Community Supported Agriculture in Northern Virginia with Graceland Farm: Volume 4: Issue 11

« 27 Jul 2007 »

It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.

Lewis Grizzard

Be Careful What You Wish For…

I had been grumbling the last few weeks about the lack of rain here and had joked with some friends about needing a tropical storm to cure our Summertime blues. No need for a hurricane, please.

Well, Thursday afternoon after making my deliveries I was heading down route 28. As I passed through the villages of Calverton and Catlett the sky quickly darkened and the rains became torrential. I have to admit to cursing under my breath. This had been the pattern all Summer, these nearby areas would catch pop-up thunderstorms that somehow were dodging our farm. Sure enough, as I crossed Licking Run (which forms the Northern boundary of Midland) the rains almost magically stopped. As I pulled into my driveway, I thought “Whatever it takes, I’m ready, just give me some rain.”

A few moments later the torrent of rain that I had seen in the other villages headed for us. Hallelujah!

This seemed to be the answer to my prayers… but, as I ran for the protection of our house, I thought what is that sound? It sounds like a Jamiacan steel drum band hammering out a rhythm on our metal roof. It can’t be, but it was. HAIL! Hail the size of cherries quickly piling up. An accumulation of nearly half an inch in just a couple of minutes. This was not possible (fair?).

The damage was pretty swift in coming: pumpkin, cuke and melon plants had leaves that looked like swiss cheese and many broken stems. Many of the fruit had tiny indentations in them from the hailstones. And, much of my first two corn plantings were flattened to the ground. Unbelievable! I had hoped to be harvesting sweet corn in 7-10 days, but now that was in question.

My wife joked, “At least the hail wasn’t burning,” (yes, that would be a bad sign) “I guess we are waiting for the locusts and asps.”

On the bright side, I seem to be developing a knack for growing in the shade house. The Arugula looks very nice this time around.

The Best BLT Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 2 slices bacon, cut in half
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 slices bread, toasted
• 2 lettuce leaves (try arugula)
• 3 slices tomato

Directions:

Place bacon in a skillet over medium heat. Mix together the mustard powder, curry powder and red pepper flakes. As soon as you turn the bacon over, sprinkle the spice mixture onto the cooked side of the bacon. Place the lettuce and tomato onto one slice of toasted bread, then top with the seasoned cooked bacon. Top with the other slice of toasted bread.

Pico de Gallo Salsa

A fresh and chunky salsa with tomatoes and chile peppers and onions.

Ingredients:

• 4 small tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 fresh chile peppers, mild or hot, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped red or yellow bell pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• salt and pepper, to taste

Preperation:

Combine ingredients in a glass or other non-reactive bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Makes about 2 cups.

Fresh Tomato Sauce adapted from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

• 3 pounds ripe tomatoes, quartered
• 3 Tablespoons chopped basil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter

Put the tomatoes in a heavy pan with the basil. Cover and cook over medium-high heat. The tomatoes should yield their juices right away, but keep an eye on the pot to make sure the pan isn’t dry. You don’t want the tomatoes to scorch. When the tomatoes have broken down after about 10 minutes, pass them through a food mill. If you want the final sauce to be thicker, return it to the pot and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until it’s as thick as you want it. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in the oil.

If you don’t have a food mill, you can first blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for a minute or so then easily remove the peels (and seeds if you like.) Add the fresh basil right before it is poured into the bags.

Deborah M.’s notes about freezing tomato sauce:

Making sauce to freeze for the winter isn’t a big production–or a time consuming one. When tomatoes are in season, I make the Fresh Tomato Sauce using 4 to 5 pounds tomatoes or whatever is convenient. When it’s cool, I ladle it into plastic freezer bags in 1- or 2- cup portions and lay the bags on the freezer floor until they harden. This makes slim packages that are easy to store upright, taking little space. When you warm the sauce, you can season it with crushed garlic or an herb that goes with the dish you’re making.