This week:

• 2 Beefsteak Tomatoes – PF
• 1 bunch Gold Beets – CO
• 1 hallet Blueberries – CO
• 1.5 pounds Summer Squash – CO
• 1 pound Doughnut Peaches – PF
• 1 bunch Spinach – CO
• 1 pound Green Beans – CO
• 1 bunch Cilantro – CO

CO – Certified Organic

PF – Pesticide Free

 
Letter from Hedlin Farms
July 29, 2014
Week 7
We are coming in to high summer here, and finally! High 70s during the day and high 50s at night is just where we like it. Now if we could just get an inch of rain every Sunday night between midnight and 5 AM, followed by another week of solid sun that would be just about perfect.
We’re harvesting winter barley, to be followed directly by winter wheat in the week ahead. We have blossom in the potatoes and tassels on the first planting of sweet corn. Peas are done, beans and broccoli are on, and cabbage and cauliflower are coming soon! Cleaned out the barn last week for a dinner to support Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland. Georgia Johnson prepared a wonderful meal featured the best of the summer bounty the Skagit has to offer, and everyone seemed much impressed, with the exception of the just-fledged barn swallows, who voiced their sincere displeasure at our little gathering beneath their nests. I was, though, a little bit relieved that they waited until we left to return, considering that my seat was immediately under a nest…
I have to admit, it feels a little odd to provide recipes for peaches when you are all perfectly capable of eating them with your mouths (all of your mouths, collectively, I mean, not to suggest that any of our CSA customers have multiple mouths…)(1) But sometimes you have company over, or a potluck to make a dish for, or a cobbler gala to attend, and some additional gussying up is required…

Peach Blueberry Cornmeal Cobbler

via www.SmittenKitchen.com
Adapted from The Lee Bros. delightful Simple Fresh Southern
Feel free to also adjust the balance of fruit; for a less-dominating blueberry flavor, use 1 cup less and 1 cup more peaches; you could also use mixed stone fruits, if you have them at your disposal.
For the fruit

• 1 1/2 pounds (about 4 cups) peaches, pitted and cut into slices(2)
• 1 pint (about 2 cups) blueberries, rinsed and dried
• 2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 2 T flour
• 2 T fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt

For the biscuit topping

• 3/4 C (3 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 C fine stone-ground cornmeal (yellow or white)
• 3 T dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 T cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 C buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
2. Toss peaches with blueberries, sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt in the bottom of a 2-quart ovenproof dish.
3. Make the biscuit dough: Stir together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.
4. Cut the butter into the dry mixture with your fingertips, a fork or a pastry blender. Stir in buttermilk with a rubber spatula until a wet, tacky dough comes together.
5. Plop spoonfuls of the biscuit dough over the filling; don’t worry about covering entire surface.
6. Bake until the cobbler’s syrup is bubbly and the biscuit tops are browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.
7. Let cool slightly and scoop it into bowls.
8. Top with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or plain yogurt, as your conscience dictates, and serve.

(1)Not sure how that would really work, even…
(2) Want to peel your peaches? Here’s how: Cut a small “x” in the bottom of each peach. Dip them in boiling water for 30 seconds, and the skins will slide right off.

This next recipe comes from a well regarded, cleverly named, and new-to-me blog, the bitten word. As near as I can gather, they cook recipes from a variety of cooking magazines, and feature the best of their finds on the site. Kind of like an Utne Reader but for recipes instead of progressive journalism…
This particular recipe rose to the top of the pile because it combined three key elements into one recipe –
First and second, gold beets and green beans, both of which I was looking to highlight in the box this week, and third, the fresh goat cheese. Chevre and beets perform some kind of alchemy on the tongue…like peanut butter and honey, they taste better together than either could alone, and in way you could hardly predict.

Golden Beet & Green Bean Salad

via www.thebittenword.com
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living (July 2008)
Serves 6
Ingredients

• 6 large golden beets, trimmed
• 6 ounces slender green beans, trimmed
• Coarse salt
•  2 T white-wine vinegar
•  2 T minced shallot (from 1 shallot)
•  2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 C loosely packed, torn fresh basil, plus small leaves for garnish
• 2 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wrap beets in parchment, then foil, and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 60 minutes. Let cool completely. Peel and cut beets into 1/2-inch dice. Transfer to a large bowl.
2. Prepare an ice-water bath. Cook green beans in boiling, salted water until bright green and crisp tender, at most 2 minutes. Transfer to ice-water bath, and drain. Cut beans diagonally into thirds, and reserve with beets.
3. Mix vinegar, shallot, and mustard in a small bowl. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until emulsified. Toss with vegetables, and season with salt and pepper. Stir in torn basil and goat cheese. Garnish with basil leaves. Eat.
That’s it for this week. Enjoy the sun and we’ll see you soon!
-the chardmonger