• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Hot peppers
• Eggplant
• Cherry tomatoes
• Kale or chard or collards
• Parsley or basil
• Onions
• Green beans (they are back! We will do our best to get you only the good ones but please know it is hard to tell. If the pod is “empty”(no beans and bends) then toss it, those are not delicious
• Daikon radish or beets
• Winter squash?
• Fruit you choose from Pears, apples or asian pears (all getting sweeter, try me again!!)Prune plums (choose 10 pieces)
• Garlic
• Potatoes
• Zucchini
• Cucumbers (a few)
• Grapes

It is the time of year for our Canning party. I can tell by the number of peppers, plums grapes apples etc. that this would be the time to make and preserve food for fall. Due to Covid 19 we are not having our annual event. Luna and I are doing our best to preserve plums, tomatoes, apples, pears, peppers. We made a batch of plum chutney, pear butter and are working on ketchup and barbecue sauce. I will include those recipes here today as they are classics that we have made for years. I dug through my old box of recipes and found canning party lists from 2009. It made me appreciate so many members that have been with us for over 11 years. It is hard to believe that we have been in this vegetable growing business for 20 years. The canning party has been going on for at least 15 years with only one or two breaks. This year we will have to can on our own. If you were interested in purchasing extra fruit, vegetables for your canning project let me know. We will have out the pepper roaster this week and roast bags of 20 peppers for $10. You can harvest prune plums and pick some extra apples to make the chutney. I wish we were more canning tomatoes but alas they had their heyday in mid August and are now taking a rest. There is a glut of cherry tomatoes though so if you want to purchase extra cherry tomatoes to make preserves or sauce from them please let me know they are three dollars a pound. 

We continue to transplant, weed and seed to fill every space on the farm. We attempted to do intercropping in our overwintering brassicas but they appear to have had trouble germinating. In the next two weeks we will attempt to seed clover in between our beds and hope that with fall rain this will germinate and allow us the benefit of nitrogen in our soil and prevent erosion. If we plant nothing we know that our friend the chickweed will cover our land if only it was a good nitrogen fixer. Chickweed, pigweed, lambs quarter, Thistle and GRASS seem to grow extremely well on our property. They will happily blanket any open piece of dirt and cover it for winter. I managed to get greenhouse number six planted with spinach, radicchio and Swiss chard. The cucumbers and zucchini and tomatoes will grow into the fall and  we will have to have seedlings ready to go to fill those spaces as soon as they come out. We are considering keeping greenhouse number two in a cover crop for the winter and see if we can rejuvenate that soil. We have had the goats and the sheep and chickens all take turns inside that greenhouse trying to get back the weeds and fertilizer but so far it has not helped. Our little pullets purchased in mid July are looking great; they are in full plumage and have been moved in with the other chickens. They should be ready to lay in November just in time for darkness and short days to convince them it is time to rest egg production. We can always hope that they will keep going over the winter for those lucky winter share subscribers!

Make sure to take action this week. Contribute to a good cause, support local elections, make sure you and your entire extended family are registered to vote wherever they live. Encourage people to vote by mail by asking for a mail in ballot.

Off to harvest for y’all.

Plum Chutney

2 pounds firm-ripe plums

2 pounds cooking apples

1 pound onions, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon mustard seeds

1 tablespoon salt

2 cups red wine vinegar

2 ⅓ cups firmly packed light brown sugar

Quarter and pit the plums. Peel, core, and coarsely chop the apples.

In a preserving pan combine the plums, apples, onions, garlic, ginger, mustard seeds, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the ingredients are softened and can be easily crushed with the back of a spoon against the side of the pan.Add the vinegar and brown sugar and cook the chutney for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it is thickened and the vinegar is absorbed.

Spoon the chutney into warm sterilized jars and seal by processing the jars in the water bath for 10 minutes. Store the unopened jars in a cool, dark place for at least 6 week before eating.

Make 3 quarts

EGGPLANT, ZUCCHINI, RED PEPPER, AND PARMESAN TORTE
2 large onions (about 1 pound)
1 garlic clove
about 1/2 cup olive oil
a 26- to 32-ounce container chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 large eggplants (about 2 1/2 pounds total)
4 large zucchini (about 1 3/4 pounds total)
4 large red bell peppers
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
6 ounces freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 2 cups)

Halve onions through root end and thinly slice. Finely chop garlic. In a large heavy skillet cook onions with salt to taste in 2 tablespoons oil, covered, over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 15 minutes. Add garlic and cook mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until any liquid onions give off is evaporated. Add tomatoes with juice, sage, and thyme and simmer, stirring occasionally, until excess liquid is evaporated and mixture is very thick. Season mixture with salt and pepper and cool. Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush at least 2 shallow baking pans with some remaining oil.

Cut eggplants crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick rounds and arrange in one layer in baking pans. Brush eggplant slices with some remaining oil and roast in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of pans halfway through roasting time, until tender and golden, about 20 minutes. Cool eggplant 5 minutes and transfer with a slotted spatula to paper towels to drain.
Cut zucchini lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick slices and roast in same manner until tender and pale golden, about 25 minutes. Cool zucchini 5 minutes and transfer to paper towels to drain.
Quarter bell peppers lengthwise and discard stems, seeds, and ribs. Arrange peppers, skin sides up, in oiled baking pans and brush with some remaining oil. Roast peppers in same manner until tender and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Cool peppers 5 minutes and transfer to paper towels to drain.
In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan melt butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes and whisk in milk and cream. Bring mixture to a boil, whisking, and simmer, whisking occasionally, 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and cool sauce 5 minutes. Whisk in eggs, two thirds Parmigiano-Reggiano, and salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat oven to 400°F. and lightly oil a 14- x 10- x 2 1/2-inch or other 3 1/2-quart shallow baking dish. In baking dish arrange half of eggplant, overlapping slices to form an even layer, and season with salt and pepper. Top eggplant with half of tomato mixture, spreading evenly, and pour about one third Parmigiano-Reggiano custard over it. Nestle half of zucchini in custard and season with salt and pepper. Top zucchini with half of peppers. Repeat layering, reserving half of remaining custard for topping. Pour reserved custard over final layer of peppers and sprinkle with remaining grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Bake torte in middle of oven until custard is puffed and golden brown, about 35 minutes. Let torte stand 10 minutes before serving.