Food Comes Alive!

A day-in-the-life of Rushton Farm volunteer, contributed by Sarah:

Volunteer day begins before dawn. It is dark and the moon is a little less than full. I have been looking forward to an honest day’s work during my entire 40 hour week at the office I feed the animals and my husband, get my hat, gloves, and thermos of cold tea, and head out through the quiet streets, onto the winding country roads toward Willistown, West Chester County. Dawn breaks as I drive into the parking lot at Rushton Farm.

Ashley, the field manager, is talking with Joanna and Lisa, her hardworking assistants, about the harvest plans for the day. She greets me with a (somewhat predatory?) smile, and I think to myself- OK- what torture does she have in mind today, thinking back to the time I picked 50 lbs of peas on a hot day a few weeks ago.

But, there is no torture in store for me today. I head out toward the lower field to harvest cilantro and dill. There is mist on the fields, and the row of dill sparkles in the morning light. Ashley shows me how to create bunches of dill with rubber bands and I start harvesting, my hands getting muddy and wet. A powerful aroma of fresh dill pervades my consciousness, adding to the magical effect of the call of a bobwhite in the distance and the light dancing around on the water drops from last night’s rain. This has to be some kind of heaven.

That day I harvested 20 bunches of dill, 20 bunches of cilantro, 20 lbs of Lipstick peppers, 10 pounds of Carmen peppers, 8 lbs of Poblano peppers - the kind you make chile rellenos with. Then there were the 6 lbs of Rosa Bianca eggplant, 10 lbs of the Orient Charm eggplants, and a few of the tiny fairy tale variety. The beautiful okra plants with their large white blossoms, similar to Rose of Sharon blooms, yielded a few lbs of okra, with patient searching through the understory of the leaves from a squatting position.

Trellising the peppers was much more physically taxing, as the task involved pounding wooden stakes into the ground every 4 feet for 100 ft with a 8 lb pole driver. Running string between the poles was even more challenging as the string under the pepper plants, heavy with fruit, has to be tight enough to keep the peppers off the ground. At the same time, I had to avoid breaking off the fragile branches of the plants which had been lying on the ground for a month. Sweat starting pouring from my face, my glasses fogged up, but I persisted. This was my first solo trellising job. At completion, Joanna checked my work and it passed her meticulous standards.

Feeling quite pleased with myself, I took a break for lunch at noon. After 5 hours of constant activity I was ready for a rest. A glass of water tasted like ambrosia. Then I headed up to the cherry tomato row for my favorite summer treat, Sungold tomatoes. I picked two pounds of the ripe fruits that had cracked overnight in the heavy rain, added them to some sliced cucumbers, beans and carrots I found in the cooler, and added some coleslaw I brought from home. You can imagine how delicious my noon meal wa s- a far cry from the office fare I endure 4 days a week. A nap in the shade of a hedgerow, with my farm hat shading my face, completed my lunch routine.

At the end of the day, Ashley invited me to pick some vegetables for a dinner I had planned for guests the next day. I picked fresh tomatoes, harvested fresh basil, and found some garlic in the farm shed. I baked bread, and with mozzarella cheese and olive oil, these ingredients made me a splendid bruschetta. Fresh picked dill, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, purple string beans and peppers, plus a few carrots from the farm cooler became a salad dressed with a yogurt-dill vinagrette concoction.

Our dessert, just picked watermelons and cantaloupe, stunned my guests, who were already heady from the fresh flavors of the meal, straight from the Farm. After the meal, we went into my backyard and I proudly gave my guests a tour of my own vegetable garden of 8 raised beds, trellised beans and tomatoes, and medicinal herbs, all of which I learned to grow during my summer volunteer internship at Rushton Farm.

It's a Sign

And what a sign it is!

Wanted: Your Recipes!

What an evening! The brief shower that passed through the area cooled temperatures and chased away critters, leaving CSA staff, members and friends to enjoy quite a feast indeed. The stars of the show were, of course, the tomatoes. It is hard to believe such a variance of flavor exists among fruits bearing the same name, but each was unforgettable and delicious in its own way. My personal favorites were the Striped Germans. Do you have a preference, or did you just love them all? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

We sat on comfy bales of hay and watched Farmer Fred's nieces play on the tractor as we ate. Blue sky peeked in gaps through the clouds, and although the heat returned to the area by Sunday, the temperatures were as pleasant on Saturday night as they have been all summer. We feasted on, to name just a few of the incredible dishes shared by participants: a bright purple beet-and-walnut-hummus; delectable baba ganouj, a salad of chick peas, tomato and basil; curried squash soup; a potato and onion tart; a rich tomato tatin; tangy shrimp salad; crunchy lentil and carrot salad; and a scrumptious eggplant gratin.

The Beckett family has forwarded the recipe for their incredible baba ganouj, and we're thrilled to be able to share it.

We'd love to hear from the rest of you! Please email recipes to diggingrushtonfarm@gmail.com if you'd like to share!

Baba Ganouj (roasted eggplant dip)
Mollie Katzen, Moosewood Cookbook

2 medium-small eggplants
Juice from one large lemon
½ cup tahini (sesame paste)
3 medium garlic cloves, crushed
½ cup finely chopped parsley
1 tsp. salt (or more to taste)
¼ cup finely minced scallions (optional)
Lots of fresh black pepper
1 Tbs. olive oil (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut off the stem-ends of the eggplants, then prick eggplants all over with a fork. Place eggplants directly on oven rack and let them roast slowly for about 45 minutes (put a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips). When the eggplants are sagging, wrinkled, crumpled and totally soft, you’ll know they’re ready. Remove them from the oven and wait until cool enough to handle. Scoop the insides out and mash well. Combine with all other ingredients, except olive oil. Chill completely. Drizzle olive oil (if using) over the top just before serving.

Good with fresh or baked pita bread or crudités.

Tomato Jam

Cookbook author Mark Bittman is a tremendous essayist, a courageous activist and a modern-day hero on the national battlefield of food politics. He calls attention to the plight of small farmers, points out conflicts of interest among the various parties clamoring for agricultural subsidies or changes thereto, and has personally changed his way of cooking and eating to reflect his beliefs, eating less meat and seeking to boost his vegetable intake for both his health and that of the environment. If you aren't already reading him, we'd suggest you have a look.

And by the way, the man can write a serious recipe.

This tomato jam, from Bittman's column, "The Minimalist" in the New York Times, is sweet and savory, with a hint of fire from the peppers. We've made tomato jam that tastes just like ketchup, leaving you to wonder why you've wasted your afternoon in front of your stovetop. Not this one. The clove and ginger bring an exotic complexity to the tart-sweet jam that makes it just about the ideal summer condiment. It's delicious on grilled meats and vegetables -- we'll be bringing it tonight to serve with grilled flank steak, grilled chicken and grilled eggplant -- and is also great with a soft cheese (goat, ricotta, even Philadelphia's finest, cream cheese) and crackers.



Tomato Jam
Mark Bittman, The New York Times (Aug. 20, 2008)
Here is the recipe, cut and pasted from the column. We can't remember the last time we didn't make changes to a recipe, but no need here. The recipe doubles beautifully, and if you are handy at canning, this would seem a good keeper.

1 1/2 pounds good ripe tomatoes (Roma are best), cored and coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh grated or minced ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 jalapeño or other peppers, stemmed, seeded and minced, or red pepper flakes or cayenne to taste.

1. Combine all ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan, Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often.
2. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture has consistency of thick jam, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, then cool and refrigerate until ready to use; this will keep at least a week.

Yield: About 1 pint.

Send us your recipes!

Will you be attending the Tomato Celebration and potluck supper tonight? What will you bring? Please be sure to send recipes to diggingrushtonfarm@gmail.com, and we will post the menu, with recipes. Check back here next week for photos, recipes and stories!