Pesto Time
This time of year, when it’s hot and humid, I keep an eye out for signs of disease. Tomatoes are very susceptible to fungal diseases, and in the past I have used copper based fungicides to control blight. This year I am trying out some of the newer bio fungicides that are derived from giant knotweed (the invasive plant found along stream banks) and bacteria. They are much safer for the applicator and also have no “re-entry interval” after use. So far the plants look healthy.
Basil is in your share this week. You can store it in the refrigerator, in the crisper drawer, but not in the coldest spot of your fridge. It can also be stored in a vase of water on the countertop. A quick and easy way to preserve basil for the winter is to simply puree it with a bit of olive oil, then freeze into cubes. Look out for a pesto recipe in Annie’s monthly newsletter.
At our Pesto Party, we made a Sicilian style pesto (Pesto a la Trapanese), a tomato based pesto that we found delicious. To preserve the green color, quickly blanch the leaves in simmering water, then cool in ice water. We also found that pesto made in a mortar was the most flavorful version- versus a food processor or knife.
-Aaron
Vegetables
Basil Cucumbers Kale Potatoes Yellow Squash/Zucchini Tomatoes Sweet or Red Onions
Herbs
Upper Garden: Mint, Oregano, Sage, Thyme, Chives, Garlic Chives, Tarragon, Hyssop, Catnip , Winter savory, Lovage, lemon balm
Lower Garden: Parsley, Marjoram, Cilantro, Dill, Summer Savory, cutting celery, Borage, Basil Flowers Bachelor’s Button, Nasturtium, Fancy Pants Daisy, Cerinthe, Snap Dragon, Sweet Pea, Shasta Daisy, Dahlia, Sunflower, Amaranth, Dyer’s Coreopsis, Echinacea
Fattoush (toasted pita with veg & herbs)
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced
2 7” pita breads
3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 sweet onion, finely diced
1 small green pepper, diced
1/3 cup chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp chopped mint
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground sumac (optional)
Put cucumber in colander, toss with 1 tsp salt, set aside to drain. Heat oven to 350, open breads, bake until crisp and light brown, about 10 minutes. Break into bite size pieces. Press excess water from cucumber, rinse quickly, blot dry. Put in bowl with rest of vegetables and herbs. Shake together oil, lemon juice, garlic, sumac and 1/4 tsp salt. Add to salad, toss, add bread, toss again.
Chile lime chicken tacos with zucchini
6 medium zucchini or yellow squash, halved and sliced
1 lb boneless skinless breasts, cut into thin strips
3-4 tbsp lime juice
2-4 tsp minced chipotle en adobo
4 tbsp olive oil
2 ripe tomatoes, seeded & diced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
flour or corn tortillas
sour cream
lime wedges
Combine squash and salt in colander, drain 30 minutes. Combine chicken, lime juice, chipotle. Set aside 20 minutes. Heat 2 tbsp oil in large skillet over medium high. Add chicken and marinade, cook about 4 minutes until no longer pink. Remove and set aside and keep warm. Add remaining oil to pan over high heat. Blot excess moisture from squash and add to pan along with the onion. Saute about 5 minutes. Add in chicken with juices, tomatoes, cilantro, garlic and cook about 5 minutes. Season to taste. Serve with warm tortillas, sour cream and lime wedges. from Serving up the harvest by Andrea Chesman
Yogurt soup with crushed nuts and garlic
1 qt yogurt, drained 25 minutes
1 1/2 cups milk or buttermilk
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup walnuts, pine nuts or almonds
2 cucumbers, peeled
1 tbsp best quality olive oil
few drops lemon juice
4-6 mint sprigs, for garnish
Combine yogurt and buttermilk in a bowl. Pound nuts with the garlic in a mortar with some salt. Add a little yogurt to loosen the mixture as you work. Cut cucumbers in half, scrape out seeds, finely dice. Stir cucumber, garlic-nut mixture and oil into the yogurt. Taste for salt and add pepper and lemon juice. Chill well and serve with mint sprigs. from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison