Picture-Perfect Tomatoes

Oh, how I wish I could say these came from my garden. Alas, a combination of persistent deer and cooling shade keeps me from even trying anything other than cherry tomatoes (and even those are pathetic this year).

See? I wasn't kidding when I said my own tomato-growing efforts were sad. Oh well, at least the kids still love popping these in their mouths.

Anyhow, back to the sexy tomatoes. These bountiful red, green, orange, yellow, and multi-hued heirloom beauties are from our beloved CSA, Jubilee Farm, and yes, they do taste as good as they look. In addition to the 5 pints of gorgeous tomatoes that I brought home with our family share, Jubilee sold me an extra 15 pounds for $25 which is a steal as anyone who buys heirloom tomatoes at farmer's markets can testify. They are almost too pretty to eat but knowing their good looks will only take them so far, I made a tasty yellow waxy bean and tomato salad to go with dinner tonight (recipe below). Now I just need to figure out what to do with the rest of them besides having them pose for my camera. Smile, you sexy tomato!

Isn't she gorgeous?

The green pattern on this charming little fellow is one of my favorites.

My own little "tomato rainbow" arranged by color/variety. I know, stop playing with my food...

Finally, piled into my basket so the deer didn't come devour them while we were out. I had to stop at this point, the kids were getting jealous of having to compete with tomatoes for my attention.

I love cookbooks organized by the dominant vegetable in the dish and I even more than that, I love recipes that feature three or more items in our weekly CSA bounty. This is a tasty find from Alice Waters'  Chez Panisse Vegetables that made delicious use of our yellow wax beans, shallot and you guessed it, the sexy tomatoes.

Green (or Yellow or Purple) Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad
adapted from Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters

1 pound green beans (I used yellow)
1 pound cherry tomatoes (or sexy heirloom tomatoes if you got ‘em)
1 large shallot
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Basil or other herb (optional) – I actually added about 3 tablespoons of pesto to the dressing in place of an herb and this helped it become more kid-friendly since my kids love pesto
1/2 cup edamame I added these to increase the protein and make it more hearty (Alice suggests this in her book and says any shelled bean should work fine)

Top and tail the beans then parboil in salted water until just tender, about five minutes (add the edamame in this step also). Drain and immediately spread them out to cool. Cut cherry tomatoes in half or slice larger ones however you’d like.

Peel and mince the shallot and put it in a bowl with the vinegar and salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil. Taste and adjust vinegar, oil, or salt, as needed. Toss the cherry tomatoes in with the vinaigrette; this can sit for a while. Do not add the green beans until just before serving or they will discolor from the acid in the vinaigrette.

Here is how mine turned out. Come to think of it, these beans are pretty sexy too, aren't they? Maybe I need to get out more...

New Smoothie?

“Let’s use these peas to make a smoothie, Mama!”  Ten snap peas, twelve strawberries, and one piece of sorrel later, his smoothie was too thick so he decided to add orange juice… then it wasn’t green enough (bless him!) so he wanted another piece of sorrel and a mound of kale and “oh yeah, one of those turnips too!”  How could I say no?

They didn’t drink it all but thanks to William’s salesmanship and delight with his creation, he and Sara gulped down a few healthy swigs before realizing it was not as tasty as predicted. Still, it was a lovely start to our Saturday…

Greens Galore

Guilt overwhelmeth me when we don’t use everything from our CSA bounty each week. OK, I don’t feel very bad about not using all the radishes this week (we are all radished-out around here) but to let beautiful fronds of kale and chard go bad is simply unacceptable. Enter, Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers: Fresh Ideas for the Weeknight Table and their recipe for Wilted Spinach Salad with Pecans and Asiago (with several substitutions). Mmmmm, green goodness.

Wilted Spinach Salad with Pecans and Asiago
10 oz Spinach (approx 10 cups loosely packed—I used a mix of Chard & Kale
1 TBSP Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves
¼ C Raisins or Currants (I used Raisins)
1 C Toasted Pecans (I used Pine Nuts—Walnuts would also be good)
½ C Finely Grated Asiago or Parmesan Cheese (a generous sprinkle of nutritional yeast makes this vegan)
Salt & Pepper (Red Pepper Flakes also taste great if you like spice)
Lemon Wedges

Rinse and drain the greens. Heat the oil in a skillet or saucepan and cook the garlic for a few seconds, until sizzling. Add as many greens as the pan will hold and cook, stirring often. As it wilts, keep adding more greens until they are all in the pan. Cook until just wilted but still bright green.

Place greens in a serving bowl or on individual plates and top with raisins, pecans, and grated cheese or nutritional yeast. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges

Farm Follow Up

Wondering what we did with all those amazing strawberries?

Most of them were used for filling crepes (William's favorite)

The prettiest berries were a picture perfect topping for Daddy's vegan & wheat-free birthday cupcakes
(Happy Birthday, Rob!)

Sharing the farm bounty was extra fun this week. Daddy kept the kids busy all day while I got to spend time with friends. Four out of six members of my beloved Women’s Group gathered to paste photos dating back to 2002 onto scrapbook pages. None of us are accomplished scrapbookers but it was amazing how fun it was and much we got done with our combined artistic talents, yummy snacks, and a bottle of wine (Green Fin's white table wine made from organic grapes is light, pear-y, and soooo good plus it is only $3.99 at Trader Joe's). Time with my dear friends did a world of good for my soul... more another day about our "WG," still going strong after 11+ years!



Lovely long little radishes, romanesco broccoli, and sweet baby white turnips with vegan dip
(Mori Nu silken tofu + garlic + parsley + lemon juice & zest + a dash of vinegar and salt = YUM!!!)



My cashew-almond variation of Heidi Swanson's Big Sur Power Bars didn't
contain anything from the farm BUT they are a wonderful protien-packed treat
and I really wanted to share her recipe and recommend her new book
"Super Natural Cooking Every Day" -- LOVE IT!

Farm, Sweet Farm

We’ve been counting the days leading up to this happy occasion and today began our Summer CSA Session at Jubilee Farm. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect with the sun shining and a soft breeze blowing. Farmer Wendy welcomed us with open arms (the kids practically knocked her over with hugs), we saw old “farm friends” from years past, we brought new friends that we are thrilled to have coming with us this summer, and it felt absolutely wonderful to be back.  For 20 weeks we’ll get to take home an amazing bounty of freshly picked produce, and best of all we’ll get to enjoy the picturesque, serene surroundings in the heart of the Snoqualmie Valley. Every week we pick up items that have been picked, washed and neatly arranged for us plus we get to walk around the farm and pick a few things ourselves. Today, so early in the growing season, we only picked sorrel (a tart leafy green herb that the kids were eating as fast as we were picking) but we brought home pounds of various greens and a bunch of lovely little white turnips.

This is our third year at Jubilee and I can’t say enough about the farmers, the produce, the experience, and how great it feels to be part of something that is so healthy for our family and the environment.  It can be challenging to use all the veggies we bring home but this is exactly the kind of healthy challenge we joined the farm for. I especially love that farming has become a regular part of our daily conversations. We aren’t taking our food for granted, we see how hard the farmers work, we experience (a little bit) how hard it is to harvest, we feel great affection for Farmers Wendy & Erick, and we genuinely respect and appreciate the efforts of all the people who work to provide our food.



For more information about finding a CSA in your area check out Local Harvest. 

Oh, and if you are looking for inspiration for all those greens, here is a wonderful idea for kale. This is my version of Massaged Kale Salad from Cynthia Lair’s cookbook, “Feeding the Whole Family.” LOVE her cookbook, by the way, and her website Cookus Interruptus.

Massaged Kale Salad

1 bunch kale
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup roasted & salted sunflower seeds (or pepitas or any toasted nut really)
¼ cup diced red onion
1/3 cup raisins (or chopped apricots or dried cranberries or currants)
¾ cup diced apple (or pear)
1 TBSP olive oil (optional--it still tastes great with no oil)
1 or 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
Cut kale into thin strips, as thin as possible (chiffonade if you want to be French about it), and place into a bowl. Sprinkle salt over the kale then massage it in for a couple of minutes.  Add onion, dried and fresh fruit, and toasted seeds into kale. Dress with oil and vinegar and toss.  Taste for salt and vinegar, adding more if necessary.