- Stuffed pattypan
We’ve enjoyed curried pattypans. We’ve tolerated them with tarragon and cream (frankly, they’re a touch watery for a sauté). Now, finally, many pounds into the season, we’ve discovered our favorite way to eat these little summer squash space ships! Thanks to the suggestion of Barbara Schutt and the culinary guidance of Julia Child, we blanched, hollowed out, and stuffed pattypans of all sizes (although small to medium taste best). A sprinkle of cheese and half an hour in a hot oven, and voilà!
When I made them, I varied the following recipe a little, using another, smaller zucchini in the stuffing instead of the pattypan cores, mixing in the tomato instead of spreading it on top, and putting in grated Asiago instead of Parmesan cheese. It was equally delicious as a hot supper and, the next day, as a cold lunch. As Julia would say, Bon appétit!
Courgettes Farcies au Riz et aux Poivrons (Zucchini Stuffed with Rice and Peppers)
adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume II
6 zucchini (or pattypans), all of a size, if possible
*
1/2 cup diced onions
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 reserved for later
1/2 cup diced green peppers
1 large clove mashed garlic
the chopped zucchini cores, or two small zucchinis
1/3 cup plain, raw, white, untreated, long grain rice
1 egg
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, plus 3 tablespoons reserved for later
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
salt and pepper
3 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled, seeded, juiced, and chopped
*
1) Prepared the zucchini for stuffing. Trim and scrub the zucchini; blanch about 10 minutes in boiling salted water, just until flesh yields to pressure. Drain in colander. When cool enough to handle, cut in half lengthwise. Using a grapefruit (or other serrated) knife, hollow out cores of each zucchini half, to make a boat-shaped case with the sides and bottom about 3/8 inch thick. Salt and drain hollow side down on paper towels. Chop the removed zucchini flesh, squeeze out vegetables water in paper towels, and reserve flesh for stuffing. If using pattypans, remove stem and little cap of flesh around it, then scoop out insides and seeds and drain, hollow side down, on paper towels.
2) Stir the onions into the oil in a medium-sized (10-inch) frying pan, cover, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes until tender. Uncover, raise heat and brown very lightly, stirring, then add the green peppers, garlic, and zucchini cores. Cover and cook slowly for several minutes more until peppers are tender. Turn into mixing bowl.
3) Meanwhile, in a pan of boiling salted water, boil the rice for exactly 10 minutes, drain, and add to mixing bowl. Beat in egg, then the cheese and parsley. Season carefully with salt and pepper.
4) Mound the stuffing in the blanched and hollowed-out zucchini halves. Season tomato pulp with salt and pepper, spread over the stuffing, cover with the remaining cheese, and sprinkle on the remaining olive oil. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in upper third of preheated 425 degree oven until bubbling hot and cheese topping has browned lightly.
Recipes
Julia Child, pattypan squash, recipe, stuffed squash
Our new hoop house
I’ve been itching to build a hoop house for some time now. This spring I went to a permaculture demonstration on extending the season at David Homa’s impressive home and permaculture site. I based this small hoop house on his design and several of these small hoops that he had set up at his place. It’s not too complicated, cost around $100 in supplies, and took me exactly a day to construct, including digging out the sod to place the raised bed. We’re still sifting the compost to fill the bed, but hope to get some things planted and growing in the hoop in the next week or so, so we can plan on harvesting greens and some other hardy things well into the fall and winter.
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Agriculture, Garden
Agriculture, extended garden season, Garden, hoop house
- Our new farm sign adorns the barn
We have a farm sign!! Check it out. ‘Nuff said.
- The barn
Announcements
barn, farm, sign
- One of our nine tasty peaches
We planted two fruit trees last year, one cherry and one peach, but we didn’t expect any fruit for at least 3 years, and even that we thought might be optimistic. Boy, were we in for a treat! This spring, year two, the little peach tree was literally covered with small fuzzy green peaches. Most of them never made it, either falling off or shriveling up. But nine of them held on and ripened. We’re going to have to wait at least one more year for cherries, but in the meantime we’re enjoying our peaches.
Food
fruit tree, peach
A hawk's eye view of the broilers
Saturday morning as I was bringing the goats down from the barn, there was a great commotion in the chicken yard. I was on the far side of the barn, so I couldn’t see what it was and thought it was just the layers fighting for position as they were coming down the ramp. Once I got the goats penned, I noticed a group of 8-10 broilers were on the outside of their electric pen. I glanced over at the tractor and saw two more hiding under the tarp and one or two pacing nervously near the fence. I realized that the commotion I heard was something going after the broilers. I extracted 3 more who were cowering under a large pile of kindling and did a quick head count. There were only 17, and there should have been 25 plus a yellow one with fuzzy feet that was the free “exotic” that came with the order and one black Australorp hatchling that had been living with the broilers, both of whom were also missing. Something had gotten into the broilers and made off with a bunch of our chickens.
I had seen a hawk fly over head the morning before, but there was no way a hawk could have made off with that many, and it seemed unlikely that a fox or raccoon or something like that would have come in daylight, or made off with so many in so short of time — and while there were some feathers strewn about, there was no real sign of blood or struggle.
Margaret had come down from the house to investigate and help re-tally the head count. Charlotte came too and had been calling out that she had found the chickens, but we had just figured she was talking about the layers at the top of the hill. But she kept insisting, and so we gave up on our detective work and went to investigate. Sure enough, over in the high grass by the maple were 7 broilers, the yellow fuzzy chicken and the Australorp. Charlotte had found the chickens and saved the day. A final count left the flock at 24, so we guessed it probably was that hawk, and it made off with one of the broilers… it had its work cut out for it flying with one of these guys, as they’re already getting pretty fat. Clairvoyant Charlotte named the missing chicken “Lucky,” and mostly pretended to be upset saying he was her favorite. Later that day we came home to find “Lucky” wandering around the outside of the pen, trying to get back to the flock from his hiding spot, wherever that had been. Lucky indeed.
poultry
chickens, hawks, predators
Beans climbing in the morning light
I love summer mornings on the farm. Once morning chores are done, I love to just poke around the garden and take in the splendor in the beautiful morning light. Here are some pictures from this morning.
Broilers, finished with their morning grain, looking for more
Bee and mustard flowers
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Garden, Goats, Photography, poultry
chickens, farm, flowers, Garden, Goats, Photography
- Cha Cha tastes her creation in the Ten Apple Farm test kitchen
Charlotte has been really into making salads recently, which is both exciting, and as it turns out, delicious. Her latest creation is a carrot salad with dill and smoked paprika. Seriously. She made this up herself. The smoked paprika and carrots really go nicely together. There are no real measurements of anything when Cha Cha cooks — it’s pretty much all to taste, but here’s a basic recipe, I fudged the amounts, so feel free to fiddle with them. We love it!
Cha Cha’s Carrot Salad
3-5 Large carrots, shredded
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 sprigs of fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
salt and pepper to taste
*
Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl. Enjoy!
Recipes, cute kids
carrots, recipe, salad
We have 3 spots left in our home cheesemaking workshop this Saturday!
Learn how to make easy homestead cheeses in your own kitchen. In this workshop, we’ll make a simple fresh chévre and Ten Apple Farm’s signature MonChaCha, a firm raw milk aged goat cheese. Workshop lasts all day, with a potluck lunch, afternoon tasting of our favorite American artisanal goat cheeses, and evening milking lesson. $35 fee includes cheese tasting and packets of culture to make your own cheese at home. Limit 10 people. (Date: Saturday, July 24, 9am-3pm)
email info[at]tenapplefarm.com if you’re interested!
Announcements, Workshops
garlic, fresh and flavorful
We’ve begun to harvest the garlic from the garden, despite the fact that we never got any scapes. We’re not sure why we didn’t get any scapes, perhaps it was the weeds or perhaps it was not enough compost or organic matter or fertilizer, but in any case the small compact heads are packed with juicy garlic goodness. It’s a delight to run down and pull up a new head every time Margaret says we’re out of garlic. Nope, not yet.
Garden, Photography
Nested in for the night...
When I went in the barn last night to put all the critters to bed, I found all the baby chicks were all snuggled in for the night in one of the nesting boxes with their mama. There’s one more that ducked back behind mama hen.
Photography, poultry
chickens, chicks, nesting box
