Week #22, 2025
Eggplant or green beans
Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Sweet peppers
Hot peppers
Peppers for grilling or padrons or shishitos or tomatillos
Onions
Potatoes
Basil
Fruit bar
Zucchini
Cucumbers
Parsley or cilantro
Kale or chard
Grapes ( more along the fence line help yourself to the left as you enter the farm)
We continue to plug away at harvesting summer crops and getting quick fall crops into the fields and filling the hoop houses. There are not enough hours in the day for us to get it all done. The weeds take no breaks! The change in weather expected this week is welcome and a threat. Welcome for the fall crops who desperately need rain and dusting off. A threat for our precious tomatoes that will all split with the moisture. Enjoy tomatoes while you can and make stews, sauces and ratatouille.
The fight to stop BlackRock and Jupiter from building a Battery storage facility just 1 mile from the farm continues and is shifting gears. The October 16th hearing is the focus. Please mark your calendars and join us County commissioners hearing. You can contribute to the fight by: 1) Write a letter in opposition to the Battery storage facility proposal (BESS) 2) Send us your contribution to the legal fees, we have committed to raise $1000 and through generous gifts we have $400. 3) Put up a yard sign; let us know you want a yard sign and we will work to get you one when available. 4) plan to attend the hearing on October 16th.
This coming Saturday we will host a farm to table for Kitchen Table Magazine https://www.kitchentablemagazine.com/. Brett the creator and contributors to his period magazine will dine in the orchard, enjoy a farm tour and share merriment. We look forward to the event and the delicious meal ComidaKin https://www.comidakin.com/ will prepare from our veggies.
I started back at the Beaverton Farmers Market (Saturdays from 8:30-1:30) yesterday. All of the work over the last month was on display and despite the parade and cloudy weather it was a good start. I sold many of the dried flower wreaths and bird feeders and now have that to catch on as well. Follow us on Instagram at la_finquita_del_buho. Come see me at Beaverton or text me for your special order. Y’all missed out on the first selection but I still have lots of material to make into wreaths. Lots happening in our farm family as well, but not the space to share all that, just know we are trying to hold it all together.
Grilled Marinated Jimmy Nardello Peppers
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
1 pound Jimmy Nardello peppers
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for grilled bread and garnishing, if desired)
Salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or dried oregano)
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
Grilled bread (optional), for serving
Fresh stracciatella, ricotta or burrata (optional), for serving
Torn fresh basil leaves (optional), for serving
· Step 1
Heat the grill to medium-high.
· Step 2
On a large rimmed sheet pan, drizzle the whole peppers with 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
· Step 3
Grill the peppers until fragrant, grill-marked underneath and just starting to slump, 2 to 4 minutes, closing the grill as they cook. After they’ve cooked on one side, flip them over, shift them accordingly and cook on the opposite side, 2 to 4 minutes, until grill-marked and tender, transferring the peppers to a large bowl as they finish cooking.
· Step 4
Immediately toss the warm peppers with the vinegar, garlic, thyme, crushed red pepper (if using) and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil; season again to taste with salt and pepper.
· Step 5
If you’d like to grill your bread, brush the cut slices with olive oil on both sides, season with salt and pepper and grill until grill-marked.
· Step 6
Serve marinated peppers immediately, or refrigerate for up to 3 days. For a lavish starter, swipe some cheese on grilled bread, pile peppers on top, sprinkle with torn basil and drizzle with additional olive oil.
Quick 10 minute pickled jalapenos
Ingredients
· 1 cup white vinegar
· 1 cup water
· 2 cloves garlic smashed
· 2 tablespoons sugar
· 1 tablespoon salt
· 7-8 jalapeno peppers thinly sliced
Instructions
1. Combine the vinegar, water, garlic, sugar, and salt in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Add jalapeno slices, stir, and remove from heat.
2. Let sit for at least 8 minutes then use tongs to remove the jalapenos from the pot to a jar; cover with the brining liquid to fill the jar.
3. Store in the fridge for up to two months.
Roasted cherry tomatoes and feta
· 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
· 1 lb. (450 to 500 g) cherry tomatoes
· 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
· 1 small shallot, optional, thinly sliced
· 1 to 2 small hot chilies, optional, thinly sliced or a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
· fresh cracked black pepper
· 7 ounce (200 grams) block of feta, see notes above, cut into two slabs
· handful of fresh basil
Heat oven to 400ºF. Place one rack in the middle of the oven. Place one rack at the very top, close to the broiler.
Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into an 8- or 9-inch baking dish (or something similar). Add the tomatoes, garlic, shallots, and chilies. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat. Add the feta. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Crack more pepper over top to taste.
Transfer pan to your oven’s middle rack for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes, transfer the pan to the top rack, and switch to your oven’s broiler setting. Broil on high for 5 minutes (or more or less), keeping a close watch the entire time. While the tomatoes broil, heat up some bread — I’ve been doing this in the toaster oven but you probably could get away with putting the bread on the very bottom rack of your oven while the tomatoes broil.
When the tomatoes are blistered to your liking, remove the pan from the heat. Toss in a handful of basil and stir gently to combine. Serve with slices of warm bread.
Marie Helene’s Apple Cake
This is my favorite way to use “gently used” apples which fell and got a bit bruised before I got to them.
· 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
· 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
· Pinch of salt
· 4 large apples use 4 different kinds-I used Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, and Granny Smith
· 2 large eggs
· 3/4 cup sugar
· 3 tablespoons dark rum
· 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
· 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and center a rack in the oven. Butter an 8 inch springform pan. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and put the springform pan on it. Set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl.
3. Peel the apples, cut them in half, and remove the cores. Cut the apples into 1 to 2 inch chunks.
4. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until foamy. Pour in the sugar and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the rum and vanilla. Whisk in half of the flour mixture, when it's incorporated, add half of the melted butter, followed by the remaining flour mixture and butter. Mix in between additions so you have a smooth, thick batter.
5. Fold in the apples with a rubber spatula. Pour batter into prepared pan. Spread with spatula so the batter is somewhat even.
6. Slide the pan in the oven and bake 50-60 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool for five minutes.
7. Run a knife around the edges of the cake and remove from the pan. Cool cake until slightly warm or at room temperature. If you want to remove the cake from the pan, wait until the cake is completely cooled. Slide a long spatula between the cake and pan, cover the top of the cake with a piece of parchment or wax paper, and invert it onto a rack. Carefully remove the bottom of the pan and turn the cake over onto a serving platter.
*Note-you can serve the cake with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Dorie suggests not covering the cake because it is so moist. Just press a piece of plastic wrap against the cut surfaces of the cake.
Marinated Cherry Tomatoes 4 servings
2 baskets Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup Finely chopped parsley
1 Tablespoon Finely chopped rosemary
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup Extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Mix tomatoes, onions, parsley, rosemary, garlic, olive oil and vinegar in a shallow bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the bowl and let tomatoes marinate at room temperature at least 1 hour, but preferably 3 to 4 hours or overnight. Stir occasionally. Enjoy with crostini or as a side dish.
Tomato Bisque ( Family Favorite)
Use fresh tomatoes to make a luscious creamy tomato soup. It is quite easy to make and much more tasty than canned cream of tomato soup. If you are lucky enough to grow your own tomatoes or have a good farmer's market nearby, you can easily freeze tomatoes without the fuss of canning, and they will also taste fresher than canned. Simply wash, pat dry, place whole tomatoes in a freezer zip-top bag, suck out the air with a straw, seal, and freeze. When you thaw them, the skins will slip right off, and they are ready to go.
Ingredients:
· 3 Tablespoons butter (can use olive oil to make it dairy-free and vegan)
· 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
· 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (I never add this)
· 2 cups water
· 4 pounds tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into pieces (I use far less, often just tomato juice)
· 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
· 6 whole cloves (I use ground cloves, this is key!)
· 1 teaspoon salt
· Freshly ground black pepper
· 1 cup medium or whipping cream (I never add this, I simply use the vitamix and it tastes like it has cream!0
Preparation:
Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and toss to coat. Stir over medium heat until the onion is tender. Sprinkle on the flour and continue stirring over medium heat until the mixture foams. Stir in the water and bring to a boil.
Measure out 3/4 cup of the tomato 3 pieces and set aside. Add the remaining tomato pieces to the boiling mixture. Stir in the brown sugar and cloves. Reduce the heat and cook, uncovered, at the gentle bubble for 30 minutes.
Transfer to a food mill and force through. Return to the saucepan and stir in the reserved tomato pieces. Blend in the salt, pepper, and cream. Place soup4 over medium heat and warm gently, but do not boil.
Yield: 6 servings