Wine with Lunch event this Thursday 8/2 and Friday 8/3.

Villa Milagro Vineyards will be at the farm for you to experience some of their fine wines.  A representative will be located in the CSA building for you to taste or purchase wines and answer any questions.

Villa Milagro, located north of us in Finesville, NJ, uses organic and sustainable practices in its vineyard to grow ten varieties of grapes. They are hand harvested, fermented in French sur lie method, then blended to make traditional European style wines.

Learn more about the vineyard at: www.VillaMilagroVineyards.com

The winning name for our Name The Chick contest is TOWNIE, submitted by Lori Riley.  Visit our facebook page for additional information.

We have eggs again.

Learn about tomatoes, tips, information and recipes.

Remember, when you patronage our farm, you’re supporting our community, field to table agriculture and helping to maintain NJ farms. After all, we are the garden state!

‎

Weekly Harvest

As you can see, the available selection of produce is increasing every week so we hope you are enjoying the value of fresh produce.  Make certain you are preserving or sharing any extra produce you have at the end of the week.

As always, some of the CSA produce listed below will be offered at the farm market on a first come first serve basis.  The market also has corn, eggs, frozen and prepared food, freshly baked bread, ice cream by the quart and much more.

CSA Harvest for 8-2 and 8-3:

Vegetables:

Tomatoes

Eggplant

Sweet Peppers

Hot Peppers

Cucumbers

Onions

Yellow Squash/ Zucchini

Chard

Cabbage

Herbs:

Thyme

Oregano

Basil

Sage

You Pick:

Flowers

Beans

Cherry Tomatoes

Husk Cherries

Okra

$6 Picnic Lunch Menu

Come welcome Chef Tiffany back to the grill, after her short vacation break; Thursday and Friday, 12:00 – 2:00 pm.

She’ll be providing items that will excite anyone’s palate.

Come out to enjoy the lunch and you may get your photo taken.

Featured Menu Items:

Roasted Vegetable Quesadilla – Roasted zucchini, red onions and mushrooms grilled in a flour tortilla with cheddar cheese

Grilled Margarita Pizza – With sliced tomatoes and fresh basil

Sausage Sandwich – Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Sausage, Topped with sautéed peppers and onions

Sides and drinks are available in the farm market.

Farmers Market News

If you are unable to visit is at the farm market to make your purchases you can stopover at one of the farmers markets Griggstown Quail Farm participates in.  Here is a list of markets with day and times a Griggstown Quail Farm staff members is there.

West Windsor Farmers Market

Vaughn Drive parking lot of the Princeton Junction train station off of Alexander Road
May – October, Saturdays 9am – 1pm

Bernardsville Farmers Market

Rt. 202 & Clairmont Road Bernardsville
June 1 – November, Saturdays, 8:30am – 12pm

Burlington County Community Agriculture Center

500 Centerton Road, (intersection of Centerton & Hartfors Roads, Moorestown, NJ, June 14 – October, Saturdays, 8:30am – 1pm

Head House Farmer’s Market

Philadelphia, PA, 2nd Street between Pine and South Streets
May 4, Sundays, 10am – 2pm

Flemmington Farmers Market

Dvoor Farm Flemmington, NJ
June 8 – End of October, Sundays, 9am – 1pm

Morristown Farmers Market

Spring St. at Morris St, Parking lot #10 behind Morristown Diner & Post Office
Morristown, NJ 07960
June-October, Sundays, 8:30 am-2:00 pm

Montgomery Farmer’s Market

Village Shopper, Route 206, just north of junction with 518
Montgomery Township, NJ 08502
June-October, Saturdays, 9 am – 1 pm

Denville Farmer’s Market

Bloomfield Ave. Parking Lot, June 17th-November 18^th, Sunday 8:30am-1:00pm

Chuck’s Corner

Picking, Ripening and Storage of Tomatoes.

Courtesy of:  Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Picking and Ripening:

Tomatoes are often picked unripe (and thus colored green) and ripened in storage with ethylene. Unripe tomatoes are firm. As they ripen they soften until reaching the ripe state where they are red or orange in color and slightly soft to the touch. Ethylene is a hydrocarbon gas produced by many fruits that acts as the molecular cue to begin the ripening process.

At home, fully ripe tomatoes can be stored in the refrigerator, but are best kept at room temperature. Tomatoes stored cold will still be edible, but tend to lose flavor.

Storage:

Tomatoes that are not yet ripe are optimally stored at room temperature uncovered, out of direct sunlight, until ripe. In this environment, they have a shelf life of three to four days. When ripe, they should be used in one to two days. Tomatoes should only be refrigerated when well ripened, but this will affect flavor.

Food of the Week: Tomatoes

Courtesy of: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The word “tomato” may refer to the plant (Solanum lycopersicum) or the edible, typically red, fruit that it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler climates.

Featured Recipe

The-Mothership-Tomato-Salad

Recipe and Photo Courtesy of: Foodnetwork, Jamie Oliver, www.foodnetwork.com/jamie-oliver/index.html

This is an incredible tomato salad but there are two things to remember if you want to wow your guests with something so simple. The first is that you should try to get a mixture of different, tasty, local (if possible) tomatoes in all different shapes, sizes and colors. Second, the flavor is brought out by salting the tomatoes, so don’t skip this bit. Some people get worried about putting this much salt on their food, but the bulk of it will drip off, leaving you with really beautiful, intensely flavored tomatoes.

As you can see, the available selection of produce is increasing every week so we hope you are enjoying the value of fresh produce.  Make certain you are preserving or sharing any extra produce you have at the end of the week.

As always, some of the CSA produce listed below will be offered at the farm market on a first come first serve basis.  The market also has corn, eggs, frozen and prepared food, freshly baked bread, ice cream by the quart and much more.

CSA Harvest for 8-2 and 8-3:

Vegetables:

Tomatoes

Eggplant

Sweet Peppers

Hot Peppers

Cucumbers

Onions

Yellow Squash/ Zucchini

Chard

Cabbage

Herbs:

Thyme

Oregano

Basil

Sage

You Pick:

Flowers

Beans

Cherry Tomatoes

Husk Cherries

Okra

Come welcome Chef Tiffany back to the grill, after her short vacation break; Thursday and Friday, 12:00 – 2:00 pm.

She’ll be providing items that will excite anyone’s palate.

Come out to enjoy the lunch and you may get your photo taken.

Featured Menu Items:

Roasted Vegetable Quesadilla – Roasted zucchini, red onions and mushrooms grilled in a flour tortilla with cheddar cheese

Grilled Margarita Pizza – With sliced tomatoes and fresh basil

Sausage Sandwich – Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Sausage, Topped with sautéed peppers and onions

Sides and drinks are available in the farm market.

Picking, Ripening and Storage of Tomatoes.

Courtesy of:  Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Picking and Ripening:

Tomatoes are often picked unripe (and thus colored green) and ripened in storage with ethylene. Unripe tomatoes are firm. As they ripen they soften until reaching the ripe state where they are red or orange in color and slightly soft to the touch. Ethylene is a hydrocarbon gas produced by many fruits that acts as the molecular cue to begin the ripening process.

At home, fully ripe tomatoes can be stored in the refrigerator, but are best kept at room temperature. Tomatoes stored cold will still be edible, but tend to lose flavor.

Storage:

Tomatoes that are not yet ripe are optimally stored at room temperature uncovered, out of direct sunlight, until ripe. In this environment, they have a shelf life of three to four days. When ripe, they should be used in one to two days. Tomatoes should only be refrigerated when well ripened, but this will affect flavor.

It’s time to cast your vote in the “Name the Chick” contest which will end midnight Friday, 7/27.

Thanks to all of the people who have been joining us for lunch.  We set up tents in the picnic area to provide shade and a comfortable environment for all to enjoy lunch.   Chef Tiffany, http://simplynutritiousmeals.com, is delighted to provide a tasty nourishing lunch and appreciates all the positive feedback she has been receiving.

We have stocked our freezer with quarts of ice cream so be sure to pick one up to go with your pie purchase or just to enjoy a bowl after your dinner.

Sorry to say our chickens are not laying enough eggs to meet supply.  I apologize to those valued customers that did not have a chance to purchase eggs last week.  I hope the chickens will be more cooperative this week.

Our offer for fresh milk is getting a lot of attention from CSA members as well as from farm store customers.  If you have not tasted the milk, I suggest you do so.  Treat yourself to the chocolate milk because it absolutely tastes rich and delicious.

The milk is brought in fresh every Thursday from Long Valley Dairy milk http://www.longvalleydairy.com/ and is sold for $3.99 a half gallon and a $2 refundable deposit for the glass container.  That’s right, glass, just like grandma got her milk in.  You MUST call our farm store at 908-359-5218 on Monday and pick up your milk Thursday morning of the same week.  You can order whole, 2%, 1%, skim and chocolate (whole) milk.

Be sure to consult the Famers Market News section for other locations where you can purchase our products.

Learn about cabbage, tips, information and recipes.

Remember, when you patronage our farm, you’re supporting our community, field to table agriculture and helping to maintain NJ farms. After all, we are the garden state!

Weekly Harvest

As you can see, the available selection of produce is increasing every week so we hope you are enjoying the value of fresh produce.  Make certain you are preserving or sharing any extra produce you have at the end of the week.

As always, some of the CSA produce listed below will be offered at the farm market on a first come first serve basis.

CSA Harvest for 7-26 and 7-27:

Vegetables:

Tomatoes

Eggplant

Sweet Peppers

Hot Peppers

Cucumbers

Fresh Spring Onion

Yellow Squash/ Zucchini

Chard

Scallions

Cabbage

Herbs:

Thyme

Oregano

Basil

Sage

You Pick:

Flowers

Beans

Cherry Tomatoes

Hush Cherries

Okra

$6 Picnic Lunch Menu

One again Chef Tiffany will be grilling again; Thursday and Friday, 12:00 – 2:00 pm.

She’ll be providing items that will excite anyone’s palate.

Come out to enjoy the lunch and you may get your photo taken.

Featured Menu Items:

BBQ Chicken Quesadilla – Pulled BBQ chicken with red onions and cheddar cheese in a grilled flour tortilla

Grilled Sausage Pizza – Two slices of pizza topped with Griggstown White Wine Chicken Sausage, Green Peppers, and Onions.

Grilled Vegetable Pizza – Two slices of Pizza topped with grilled Zucchini, Portabella Mushrooms, Eggplant, Roasted Tomatoes, and Ricotta Cheese.

Sides and drinks are available in the farm market.

Farmers Market News

If you are unable to visit is at the farm market to make your purchases you can stopover at one of the farmers markets Griggstown Quail Farm participates in.  Here is a list of markets with day and times a Griggstown Quail Farm staff members is there.

West Windsor Farmers Market

Vaughn Drive parking lot of the Princeton Junction train station off of Alexander Road
May – October, Saturdays 9am – 1pm

Bernardsville Farmers Market

Rt. 202 & Clairmont Road Bernardsville
June 1 – November, Saturdays, 8:30am – 12pm

Burlington County Community Agriculture Center

500 Centerton Road, (intersection of Centerton & Hartfors Roads, Moorestown, NJ, June 14 – October, Saturdays, 8:30am – 1pm

Head House Farmer’s Market

Philadelphia, PA, 2nd Street between Pine and South Streets
May 4, Sundays, 10am – 2pm

Flemmington Farmers Market

Dvoor Farm Flemmington, NJ
June 8 – End of October, Sundays, 9am – 1pm

Morristown Farmers Market

Spring St. at Morris St, Parking lot #10 behind Morristown Diner & Post Office
Morristown, NJ 07960
June-October, Sundays, 8:30 am-2:00 pm

Montgomery Farmer’s Market

Village Shopper, Route 206, just north of junction with 518
Montgomery Township, NJ 08502
June-October, Saturdays, 9 am – 1 pm

Denville Farmer’s Market

Bloomfield Ave. Parking Lot, June 17th-November 18^th, Sunday 8:30am-1:00pm

Chuck’s Corner

Cabbage Selection and Storage

Age increases cabbage’s strength and flavor

Courtesy of: Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, About.com

Selection:

All varieties of cabbage are available year-round in most markets. They weigh in from one to seven pounds. Cabbage heads should be large and compact (not fluffy), heavy for their size, with tender green leaves showing no evidence of damage or insect nibbles.

Fresh cabbage will have a generous amount of wrapper (outer) leaves. Greengrocers will pull off wilted outer leaves as the cabbage ages. Check the bottom of the cabbage to be sure the leaves are not beginning to separate from the stem, an indication of age.

The Savoy cabbage variety will not feel as heavy as standard varieties, since the leaves are not as tightly furled.

Storage:

Store the whole head of cabbage in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week, two weeks if it is fresh from the garden. But remember, the older it gets, the stronger the flavor and odor will be. The looser-leaved Savoy variety should be used within a few days.

Cabbage will lose freshness rapidly once the head is chopped, so plan on using it within a day. If you only need half a head, place the remaining half in a plastic bag and shake a few drops of water onto the cut side. Close the bag and refrigerate. The cut half should last another few days if it was fairly fresh when you cut it.

To freeze cabbage: Cut into coarse shreds and blanch for 2 minutes in boiling water. Remove, drain, and chill. Pack into airtight containers and freeze up to one year. Once thawed, frozen cabbage will only work well in cooked applications.

Canned sauerkraut should be used within six months. Fresh sauerkraut from the market should be used within one week.

Cooked cabbage may be refrigerated in a covered container for up to four days.

Food of the Week: Cabbage

Courtesy of: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabbage

Cabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea (Capitata Group) of the family Brassicaceae (or Cruciferae) and is a leafy green vegetable. It is a herbaceous, biennial, dicotyledonous flowering plantdistinguished by a short stem upon which is crowded a mass of leaves, usually green but in some varieties red or purplish, which while immature form a characteristic compact, globular cluster (cabbagehead).

Featured Recipe

Summer Cabbage Salad

Recipe and Photo Courtesy of: allrecipes.com/recipe/summer-cabbage-salad

A great salad for summer days, cool, crunchy and refreshingly light. The chicken breasts are preferably barbecued for extra flavor, but baked is ok too. I also often double this recipe and make 3 times the dressing and there is always great lunch leftovers remaining. People also love the dressing so more typically goes onto the salad when you let them self serve than would normally, and that’s ok, it makes it very flavorful. You can also crush up the ramen not used when making the dressing, and top the salad with these as well. I prefer them without.

As you can see, the available selection of produce is increasing every week so we hope you are enjoying the value of fresh produce.  Make certain you are preserving or sharing any extra produce you have at the end of the week.

As always, some of the CSA produce listed below will be offered at the farm market on a first come first serve basis.

CSA Harvest for 7-26 and 7-27:

Vegetables:

Tomatoes

Eggplant

Sweet Peppers

Hot Peppers

Cucumbers

Fresh Spring Onion

Yellow Squash/ Zucchini

Chard

Scallions

Cabbage

Herbs:

Thyme

Oregano

Basil

Sage

You Pick:

Flowers

Beans

Cherry Tomatoes

Hush Cherries

Okra

If you are unable to visit is at the farm market to make your purchases you can stopover at one of the farmers markets Griggstown Quail Farm participates in.  Here is a list of markets with day and times a Griggstown Quail Farm staff members is there.

West Windsor Farmers Market

Vaughn Drive parking lot of the Princeton Junction train station off of Alexander Road
May – October, Saturdays 9am – 1pm

Bernardsville Farmers Market

Rt. 202 & Clairmont Road Bernardsville
June 1 – November, Saturdays, 8:30am – 12pm

Burlington County Community Agriculture Center

500 Centerton Road, (intersection of Centerton & Hartfors Roads, Moorestown, NJ, June 14 – October, Saturdays, 8:30am – 1pm

Head House Farmer’s Market

Philadelphia, PA, 2nd Street between Pine and South Streets
May 4, Sundays, 10am – 2pm

Flemmington Farmers Market

Dvoor Farm Flemmington, NJ
June 8 – End of October, Sundays, 9am – 1pm

Morristown Farmers Market

Spring St. at Morris St, Parking lot #10 behind Morristown Diner & Post Office
Morristown, NJ 07960
June-October, Sundays, 8:30 am-2:00 pm

Montgomery Farmer’s Market

Village Shopper, Route 206, just north of junction with 518
Montgomery Township, NJ 08502
June-October, Saturdays, 9 am – 1 pm

Denville Farmer’s Market

Bloomfield Ave. Parking Lot, June 17th-November 18^th, Sunday 8:30am-1:00pm

Cabbage Selection and Storage

Age increases cabbage’s strength and flavor

Courtesy of: Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, About.com

Selection:

All varieties of cabbage are available year-round in most markets. They weigh in from one to seven pounds. Cabbage heads should be large and compact (not fluffy), heavy for their size, with tender green leaves showing no evidence of damage or insect nibbles.

Fresh cabbage will have a generous amount of wrapper (outer) leaves. Greengrocers will pull off wilted outer leaves as the cabbage ages. Check the bottom of the cabbage to be sure the leaves are not beginning to separate from the stem, an indication of age.

The Savoy cabbage variety will not feel as heavy as standard varieties, since the leaves are not as tightly furled.

Storage:

Store the whole head of cabbage in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week, two weeks if it is fresh from the garden. But remember, the older it gets, the stronger the flavor and odor will be. The looser-leaved Savoy variety should be used within a few days.

Cabbage will lose freshness rapidly once the head is chopped, so plan on using it within a day. If you only need half a head, place the remaining half in a plastic bag and shake a few drops of water onto the cut side. Close the bag and refrigerate. The cut half should last another few days if it was fairly fresh when you cut it.

To freeze cabbage: Cut into coarse shreds and blanch for 2 minutes in boiling water. Remove, drain, and chill. Pack into airtight containers and freeze up to one year. Once thawed, frozen cabbage will only work well in cooked applications.

Canned sauerkraut should be used within six months. Fresh sauerkraut from the market should be used within one week.

Cooked cabbage may be refrigerated in a covered container for up to four days.

Courtesy of: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabbage

Cabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea (Capitata Group) of the family Brassicaceae (or Cruciferae) and is a leafy green vegetable. It is a herbaceous, biennial, dicotyledonous flowering plantdistinguished by a short stem upon which is crowded a mass of leaves, usually green but in some varieties red or purplish, which while immature form a characteristic compact, globular cluster (cabbagehead).

The plant is also called head cabbage or heading cabbage, and in Scotland a bowkail, from its rounded shape. The Scots call its stalk a castock, and the British occasionally call its head a loaf.

Cabbage leaves often have a delicate, powdery, waxy coating called bloom. The occasionally sharp or bitter taste of cabbage is due to glucosinolate(s).

The cultivated cabbage is derived from a leafy plant called the wild mustard plant, native to the Mediterranean region, where it is common along the seacoast. Also called sea cabbage and wild cabbage, it was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans; Cato the Elder praised this vegetable for its medicinal properties, declaring that “It is the cabbage that surpasses all other vegetables.” Cabbage was developed by ongoing selective breeding for suppression of the internode length. The English name derives from the Normanno-Picard caboche (head), perhaps from boche (swelling, bump). Or perhaps from the Latin for “head”: Capus; in standard modern Italian: Capo. There is an Italian dialect word for head: Capoccia.

The only part of the plant that is normally eaten is the leafy head; more precisely, the spherical cluster of immature leaves, excluding the partially unfolded outer leaves. Cabbage is used in a variety of dishes for its naturally spicy flavor. The so-called “cabbage head” is widely consumed raw, cooked, or preserved in a great variety of dishes. It is the principal ingredient in coleslaw and sauerkraut.

Cabbage is often added to soups or stews. Cabbage soup is popular in Central and eastern Europe, and cabbage is an ingredient in some kinds of borscht. Garbure (from Provençal garburo) is a thick soup of cabbage or other vegetables with bacon. Cabbage may be an ingredient in kugel, a baked pudding served as a side dish or dessert. Cabbage is also used in many popular dishes in India. Boiling tenderizes the leaves and releases sugars, which leads to the characteristic “cabbage” aroma. Boiled cabbage has become stigmatized because of its strong cooking odor and the fact that it causes flatulence. Moreover, boiling reduces the cabbage’s anticancer properties. It is often prepared and served with boiled meat and other vegetables as part of a boiled dinner. Harold McGeehas studied the development of unpleasant smells when cooking brassicas and reports that they develop with prolonged cooking. According to Corriher’s Compendium, smell doubles when prolonging cooking from five to seven minutes; for best results cabbage should be sliced thinly and cooked for four minutes.

Cabbage rolls, a type of dolma, are an East European and Middle Eastern delicacy. The leaves are softened by parboiling or by placing the whole head of cabbage in the freezer, and then the leaves are stuffed with a mixture of chopped meat and/or rice. Stuffed cabbage is calledholishkes in Yiddish, holubky (Slovak and Czech), holubtsi (Ukrainian), gołąbki [ɡɔˈwɔmpki] (Polish), golubtsy (Russian), balandėliai(Lithuanian), tīteņi (Latvian), kohlrouladen (German) or töltött káposzta (Hungarian). It literally translates as “little pigeons” in Polish, Slovak and Lithuanian.

A vegetable stuffed with shredded cabbage and then pickled is called mango.

The largest cabbage dish ever made was on 19 December 2008 in the Macedonian city of Prilep, with 80,191 sarmas (cabbage rolls) weighing 544 kg (1,221 lbs). Bubble and squeak consists of potatoes and cabbage or, especially formerly, potatoes, cabbage and meat fried together. Potatoes and cabbage or other greens boiled and mashed together make up a dish called colcannon, an Irish Gaelic word meaning white-headed cabbage, grounded in Old Irish terms for cabbage or kale (cāl), head (cend or cenn) and white (find). In the American South and Midland, “corn dodgers” were boiled as dumplings with cabbage and ham.

Cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin C. It also contains significant amounts of glutamine, anamino acid that has anti-inflammatory properties. Cabbage can also be included in dietingprograms, as it is a low calorie food.

Along with broccoli and other Brassica vegetables, cabbage is a source of indole-3-carbinol, a chemical which boosts DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells. The compound is also used as an adjuvant therapy for recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, a disease of the head and neck caused by human papillomavirus (usually types 6 and 11) that causes growths in the airway that can lead to death. Boiling reduces anticancer properties.

In European folk medicine, cabbage leaves are used to treat acute inflammation. A paste of raw cabbage may be placed in a cabbage leaf and wrapped around the affected area to reduce discomfort.

We are making progress on the new kitchen thanks to the carpenters assigned to the project.  You can see photos of the carpenters at work on our Facebook page.

Be certain to visit our Facebook page and enter a name for our “Name The Chick” contest to win two pot pies.

Thanks to all of the people who have been joining us for lunch.  We set up tents in the picnic area to provide shade and a comfortable environment for all to enjoy lunch.   Chef Tiffany, http://simplynutritiousmeals.com, is delighted to provide a tasty nourishing lunch and appreciates al the positive feedback she has been receiving.

Attention chess enthusiasts; the farm market will have a chess set and board available for the asking for anyone who would like to play a game while at the farm.

We have stocked our freezer with quarts of ice cream so be certain to pick one up to go with your pie purchase or just to enjoy a bowl after your dinner.

Be certain to pick up a dozen of freshly laid eggs the next time you visit the farm market.

Our offer for fresh milk is getting a lot of attention from CSA members as well as from farm store customers.  If you have not tasted the milk, I suggest you do so.  Treat yourself to the chocolate milk because it absolutely tastes rich and delicious.

The milk is brought in fresh every Thursday from Long Valley Dairy milk http://www.longvalleydairy.com/ and is sold for $3.99 a half gallon and a $2 refundable deposit for the glass container.  That’s right, glass, just like grandma got her milk in.  You MUST call our farm store at 908-359-5218 on Monday and pick up your milk Thursday morning of the same week.  You can order whole, 2%, 1%, skim and chocolate (whole) milk.

Be sure to consult the Famers Market News section for other locations where you can purchase our products.

Learn about eggplant, tips, information and recipe.

Remember, when you patronage our farm, you’re supporting our community, field to table agriculture and helping to maintain NJ farms. After all, we are the garden state!

Weekly Harvest

As you can see, the available selection of produce is increasing every week so we hope you are enjoying the value of fresh produce.  Make certain you are preserving or sharing any extra produce you have at the end of the week.

As always, some of the CSA produce listed below will be offered at the farm market on a first come first serve basis.

CSA Harvest for 7-19 and 7-20:

Vegetables:

Tomatoes

Eggplant

Sweet Peppers

Hot Peppers

Cucumbers

Fresh Spring Onion

Yellow Squash/ Zucchini

Chard

Scallions

Cabbage

Herbs:

Thyme

Oregano

Basil

Sage

You Pick:

Flowers

Beans

Cherry Tomatoes

Hush Cherries

Okra

$6 Picnic Lunch Menu

This week Chef Tiffany will be grilling again; Thursday and Friday, 12:00 – 2:00 pm.

She’ll be providing items that will excite anyone’s palate.

Come out to enjoy the lunch and you may get your photo taken.

Featured Menu Items:

BBQ Chicken Quesadilla – Pulled BBQ chicken with red onions and cheddar cheese in a grilled flour tortilla

BBQ Black Bean Burger – BBQ black bean and barley veggie burger grilled up and served with lettuce and tomato on a brioche bun

Grilled Hawaiian Pizza – Two slices of pizza topped with grilled pineapple, ham and mozzarella cheese finished with a drizzle of honey

Sides and drinks are available in the farm market.

Farmers Market News

If you are unable to visit is at the farm market to make your purchases you can stopover at one of the farmers markets Griggstown Quail Farm participates in.  Here is a list of markets with day and times a Griggstown Quail Farm staff members is there.

West Windsor Farmers Market

Vaughn Drive parking lot of the Princeton Junction train station off of Alexander Road
May – October, Saturdays 9am – 1pm

Bernardsville Farmers Market

Rt. 202 & Clairmont Road Bernardsville
June 1 – November, Saturdays, 8:30am – 12pm

Burlington County Community Agriculture Center

500 Centerton Road, (intersection of Centerton & Hartfors Roads, Moorestown, NJ, June 14 – October, Saturdays, 8:30am – 1pm

Head House Farmer’s Market

Philadelphia, PA, 2nd Street between Pine and South Streets
May 4, Sundays, 10am – 2pm

Flemmington Farmers Market

Dvoor Farm Flemmington, NJ
June 8 – End of October, Sundays, 9am – 1pm

Morristown Farmers Market

Spring St. at Morris St, Parking lot #10 behind Morristown Diner & Post Office
Morristown, NJ 07960
June-October, Sundays, 8:30 am-2:00 pm

Montgomery Farmer’s Market

Village Shopper, Route 206, just north of junction with 518
Montgomery Township, NJ 08502
June-October, Saturdays, 9 am – 1 pm

Denville Farmer’s Market

Bloomfield Ave. Parking Lot, June 17th-November 18^th, Sunday 8:30am-1:00pm

Chuck’s Corner

Eggplant Tips & Tricks

Even though eggplants are one of my favorites, they top my list of problem vegetables. Under certain circumstances they can be bitter, so picking them wisely, having some tips under your hat and some tricks up your sleeve is key.

Select firm, shiny eggplants free of blemishes and with green tops like the ones above. If they look like they do below don’t buy them.

If unsure press down lightly with your finger, if you see an indentation it’s past due, but don’t dismay…the trick is coming up.

Eggplants don’t really like the cold, so I don’t store them in the fridge, but opt for a cooler dark place (that’s where a cantina comes in handy!)

A white inner flesh with very few whitish seeds is a winner!  Even so try to avoid leaving them open to the air for too long! Cut and get them seasoned or in the oven as soon as possible, otherwise, even the freshest eggplant may start to oxidize and take on some bitterness.

Even though eggplant can pass all the preliminary tests, it can donns a slight greenish hue and quite a few darkish seeds. When in doubt I do as my grandmother did.

TRICKS:

Slice eggplant and place them in layers in a colander sprinkling each layer with salt.

Place an overturned dish over the eggplant and place a weight on top of it to help press water out.

After about 20 minutes remove the weight, discard the fluid and with wipe away remaining moisture with a kitchen towel. You can give them a little squeeze if you wish.

Cook as desired following your favorite recipe. For something extra simple place on a baking sheet  completely naked! No oil or anything at all. Broil for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned. Turn and repeat on the other side.

After browning both sides transfer into a container and drizzle with olive oil. If you wish add crushed garlic, balsamic vinegar and dried oregano too! Great on sandwiches or as a side dish to any entree.

Food of the Week: Eggplant

The eggplant, aubergine, melongene, brinjalor guinea squash (Solanum melongena) is a plant of the family Solanaceae (also known as the nightshades) and genus Solanum. It bears a fruit of the same name, commonly used in cooking. As a nightshade, it is closely related to the tomato and potato. It is native to India.

Featured Recipe

Grilled Smoky Eggplant Salad

Courtesy of eatathomecooks.com

The mellow grilled eggplant melds perfectly with the smoked paprika and tart sherry vinegar that define the flavor of the dressing in this decidedly Spanish salad. Curls of mild Manchego complete the Spanish theme. If you can’t find smoked paprika, substitute Hungarian paprika—the grilled eggplant brings some smoke to the salad on its own.