September is Harvest Season!

Although we are experiencing a slight lull in tomatoes due to being between patches right now, there are TONS of amazing heirloom and field tomatoes still  to come. For lunch today I had a tomato sandwich with a Brandywine heirloom, Claudio fresh mozzarella, with mayo on our LeBus bakery sliced Italian bread. It was SUMMER DIVINE as it gets. I was going to put pesto on one side of the bread but decided not to. I was so glad I'd refrained from the pesto as the Brandywine tomato flavor was so amazing!

And our eggplants continue to be plentiful and just plain gorgeous. We have a shape for whatever it is you wish to make. For the grill: Simply cut to the desired shape you want (the lavender striped fairy tale can be cooked whole), brush with olive oil and grill for 10 minutes per side on medium heat. Add a dash of balsamic vinaigrette, or a little salt and pepper and enjoy the flavors of summer.

CSA: Weekly Share

This week we've seen the tomatoes come on in full force. Our regular (field) tomatoes are now the Fabulous variety. We like these because they have the best flavor and gorgeous color, even though they are a bit more delicate that some of our other field tomatoes.
And the Heirlooms! Oh, my, we now have a plethora of heirloom tomatoes. Seems when it rains around here it certainly pours. Not only do we have plenty of our slicing varieties of heirlooms, look for the multi-selection of heirloom cherry tomatoes that we have. They are so sweet it is like eating little sugar bursts.
Don't miss some new products we've added in our cooler. Bobbi's Best Hummus comes in many different varieties. This is absolutely the best hummus we've ever tasted. Goes perfect with the italian crostinis (a cracker) we sell. And we've added a few new sizes of the Claudio Fresh Mozzarella.  We still have the 8oz buffala size which is the large dome shaped size. We also have a 4oz. ovalini size which is two smaller ovals, perfect when you can't use up a whole 8oz dome. And we also added the cherry size, which like it sounds, are small round cherry sized balls. Please note that we can only get the Claudio cheese delivered once a week on Friday afternoon (usually after 5). So we are usually out for the days our CSA's pick up their orders. So sorry about this! Please come see us on the weekend to get some of this delicious cheese.

Here's the share for the week:

8 sweet corn
1 lb. regular tomatoes
1 lb. heirloom tomatoes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 lb. squash
2 cucumbers
1 garlic
2 onions
2 ea. green peppers
1 jalapeno or banana pepper
1 lb. potatoes
1 cantaloupe
1 razzberries
1 pint blackberries
1 lb. eggplant
1 bunch zinnias or sunflowers
1 sprig basil

Crusty Bread with Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella

This is a simple but amazingly delicious recipe passed on from our good customers, Steve and Nicole. It is easy and quick to make. Sort of like a fresh pizza on bread. 


Crusty Bread with Tomatoes and Mozzarella

(Serves 2-3)

ingredients:

5-6 medium tomatoes, chopped (can peel or not, I don't) 

3-4 garlic cloves, rough chop

handful fresh basil, rough chop

DiBruno fresh mozzarella, sliced med-thick

Fresh crusty bread, sliced thick (3/4 in)

Olive oil

salt and pepper

method:
Saute garlic in about 2 T. olive oil for 1-2 minutes on medium heat until fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook for 8-10 minutes until they release their juices and they look kind of "saucy". Add salt and pepper to taste. Top fresh tomato sauce with one layer of mozzarella slices in pan, arranging mozzarella around pan and one in middle. Turn down heat to medium low, put top on pan, and let mozzarella melt down, about 5 minutes. Slice crusty artisan-type fresh bread in thick slices. If using a baguette, slice on a diagonal so they are longer. When cheese is melted, using a spatula, scoop each clump of tomatoes and melted cheese onto a piece of bread. Top with a generous amount of fresh basil. 

(note: you will need about 2 medium or one large tomato per person. If making a larger batch, adjust garlic accordingly.)

Recipe of the Day

Sliced Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella with Basil

ingredients:

2 large tomatoes -sliced about 1/4” thick

One package of Claudio or DiBruno fresh mozzarella -sliced to match tomatoes

Handful of fresh basil - amount to taste, chop rough

Extra virgin olive oil 

Claudio 25 yr. Balsamic (can use regular balsamic vinegar)

Salt and pepper

method:

Layer alternating tomatoes and mozzarella fanning out across a plate. Lightly salt and pepper. Top with basil, tucking some under the slices of tomato and mozzarella. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Then, lightly, to taste, drizzle balsamic across top.  Serve right away. (If you make this ahead of time, wait until you are about to serve to add oil and balsamic.)

Serves 2-3.

We're Pickin' Corn!

Yesterday we picked the first corn of the season. Yum, yum, yum!
It's bi-color and it is very sweet, crisp and delicious. We pick it everyday, as many times a day as we need to. For your eatin' pleasure!

CORN COOKING TIP: Drop corn into boiling water and cook for 1 minute ONLY! It will be perfect, I promise. 

All our delicious refrigerated items are in. Fresh mozzarella cheese, pies baked daily, goat cheese logs, Imported Italian Olive Oil. LeBus Bakery breads.