Share #11 for 2024

Contents: 2 sweet Italian peppers, 1 pound of long red onions, 1 pound of carrots, 1 bunch of lemon verbena, 1 head of summer crisp lettuce, 1 pound of fairytale eggplant, 1 pound of Tanya’s Pink beans, 3 pounds of heirloom tomatoes.

The weather is usually a challenge in farming. This summer is no exception. From very hot and dry to very wet and quite warm. The specific challenges we currently face include keeping diseases at bay and getting things harvested between thunderstorms. We aren’t able to do any field work because it is too wet right now so we’re hoping for a dry spell soon so that we can get fall crops planted and finish getting the potatoes harvested.

The tomatoes look imperfect because the rain causes them to split but they taste amazing! You have a bunch of lemon verbena in the box this week. Someone taught me one way to use it last summer that I am passing along to you because it was so good. Get a neutral oil like grapeseed oil and add a pint of it and the stripped leaves of lemon verbena to a blender or food processor and let it rip for about 5 minutes. Pour it into a jar and let sit overnight, then strain the plant matter out and refrigerate the oil. It will stay good for a few months. I used it for salad dressings especially good on bean salads. Also and our most favorite way to use it is on oven roasted tomatoes. The combination of flavors is exciting!

The Tanya’s Pink beans are similar in flavor to Romano beans and are great braised with an onion and a little white wine, salt and pepper. The fairytale eggplant are great cut in half and roasted or added to tomato sauce for a creamier texture. The Carmen peppers are sweet and are delicious fresh or sauteed. I do not typically put hot peppers in the shares because so many people don’t like them. If you do like spicy peppers, help yourself to a few every week while we have them!