Newsletter August 7, 08- week#11

Red Springs Family Farm
August 7, 2008, Week #11

This week:
First bite of melon Cucumbers Summer Squashes
Red Pepper Tomatoes Lettuce
Eggplant Carrots Green Beans
Sorrel Cilantro
Parsley Basil

Sweaty hot muggy intense August is here! Those of us living without air conditioning go frequently to the creek. This is the season of RANK GROWTH. What was once a relatively tidy row of tomatoes has become a jungle of green vines. And not just vines. As sure as there is Lulah, there are weeds. Importunate Bermuda grass has infiltrated the mulch and reaches through into the pathway. The melon and squash patch is a sea of foliage, some belonging to garden plants, but not all. As usual, the butternut squashes dominate their corner, reaching six rows over to invade even the sweet potatoes. We wade through, looking for ripening melons, rolling squash bug eggs off the leaves, and pulling particularly persistent morning glories before they bloom and set seed. The garden is a big messy wonderland of life.

And so, the melons are beginning. This week is only the harbinger of what’s to come. This is how cantaloupes work: it seems like they should be ready any day, and so we wait and wait and wait, then there’s ONE ripe melon, which is great. Then there are maybe FIVE melons. And the next day, there are FORTY, all ready for eating right away!

Fresh Dilled Eggplant
(sorry we aren’t offering the fresh dill this year – but this is a great recipe)
1 Bunch fresh Dill 1 medium Eggplant
3 Tbsp. sunflower oil ½ tsp. Turmeric
1/8 tsp. Hing 1 cup water
¾ tsp. Sea salt 1 tsp. Curry powder
2 Tbsp. honey or similar 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
¼ green pepper, chopped 1 tsp. Coriander powder

Wash and finely chop dill (I’ve used dried dill with good results, too). Wash and peel eggplant; cut into 1 inch cubes. Heat oil is mid-sized cooking pan. Add turmeric, hing, eggplant, dill, and water. Cover and cook 10 minutes over medium heat. Add rest of ingredients and cook 5 minutes more.

Vegetable Fritters (I like to double this one and snack on them later)
1/3 cup white or WW flour ½ tsp. Baking powder
½ tsp. Salt 1/8 tsp. Pepper
2 eggs, beaten
Mix to form a smooth batter. Add:
3 cups summer squash, shredded 1/3 cup minced onion OR 2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp (at least) fresh chopped parsley (try chopping some sweet pepper in here too!)

Mix the veggies into the batter gently. Heat an oiled skillet to medium-hot. Drop large spoonfuls of batter onto the frypan. Fry each side until golden. Enjoy!

Thanks so much for your support.

Paul, Coree, and Lulah Entwistle

“A nation that destroys its soil, destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.” ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

Red Springs Family Farm, PO Box 351 Red Boiling Springs TN 37150 ~ coreekaleseed@yahoo.com