Summery Tomato Basil Pasta

We love simple, easy meals with ingredients straight out of our garden - meals like this tomato basil pasta. It hardly takes take any time at all but the finished dish will have you feeling like you're at a little bistro somewhere living large and eating well.

You'll need a package of spaghetti or angel hair noodles, cooked according to the package instructions. Adding a large glug of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt in the boiling water before cooking the noodles helps things out makes things better.

Then dice up 3-4 ripe tomatoes, mince 2 cloves of fresh garlic and dice up half an onion. Chiffonade (<---added a video to show you how) some fresh basil and set aside, about a 1/2 cup of it. 

In a large skillet or saucepan, pour enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and heat it up over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute until it's fragrant and the onion has softened. Then add the tomatoes and toss them around, cooking them down a bit for 3-4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and remove it from the heat.

Serve over pasta, with the fresh basil and good parmesan sprinkled (generously) over the top. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. 

We'll be at market this week and the CSA boxes will have nearly everything you need to make this pasta! Here's what we'll have: 

• potatoes
• onions
• tomatoes
• green tomatoes
• summer squash
• peppers
• green beans
• basil 
• freshly baked bread

*See you soon!*

Easy Homemade Dill Pickles

Have you ever thought about being fancy and handy and making your own pickles? What with all the cucumbers coming off the vine recently we thought we'd share an easy pickle recipe - but you don't have to share the simple factor with your friends...let them be duly impressed!

You'll need:

• about 4 cups of cucumbers, washed well and cut into spears or slices (your preference!)
• 3.5 cups water
• 1.25 cups white vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 2 cloves whole garlic, peeled
• 2 heads of fresh dill

Combine the water, vinegar, sugar, and sea salt in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil. Remove it from the heat and let it cool completely - pour it into another container and stick it in the fridge to speed the process up.

Put the cucumbers, garlic, and dill in a large glass container (or several if they don't fit into one) and pour the vinegar mixture over them until they're immersed. Seal the containers with a lid and refrigerate for at least 3 days.

Enjoy with whatever you like to eat pickles with! 

In other news, we'll be at the market this week with green beans, Lebanese summer squash, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, and peppers. Plus...fresh bread of course! We hope to see you there. 

Plus don't forget - Fall CSA spots are now available - we are excited for all of the beautiful fall veggies. Just let us know if you're interested and we'll get you signed up. 

Potato Salad and Fall CSAs

Helllloooo!! First, this guy wanted to say hello from the farm:

Moving on...you might have noticed that potatoes are plentiful this harvest season - good thing they are versatile and enjoyable to eat! A good, fresh potato salad is a gem for the summer cook-out season. Here's a recipe adapted from the memoir/cookbook A Homemade Life that uses fresh dill (mmmmmm) and ranch dressing to differentiate itself. You'll need:

• 1.5 lbs potatoes, well-scrubbed
• 4 hard-boiled eggs
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup ranch dressing
• 2 tbsp finely chopped dill
• salt and pepper to taste

Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover them with water and a generous pinch of salt. Bring them to a boil and boil until they are fork tender, about 15-20 minutes. 

Drain the potatoes and rinse with cold water, then set them aside to cool completely. You can put them in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process - you'll want the potatoes to be completely cool before you dress them. 

While they are cooling, coarsely chop the hard-boiled eggs and mix together the mayo, ranch, and dill until it's well-combined and smooth. 

Cut the potatoes into 1" cubes and put them in a big bowl; add the eggs, green onion, and dressing until it's all mixed together nicely. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. You can serve immediately but it'll taste best if you cover it and let it marinate together in the refrigerator overnight. 

Enjoy!!

We'll be at market this week with:

• tomatoes
• potatoes
• onions
• cucumbers
• Lebanese summer squash ( makes really good stuffed squash or squash fritters) 
• green peppers 
• carrots
• bouquet of flowers 
• squash blossoms 
• fresh bread!

Also, good news! You can sign up for the Fall CSA season now - it goes from October 7th through December 16th and will include goodies like pumpkin, sweet potatoes, a variety of radishes (like watermelon and purple daikon!), autumn squash, and greens like kale and bok choy. 

It's $275 for the season ($25/week) and if you pay for the whole season upfront we'll take $25 off - the equivalent of a free box of veggies - just to say we appreciate you. Sign up with us at the market or on the website!

That's all folks, hope to see you Saturday.

The Easiest Summer Appetizer

Are you ready for the most refreshingly simple appetizer/snack ever? It's two ingredients - cucumbers and Italian dressing! Just peel cucumbers and cut them into thin slices and put them in a shallow dish.

Then, pour your favorite Italian dressing (the Olive Garden signature dressing is lovely, or if you prefer homemade here's a recipe you can try) over the cukes until they are immersed and put them covered in the refrigerator to marinate for awhile. They'll keep for up to a week, and you can keep adding fresh cucumbers to the dressing until it's all soaked up. 

These crisp, tangy little cucumbers are delightful as a snack, an appetizer by itself or as part of a larger veggie arrangement, or you could try them layered in a sandwich for crunch and flavor. 

Let us know how it turns out.

We'll be at market this week with: tomatoes, potatoes, onions, garlic, cucumbers, beets, carrots, summer squash, green beans, fresh dill, and handmade wood-fired bread.

PLUS: CSA members will get a jar of roasted tomatillo salsa! 

See you guys soon!

Oh Joy, Tomatoes!!

One of the quintessential flavors of summer: a tomato fresh off the vine, bursting with tomato-ey flavor. Off the vine this week we have big beef and yellow persimmon varieties...we can eat an embarrassing amount of them, bite into them just like an apple or slice them up and sprinkle them with a little bit of salt. They don't need much embellishment. 

A few notes on how to store tomatoes - if you plan on using them within a day or two, just leave them in a single layer (they can be delicate) at room temperature. You might also think about covering them with a light dish towel to keep the fruit flies away.

If you aren't using them right away and they are at the max-desired ripeness you can place them in a single layer in the refrigerator - if you are not cooking them allow them to come to room temperature before enjoying them to get the full deliciousness of the tomato's flavor!

What will you do with your first tomatoes of the season? The possibilities are endless - click here for a few simple ideas to get you started, and we'll share ideas and recipes as they come along. 

See you at market this Saturday - we'll have fresh bread, carrots, beets, summer squash, tomatoes, onions, garlic, potatoes, and cucumbers. 

Garlic Parmesan Summer Squash

The first summer squash harvest is always exciting. We grow two-toned Zephyr squash as well as it's shorter, slightly pot-bellied cousin the cousa squash. Both are tasty and sweet, trademarks of healthy summer produce. 

An easy and delicious way to prepare summer squash is to wash and dry them well, then trim and slice into 1/4" slices. Toss the squash slices in a mixing bowl with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic (garlic powder if you don't have fresh) and then top each slice with a generous sprinkling of real parmesan. 

Lay them side by side in one layer on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet and pop them into a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Turn the oven on broil and let the cheese bubble and brown on the top shelf for 3 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and serve hot. This dish would also be delicious with a drizzling of marinara sauce!

Enjoy friends - we'll be back at the market this Saturday. The harvest report this week: beets, carrots, onions, potatoes, garlic, broccoli, cabbage, summer squash, cucumbers, and kale. Come say hi and see if any of our fresh veggies and wood-fired bread can be added onto your menu for the week. 

Miso Turnips

Turnips are kind of mysterious, not usually on the general rotation of vegetables for most folks. The variety we grow at Shiloh are a Hakurei, or Tokyo turnip - known for its crisp, delicate flavor. It doesn't need to be cooked like other turnip varieties, and is lovely raw, grated or sliced for salad or dipping. 

If you want to forego eating them raw and try something a little bit different, here's a tasty and easy idea from the cookbook "It's All Easy," a collection of recipes designed for the busy weekday cook. 

First, preheat your oven to 425 fahrenheit. Wash about 1 pound of turnips well, then trim and peel them, removing the greens.

Leave the small ones whole and cut the bigger ones in half. They should be in 1" pieces. You can leave a little of the top, they look cool when you cook them. 

Toss the turnips in some olive oil, salt, and pepper and put them in the oven to roast for 15-20 minutes, until they are tender.

Meanwhile mix 1 tbsp miso paste (you can buy in the Asian section at Kroger), 1 tbsp maple syrup, and 1 tbsp butter in a small skillet and whisk gently over medium heat until totally combined. Remove from heat and set aside. 

When the turnips come out of the oven, toss them in the miso mixture and return to the oven to broil for 3-5 minutes. Watch them carefully, the miso mixture can burn quickly. The turnips are done when they have a nice glaze and look browned and deliciously blistered. 

Enjoy this side dish fresh and hot, it doesn't reheat well. 

Some Veggie Prep Tips + Our Weekly Harvest

Hi there! The weather's starting to get hot - how are you staying cool? We like to take a cool dip in the creek right behind the fields; it's a great perk of our farm. 

The harvest this week includes: 

kale, broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, bok choy, beets, carrots, potatoes, fresh onions, head lettuce, swiss chard, fresh garlic, hakurei turnips

In addition to our classic wood-fired white bread we usually have there will also be wheat and rosemary bread! 

We want to share some simple prep tips today to help you manage all those leafy veggies you get from market - especially if you have a CSA box. Sometimes all the greenery can fill up the fridge and make using them a little bit daunting. Taking a bit of time to prep your veggies (30 min to an hour) will make cooking and meals more enjoyable throughout the week. 

Here are some tips:

Remove the leafy green tops from root vegetables. Discard the inedible ones - things like carrot tops, and set aside the edible ones like beets and turnips. 

Give everything a quick final rinse, washing off any remaining grit from the fields. A nail brush or something similar will help you scrub the grooves of root veggies. Squeeze them lightly in a clean dishtowel to dry them off. 

Have some zip-lock bags or food containers handy to store things you're not using right away as you prep them. 

Remove stems and ribs from hearty leafy greens like kale or chard and either tear or chop them into smaller pieces. Trim and cut up more delicate turnip and beet greens as well.

Bonus kale tip - if you're using it for a raw salad, sprinkle it lightly with salt and a squeeze of lemon juice and massage away! It'll make it so much more tender. 

Separate lettuce or cabbage leaves from the heart so they are ready to use; leave them whole if you're planning on wrapping things in them or chop them up for salads and stir-fries. You can also do this with bok choy - the white stem part is edible and tender after cooking. 

Trim and chop the other veggies according to how you want to use them - you can slice, dice, and store and they'll be ready for all kinds of recipes when it's time to cook.

Some extra info on the interesting-looking kohlrabi - remove the greens coming from the center orb, then peel it and cut it up as you would like. It's delicious raw with your favorite dip or in stir-fries. You can even make soup with it! 

Hope these tips both simplify and make cooking more enjoyable with your freshly harvested veggies. If you ever have questions or need suggestions on how to use something please feel free to contact us or ask us at market!! 

Have a great weekend, seeya soon!

Luke + Meghan 

The Weekly Harvest

This week's harvest includes:

• kale
• broccoli
• cabbage
• kohlrabi
• bok choy
• beets
• carrots
• potatoes
• fresh onions
• green onions
• head lettuce
• baby greens
• swiss chard
• fresh garlic

and of course our handmade wood-fired bread will be available as well!

See you at the market :)

Kale + Mushroom Strata

We like eating food as much as we like growing food...sometimes more! So we're excited to start sharing some recipes using our farm-fresh ingredients. 

On the menu this week - a kale and mushroom strata. What is a strata, you might ask? It's basically a savory bread pudding - warm, melty, and cheesy with a crispy top crust. Perfect for brunch, as a side dish...or maybe just for whenever. 

It's an especially useful dish when you haven't gotten around to eating your bread right away and it's a little stale; that staleness helps the bread soak up all of the milk and broth. 

We used our handmade wood-fired loaf, but if you want to use another kind of bread that's okay too. For best results choose a nice rustic loaf with a good crust and a fluffy crumb.

Here's how to make it - if you want to make it for breakfast or brunch and you're short on time in the morning you can put it together the evening before and just pop it in the oven in the morning. It's both a lovely entree when paired with a side salad and a hearty side dish. 

Kale and Mushroom Strata

• 1 loaf Shiloh Farm wood-fired loaf, cut into 1" cubes
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 8 oz (1 small container) crimini mushrooms, washed and finely chopped
• 3.5 packed cups fresh kale, roughly chopped 
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1.5 cups half and half
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup white cheddar (Aldi sells a delicious block!), finely grated
• 1 cup parmesan, shredded
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme (optional, but it adds great flavor)
• 6 large eggs
• salt + pepper to taste

Toss the bread cubes with 1/2 cup of the half and half and garlic powder and set aside

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. 

In a large skillet, heat enough olive oil on medium-high heat to coat the bottom of the pan generously. When it's hot, toss in the garlic and saute until it's lightly browned. Add the mushrooms and kale and saute with some salt and pepper until the kale is completely wilted. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for a minute.

In another bowl or large measuring cup, mix together the eggs, remaining half and half, and chicken broth, a pinch of salt + pepper, and set it aside.

Add the kale and mushroom mixture, white cheddar, parmesan, and fresh thyme to the bowl with the bread and toss until it's all well-combined, then put all of it into a greased 9x13 baking dish.

Pour egg, half and half, and broth mixture over all of it evenly and press the bread in to let it soak. 

Pop it in the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes; it's done when the top is golden brown and any visible egg mixture is set, only slightly jiggly. 

Remove it from the oven and let it cool a bit; it's best served hot! If you want to reheat leftovers it'll taste best heated up in the oven to crisp the top up. Enjoy friends!!