CSA Week 11, On The Hunt For GOOD Tomatoes!

Last week's share was pretty cool, but there were some hiccups that I'd like to address.  For one thing the bananas that Three Sisters Farm harvested for us were too green and I'm afraid most of them won't ripen.  That's not to say they will be a waste, it just means you'll need to be creative!  It goes against the grain for many of us to eat unripe fruit, but a banana is an exception to the usual rule, at least in the Caribbean islands.  It is purely out of a need to be resourceful that Caribbean folks began cooking with green bananas.  Green bananas are used to make salads, just as you would make a potato salad. You can also make pies with them, such as a shepherd's pie. There's even a delicious pickled banana dish that's popular in the islands. All bananas, whether fresh or dried, can be easily made into a porridge because of their high starch content. When they're fresh and thinly sliced you can use green bananas to fry chips or tostones, or simply boil them and enjoy them with sautéed salt meat. They also make some tasty desserts.  Perhaps the easiest way to test your taste for green bananas is to boil them, a common method of preparing them. Submerge the bananas, skins intact, in enough salted boiling water to cover them. Boil them for 20 minutes or so until you can easily pierce the skin with a fork. And that's it. Slice the peel open and serve the bananas as they do in Jamaica, along with a fish or pork main dish.

Another thing that has been tricky this season is finding good quality tomatoes!  We've been trying to work with a few different farmers to get tomatoes for the CSA, but multiple times we've been pretty disappointed.  This week we are getting cherry tomatoes from Worden Farm, fingers crossed they are as good as all of their other veggies! 

IN THE SHARES THIS WEEK:

 Scarlet turnips are so pretty, but I figure most of you will be stumped when it comes time to make use of the turnips in this week's share.  Here's a link to a great article in bonappetite.com that shares 23 turnip recipes.  I can't imagine you wont find something to inspire you. 

Fennel is another veg we've notices most people freeze up with, but we love to grow it and chefs love to use it.  It's a complex and versatile flavor bomb!  Once you get the hang of it you'll probably make it a year round staple like onions, garlic and celery.  Caramelized fennel is probably most approachable method for newbies.  This recipe for caramelized fennel is so simple you can't deny at least trying it and from my experience it's the best way to start liking fennel because it really tones down it's strong flavors.  Toss this with lightly steamed green beans and you are in serious dinner business!