This Week's Delivery Saturday July 24, 2010

"One day, Little Sal went with her mother to Blueberry Hill to pick blueberries."

Blueberries For Sal

* Special note: If there are members in Del Ray who would like to alternate pickups with another family, please e-mail Christy:

christy(at)foodmattersva(dot)com

Store In the Fridge:

Blueberries - Papa's Orchard

White Nectarines - Papa's Orchard
Corn - Northern Neck Fruits and Vegetables

Zucchini - Smith's Organic Farm

Store in A Cool Dry Place:

Walla Walla Onions - Landisdale Farm

Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes - New Morning Farm

Vine Ripe Tomatoes - Northern Neck Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Recipes and Information:

Walla Walla Onions

The story of the Walla Walla Sweet Onion began over a century ago on the Island of Corsica, Italy. It was there that a French soldier, Peter Pieri, found an Italian sweet onion seed and brought it to the Walla Walla Valley.
This sweet onion developed over several generations through the process of carefully hand selecting onions from each year’s crop, ensuring exceptional sweetness, jumbo size, and round shape.
Walla Walla Sweet Onions get their sweetness from a unique blending of natural ingredients. First, there’s the low sulphur content. It’s half that of an ordinary yellow onion. Second, Walla Walla Sweets are 90 percent water. Finally, combining those elements with Walla Walla’s mild climate and rich soil grows an onion that’s wildly acclaimed for all its sweetness.
Walla Walla sweet onions are available mid-June through mid-August. No bite, no tears, just exceptional sweetness.

Baked Spicy Onion Slices
from Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters

Onions cooked this way can be served warm or cold, as a side dish, or by themselves. Sweet, juicy yellow onions are best for this recipe. Peel them, slice them 1/4-inch thick, season well with salt, and place them on a well-oiled baking sheet. Brush the exposed sides of the onions with olive oil and bake them in a preheated 375 F oven for about 30 minutes, or until the onions are soft, and browned on their undersides. When the onions are cooked, place them carefully in a shallow dish, keeping the slices intact. Pour over them a vinaigrette made with 1 part sherry vinegar, 4 parts extra virgin olive oil, salt and a pinch of ground cayenne or hot pepper flakes. Let the onions marinate in the vinaigrette for about 20 minutes. Serve them cool, or warm them gently in the oven. Sweet red onions are also good baked this way. Peel, slice, season, and brush red onion slices with oil as above, then sprinkle some good balsamic vinegar over them. As they bake, the vinegar helps them caramelize. Either serve them warm right off the tray or dress them in a shallow dish with olive oil and a little more balsamic vinegar and marinate them a while first.

Easy Tomato Salsa

red tomatoes diced fine (we use skins, seeds and all, but others like to remove at least the seeds.)
roasted jalapeños, skins removed, diced fine. (we put them under the broiler until blistering, then into a pyrex dish that has a tight fitting lid, then they steam for a few minutes, then remove the skins and they're ready to dice.)
onion, diced very fine
garlic, also diced very fine (this is optional, just a little)
cilantro, washed and chopped up
salt to taste

Mix and eat.

Cherry Tomatoes, from a 35 year old cookbook

"Try cooking cherry tomatoes. Saute them in a skillet in butter for only 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of sugar to make them shine. A bright and tasty addition to a dinner plate."

with thanks,

christy and tom