White House Gardens Week #14, September 16, 2010

Week #14    September 16, 2010

Thanks to helpers Michelle Krocker, Nancy & Denny Archey, and my niece, Sarah Fulton, we got your boxes packed by 8:00 pm again this evening.  Thank you, helpers. There is at least one hour less of daylight now, so we have to move fast to get everything picked before the sun goes down.  I enjoy growing at this time of year the most, when the days and nights are cooler, the weed pressure is less, and the crops grow slower.  Most things that go in your boxes are weighed or counted, so I know how to divide the harvest evenly.  When things need to be bunched or bagged, we count out the bags or rubber bands beforehand so there are no mistakes.  When things are weighed, such as the arugula, we then divide the weight by the number of shares, AND count out the bags, and then fill them.  My math was a little off this evening, so we had to re-bag the arugula to make 35 shares.  I know I keep saying this, but this may be the last time there are tomatoes in your share, other than romas and/or heirlooms.  Hopefully, we will get some much needed rain this week. 

Tongue of Fire Shell Beans  Only in large shares this week.  There are many more to be picked, so we will have them again, at least for the next couple of weeks.  Shell beans are like dried beans, but they don’t need to be soaked before cooking them.  The pods can be stored in the refrigerator temporarily , but they should be shelled as soon as possible.  If you can’t cook them right away, they can be frozen after they are shelled and cooked when you have more time.  A simple way to cook them is to sauté some chopped onions, carrots, celery and garlic in olive oil.  Add the shelled beans with enough water to cover and simmer gently for about 30-40 minutes.   Add more water if necessary so that the beans don’t go dry.  Taste for doneness after about 30 minutes.  Here is a link  on  How to Cook Shell Beans for more information on cooking fresh shell beans.  Many of the pods that are in your share are a little drier than I would have liked, but they will still cook quicker than dried beans.  Use in place of dried beans in your favorite recipe.  Included in the newsletter is a recipe for a shell bean salad.  See   Recipes for Health for more shell bean recipes.

Radishes  French breakfast variety. 
 
Pac Choi  This is an Asian vegetable, in the same family as cabbage, broccoli, etc.  It can be steamed, sauted, or used in stir fries.  Both the stems and the leaves are edible.  When stir frying, it’s best to cut the leaves from the thick stem, slice the stems into ½” pieces and add them before the leaves, as the stems take longer to cook.  Here is a recipe from shareholder Pat Brannon for a coleslaw made with pac choi.

I tend to improvise in the kitchen---I sliced the bok choy bulb into julienne size pieces. To that I added some chopped Vidalia, and a can of halved Mandarin oranges, a handful of broken walnut meats, and a scattering of Gorgonzola cheese. For the dressing I added a minced garlic clove mashed with a dash of Dijon mustard, than blended in white wine vinegar and olive oil, salt and pepper. The result was a refreshing, crisp fruity slaw. Next time I will try with diced apple and a creamier sweet dressing – maybe with mayo and honey.

Tomatoes  The last of the slicing tomatoes.  Yellow or red Brandywine, or Goldie, another heirloom
 
Arugula  Has a peppery taste.  Use in place of lettuce, or mix with other greens in a salad. 
 
Sweet Peppers  Carmen (long, red), red block peppers, and Amish Pimento and/or Topepo.  These last two are the short, squat red peppers, very sweet.
 
Hot Peppers  Jalapeno, Serrano, Czech Black, Hungarian Carrot, and Cayenne.  The hot peppers are in a paper bag.


Shell Bean Salad With Tomatoes, Celery and Feta
By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

This is a perfect end-of-summer farmers' market dish. It makes a nutritious main salad or a great starter or side dish.
For the salad:
1 1/2 pounds shell beans (about 2 1/3 cups shelled)
1 onion, halved
7 cups water
3 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
A bouquet garni made with a few sprigs each of parsley and thyme, a sprig of sage and a bay leaf
Salt to taste
1 cup sliced or diced celery
1 pound tomatoes, cut in wedges, the wedges cut in half crosswise, or cut in large dice
1/2 cup crumbled feta (2 ounces)
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, basil, chives, tarragon, mint
For the dressing:
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 garlic clove, minced or pureed
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1. Combine the beans, onion, water, crushed garlic, bouquet garni and salt in a heavy saucepan or soup pot, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer 45 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Taste and adjust salt. Remove and discard the onion, the bouquet garni and the garlic cloves. Drain though a strainer or colander set over a bowl.
2. In a large salad bowl, combine the beans, celery, tomatoes, feta and herbs. Sprinkle the tomatoes with sea salt if desired.
3. Mix together the vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil. Toss with the salad, taste and adjust seasonings, and serve.
Variations: You can serve this salad warm or cold. Heat the beans if they've cooled off, then toss with the other ingredients. You can also add some of the liquid from the beans if you want more marinade for the mixture (though the tomatoes will become juicy).
Tuna, Bean and Tomato Salad: Add a drained can of tuna to the mix.
Yield: Serves 6 to 8.

Advance preparation: You can cook the beans up to three days in advance. The salad will hold for a few hours. Tomatoes will continue to release juice, but this just makes everything taste even better.