Harvard Farmers Market

Last summer, our cucumbers took over the garden, sprawling and creeping out and beyond the confines of raised beds, protective wires, and onto the lawn where they produced prodigiously.  We jerry rigged sticks and twine, adding and improvising as the vines grew, but this proved a challenge because the plants took on a strength of their own, leaving us playing hide and seek come picking time with cukes growing in locations other than the most visible.  Though we enjoyed the crisp, watery results, we nearly ran out of ideas for recipes containing cucumbers, and even (almost) cried uncle for having too much gazpacho sitting around.  In brief, the heat and conditions made cuke production one of the most successful in years, as you may also have experienced.

This year, looks like the early humidity and heat are encouraging a repeat.  We are excited, but will be prepared this time.  I’ve planted fewer seeds and given them more real estate in the garden, so the plants can grow and sprout without cramping and tangling with other veggies.   Here’s a picture of our new design, a modified tomato (trellis) attached on one side by sticks and twine so as to create a canopy effect and promote growth within the raised bed.  If the vines reach outwards, we will train them back and around the bed, creating a looped effect so as to give space and air to the plants, and allow for easier picking.

Here  is a simple recipe for baked cucumbers that is sure to please.  From Julia Child’s kitchen, this dish surprises guests who usually need a minute or two to identify the vegetable correctly.   Cooked cucumbers change flavor as they simmer with butter.  Who would have thought?

Peel 6-8 cucumbers, cut into lengthwise strips about an inch long, then scoop out the seeds. Toss them in a bowl with 2 T. wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, a pinch of sugar.  Let them sit for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.  Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the cucumbers in a buttered oven proof dish with a half chopped onion and a sprinkling of pepper.  Optionally, cut up and sprinkle fresh basil or dill atop the cucumbers.  Cook for approximately 1 hour, tossing periodically.  When they are tender and slightly crisp, remove and serve.  (serves 4-5 as a side dish)

Nothing like a gazpacho in the warm weather, and nothing like a good fistful of fresh cilantro to add zip to all its ‘from the garden’ summer ingredients!  This is my favorite summer recipe!  (4-6 meal-size servings)

Ingredients:

4 Medium-sized Fresh Tomatoes

1 Large Cucumber (outer skin removed)

1 Red Bell Pepper

1 Green Bell Pepper

1 Small Onion

2-3 Garlic Cloves

Handful of Fresh Cilantro

2 T. Virgin Olive Oil

1 T. Balsamic Vinegar (Modena variety is nice)

1. Boil tomatoes in water for a half minute or so until the skin curls off.  Remove and discard outer skin then press out seeds and juices.  Slice and put into a large bowl.
2. Chop peppers, cloves, cucumber, onion and cilantro and put in with tomatoes.
3. Finely chop garlic and add to bowl with oil and vinegar.
4. Fill an electric mixing bowl with about half the above ingredients, slowly at first.  Continue to mix and add ingredients until everything is mixed together.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Chill at least 4-6 hours before serving with French bread.

You can adjust ingredients depending on personal tastes.  I usually add more garlic and less vinegar.  Some folks also add a cup of fresh bread crumbs or an egg to the mixture as well.  Bon appétit!

Are you planning to attend the inaugural meeting of the Harvard Canning and Evaporating Club (as revived by the HFM in Clara Endicott Sears’ memory)? It’s tomorrow and you are welcome to come by any time with your local harvest and equipment ready to preserve your own bit of what is local and fresh.  I am planning to put up strawberries and perhaps some rhubarb, or even perhaps a combination of the two.

I made these labels that you are welcome to use.  I am working out the printing of them  as we speak — but here is the .jpg for you to download and print on whatever label sheet you can configure it for.  Let me know how it works for you…If I can get it all working I am hoping to have some spares on hand tomorrow.

-Rochelle

You see them blooming all over Harvard right now, but what are those gorgeous spreading trees?  They’re Japanese Dogwoods, or Kousas.  Their four-pointed white blooms are actually not blooms at all but bracts below the cluster of inconspicuous yellow-green flowers.  The tree flowers in late spring, weeks after it leafs out.  Later in the season, and once the white petals are gone, pinkish spiky red berries 2-3 cm in diameter appear.  I’m told that the fruit is edible, though have never tried it in a late summer tart!  The ornamental value alone has kept us thrilled for over ten years, as we watch it rise and spread at one side of our house, so much so that we planted two more at the street.  They too continue to grow and produce the same spectacular display as the original one, all with minimal maintenance. Of benefit, too, is that these dogwoods are resistant to the disease, anthracnose, caused by a fungus and damaging to most other strains of dogwoods.

Kathleen Comstock

http://kcomstock.com

Clara Endicott Sears bestowed many admirable gifts to the town of Harvard, the Canning and Evaporating Club being one of them.  She created this Club as an outreach organization back in 1918, sending canned fruits and produce, as well as dried food, over to the soldiers during World War I.

Canning and preserving locally grown fruits and produce is a timeless process – both meditative and, when done with friends, full of comraderie and that sense of going back-to-basics.  When we read about the Club, and realized this year marks the 50th anniversary of Clara’s death, we thought it would be nice to reinstate the idea of gathering together in a kitchen and preserving our own fruits of the land.

Sooooo……We invite community friends and neighbors to gather to either learn or teach the art of jamming…or to just enjoy the company of local folks.  Our first jam session will be held Monday June 7; arrive anytime from 11:00 to 7:00 at the Old Post House, 53 Bolton Road in Harvard.  Bring your equipment and ingredients with you (See post below)  Plan on a good hour and a half for jamming.  We hope to meet once a month through harvest season.

We are also searching for any of Clara’s old canning or preserving recipes; any suggestions on where to look are most welcome.  Also special thanks to Fruitlands Museum for providing us with these beautiful old photos and information about the original Canning and Evaporating Club!

Looking forward to a bountiful harvest season and new adventures in the kitchen this year!