Rainbow explosion of cherry tomatoes!

Cherry tomatoes are finally here!! The ultimate summer veggie--sweet, juicy, colorful, and snackable just as they are--everyone waits for cherry tomato season. Here at the farm they've been ripening slowly over the last few weeks. We've been pacing up and down the rows watching as the first ones started turn red, or orange, or yellow and or a stripey mix of two colors. When picked and tumbled together they look like Nature's impression of a confetti shower and taste as sweet as a fat slice of birthday cake. Now they're finally here and they taste like summer.


In other farm news, the current total of new Oreo cookie calves is 8! All the babies and mamas are doing well and enjoying life on the hillside pasture. Now that the calves have recovered from birth, they've very playful and are lots of fun to watch explore the world. Two more calves are expected in the next few weeks.

In your share this week: the last of the summer new potatoes from Moraine Farm, bunching onions, eggplant, squash
and cucumbers, and more PYO sunflowers!

Enjoy your veggies this week!


Recipe of the Week
If eggplant parm and eggplant rollatini weren't so damn good, baba ghanouj would be my favorite eggplant recipe. It only comes in 3rd because it's up against such epicly delicious competition.

Baba Ghanouj (also spelled Baba gannoush)
from simplyrecipes.com, one of my favorite food & cooking blogs

1-2 eggplants (~2 lbs)
3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2-3 Tbs roasted tahini
1-2 cloves garlic (adjust according to your taste for garlic), finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
Juice of one lemon, about 2.5 Tbs
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
1 Tbs chopped parsley (can substitute basil or cilantro)

1a Oven method
Preheat oven to 400F. Poke the eggplants in several places with the tines of a fork. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and brush the cut sides lightly with olive oil (about 1 Tbs). Place on a baking sheet, cut side down, and roast until very tender, about 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cook for 15 minutes. Skip to step 2.

1b Grilling method
Preheat grill. Poke the eggplants in several places with the tines of a fork. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and brush the cut sides lightly with olive oil (about 1 Tbs). Grill over high heat, turning as each side blackens. Put the charred eggplants in a paper bag, close the bag and let the eggplants steam in their skins for 15-20 minutes.

Step 2
Scoop the eggplant flesh into a large bowl and mash well with a fork. Combine the eggplant, minced garlic, remaining olive oil (about 2 Tbs), tahini, cumin, 2 Tbs of the lemon juice, the salt, and a pinch of cayenne. Mash well. You want the mixture to be somewhat smooth but still retain some of the eggplant's texture.

Step 3
Allow the baba ghanouj to cool to room temperature, then season to taste with additional lemon juice, salt, and cayenne. If you want, swirl a little olive oil on the top. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley. Serve with pita bread, crackers, toast, sliced baguette, celery, or cucumber slices.