Late summer life around our fields, as captured by our crew.

The bee is carrying pollen from our hemp plants.

Thanks to CSA member Mary L. for sharing several of her favorite summer produce recipes this week. Mary says, "The recipes that follow make use of August’s Turtle Creek Gardens wonderful bounty: of course tomatoes figure prominently...Bon appetit!"

Mary's Note: "This recipe lends itself to numerous variations: add kale, chard or peppers to the tomatoes and onions and sauté together; make it more piquant by the addition of cayenne and chili flakes; use a combo of cheeses.

Ingredients:

2 ripe, cored, quartered medium to large tomatoes 

1 chopped medium onion 

1 T. butter 

1 T. olive oil 

½ t. each salt and freshly ground pepper 

2 farm eggs 

½ c. diced cheddar, pepper jack, or Gouda cheese

Method:

Melt butter and olive oil together in a medium frying pan and swirl to coat the inside of the pan. Sauté onions and tomatoes in the pan over low heat until they soften and become slightly caramelized; about 10-14 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt, pepper, and the two unbeaten eggs, and stir gently until the eggs are incorporated into the tomato mixture.

Add cheese and stir another minute or two until cheese melts. The scramble will remain fairly soft because of the juice released by the tomatoes. 

Mary's note: "I make galettes all the time, both sweet and savory. This galette is served in France at the height of tomato season, often with lightly-dressed greens piled on top. The recipe calls for heirloom tomatoes: any farm or homegrown tomatoes will do. And the addition of extra garlic or diced onion contributes extra deliciousness. While the recipe calls for blotting the liquid from the tomatoes with a paper towel, save the planet and the precious juice by draining in a colander over a bowl or bowl alone."

Ingredients:

2 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2¼ t. kosher salt, divided

¾ c. (1½ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 T. apple cider vinegar

1½ LB heirloom tomatoes, sliced ¼" thick

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

4 oz firm cheese (such as Asiago, cheddar, or Gouda), finely grated (about 1½ c.)

1 large egg, beaten to blend

Flaky sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

½ lemon

1 T. finely chopped chives

Method:

Pulse 2 cups flour and 1¼ t. kosher salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.

Transfer mixture to a large bowl; drizzle with vinegar and ¼ cup ice water. Mix with a fork, adding more ice water by the tablespoonful as needed, just until a shaggy dough comes together. Turn out onto a work surface and lightly knead until no dry spots remain (be careful not to overwork). Pat into a disk and wrap in plastic. Chill at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Gently toss tomatoes, garlic, and remaining 1 tsp. kosher salt in a large bowl. Let sit 5 minutes (Tomatoes will start releasing some liquid. *This step is essential.* It will allow the tomatoes to caramelize and ensures that the bottom of the crust stays flaky.) Drain tomato mixture and transfer to paper towels.

Unwrap dough and roll out on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper to a 14" round about ⅛" thick. Transfer on parchment to a baking sheet. Scatter cheese over dough, leaving a 1½" border. Arrange tomatoes and garlic over cheese. Bring edges of dough up and over filling, overlapping as needed to create about a 1½" border; brush dough with egg. Sprinkle tomatoes with sea salt and pepper. Chill in freezer 10 minutes.

Bake galette, rotating once, until crust is golden brown and cooked through, 55–65 minutes. Let cool slightly on baking sheet. Finely grate zest from lemon over galette; sprinkle with chives.

Do Ahead: Dough can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Serves: 4

(Adapted from the New York Times)

Mary's Note: "My favorite gazpacho recipe, with my additions. I make in my trusty old Vitamix, so no need to blend in batches."

Ingredients:

5-6 ripe medium local tomatoes (about 2½ LB), cored and quartered

1 large green or red pepper, cored, seeded, and roughly chopped

1 large cucumber, peeled if you like and roughly chopped

1 c. chopped onion such as Alisa Craig or Walla Walla or 4 medium shallots

4 medium cloves garlic, chopped or grated

2 T. apple cider or sherry vinegar

½ to ⅔ c. organic extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and ground black pepper

Dash pepper flakes

1 chopped jalapeño, optional

1 t. Worcestershire sauce, optional

1 T. snipped fresh chives or basil for sprinkling

Method:

In a regular or high-powered blender and working in batches, puree half the tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion, garlic, jalapeño if using, vinegar, ½ T. salt, and ground black pepper to taste until very smooth, at least 1 minute, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender jar if necessary.

Stop the blender, remove the center cap from the lid, and with a kitchen towel covering the opening, turn the motor back on at medium speed. Move the kitchen towel aside and very slowly add half the oil, continuing to process until the mixture emulsifies, taking on a texture like heavy cream and an orangey-pink color. Repeat with the remaining ingredients (except the chives), adding the remaining oil as necessary to achieve the proper texture and color.

Cover the bowl or pitcher and refrigerate to blend flavors, at least 6 hours and up to 2 days. Before serving, whisk to re-blend if necessary. Adjust seasoning with salt and ground black pepper if desired. Serve cold in chilled bowls or glasses, sprinkling each portion with some of the chives or basil. In Spain small bowls of croutons, chopped herbs, almonds and diced onions are offered alongside to sprinkle on top of the gazpacho.

Serves: 4

1½ LB red potatoes, whole if small, halved if large

¾ LB fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped

¼ c. chopped fresh basil

1 small red onion, chopped

1 pinch salt and pepper to taste

¼ c. balsamic vinegar

2 T. Dijon mustard

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

½ c. extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Place potatoes in a large pot, and fill with 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil, and cook for 10 minutes. Add green beans on top of potatoes and steam for 5 more minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain, cool, and cut potatoes into quarters. Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with fresh basil, red onion, salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and olive oil. Pour over the salad, and stir to coat. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

Recipe adapted from: allrecipes.com

8 oz uncooked linguine

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 oz broccoli, finely chopped

8 oz zucchini, thinly sliced

1 T. fresh lemon juice

¼ t. dried thyme

¼ c. finely chopped parsley, divided

½ t. salt

¼ t. dried red pepper flakes

¼ t. black pepper

Method:

Cook linguine in salted water, following instructions on packaging. Rinse linguine with ice-cold water and shake through a sieve to remove any excess water, set aside.

Heat oil in a large, non-stick frying pan, add minced garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes until slightly golden in color. Add broccoli and zucchini; cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in linguine, thyme and ⅔ of the parsley. Season with salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper and lemon juice. Stir well and cook for another 3 minutes.

Garnish with remaining parsley to serve.

Servings: 2

Recipe adapted from: k33kitchen.com

Ingredients:

1 T. plus 2 t. cornstarch, divided

1 T. plus 2 t. soy sauce, divided

½ LB beef sirloin steak

½ c. chicken or beef broth

1 T. dry sherry

2 t. brown sugar

½ to 1 t. sriracha sauce

1 T. vegetable oil, divided

2 c. broccoli florets

1 medium yellow or red sweet pepper, cut into 1-inch strips

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 T. chopped scallions

1 t. sesame seed

Cooked brown rice, for serving

In medium bowl, stir together 2 t. cornstarch and 2 t. soy sauce. Cut steak across grain into thin strips. Place in bowl with soy sauce mixture. Toss until coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes but no longer than 2 hours; drain any accumulated liquid.

In a small bowl, stir together remaining 1 T. cornstarch, remaining 1 T. soy sauce, broth, sherry, brown sugar and sriracha sauce; set aside.

In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat half the oil over medium high heat. Cook and stir steak about 2 minutes or until browned on both sides; remove from skillet. Add remaining oil to skillet. Cook and stir broccoli and pepper 1 minute; stir in garlic. Cook 1 minute longer.

Reduce heat. Push vegetables to side of pan. Stir in broth mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens. Stir beef into vegetables and sauce until combined.

Serve over rice, garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.

Servings: 4

Recipe adapted from: seedsofchange.com