Totally Tomatoes

Happy Friday! If you’re like me, you have no problem finding ways to use up your tomatoes since you just slice ’em up or pop ’em in sprinkled with a little salt. But, if you’re looking for some ideas, here are a few delicious recipes to jumpstart your weekend. Have a good one!

Gazpacho Salsa– a dip for your chips at your next fiesta or an awesome topper for your grilled delights

BLT Salad– YUM!

Gluten Free Tomato Tart– love this gluten free Parmesan crust

THE Tomato Sandwich– a fun (old) AJC piece about summer’s favorite sandwich

CSA Week 13

Hello everyone,

I hope all is well this morning. We really hope you all have enjoyed the Spring Session of the CSA. It has been a challenging season with the rain and cool weather. As early as it seems, we are beginning to contemplate the Fall season. With all the rain, we have had a little more time to contemplate some creative additions to our Fall season line-up including purple broccolini florets.

This week:
1 dozen eggs from Evie’s Country Garden
and
2 lbs. tomatoes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 heads garlic
1 bag sweet basil
1 bunch arugula

Meat share: 2 lbs. grass-fed ground beef from Frolona Farm

Enjoy,
Joe, Judith, Rachel, Max, Lois, Tania, Conrad, Rock, and Will

Breakfast of Champions

Nothing starts the day off better than a fluffy omelette, stuffed with delicious summer veggies and a little goat chèvre. I may have left mine in the pan for a few seconds too long, but in my defense, I had to entertain a kid tugging at my pant leg, hungry and impatient with anticipation from the delicious buttery scent. Need to brush up your omelette making skills?
Jacques Pepin will tell you everything you need to know… Go here.

CSA Week 12

Hello everyone,
I hope all is well. We have been loving this sunshine ( and I, myself, love some heat)!

We have been working with Community Guilds, an educational non-profit, over the last week to help give a few high school students an apprenticeship opportunity. The goal is to provide pragmatic, non-traditional classroom lessons as well as some trade skills to these young folks. They have been working with us on the farm weeding and harvesting as well as talking about running a business and interacting with community. As part of their culminating project, they have made a few delicious food items from farm food with the guidance of a local chef. Today at the CSA, they will have hot pepper jam and basil lemonade available for sale. Please stop by and say hello to these diligent and cool young folks.

We also welcome McKenzie, our Decatur Farm to School apprentice, for the next two weeks.

This week, we have sunflower shoots, grown in the Gaia greenhouse, and tomatoes!

This week:
1 pint goat cheese chevre from Decimal Place Farm (members N-Z)

1 lb. fingerling potatoes and 1 bag sweet onions (members A-M)

and

1 bag tomatoes
1 bag sweet basil
1 bag sunflower shoots
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 bag sweet peppers

Enjoy,
Joe, Judith, Rachel, Max, Lois, Tania, Rock, Will, and Conrad

CSA Week 11

Hello everyone,
I hope all is well! The farm is slowly, but surely staring to dry out a little and we were incredibly happy for a little sunshine yesterday. In personal news, I woke this morning to learn that my new nephew was born. It is incredibly exciting.

This week we see the arrival of delicious tomatoes. We hope you all enjoy!

This week:
1 dozen eggs from Evie’s Country Garden
and
1 lb. tomatoes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 lb. summer squash OR 1 lb. cucumbers
1 cantaloupe OR 1 pint blueberries
1 lb. eggplant OR 1 bag beans OR 1 bag sweet peppers

Meat: 2 lbs. pastured ground pork sausage from Frolona Farm (?)

Enjoy,
Joe, Judith, Rachel, Max, Lois, Tania, Will, Conrad, and Rock

Cucumbers and squash

Hello, Hello! Hope you all had a fantastic holiday weekend! I promise to get creative in the kitchen soon, but in the meantime, here are some links to delicious summer eats from around the web… We’ve been all about this goat grilled cheese lately and the twist on the baba Gannouj is divine. Enjoy!

Cucumber and Goat Grilled Cheese

Mama Gannouj

Summer Squash Sloppy Joes

Grilled Zucchini and Goat Cheese Rolls

Potato Cakes with Summer Squash

From Blossoms

From Blossoms

From blossoms comes
this brown paper bag of peaches
we bought from the boy
at the bend in the road where we turned toward
signs painted Peaches

From laden boughs, from hands,
from sweet fellowship in the bins,
comes nectar at the roadside, succulent
peaches we devour, dusty skin and all,
comes this familiar dust of summer,
dust we eat.

O, to take what we love inside,
to carry within us an orchard, to eat
not only the skin, but the shade,
not only the sugar, but the days, to hold
the fruit in our hands, adore it,
then bite into
the round jubilance of peach.

There are days we live
as if death were nowhere
in the background; from joy
to joy to joy, from wing to wing,
from blossom to blossom to
impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.

Li-Young Lee

Peach Jam 2013

Even if you missed the first two markets, there is still time to check out this year’s remaining Peach Jam 2013 events!

Saturday June 29

Join us for the East Lake Farmers (ELF) Market’s signature event, Peachapalooza! A celebration of all things peaches! An old family recipe or a modern twist on a classic of your own device? It’s up to you! Anything goes… anything peach-y, that is! Tasting begins at 10am and we’ll announce our winners at 11:45am. Cook Off categories include Amateur and Professional with awesome prizes for both! Register here: http://peachjam.brownpapertickets.com/ . Click on Peach Cook Off (second from the top).

Everyone is welcome to taste all of our entrants’ recipes for $10; all proceeds to benefit Wholesome Wave Georgia. Don’t hesitate to email us at info@elfmarket.org with questions! Steinbeck’s Ale House in Decatur will host the Peachapalooza After Party; see you there!

Sunday, June 30th

Join us for a Cobbler Competition, parade, and festival games (including a dunk tank) at the Grant Park Farmers Market!Cobbler contestants enter by signing up online: http://peachjam.brownpapertickets.com/All other guests can purchase samples of cobblers and other peach inspired dishes at the market, including Farm Burger peach silders.

CSA Week No. 9

Hello everyone,
I hope all is well this week. Today is looking a little stormy, but just in time, we were able to get our beautiful potatoes out of the ground. Hope you all enjoy!

This week:
2 lbs. summer squash
1.5 lbs. cucumbers
2 heads garlic
1.5 lbs. fresh dug taters

Enjoy,
Joe, Judith, Rachel, Max, Lois, Tania, Will, and Conrad

Summer Squash and Carrot Salad

This tasty grated salad will satisfy on a hot summer’s day. It makes a perfect light lunch or accompaniment to an easy dinner off the grill. Any good mustard will suffice and feel free to play with other oils and vinegars for a variation.

Carrot and Summer Squash Salad
serves 2

1 cup grated carrots
1 cup grated squash
1/4 cup toasted pistachios, chopped
1 tsp mustard
2 tsp cider vinegar
2 Tbs grapeseed oil
1 tsp honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together mustard, vinegar, honey and oil to make your vinaigrette- a food processor works really well here to emulsify the oil. Toss carrots, squash and pistachios with dressing and season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with more toasted pistachios.