Italian Heirloom Eggplant & New Hours

Our hours at the farm are M-W-F from 9 am to 5 pm, and now, after requests from our customers, we will try out additional hours at the farm on *Saturday from 10 am to 3 pm.*  One of us will still be at the Ruidoso Downs Farmer's Market on Saturday, probably from 7:30 am to about 10:30 am.

If you love to eat eggplant, or are adventurous and ready to give it a try, have we got a treat for you!   Our Italian heirloom eggplants are in their prime right now.  Just look at this beauty, weighing in at just under three pounds...

Looks intimidating?  Apparently so, as it did not sell by the end of the day.  It did not go to waste but was rather used it to test out a recipe for eggplant parmesan.  Some people just slice eggplant up, wipe it down with olive oil, put on a few spices and grill it on the BBQ.  That is much more simple than eggplant parmesan.  Regardless, the recipe is below:

Eggplant Parmesan

By Myron & Dena Coelho at Coelho Natural Farm, LLC

Ingredients

·         Black Beauty Italian Eggplant (about ½ pound per person)

·         Olive Oil

·         Egg(s) (about 1 large egg per pound of eggplant)

·         Cornstarch

·         Panko (Kikkoman gluten free coating)

·         Parmesan Cheese - shredded

·         Pasta Sauce

·         Fresh Basil

·         Spaghetti or Linguini

Directions

Preheat an oven to 250 degrees F.

Time the preparation of the pasta and pasta sauce with the completion of the eggplant slices.

Beat egg(s) in a bowl large enough to dip eggplant.  Spread some Panko on a plate large enough to handle eggplant slices.  Heat up olive oil in fry pan.  Slice eggplant to desired thickness, I use about ½+ inch.  Sprinkle sliced eggplant with cornstarch, spread it around on slice.  (It does not need to cover slices completely, just enough to help keep beaten eggs on the eggplant.)  Then dip eggplant slice into beaten egg(s) and let excess eggs run off eggplant.  Put slice on plate with Panko and cover both sides with Panko.  Fry in heated olive oil until each side is golden to golden brown.  Remove from fry pan and put on baking sheet covered with parchment paper.  Top slices liberally with shredded parmesan cheese.  Put cheese covered slices into oven to keep warm until all slices are prepared.

Modify any store bought pasta sauce as you want.  Since I want my dish focused on the eggplant, I do not add mushrooms or sausage or bell peppers, rather I only add fresh Genovese basil, about 1+ tablespoons per two cups of sauce. 

To assemble, put cooked pasta on a plate, place prepared eggplant slices on top of pasta, pour sauce over pasta and eggplant, and top with more parmesan cheese.

If we have left-overs, we store the cooked eggplant separate from the pasta so that we can reheat the slices in the oven.

What Is Better Than Farm to Table Fresh Veggies & Herbs?

The question has been posed:  What is better than farm to table fresh veggies and herbs?  Simple.  Farm to table fresh veggies and herbs that someone else cooks for you!!

Today we made another delivery to Chef Renee at Renee's Real Food in Capitan (or for you Facebook folks: Renee's Real Food Facebook Page).  Thursdays is our only day available for deliveries to local restaurants.  It also conveniently coincides with "Pizza Thursday" at Renee's Real Food.  Our choice today was the 'Jamie,' a white sauce with black olives, proscuitto and artichoke hearts.  Then Chef Renee surprised all her guests with a complimentary Tiramisu.  I am glad I put away one piece of pizza to take home, or there would not have been room for such a delicious dessert.  Fabulous!

Fresh Green Bean Recipe

We have some very happy green bean plants.  Our harvester is back up and running (aka Dena), so more beans are picked and ready for you at the farm. (M, W, F 9am to 5pm)

I tried out a new fresh green bean recipe.  Once for just us and then a second time (with two pounds) for our weekly big family meal.  Have a look and see if it is for you.  If you do not care to use bacon grease or chicken stock, you could substitute with olive or coconut oil, and vegetable stock.  The key to this recipe is to reduce the sauce while making the beans tender, then using the remaining oils to caramelize the onions, garlic and sweet peppers.  One lesson I learned is to be ready to add more chicken stock as the beans cooked to make sure the beans were tender enough for my audience. This recipe comes courtesy of Pioneer Woman. 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb green beans
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (I used yellow bell pepper)
• 2 tablespoons bacon grease (can substitute 1 T butter and 1 T olive oil)
• 1 cup chicken broth (I use "no salt added" broth)
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt (can substitute regular table salt; use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon)
• Ground black pepper

Instructions:
Snap the stem ends of green beans, or cut them off in a big bunch with a knife if you like. Leave them long or cut to desired size. Melt bacon grease in a skillet over medium low heat. Add garlic and onions and cook for a minute. Then add green beans and cook for a minute until beans turn bright green. Add the chicken broth, chopped red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Turn heat to low and cover with a lid, leaving lid cracked to allow steam to escape. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until liquid evaporates and beans are fairly soft, yet still a bit crisp - or whatever is your preference. You can add more chicken broth during the cooking process, but don’t be afraid to let it all cook away so the onions and peppers can caramelize.


Just writing about it makes me want more...Enjoy!

By the way, we have a row of sweet bell peppers about to turn color!

Farm Hours Week of August 15

We are open at the farm this week Monday (8/15), Wednesday (8/17), and Friday (8/19) from 9 am to 5 pm.  The produce is packed up and taken to the Farmer's Market on Saturday.  We will do our best to keep these hours each week.

Vegetables ready: (while they last) green beans, beets (red and some golden), eggplant, zucchini and yellow crookneck squash, radishes, kale (Toscano and Blue Dwarf).  For herbs: basil, french tarragon and rosemary, some cilantro.

Other than squash, beans and tomatoes, we prefer to wait until you arrive to pull or pick the rest - giving you the most fresh veggies and herbs possible.  If you are short on time, please call ahead with your order.  We will do our best to get back to the messages and have your order ready (although sometimes we are all day in the field.)

See you soon!

Showing Off

Now and again, one of our plants can be a bit of a show-off. 

Obviously, we will have green beans and other fresh stuff at the Ruidoso Downs Farmer's Market on Saturday, August 13.  See you there!

Picking Today, 8/12

Here is our list of goods today.  We have SOME tomatoes. The farm is open from 9 am to 5 pm today; otherwise we shall see you Saturday at the Farmer's Market, Ruidoso Downs, All American Park.

Roasted Beets

Hey all.  Today I pulled some tubular beets to test out for our customers.  We roasted them tonight, along with a regular red beet, with olive oil and pepper at 450F for about 20 minutes.  Tasty!  The sacrifices we must make for our clientele...

Wednesday we are picking:  Red beets, green beans, tomatoes, green onions, Big Jim peppers (these five only while they last!), scarlet and Japanese radishes, zucchini and yellow crookneck squash.  We also have basil, chives and french tarragon ready to cut fresh for you. 

We are open Wednesday 9 am to 5 pm.  If our 'Fresh Produce' sign is out on Highway 37, we are open!

Hours this week

Our hours this week: Open at the farm Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. We are closed Tuesday and Thursday. Saturdays we are at the Farmer's & Artisan's Market at Ruidoso Downs.

Some items we pick in the morning.  Other items we count, but do not pick or pull until you arrive.  Our goal is to keep the produce as fresh for you as possible!  We thank you for your patience. 

Farm Open Today

We are open at the farm today, Friday 8/5, from 8 am to 5 pm. 

We have fresh basil, french tarragon, chives, green onions, zucchini, yellow crookneck, radishes, beets. We are checking for tomatoes and other produce this morning.

 Rain is in the forecast for about noon!

Bees are Thick in the Corn!

I love the deafening sound of the buzz as I walk through the stalks that are taller than me!

We have fresh, tender basil today, as well as chives and french tarragon. 

We are open until noon today (8/3) and 9 to 5 on Friday (8/5).  There are plenty of zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, and radishes, and we have a few beets, cucumbers, and green beans.