. Garlic-Shantang Purple
  5. Radishes-Dip these in butter and sea salt for a simple snack/appetizer
  6. Kohlrabi-Slice and dip this in butter and sea salt with the radishes (SO GOOD!)
  7. Leeks
  8. Heirloom Tomato
  9. Bell Peppers
  10. Jalapeño Peppers
  11. Summer Squash/Zucchini
  12. Slicing Cucumber
  13. Lemon Cucumber
  14. Lettuce

Black Bean & Zucchini Chili

  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium sized onion, diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 
  • 2 bell peppers, roughly chopped
  • 1 Jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced 
  • 2 medium sized zucchini/summer squash, cut into 1/4 inch chunks
  • 2 Tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano 
  • healthy pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1 (12oz) bottle pale ale preferably from Migration Brewing!
  • 2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
  • salt + pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup minced cilantro
  • full fat greek yogurt for serving
  • fresh lime juice for serving
  1. Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, bell peppers, jalapeño, and zucchini. Cook for about 1 minute. Add the chili powder, and cumin, oregano, salt and continue to cook, stirring often, for about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 more minute, stirring often. Deglaze the pan by pouring in the 12 ounces of beer and 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock. Bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper
  2. Serve with minced cilantro, a dollop of greek yogurt and freshly squeezed lime juice

Tumbleweed Farm Harvest 13

Howdy folks and welcome to week 13 of your CSA. It's been another warm week here at the farm but the mornings have managed to stay cool and crisp. We definitely feel fall in the air on these cool mornings and it feels great!

This past week we finished our major fall brassica planting and boy does it feel good to have all of those plants in the ground! We'll continue to sow lettuce, radishes, turnips, and greens throughout the next few weeks but the big plantings for the 2016 season are behind us. Our sprits are quite high at the moment and we feel really good about where we're at in the season. 

This week you have another bountiful box full of summer produce. The recipe of the week will use quite a bit of your veggies and we really hope you enjoy the harvest ratatouille as much as we do. It's delicious and is a true celebration of the season! 

Have a wonderful week everyone.

WEEK 13 BOX

  1. LETTUCE
  2. RADISHES
  3. HOT PEPPERS-2 JALAPEÑOS, 2 SERRANOS, 1 ANAHEIM
  4. HEIRLOOM TOMATOES
  5. CHERRY TOMATOES
  6. GREEN BEANS
  7. GARLIC-POLISH HARDNECK
  8. SCALLIONS
  9. CUCUMBERS
  10. BASIL
  11. EGGPLANT
  12. SUMMER SQUASH/ZUCCHINI

SUMMER HARVEST RATATOUILLE WITH PASTA

  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 bunch of scallions, diced, white and light green parts only
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 medium-small eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)
  • 1 small summer squash or zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)
  • 1 Anaheim pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, some sliced in half others left whole
  • 1 heirloom tomato, coarsely chopped, about 3/4 of a cup worth 
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
  • 8 ounces rigatoni pasta
  • fresh parmesan for serving
  • Salt + pepper for serving
  1. Over medium-low heat add the olive oil to a large skillet with the scallions, garlic and bay leaf. Stir often until the vegetables soften a bit and become fragrant. About 3 minutes.
  2. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally until the eggplant has softened. About 5 minutes. Stir in the summer squash/zucchini, Anaheim pepper, cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomato and salt. Increase the heat to medium and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.  Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for about 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped basil.
  3. While the vegetables simmer for the last 10 minutes bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 5-7 minutes (cooking times will vary depending on your specific pasta so look at the suggested cooking time on the label)
  4. Drain the pasta and add it to the simmering vegetables. Stir well and divide the pasta between plates. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and a few pinches of salt + pepper.