This week:

• 2 pounds green beans – CO
• 1 head Romaine lettuce – CO
• 1 bunch Spinach – CO
• 2 pounds Red Thumb Potatoes – CO
• 2 hallets Blueberries – CO
• 1 bunch Parsley – CO
• 3 Nectarines – PF
• 2 pounds Heirloom Tomatoes – CO
• 1 bunch Scallions – CO
• 1 bunch Carrots – CO

 
Letter from Hedlin Farms
August 12, 2014
Week 9
Thunder! Lightning! Partly cloudy with light showers! We took a break from working on the house late Monday night to watch the lightning and listen to the thunder roll overhead from underneath the eaves of the barn. Over the course of an hour we watched it roll from down near Stanwood all the way up to Padilla Bay before it finally petered. For all their cinematic reputation, thunderstorms really have no sense of dramatic timing. No preludes, no foreshadowing, just long periods of inaction punctuated by brief and arbitrary outbursts, and then you just sit in the theater in the dark until you get cold and go home. But what a theater!
Seems like we almost always get a little thunder, lighting, and rain this time of year just as the heat reaches its peak. And speaking of peaks, we have a particularly fat, abundant box for you this week. We’re pleased to be bringing you our first big pick of organic heirloom tomatoes from the high tunnels this week, along with our first carrots of the season (always late, but worth the wait!) The blueberries are ripe and abundant so we are just going to keep stocking you up with them as long as they hold out, and the red thumb potatoes are perfect for grilling, roasting, or whatever else you like to do with buttery little nubbins.
Below are a couple recipes playing to the most sumptuous and seasonal items in your boxes this week—the heirlooms and the green beans. So play around and enjoy!
-the chardmonger
 

Penne With Heirloom Tomatoes, Basil, Green Beans and Feta

Adapted from Martha Rose Shulman @ The New York Times
Ingredients

• 1 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed, strings removed if necessary, and broken in half if very long
•  4 C chopped fresh ripe tomatoes
• 4 T extra virgin olive oil
•  2 plump garlic cloves, minced (more to taste)
•  Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (a very good coarse sea salt or fleur de sel works well for this)
• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar (optional)
• 4 T basil, chiffonade cut (rolled and finely slivered)
• 4 oz. crumbled feta (about 1 cup)
• 1 lb. pasta (penne or fusilli are good choices)

1. Combine the olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, basil, salt and pepper in a large bowl, and let sit for 15 to 30 minutes (or longer).
2. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. Add the green beans to the boiling water, and boil four to five minutes, depending on how crunchy you like your beans. Remove with a strainer or skimmer, and transfer to the ice water. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then drain and set aside.
3. Bring the water back to a boil, and add the pasta. Cook until al dente, about eight minutes. When the pasta is ready, drop the green beans back into the water to heat, then drain the pasta and beans and toss at once with the tomato mixture and the feta. Serve hot or room temperature.
Advance preparation: The sauce can be assembled several hours ahead. If you want the basil to maintain its vivid color, leave it out until just before serving.
Serves 4

Green Bean, Tomato, and Chickpea Salad

Adapted from: http://www.insonnetskitchen.com
Ingredients:

• 1.5 pounds green beans, trimmed
•  3 wide strips lemon zest, cut into thin matchstick
• 3 T lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
• 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
•  1 pound heirloom tomatoes, halved and sliced into thin wedges
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 C cooked chickpeas (or 1 can)
• ¼ C kalamata olives, halved
• ⅓ C roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:
In a large pot of boiling water, cook green beans until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking process. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice and oil. Stir in tomatoes, onions, chickpeas, and lemon zest. Add olives and parsley and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange green beans on a serving platter and top with tomato mixture.
Serves 4.