News from the Farm
By Sarah Libertus

Heirloom tomatoes. The very name can cause a stampede at the Farmer’s Market. Restaurants are beginning to use them as their sole billboard teaser and people are avidly discussing the pros and cons of the Cherokee Purple on street corners. One of my foodie magazines this month had the headline, “Heirlooms: are they worth it?” The article never really discussed whether or not they were worth it so I figure that it is up to you. A long time ago, tomatoes were sweet and flavorful and in much demand, but they did not fare well nor ship well and this did not bode well with the grocery stores who bought their produce from far far away. So, people started hybridizing tomatoes for better shipping possibilities, more consistent shape and size and longer storage time. Then some people began to miss the original taste of the tomato. Luckily, there were a few people who had kept the seeds of the older tomato stock, some farmers started growing them and; hence, the heirloom craze began. This week your box has a mix of Heirloom tomatoes. Featherstone grows eleven varieties of heirlooms and I thought that I would spend this time talking about the different types. Cherokee Purple- this is Jack’s favorite. It is a large roundish shaped tomato with red-brown-purple color. It has a rich, sharp full acidic tomato flavor with an unbelievable body. Brandywine- a large pinkish-red heirloom, this is the tomato that started the craze and now you can know why. It has a very light tomato taste that is only slightly sweet, but has that nice acidic burst. German Stripe- This is my favorite. Oh, lovely German Stripe, with your little green and yellow and orange stripes! It is a large, very sweet tomato. Red Tiger Stripe- small, round, red with beautiful green stripes on the outside, the fruit is red and rich. These are great sliced with feta and basil. (The following are not ready yet and will be seen in future boxes) Green Zebra- a flavorful, small green striped tomato. These have a unique flavor that some claim are the best in the hybrid world. Valencia- a smaller, orangish-yellow, round tomato. This one is great for sauces. It is not as flavorful as the others, but it is meaty and beautiful. We grow three different Romas: Yellow, Amish Paste and San Marzanos. Romas are long cylindrical, drier tomatoes that are typically used in sauces. I think that the San Marzano is more flavorful than the Amish Paste, but the Amish Paste has better structure. The Amish Paste is skinnier than the San Marzanos. The Yellows are, well, yellow with a very mild flavor. Genovese- These look like the hybids: red and meaty, but they are slightly smaller and can be funkier shapes. Aunt Ruby’s Green- a large green slicing tomato, (haven’t tasted it yet).

REMEMBER: the reason that they started producing tasteless hybrids was not because they hated taste, but because these older varieties were funky, non-conformists which broke down easily and would bruise and ooze at the drop of a hat. Heirlooms are many shapes, with folds and protrusions. Take a minute when you first get your box and take the tomatoes out of their bag and assess your beautiful tomatoes: leave them out of the bag so that they will not ripen any more (or put them back in if you would like them more ripe), and eat them as soon as they are at your preferred ripeness. Taste the different varieties and let me know what you think. We love these little guys at the Farm and we hope that you will feel the same. Enjoy!

By Sarah Libertus

Due to the nature of farming, the produce in the box may change with the weather. Please feel free to contact me if you need any additional assistance with what is in your box.

Red/Gold Potatoes- These are new potatoes for us, but we couldn’t not grow such an exotic potato. The flesh is yellow (think Yukon creamy) and the skin is a sturdy red (think Norland). I continue to keep the skins on everything I make. Not only does this make for more visually exciting mashed potatoes, but there are a truckload of nutrients in the skins. To make the creamiest potatoes, cook, let cool and re-cook, this helps break down the cellulose structure, but doesn’t make it glue-ey [sic]. Continue to keep them in the refrigerator.
Sweet Corn- This is the last week of sweet corn, so boil the water, shuck and enjoy.
Watermelons- Watermelon's official name is Citrullus lanatus of the botanical family Cucurbitaceae and it is a vegetable. It is related to cucumbers, pumpkins and squash. All parts of the watermelon are edible (or so they tell me at the National Watermelon Board). We grow three different types of watermelon: Yellow Doll, Sugar Baby and Mickey Lee. The Yellow Doll are a beautiful yellow fleshed melon. The outside is light green with dark green stripes. It is sweet and light and refreshing. The Mickey Lees and Sugar Babies are red fleshed with the Sugar Baby having a solid dark green outside and the Mickey Lee’s outside having light green stripes. The Sugar Baby is a rich, sweet melon: hence, the name. The Mickey Lees are a lighter, refreshing watermelon with great body. All three are icebox melons, which means that they are a smaller melon that you can easily store in your refrigerator. Watermelons are a wonderful snack at anytime and it can also be added to salsas, salads and made into a cold soup. Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamins A, B6 and C, contains fiber and is chock full of potassium (to aid any growing pains) and seed-spitting contests are an integral part of anyone’s summertime fun. Compared to most fruits, watermelons need a more "tropical" climate - a thermometer reading of 55° F is ideal. However, whole melons will keep for 7 to 10 days at room temperature. Store them too long, and they'll lose flavor and texture. After two days at 32° F, watermelons develop an off-flavor, become pitted and lose color. Once a melon is cut, it should be wrapped and stored at 37° - 39° F. Remember if this seems like too much watermelon for you at this time, cut the flesh out of the rind, cube and freeze for smoothies later in the non-watermelon season.

Heirloom Tomatoes- Do not refrigerate or they will become mealy. Heirlooms will break down quickly, so eat fast. If yours are not ripe, let them sit on a counter and they will ripen up. If you want them to ripen faster, place them in a paper bag and they will emit a gas that will ripen them faster (along with anything else you put in the bag).

FROZEN WATERMELON MOUSSE
2-1/2 cups seeded, diced watermelon
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
Place watermelon in container of an electric blender, and process until smooth. Reserve 2-1/4 cups puree, discarding any remaining puree.
Combine gelatin and 1/4 cup watermelon puree. Bring remaining 2 cups puree to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat; add gelatin mixture, and stir until gelatin dissolves. Stir in sugar and lemon juice, and chill mixture until consistency of unbeaten egg white.
Fold whipped cream into chilled watermelon mixture. Spoon into a lightly oiled 6-cup mold. Cover and freeze 8 hours or until firm; unmold onto serving plate. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

How wacky is this? Eat your rinds.

WATERMELON RIND PRESERVES
1-1/2 quarts prepared watermelon rind
4 tablespoons salt
2 quarts cold water
1 thinly sliced lemon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
4 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
7 cups water
To prepare watermelon rind - trim green skin and pink flesh from thick watermelon rind; cut into 1-inch pieces. Dissolve salt in 2 quarts water and pour over rind; let stand 5 to 6 hours.

AUGUST 13th 1-3 p.m.
SALSA MAKING CLASS-

• Please bring a recipe to share, cutting instruments (knives, food processor, blender) and a container to take home your salsa. I will provide a couple of recipes, basic ingredients and chips.
• Please do not bring any pets. All children must be supervised by a parent at all times.
• We will meet at the Green Barn (first parking area) at 1:00, then we will go out in the fields and pick what we need (tomatoes, onions, cilantro, hot peppers). These plants are growing throughout the farm so if you are interested in picking, you must be here promptly at 1:00, because we will be driving to the different farms.
• If you have a special ingredient that we do not grow (i.e. bananas) you will need to bring those ingredients as well.
• Feel free to call me at 507-452-4244 if you need any additional information. This will be fun and hopefully not too hot. Feel free to bring your swimsuit if you would like to take a dip in the pond.

See you there!