Fried Green Tomatoes

For a true taste of summer and fun treat, try fried green tomatoes!

Find fried green tomatoes at one of our farmers market stands, or in our online store.

The steps are simple:

• Slice tomatoes 1/4”-1/2” thick and lay on a plate/tray

• Lightly salt slices and let sit 5 minutes to draw out moisture while preparing 3 bowls:

1. flour + spices (I like Italian seasoning and Adobo, but you can do whatever you like—garlic salt, parsley, etc)

2. egg + milk (about two parts beaten egg to 1 part milk)

3. breadcrumbs + white cornmeal (about half and half, or whatever ratio you like; or substitute cracker crumbs)

• Dip slices in bowls 1, then 2, then 3

• Deep fry in 350 degree oil or air fry at 400 degrees until coating is golden brown

• Drain on paper towels. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce

Asian Kohlrabi Salad

This recipe was recommended to me by a CSA member, and I absolutely love it!

I was excited to try this recipe out, so I just used what I had without waiting until I went to the store next for ingredients. Note the plethora of substitution options below.

Asian Kohlrabi Salad

ingredients

salad

• 4 kohlrabi, peeled and sliced into matchsticks (I used one MASSIVE kohlrabi, and it made a LOT of salad. You can also thinly slice or shred/grate the kohlrabi, but it won’t give you as much crunch.)

• 6 radishes, sliced into matchsticks (I used a large carrot instead, but you could also substitute a salad turnip or cabbage)

• 1 mango, chopped (I used the remainder of a bag of frozen mango chunks from the back of my freezer, diced small. You could substitute pineapple, mandarin oranges, or grapes)

• 4 green onions, chopped (or 1/4 c minced sweet onion)

• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (or substitute parsley, basil, or dill)

• 1/4 cup chopped cashews (or almonds or peanuts)

dressing

• 1 tablespoon sesame (or peanut) oil

• 1/3 cup rice vinegar

• 1 tablespoon honey (or sugar)

• 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, or 2-3 minced garlic scapes)

• 1 small knob of ginger, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)

• Dash of salt and pepper

instructions

In a large bowl, combine the kohlrabi, radishes, mango, green onion, cilantro, and cashews.

Add the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk.

Pour the dressing over the salad mixture and toss together until combined.

Fall Stew: West African Peanut Soup

I first made this dish in college and fell in love with the combination of flavors. This is a fantastic recipe to take advantage of all the fabulous fresh fall produce available in October.

There are many versions of this soup (also sometimes called “groundnut stew,” so feel free to substitute ingredients based on what you have available.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 jalapeño, seeded and diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes or equivalent fresh tomatoes

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced (I used a white sweet potato)

1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained, rinsed

1 cup creamy peanut butter

4 cups kale roughly chopped (or substitute bok choy)

2 1/2 cups shredded chicken

Salt, to taste

Crushed peanuts and chopped fresh cilantro, for serving (optional)

Other optional additions include chopped bell peppers or diced carrots

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the ginger, jalapeño, and garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the pepper, cumin, and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the tomato paste darkens, about 2 minutes more.

Add the crushed tomatoes, stock, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and peanut butter and stir until combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender.

Add in the kale and shredded chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, for about another 5 minutes, or until the chicken is warmed through and the kale is wilted. Adjust the salt to taste.

 Serve topped with peanuts and cilantro, if desired. Serve with rice.

Fried okra

Despite being a vegetable farmer and promoting heathy eating, I love all things fried! It’s finally okra season, and I’ve really been enjoying air-fried okra. Here’s my very simple (and flexible) recipe for the breading I use on everything: fried okra, fried green tomatoes, fried eggplant or zucchini or squash slices, onion rings, etc.

First, slice whatever you’re going to be breading. Look at the cute little star shapes okra makes! Next, prepare 3 bowls:

1. flour + spices (I like Italian seasoning and Adobo, but you can do whatever you like—garlic salt, parsley, etc)

2. egg + milk (about two parts beaten egg to 1 part milk)

3. breadcrumbs + cornmeal (about half and half, or whatever ratio you like; or substitute cracker crumbs)

Drop your slices into the first bowl and make sure they’re well-coated with flour.

Drop your flour-coated slices into the bowl with egg & milk and stir them around.

Fish your slices out of the egg mixture with a fork and drop them into the cornmeal & breadcrumb mixture and stir to coat.

Air fry at around 400 degrees or deep fry in hot oil until breading turns golden brown. ENJOY!

Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan

Have you heard of the “technology adoption curve” or “innovation adoption lifecycle”? It describes how quickly different proportions of a population accept new technologies and practices. It looks something like this:

That’s right. I’m usually so far behind the rest of the population that I can pick up the “new” technology at thrift stores for a fraction of the price once everyone else has moved on to the next new thing. How far behind am I? My tractor is turning 72 years old next month. My car is older than I am. I’m still using my 12-year-old printer (it was free!) And, fourteen years after its introduction, I finally bought an air fryer.

I was pretty hesitant to buy one for several reasons. Did I really need another cooking gadget? Surely my ancient toaster oven (an excellent thrift store score) would suffice? If I bought an air fryer, would I immediately slide down the slippery slope of buying junk food like frozen onion rings, mini corn dogs, and mozzarella sticks?

Even accidentally winning a trivia contest about air fryer cooking two years ago didn’t convince me to purchase one. So thank you to the CSA members who finally convinced me to go for it!

My very first experiment in the air fryer: eggplant parmesan. Delicious! (Plus, convenient to use up the last of the eggplants and tomatoes of the season).

Subsequent experiments indicate I still have some work to do to perfect sweet potatoes, salmon, and egg bites. Grilled cheese was amazing, though! Up next: experimental air fryer aloo gobi (an Indian cauliflower dish).

Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 large or 2 small eggplants

• 1/2 cup flour

• 2 eggs

• splash of milk

• 1 cup bread crumbs

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

• 1 cup marinara or tomato sauce

• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• Chopped basil or parsley for garnish (I used parsley and oregano)

directions

Slice eggplants into 1/2” thick rounds, lightly salt both sides (optional), and let sit.

In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and milk. Put flour in a third bowl. Preheat air fryer to 370-390 degrees, depending on settings available.

Pat eggplant slices dry with a paper towel. Dip each slice first in the bowl of flour, fully coating the slice. Then, dip in egg bowl. Finally, place in bowl of bread crumbs and ensure the slice is fully coated with bread crumbs.

Arrange slices in single layers (you’ll need multiple racks or to do several rounds of cooking) in the air fryer, and air fry for 6-8 minutes (check regularly to ensure they’re not too brown). Flip slices and air fry another 4-6 minutes.

While eggplant is cooking, warm the marinara sauce. Or, if like me you don’t have any, make your own tomato sauce by sautéing onions, garlic, diced tomatoes, and spices/herbs. Allow to simmer while eggplant is cooking.

When eggplant is done, spread a layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of the plate. Arrange eggplants on sauce. Immediately sprinkle with cheese so it melts and then top with herbs.