CSA Members 2004: Newsletter Archive

Dear CSA Members,

Thanks for all the great e-mails in response to the wedding news. It feels like I am writing to 100 of my friends this morning. I have included a recipe for soup to go along with the cool fog we have been wading through the past few mornings. The recipe is meant more as a guide, and intended to help you all get through the bounty of beans and squash you have been receiving. If anything these soup recipes prove a bit bland to me and seem to benefit from the addition of spiced Italian sausage or pancetta, and as always fresh ground black pepper and salt to taste.

You will notice the inclusion of our first tomatoes in this week's delivery. It seems that cool rainy weather always accompanies this first harvest of ripe tomatoes and puts the fear into us that summer is over. Oddly these cool mornings seem to hasten ripening in the summer crops like tomatoes and peppers and we hope to be at the very beginning of these crops. The Anaheim peppers are described as piquant, or pleasingly spicy, they are traditionally used for chile rellenos. The pears are one of my favorite fruits, and though a bit more common than some of our other fruit selections, I go crazy over them in salads of greens with a good Balsamic vinegar and bleu cheese.

The corn is "sugar buns" by name and though it is a bit smaller than some of the other new hybrids. I find that it has the best flavor of any sweet corn I have tried. We plant three varieties of sweet corn all on the same day. They have a slightly different time to maturity and this planting style, referred to as succession planting, ensures a harvest over a greater period of time. A funny aside: Our latest maturing variety of sweet corn is named Miracle, and is as far as I can tell, available from only one seed company. When I called in our order a few years ago I got chatty with the person on the other end and began describing the varieties we use in our succession and how well they work together. This year when perusing the seed catalogue and placing orders I noticed they had recommended our choices as a potential and successful succession.

On to the soup recipe. Just remember to use it as a guide and omit or increase any and all ingredients. Also you might consider making extra and freezing the leftovers. I have begun freezing liquid leftovers in zip lock bags and though a little more difficult to fill they are easier to empty into a pan for a quick lunch or no hassle dinner.

TUSCAN VEGETABLE SOUP WITH ROMA BEANS AND PARMESAN

This is almost as thick as a stew. If you prefer a thinner soup, simply add more vegetable stock.

• 1-2 lbs Roma beans cut diagonally
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 head of green cabbage, cut into1/2-inch pieces
• 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
• 4 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 10 cups (or more) vegetable stock or canned vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 4 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup corn
• 6 3/4-inch-thick slices 7-grain bread, toasted
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
• Additional olive oil

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in very large pot over medium heat. Add onion, beans, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Add green cabbage, tomatoes, celery, and carrots; sauté 10 minutes. Add 10 cups stock, and basil. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 1 hour. Add zucchini and corn. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes longer. Uncover. Add toasted bread slices to soup and remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Stir in cheese. Divide soup among bowls. Top each serving with ground pepper and additional olive oil and serve.

Makes 12 first-course or 6 main-course servings.

Boistfort Valley Farm
426 Boistfort Road
Curtis, WA 98538
(360) 245-3796

website: BoistfortValleyFarm.com
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