Thursday, September 22nd & Saturday, September 24th
9 AM to 12 NoonIf you want to pick tomatoes and have your own “put up” party to make sauce, now’s the time to do it!
Cost: $0.75 per pound for u-pick tomatoes, including heirloom varieties.
Varieties: Not all varieties will be available for harvesting on both days. We assess the week before each u-pick which types will be available depending on which field has the most available ripe harvest.
For Thursday, September 22nd: there will be heirlooms, beefsteaks and dry-farmed Principe Borghese but
no San Marzanos. We will also have a vegetable stand with sweet peppers, Indian corn, basil, and Galeaux d'Eysines pumpkins. Go to the San Felipe entrance. Directions below.
For Saturday, September 24th: there will be all of the above listed varieties as well as San Marzanos available for picking. If you primarily want San Marzanos, then go to the Lovers Lane entrance. (Directions below.) Some heirlooms will be available in that field. There will be a vegetable stand there as well featuring hard squash, Anaheim peppers, Poblano peppers, onions, and a few other items. People primarily interested in heirloom tomatoes, beefsteak toms, and Principe Borghese should go to the San Felipe entrance where we will also have a vegetable stand with sweet peppers, Indian corn, basil, and Galeaux d'Eysines pumpkins.
What to Bring: Bring shallow boxes and crates (not too deep or your tomatoes will squish each other!), water to drink, and a hat because it can get hot. We will have some cardboard boxes for sale, but you’re encouraged to bring your own.
What not to Bring: Dogs are great, but please don’t bring yours to the u-pick day. Children sometimes feel threatened by dogs and I don’t want to be responsible if someone’s dog gets into a fight with someone else’s dog. Also, dogs can do a lot of damage in the fields, and the sight of a dog peeing on a tomato plant doesn’t do our sales any favors.
Location: These u-picks will be held in Hollister. There are two different fields, depending on which day and what type of tomato you want to pick:
San Felipe Entrance: This is the entrance to use if you’re coming on Thursday, September 22nd or if you want to pick primarily heirlooms, beefsteaks and dry-farmed Principe Borghese tomatoes. Take 101 to Highway 25. Go East on 25 towards Hollister until the intersection with Shore Rd. Make a Left on Shore Rd. Head north on Shore Rd. to the intersection with San Felipe Rd. Make a Left on San Felipe Rd. and go a mile or so. The entrance to the farm will be on your left just after a beautiful old two-story Victorian home which is located at 7210 San Felipe Rd. We’ll have a sign posted. Please do not go in the yard of the Victorian. The farm entrance is just after the home. Please drive very very slowly on the dirt driveway to help keep down dust and also to protect your car from holes in the road.
Lovers Lane Entrance: This is the entrance to use on Saturday, September 24th if you primarily want San Marzanos. (If you come on Saturday and want heirlooms, use the San Felipe entrance.) Take 101 to Highway 152. Go East on 152 towards Hollister. Turn left on Lovers Lane and go to 7788 Lovers Lane. Again, we’ll have signs posted so watch for those.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Photos of Heirlooms, Pumpkin, and Tomato U-Pick by Andy Griffin.
Photos of San Marzanos and Mixed Sweet Peppers by Shelley Kadota.
Renewals: This is the first week of the last 9-week cycle of the 2011 season. If you already told us you're renewing and haven't sent us your check yet, please do so now. The 2011 CSA season ends November 16-17.
Nine weeks veggies is $198.
Please make your check payable to Mariquita Farm and
mail it in to: P.O. Box 2065, Watsonville, CA 95077.
Sign In Sheets: Please, please, please check the sign in sheets to be sure your name is on it and check your name off BEFORE taking a share. This really helps us manage your subscriptions more efficiently.
If your name isn't on the list, please do NOT take a share. Instead, please call (831) 706-6799 or better yet,
email (office@mariquita.com) us as soon as possible so that we can address whatever problem there might be.
Trade Boxes: Yep, they are either a great idea or a frustration -- depending on whether the box has an item in it as there should be or if it's empty by the time you get there. This is a reminder about how the trade box is intended to be used. Our drivers bring an item each week to ‘start’ the trade box. Then, the idea is that you can exchange something from your box in trade with the item in the trade box. Or, if there’s an item in your box that you just know you won’t eat, then you can leave it in the trade box for another member who might want to trade for it. But there should always be at least one item in the trade box. Also, the trade box is NOT a waste receptacle. Please only take something from the trade box if you replace it with something from your own box. That way everyone can enjoy the option of trading items. Thank you!
Want to join, renew or know someone who does? There are 8 weeks remaining in our CSA season (
after this week)! And, we are still accepting members and have 4-week
trial subscriptions for new members only for $88. If we receive
your payment by this Saturday, September 24th, we could
get you started next week, the week of September 28th. Here's a link to our
pick up site list and to a
PDF of our subscription form.
To sign up, please print and complete our subscription form and mail it
with your check made payable to Mariquita Farm to P.O. Box 2065,
Watsonville, CA 95077. We'll email you a confirmation as soon as we get
your subscription entered in to our system. If you have any further
questions about our CSA program, please contact Shelley at
office@mariquita.com.
RECIPES from Chef Jonathan Miller
Hello! It's finally hot in the Monterey Bay. 92 in Watsonville on
Monday. I don't want to know what it was like in Los Gatos or Gilroy!
When it's hot like this, it's crucial to process your veggies as soon as
you can so they refresh, and taste as good and sweet as they should. A
nice and diverse box this week - our first pumpkin and some of you are
also getting apples. Fall is right around the corner!
Escarole, Apples, and Walnuts
Mariquita
CSA veterans have a lot of experience with escarole, so most of you
probably don't need any suggestions for this delicious green. However,
we have a lot of new members this week who haven't seen Andy's
escarole-on-steroids this year. Here's an interesting little side dish.
Great with roasted meats, and delicious on its own.
1/2 c raisins
2 Gala apples, peeled and cut into wedges
1 head escarole, leaves torn into large pieces
2 lemons
butter
1/4 c walnuts, roasted and chopped
2 oz gruyere
Cover the raisins with boiling water and allow to sit while you prepare the rest of the dish.
Zest one of the lemons and squeeze the juice from both of them. Keep the zest and juice separate.
Heat
a large skillet and add a couple tablespoons of butter. When it has
melted add the apples and a pinch of salt. Saute over medium-low heat
until the apples have softened. Remove the apples from the skillet and
put in a bowl. Add just a little lemon juice to them.
In the
same skillet add a couple more tablespoons of butter. Melt and add the
lemon zest and half the remaining lemon juice and 3 T water. Add the
escarole, some salt, and cover the skillet. As soon as the water begins
to steam, uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until
everything is equally wilted. Do not cook for too long.
Transfer
to a serving plate and top with the apples. Taste, and add more lemon
if you need it - it's ok if you don't. Drain the raisins and sprinkle
them over the top. Finish with the walnuts and shave some of the gruyere
with a vegetable peeler over the top. Serve warm or at room
temperature.
Rajas
Rajas
are strips of peppers sauteed or roasted and usually served in a
tortilla. They are delicious when your peppers are good, and are also
versatile. You can add cheese or cream to make them more substantial and
use different peppers depending on how spicy you like them. Here's a
version to start you off.
1 large white onion, peeled and cut into thick rounds
olive oil
4 poblano peppers
1 jalepeno pepper
2 red bell peppers (or any other sweet pepper, like piquillos)
dried oregano
1 garlic clove, unpeeled
4 oz queso fresco
corn tortillas
Heat
a grill to very hot. Add the onions and the peppers and grill
everything until the onions are super soft and darkly colored and the
peppers have blackened. Scrape the skins off the peppers, core them, and
remove the seeds and veins. Cut them into long strips. Chop the onion
if you like, but you can also leave it in soft, curly rounds. Mix them
all together.
Toast the oregano in a dry skillet for 20 seconds or so. Remove to a bowl.
In the same skillet add the garlic clove and dry roast it until softened. Peel and mash with the oregano.
Crumble
the queso fresco in the bowl with the oregano, and then combine that
mixture with the peppers. Add a little salt and combine well. Taste to
make sure you like it.
Heat your tortillas on a comal or
directly over a fire and then fill them with the rajas. Serve warm by
themselves, or topped with a little sour cream if you prefer.
Pumpkin Soup with Tomatoes and Peppers
Personally,
I'm not quite ready for pumpkin. It's too hot! However, one of my
favorite soups needs to take advantage of that small window when you
have winter squash, tomatoes, and sweet peppers all ripe at the same
time. This is it, and it is a delicious dish. Great just for dinner, but
absolutely appropriate for a dinner party with some quality bread. Make
your own stock for this. It makes a difference. If you are serving this
for important guests, you might want to peel and seed the tomatoes
before you chop them.
Stock:
1 smallish pumpkin (3lb)
2 celery stalks
1 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
6 branches parsley
12 sage leaves
Halve
the pumpkin and scrape out the seeds and strings. Put them into a pot
with the remaining ingredients, a teaspoon of salt, and 8 cups of water.
Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes. Strain.
Soup:
flesh from the pumpkin
2 red bell peppers or piquillos
1 lb tomatoes, diced
2 T chili powder of quality
butter
olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
parsley
mint
Peel the pumpkin and cut the flesh into medium small pieces.
Roast the peppers (I often do mine in the oven under the broiler) until blackened. Scrape off the skins and dice the meat.
In
a large saucepan, heat a little olive oil and a tablespoon or so of
butter. Add the onion and garlic and saute until soft, about 8 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, the chili powder, some salt, cover and stew for 5
minutes. Add the pumpkin, the roasted peppers, and 6 cups of the stock.
Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft.
Taste to make sure you like it and add more salt, chili powder, or
stock if you like.
Finish with a couple tablespoons each of parsley and mint.
Cauliflower Two Ways with Scallops
I
make this dish very occasionally. It's a special dish for company or
part of a fancy meal. I thought of it last week for a client when I saw
that Andy had both cheddar cauliflower and purple cauliflower available.
I used the two colors of cauliflower together and they looked so good -
until they hit the dining table with soft lighting and a bright red
tablecloth. The purple got lost in the red and dimness! Still, a
knockout dish and pretty simple to pull off. If you aren't familiar with
searing scallops properly, make sure you buy scallops that haven't been
sitting in liquid (they should be dry in the market) and dry them again
right before you salt and sear them. Also, make sure your pan is super
hot (have the fan on!). Work quickly so you don't overcook them. This is
a recipe for 4 moderate servings. Use one or two scallops per person
depending on how large they are. And don't overfeed your guests. One
large scallop really is enough. (Photo of Purple Cauliflower by Andy Griffin.)
1 large head cheddar or white cauliflower, cut into florets
1 c cream or half and half
1 large head purple or green cauliflower (or use two smaller ones), cut into small florets
1/4 c raisins
3 T almonds, chopped
1/4 c parsley, chopped
zest from 1/2 - 1 lemon
2 T capers, rinsed and dried
large sea scallops (1-2 per person)
olive oil
quality balsamic vinegar
Put
the cheddar cauliflower and the cream into a saucepan and bring to a
boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer until very soft, about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat, cool, and blend in a blender with some salt. Taste and
adjust seasoning if necessary. This should be luscious.
Heat a
large skillet and add some olive oil. Add the purple cauliflower and
the raisins, almonds, parsley, lemon zest, and capers. Saute briskly
until the cauliflower is tender but not overly colored, maybe 5-6
minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat. Keep in a
warm spot.
Heat a heavy skillet for several minutes until very
hot. Add some oil (grapeseed is great here) and heat to shimmering. Pat
the scallops dry, season one side of them with salt and immediately put
them, salted side down, in the hot oiled skillet. Do not move the
scallops at all while they sear. Watch carefully and when the scallops
have deeply colored quickly salt the top side of them, flip and cook for
just another 15-30 seconds - just to finish cooking them through.
Remove
from heat. Put about 4 T of the cauliflower puree on a medium sized
plate. Top with a scallop (or two), then a little of the compote around
the puree. Repeat with the remaining scallops. Finish with a drizzle of
quality olive oil, a few drops of the balsamic vinegar, and more
parsley. Serve hot.
Smoked Gazpacho
Here's
a phenomenal variation of gazpacho. You'll be amazed at its smokiness.
Serve it by itself, or better yet, use it as a sauce for meats, cheeses,
or grilled vegetables. You could even puree it to smooth and use it in a
bloody mary. It's one of the only times I use celery outside of soup
stocks.
1 bunch oregano
1/2 bunch thyme
1/2 bunch cilantro
1/2 bunch parsley
6 large tomatoes, cored
3 celery ribs, cut into thirds
1 head of garlic, cracked in half, unpeeled
2 red bell peppers
olive oil
Toss the tomatoes, celery, garlic, and peppers with a little olive oil in a large bowl.
Heat a grill.
Put
the fresh herbs on the grill in a round bed. Lay the tomatoes and other
vegetables on top of the herbs, piling them up. Cover with a heat proof
bowl to hold in the heat and cook over medium-high flame for about 30
minutes. The tomatoes and peppers should be roasted and lightly charred;
the celery should be softened; and the garlic should also be just
softening.
Remove the veggies from the grill and discard the
blackened herbs. Cool, then remove the seed cores from the peppers and
peel the garlic. Heat a large saucepan and add a couple tablespoons of
olive oil. Cook the smoked vegetables in the saucepan for about 15
minutes. Cool slightly and process in a food processor until uniform,
but not necessarily super smooth. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and
pepper. Chill and serve cool with meats, cheese, roasted vegetables, or
avocados.
Salad of the Week: Bread Salad (Panzanella)
This
is a healthful riff on the classic panzanella. Use any kind of whole
grain bread. Make sure it's nice and dense and at least a day or two
old. Just the kind of bread husbands and kids don't like.
2 lb tomatoes
1 garlic clove, halved lengthwise
6-8 slices whole grain, dense bread
large handful basil leaves
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
very small handful brine cured olives
Dice
the tomatoes and put them into a large bowl. (If you are wooing a lover
with this dish, then seed your tomatoes first [but don't peel them].
Core and cut them in half. Working over a bowl with a fine strainer on
top, gently squeeze the tomatoes to release some liquid and help ease
the seeds out of them. Discard the seeds, but keep the tomato juice in
the bowl. Dice the tomatoes and add them to the juice in the bowl.)
Rub
the bread with cut side of the garlic clove to give it some good garlic
flavor. Toast the bread in a 400 degree oven until crisp, about 5-8
minutes, depending on how old it is. Cut or tear it into bite sized
pieces and drop in the bowl with the tomatoes.
Allow to sit
for about 15 minutes, then julienne the basil leaves and toss them into
the bowl with a few tablespoons of olive oil, some balsamic vinegar, the
olives, and a little salt. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Serve immediately.
Andy wrote a longer piece, “
For the convenience of cooks who would like to can, pickle, juice, dry,
or otherwise consume bulk quantities of fresh vegetables, herbs and
fruits we are regularly scheduling 
