The Saturday Columbia Farmers' Market was very good. We were very busy, and people were actually doing some buying. Sometimes I think people come just for something to do as there is always food and entertainment and socializing! Anyway we got rid of all our peaches, eggs, okra and quiet a few tomatoes, but still have lots of those. Only brought home one loaf of bread and it was chocolate chocolate chip zucchini bread, so that was the best one to be bringing home as far as I'm concerned!

Greg started tilling up the strawberry field yesterday evening and this morning we started making the beds and laying the drip tape and plastic. We've got five beds made and are now ready to plant as soon as the strawberry tips have good roots on them! Won't be too long, as they are looking pretty good!

We picked about 10 gallons of okra this morning in the drizzling rain! Oh that was so much fun! Then we picked 15 gallons of red peppers, then we went in for lunch and waited for the rain to quit. After lunch we picked at least 300 lbs. of heirloom tomatoes! So I sure hope everyone comes to the farmers' market tomorrow and is in a buying mood!!!!!! We also picked peaches and have some more white ones this week! Can't believe the temperature is to be down in the 50's tonight with the high tomorrow only in the 70's! That's winter to me. Greg laughed at me today because I wore my hooded sweatshirt all day!!!

Here's a recipe that was in today's Glasgow Missourian paper for those of you looking for more ideas for zucchini. Also remember that you can substitute any summer squash or mix them.

ZUCCHINI CORNBREAD CASSEROLE
4 cups shredded zucchini
1 onion, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1 (8.5 oz.) pkg. dry corn muffin mix
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
8 oz. Cheddar cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish. In a large bowl mix together the zucchini, onion, eggs, muffin mix, salt & pepper. Stir in 4 oz. of the cheese. Spread this mixture into a greased 2 quart casserole dish; top with remaining 4 oz. of cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes.

I've been putting tomatoes in the dehydrator and peaches in the freezer! I did the Fulton Farmers' Market Wed. afternoon and this morning I'm baking for the Columbia Farmers' Market on Sat. This afternoon I'm going to Sedalia to drop off some things our daughter forgot and try to get her into the chiropractor. I've been trying to keep up with all the watering while Greg is gone this week. I think I got it all done and remembered to turn everything off! The air conditioner went off in the cooler, but I think I got that back on and going, so hopefully everything will be running fine when he gets home and there won't be any problems he has to take care of! Maybe this weekend we can get the new air conditioner put in the cooler! Need to go out and pick Elderberries before the birds get them all, hopefully I can get that done before I go to Sedalia and after I get the baking done?!!!

Here's another tomato recipe from Lane McConnell's blog for heirloom tomatoes. She's our Marketing & Local Foods Program Manager for Missouri Department of Agriculture. She was in charge of setting up the Farmers' Market at the Missouri State Fair and gave some of the cooking demonstrations during the fair. I hope everyone had a chance to go and visit the fair. We did not get to go this year as this past week was busy spent getting 3 kids off to colleges in different directions and at different times, but Lane and the crew at the Missouri Department of Agriculture do a lot of hard work to help us farmers and promote local produce! They make our jobs a little easier and have lots of programs and information to help us! Thanks Lane, Sarah, Tony and crew!!!!

Dress-Up Tomatoes
By Lane
3-4 different heirloom tomatoes, sliced
feta cheese, herb flavored
balsamic vinegar
basil leaves, chopped
kosher salt
On a tray, plate your tomato slices. Sprinkle with a little kosher salt, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with feta cheese and fresh basil.
* This is a very easy way to add some zing to a simple plate of tomatoes.
Posted by Lane at 8/24/2009

Wow can you believe this weather?! Hard to believe it's the end of August when the temperature is 62 degrees outside this morning! Needless to say our garden is not doing as good as it should be. The okra is only about 3 foot high and normally this time of year it is over 6 foot tall. The eggplant and peppers are not growing very tall either, but they are setting fruit pretty well. The deer are keeping the cucumbers and green beans trimmed down. Greg has sprayed hot pepper repellent on things and that has slowed them down some, but the rain washes it off and then he has to re spray and that stuff is not cheap! I guess this winter we will have to work on a deer fence around the entire property! UGH!!!! Tomorrows boxes are getting more of the same. This week there will be eggplant and potatoes and maybe not okra. There will be plenty of heirloom tomatoes and some summer squash. Not sure about peaches as we are in between trees ripening, but maybe some more apples. We will look at those this evening when Greg gets home and see what there is. Then of course there's always onions and eggs! Add a little cheese & salsa and you've got the makings for a great omelet!

We got our daughter off to college yesterday, so all the kids are now gone! Now to get their rooms all cleaned and straightened up! I will miss my daughter as her job was everything pertaining to the house; laundry, vacuuming, mopping, bathroom, burning trash, recycle, cooking, doing dishes, running errands, grocery shopping, cleaning the cat litter boxes, etc.!!!!! Well guess I'd better get off here and get some laundry done! YUCK!!!

Well I hope you all are enjoying your heirloom tomatoes! We picked all day yesterday and had tons of tomatoes! We also picked zucchini, cucumbers, peppers and okra. We did pretty good today at Columbia Farmers' Market, Fulton's wasn't to great. Here are a couple of tomato recipes to help you get rid of all your tomatoes!

SOUTHWESTERN HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD
This heirloom tomato salad won the People's Choice Award at the 2003 Kendall-Jackson Heirloom tomato Festival. Serve it warm or chilled, as an accompaniment to grilled chicken, meat, or fish. - Chef Fred Langley's on the Green
1tsp. cumin seeds
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 large heirloom tomato, seeded and diced
2 1/2 cups corn kernels (about 4 lg. ears)
2 cups cooked black beans, or 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste.
In a dry, medium nonreactive saute' pan over high heat, toast the cumin seeds, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Let cool and grind in a spice grinder or in a mortar.
In the same pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute' for 1 minute. Add the tomato and corn kernels and saute' for another minute. Add the black beans and ground cumin and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Serves 4

HEIRLOOM TOMATO BLOODY MARY SHRIMP SALSA
Zesty homemade roasted-tomato Bloody Mary mix is added to a fresh tomato salsa with shrimp to create a dish reminiscent of the Mexican Shrimp cocktails served in tall glasses. Regardless of its provenance, it will have you guests hovering around it. Chef Michael Dunn, Yankee Pier restaurant
2 large heirloom tomatoes, finely diced
12 oz. bay (cocktail) shrimp
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 pasilla chili, seeded and finely diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. sliced green onion
1/2 cup Roasted Tomato Bloody Mary Mix (see recipe below)
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Fresh tortilla chips for serving
In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, shrimp, onion, chili, cilantro, green onions, Bloody Mary mix, and lemon & lime juices; toss well with a spoon. Season with salt & pepper. Serve with tortilla chips. Serves 4-6

ROASTED HEIRLOOM TOMATO BLOODY MARY
Making your own roasted-tomato Bloody Mary mix is easy, and the flavor is beyond comparison with store-bough mixes. - Chef Michael Dunn, Yankee Pier restaurant
2 red heirloom tomatoes, quartered
1/2 onion, cut into large dice
1 jalapeno chili, stemmed
1/4 cup vodka
1/4 cup tomato water
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
fresh lemon juice to taste
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the tomatoes, onion, and chili in a non-reactive roasting pan in one layer and roast for about 25 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the vodka and tomato water to the pan and roast for another 15 minutes. Transfer the roasted vegetables to a blender, add the cilantro, and puree until smooth. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days. Makes 2 cups.

TOMATO WATER
This pure, clear tomato juice is the distillation of the tomato taste. Use it to intensify the tomato flavor in any recipe.
1 lb. ripe tomatoes, chopped
Place the tomatoes in a sieve set over a bowl and let drain for about 2 hours, or until the tomatoes stop dripping. To further clarify the tomato water, strain it through cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Use the drained tomatoes in another recipe; a sauce made with them will be less watery than if made with un-drained tomatoes. Makes about 1/2 cup.

The above recipes came from "The Heirloom Tomato Cookbook" by Mimi Luebbermann

Got our son home so put him to work this morning running waters and putting straw in chicken nests. I'm baking zucchini, chocolate zucchini and persimmon bread for market. I did get blackberry jam and jalapeno blackberry jam made on Monday. So now I have to get that labeled. I need to get the dried tomatoes out of the dehydrator and get something else going in there. Have quite a few peppers that need something done with them, guess they'll be next!

Yesterday was box day. The half shares got heirloom tomatoes, peaches, apples, okra, peppers, eggs, onions , cucumber and summer squash. The full shares got the same, only more of each!

Our help is abandoning us, so we are going to have to start picking on Mondays and doing the packaging and boxing on Tues. in order for it to get done on time! Greg came home early from work yesterday intending to get the airconditioner replaced in the cooler, but he ended up helping me finish boxing and didn't get to the airconditioner till later and therefor didn't get it finished!

Today we sliced up some second tomatoes and filled up our dehydrator and sliced up some second peaches and put in the freezer. I have to go later to pick up our son at the Kansas City airport and of course our daughter wants to stop by the Independence Mall to go shopping! Not sure that one is going to happen!

Here is another Okra recipe that I found for those of you who are looking for something new to do with all that okra! I also dehydrate it and use it in the winter in soups and gumbo and of course you can also pickle it if you like pickled okra!

STIR FRIED OKRA WITH SPICES

1lb. fresh okra, trimmed and sliced in 1/2" thick rounds
1 cup thinly sliced onion
2 Tbsp. canola or olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground fennel
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

The following recipe is from cookbook author Julie Sahni. Serve over scrambled eggs, a rice pilaf or American-style, in pita bread with lots of sliced tomatoes.

Fry okra & onion in oil, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. If okra looks dry, add 3 Tbsp. water &/or cover the pan during cooking.
When vegetables are soft, stir in lemon juice. Lower heat and sprinkle on cumin, fennel, cayenne and salt. Stir fry mixture for 2 minutes or until flavors are blended.

Both markets were a little slow today. Seems to be a buying week every other week and this was the off week! Greg is busy spraying this evening. He sprayed the squash and pumpkins and is now working on the tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and okra. They are calling for rain most of next week. We could use some, but hopefully not every day!

This is our last week to have the kids at home and helping and now everything is really coming in and producing up a storm! It's been good to have them home and I know they will be glad to get out of here and back to school and air conditioning!

Yesterday we finished planting the strawberry tips, now to keep them misted and not wilting! We picked today for market and just finished making a batch each of peach jam and goumi berry jam. Would like to get a batch of onion jam made or blackberry jalapeno jam made yet tonight, but we'll have to see. Still have a little picking to do and sorting and loading of trucks yet, plus chores!

RECIPES FOR SUMMER PRODUCE!

Here are a few recipes I've found that sound interesting and fairly simple. I've not tried them, but hope to get to one of them tonight!

BAKED EGGPLANT WITH TWO CHEESES
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 green bell pepper diced
2 lbs. eggplant
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cup whipping cream
8 slices mozzarella cheese 1/4" thick
1/2 yellow onion diced
1/2 red bell pepper diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup Parmesan cheese grated
Melt butter in heavy large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion & bell peppers and saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Add eggplants & bay leaf and saute until eggplant is almost tender, about 10 minutes. Add wine & chicken stock and cook until liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add cream and cook until eggplant is tender & mixture is thick, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes. Mix in Parmesan. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Divide mixture amount 8 large ramekins. Top each with slice of mozzarella cheese. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Pre heat oven to 350F. Bake eggplant until heated through, about 15 minutes. Preheat broiler. Broil until cheese bubbles. Serve hot. Recipe from The Pomodoro Restaurant, Dallas, Texas. Recipe courtesy of Bon Appetit, January 1992

CHEESE AND SQUASH RELLENOS
Relleno is Spanish for "stuffed," but these chiles are actually "unstuffed." The dish is a layered casserole made of the ingredients that are often used for chiles rellenos. For convenience and to go easy on folks who might not like hot foods, this casserole is made with canned mild chiles. But feel free to substitute the chiles of your choice.
3 medium sized summer squash, sliced
1 1/2 cup cook rice
1 can (7oz.) mild chiles, chopped
6 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese
1 tomato, sliced
2 cups sour cream
1/3 cup diced green bell pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
2 Tbsp. chopped scallion, white and tender green parts
1 tsp. dried oregano
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Bring a medium sized pot of salted water to a boil. Add the summer squash and blanch for 3 minutes, until just barely tender. Drain well.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly butter a 9x13" baking dish or a 2 quart casserole.
Spread the rice in the bottom of the baking dish. Layer the chiles, 5 1/2 cups of the cheese, the squash, and the tomato on top of the rice.
Combine the sour cream, bell pepper, cilantro, scallion, and oregano in a small bowl. Add salt & pepper to taste. Spoon this mixture over the tomato. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes, until the casserole is heated through and serve hot.
Serves 6

ZUCCHINI PANCAKES
2 medium sized zucchini, grated
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups milk or more as needed
2 Tbsp. canola oil
2 cups pancake mix
1-2 tsp. butter
Maple syrup for serving
Combine the zucchini and salt in a colander. Toss to mix and set aside to drain for 30 minutes.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and oil. Beat well. Stir in the pancake mix and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
Squeeze the zucchini to eliminate any excess moisture. Fold the zucchini into the pancake mixture. If necessary, add a little more milk to thin the batter.
Preheat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat. Preheat the oven to 200F.
On the griddel, melt a tsp. or two of butter. When the foam subsides, ladle the batter onto the griddle. Adjust the heat as needed so that the pancakes brown on the bottoms in 2-4 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook on the second side for 1-2 minutes. Place on an ovenproof plate & keep warm in the oven while you use the remaining batter to make more pancakes. Continue until all the batter is used.
Serves 4-6
Variation To make savory zucchini pancakes, add 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese to the batter and proceed as above.

The above 2 recipes I got out of my cookbook called "The Classic Zucchini Cookbook" by Nancy C Ralston, Marynor Jordan & Andrea Chesman.

We found an air conditioner at Sears! But it was not at our Sears store it was in Sedalia! We went to Sedalia in our daughter's car and we liked to never got it in there! We finally had to take it out of the box and then we were able to get it in the back seat. Have yet to get it out of the car, that could be interesting!

Greg got the strawberry tips, so I imagine we will start on those tonight. They have to be put in pots to start rooting.
We picked zucchini last night. Some of you may be getting some big size ones. I hope to put up a couple of recipes later on things to do with them. You can grate them up and make bread of course, but I've got recipes for other things to use the grated zucchini for, too.

It's Monday again, a new week and it's starting out with a bang! Our son is flying out to Denver today, our daughter has college orientation and our strawberry tips are being delivered to Eckerts in Illinois! So my parents are taking our son to the airport, I'm going with our daughter to orientation and Greg is going to Illinois to get strawberry tips.

We are donating some produce to the Missouri State Fair's Farmers' Market that they are doing this year and they are picking it up tomorrow, plus tomorrow is box day so it is going to be a busy day tomorrow getting everything picked and ready to go.

On top of all that our air conditioning unit in our cooler is on the fritz and we are trying to locate a new one. It has to be 110 volts but we want it to be 15 to 18 BTU! So I'd better get moving!

Tuesday was box day. Full shares got summer squash, potatoes, onions, peppers, peaches, blackberries, eggs, eggplant, okra and tomatoes. Half shares got summer squash, eggplant, peppers potatoes, tomatoes, eggs, onions and peaches. It was Tuesday and box day so of course it had to rain! It rained on us while picking and washing tomatoes!

Wednesday we went to Fulton Farmers' Market and got rid of a little bit of stuff. Today I'm baking, but have cut back on it as people have backed off buying baked goods some, and we need the space for produce! Greg took off early yesterday to do some spraying and then went to the hospital in Columbia to see his mom. Megan & I went to Columbia yesterday to get Greg's tractor tire and also saw his mom while we were there.

Yesterday was a beautiful day! Greg mowed off the old strawberry beds with his flail mower and just as he was finishing up something on it broke, we have yet to determine what happened there! Then we ripped up the plastic mulch and drip tape with the mulch lifter and gathered it all up. Now it is ready for plowing. Our strawberry tips may be coming in on Friday and Greg will have to go get them on the Illinois side of St. Louis. Then we get to pot them in pots to get them rooted. He usually gets 3,000, I don't think he upped the order, at least I hope not! After we get them potted we have to keep them in the shade under misters which are on timers to keep them moist and hydrated till they root. Then after they are rooted we plant them out in the field. So we will also have to remake the beds and lay plastic and drip tape and get that all ready to go in the next couple of weeks!

Lucas & I went yesterday evening to the Kansas City airport to pick up Joe from his mission trip to Kenya. We got back shortly after midnight. While I was gone Greg blew a tire on the new tractor, so now we are running one of those down and getting it repaired!

I've got cucumbers sliced and salted and ready to be made into bread and butter pickles tonight. I've just got to get the onions sliced and ready to go, so I'd better get to it. I had a vendor in Columbia give me 2 big crates full of cucumbers in exchange for a blackberry pie, so you will probably be getting some cucumbers this week in your boxes, since the deer are eating ours and there is way more than I want to make into pickles!!!!!

Yesterday we picked peaches, tomatoes, okra, peppers and basil to take to the Columbia Farmers' market today. I baked 2 blackberry pies to take, too!

Today's market experience was so much fun in the rain!!! (Not!) We didn't do too bad considering, but would have been nice to get rid of more tomatoes! We did sell out of eggs, over 70 dozen!

When we got home we cut up the second tomatoes and put in the dehydrator, and the 2nd peaches we put in the freezer to make jam later! I really need to get some more jam made, but have to do bread and butter pickles for a lady first. I traded a blackberry pie for 2 bushels of cucumbers at market today since we don't have any cucumbers thanks to the deer! I have had requests to make jalapeno jam, and I would also like to make Blackberry jalapeno jam and sweet onion jam. I know you're all going yuck, why would you make that and what would you eat that on?! Well these kinds of jams are good to put on roasts in the crock pot or to make sauces to use when you grill, etc. They are also good on crackers with cream cheese! Any way time will tell if I get these things done or not! I always have lots of plans, but the time is another issue!!!