Grilled Eggplant and Summer Squash

This is quick, easy, and really good. With some sort of grilled meat (say, a nice steak from Wheelview Farm, encrusted with fresh herbs) and fresh bread (say, a loaf of the Rosemary Olive Oil bread from El Jardin Bakery, maybe with some oil for dipping), this rounds out a hot-weather meal nicely.

Grilled eggplant

Eggplant and/or summer squash/zucchini
Olive oil
Minced garlic
Balsamic vinegar

Combine about 4 parts olive with one part balsamic vinegar. Mix in as much garlic as you like (I like LOTS). You'll need about 1-2 teaspoons of this per slice of eggplant or squash, depending on how big they are.

Slice vegetables into 1/2-inch thicknesses. You can do it in rounds or the long way, it doesn't matter. Array the slices on a platter or cookie sheet. Brush the olive oil mixture over each one. You want decent coverage but not lots of extra oozing over the sides. Flip and brush the other side.

Put the veggie slices on the grill with the olive oil side down. Flip the slices when they start to get soft and are nicely browned on the bottom, around 4-5 minutes over medium-high heat. Serve hot or room temperature.

Local Meat

My friend Tess wants to know about local meat sources--and the good news is, there are several good ones around here! I was a vegetarian for more than ten years until I got pregnant with my son and decided I needed more protein. With all the great sources of local, sustainably raised meat in Western Mass, the decision was much easier to start eating it again. Here are our favorites--definitely not an all-inclusive list, and I am sure there are others we don't know about.

Wheelview Farm in Shelburne sells grass-fed beef through Green Fields Market and also their farm store. It's worth a drive up to their farm, which has some stunning views and where you can see the cows for yourself. They have the hairy Scottish highlanders and also Banded Galloways. You can help yourself to what you want out of the freezer and leave your money in the box with a note saying what you bought. They also have an Open Farm Day (or weekend) every June.

Crabapple Farm in Chesterfield sells grass-fed beef and lamb at the Greenfield Farmers Market (along with eggs if you get there early enough). I don't know if they also sell directly from the farm or not.

Bostrom's Farm in Greenfield sells grass-fed beef and pork products. They have recently been at the Greenfield Farmers Market, but they also sell directly from the farm.

Not Your Ordinary Farm in Guilford, VT sells pork products through the Greenfield Farmers Co-op. We love their sausage in particular--they make many different kinds.

Green Fields Market has eggs from a variety of local producers, as well as some local meats (and many other local products).

Diemand Farms in Wendell does eggs and turkey. I'm not sure what else. Their products are pretty widely available in grocery stores. We have pre-ordered Thanksgiving turkey from them at Fosters. They are a bigger operation than the others farms listed. We have been meaning to go over there and check out the farm.

Songline Emu Farm in Gill sells emu meat through Green Fields Market. Maybe also at the farm, I don't know. Ground emu has a texture and flavor similar to beef but with a nutritional profile more like other poultry.

Pizza with Eggplant, Tomatoes, and Basil

Hmm, maybe I should have called this blog "Things to do with eggplant, tomatoes, and basil"... But of course, come winter, it will probably be more like "things to do with squash". That's the beauty--and the challenge--of eating what's in season locally. So here's another delicious way to prepare fresh tomatoes, eggplant, and basil. All from my garden, but, of course, abundant in farmers markets and local-minded grocery stores as well.

1 14-inch pizza crust
Olive oil
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium eggplant, quartered and cut in 1/4-inch slices
1 large tomato (or equivalent), in 1/4-inch slices
1/2-1 cup coarsely chopped basil leaves (loosely packed)
4 ounces shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. If using pizza dough (rather than pre-baked prepared crust), use a pastry brush or your fingers to paint it lightly with olive oil, then pre-bake it for about five minutes. Remove from the oven.

While the crust is pre-baking, heat some olive oil in a skillet and saute the garlic and eggplant until the eggplant is soft.

Spread the tomatoes over the crust. Spread the eggplant and garlic over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with basil. Top with mozzarella. Bake for about 15 minutes, until cheese starts to brown.

Serves 2-4.

Fresh Corn Chowder

I am convinced that Western Mass farmers produce some of the best sweet corn in the country. While it's hard to argue with just eating it straight from the cob, this is another tasty way to take advantage of it, along with the new potatoes coming out of the ground now. Onions, garlic, and fresh herbs are all abundant in the farmers market at the moment as well. We use Mapeline Farms milk (you could also add a little of their cream to make this richer). You could make this in the winter with frozen corn, storage potatoes, and dried herbs, but it's really not the same.

3 Tbsp butter or olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, cubed (about 6 cups)
1 Tbsp minced fresh sage (or 1 tsp dried)
1 Tbsp minced fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
1/4 cup masa harina or white flour
2-3 cups water
1 veggie bouillon cube
1 tsp salt
4 ears of corn, shucked
1-2 cups milk
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or 2-3 Tbsp dried
Plenty of freshly ground black pepper

Heat the butter or oil in a large soup pot. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the potatoes and sauté, stirring often, for an additional 4-5 minutes.

Add the masa harina or white flour to the pot. If you are using dried herbs, add them now, too. Sauté, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes. Add a little water to form a thick roux. Slowly add the rest of the water, stirring as you go. Add the bouillon cube and salt. Cover the pot and bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.

While the potatoes cook, remove the corn from the cobs. The easiest way to do this is to break each ear in half, stand each half on end, and slice the kernels off vertically. Scrape as much as possible of the corn liquids and solids off the cob as well.

Add the corn to the pot and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the milk, fresh herbs, and black pepper and stir well. Serve hot.

Serves 4-5.

Freezing and Drying

Tomorrow we're taking delivery of a chest freezer, into which I am planning to put as much as I can from the garden and the farmers market between now and October. I have already got the little freezer that's part of the fridge completely stuffed, mostly with tomatoes so far, but also some of those tasty Romano beans and some of that corn from Schmidt's. The corn and beans have to be blanched first (easy enough), but the tomatoes can go in raw. Just core and remove any bad spots. When you take them out to cook with, run them quickly under warm water and the skins should come right off. I have been loading up quart sized freezer bags with brightly colored tomatoes (whole for the smaller ones, chunks for the really big ones) and the sight of them in there is making me very happy. Once the freezer is in place, we're going to go over to Clarkdale and get a nice big load of peaches to freeze as well. They will be most welcome in midwinter.

I've also started drying tomatoes. I have a dehydrator that will take quite a large batch at once, so I'm experimenting with drying times and results for different varieties. Results are good so far. It should be easy to dry enough of our own to keep me supplied for my typical dried tomato usage until the fresh ones are ready again next summer.

Thai Chicken and Vegetables with Cilantro Peanut Sauce

I am still figuring out how to best grow cilantro in the garden for an ongoing but not overwhelming supply. At the end of last week, suddenly it was all bolting and needing to be picked and used. So I made this curry, which is a lovely way to use quite a lot of cilantro at once. This recipe is very loosely adapted from one in Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons. The red peppers and onions came from Crabapple Farm. If you don't eat chicken, this is also perfectly good with tofu.

3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts
1 1/2 cups cilantro, coarsely chopped
3-4 Tbsp canola or peanut oil, plus more for sautéing
1 Tbsp lime juice
1-2 tsp chili paste (or to taste)
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, in bite-sized cubes
1 large red pepper, diced (frozen is fine)
1 medium onion, sliced lengthwise

Combine the garlic, peanuts, cilantro, oil, lime juice, chili paste, and salt in a food processor and process until well combined. The sauce will be quite thick, almost more like a paste. Set aside.

Heat some oil in a wok or large skillet. Add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes. Add the pepper and onion and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through. Add the sauce and stir to combine well. The cooking juices from the chicken and vegetables will serve to thin the sauce.

Serve over rice, preferably jasmine. Good with coconut rice (substitute 1 14-oz can of coconut milk for a 1 1/4 cups water when cooking the rice).

Serves about 4.

Variations: Substitute 1 lb thinly sliced steak for the chicken. Substitute cashews for the peanuts.

Pasta with Chicken, Chard, and Gorgonzola

Swiss chard is one of the worker bees of the garden. With little maintenance, it just keeps producing from spring all through the summer and well into fall. In the greenhouses of local farmers, it will probably keep going into winter. Here's a recipe that uses a nice big bunch of it. We use Murray's chicken, but I would love to find a source that is more local. If anyone knows of a good one, let me know.

1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
8-10 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups chopped Swiss chard (leaves and stems)
¾ cup crumbled Gorgonzola
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb cut pasta

Heat water for the pasta, and make the rest of the dish while it cooks.

Sauté the chicken until cooked through. Set aside.

Sauté the garlic for 1-2 minutes, then add the chard (in batches if necessary) and cook until just wilted.

Drain the cooked pasta and toss with the chicken and chard. Add the Gorgonzola and toss until it melts and coats everything. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4-6.