GardenSpotlight

Tomatillos are a mainstay of Mexican cuisine and they are quickly making their way into American home gardens. The tomatillo looks similar to a tomato, but smaller...each fruit weighing about 2 - 3 oz. The plants grow to about 4 feet, and the fruits develop inside a papery husk which is shed when the fruit is ready to harvest. They are green to yellow in color, and I've seen one variety that was actually purple in color. They are most widely known as being one of the main ingredients in Green Salsa, for which the recipe follows. Tomatillo Salsa...this is a large batch recipe for canning... 5 1/2 Cups Tomatillos, husked, chopped and cored (about 2 pounds) 1 Cup chopped onion 1 Cup chopped Green Chili Peppers ( Serrano Chiles provide much more heat than Jalapenos ) 4 Cloves Garlic 2 TBSP minced Cilantro 2 tsp ground Cumin 1/2 tsp Salt 1/2 tsp Red Pepper 1 Cup Vinegar 1/4 Cup Lime Juice Combine all ingredients in a large saucepot. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and si...

One of our customers had asked how to blanch Swiss Chard for a special diet she is on. Blanching is a critical step for all vegetables being stored for more than one month, with one exception: those vegetables being used solely for their flavor, such as green onions, herbs and hot peppers, do not need to be blanched. Blanching is necessary in order to cleanse the produce of any remaining dirt and to kill any microorganisms. It also brightens the color, helps retain vitamins and reduces the action of enzymes that can destroy the fresh flavor of the produce when frozen for longer than the first month. As you can see, blanching is a most important step in freezing vegetables and must be done very carefully, but that does not mean it is difficult to do. On the contrary, it is actually very simple. First, wash, drain and prepare vegetables as you would normally for cooking, such as trimming ends and chopping into the size you would use in your recipes. I would recommend using 1 gal...

Great news! The webmasters/legal department over at The Food Network said I can post some links for recipes....and boy have I found some good ones. You'll find the name of the recipes and the shopping list. Just click on the recipe title and you'll be taken over to that recipe at The Food Network. I'll start with Swiss Chard, since we sell so much of it at the Farmer's Market. Swiss Chard Tart: Pasticcio di Bietole al Forno Recipe courtesy Mario Batali Show: Molto Mario Episode: Trastevere On a Sunday 2 pounds Swiss chard, washed and spun dry (2 bunches..about 15 stems ea. bunch) 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 Spanish onion, thinly sliced 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1/4 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped to yield 1/8 cup 3 large eggs Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1 cup bread crumbs Here's another recipe, but with a little more difficulty. Some p...