Fresh ideas from United Harvest:
Quick Tips!
Blend berries in with your favorite vinaigrette!
Tear basil and add to pasta salads!
Add herbs to a green salad for a tasty surprise!
Add sliced cucumbers to pure, clean drinking water; enjoy!
Cut peach in half, place in bowl and overfill with your favorite frozen yogurt!
Blanch green beans and freeze for Thanksgiving!
Sizzling eggplant saladwhen its too hot to light the oven!
Olive oil
2 large eggplants, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 c. fresh salsa** recipe below
12 oz. black beans
2 T lime juice
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat gas grill or prepare charcoal fire. Brush oil onto one side of eggplant slices, place on grill, oiled side down. Cook 6 to 8 minutes until tender. Brush oil on tops and turn and grill until tender another 6 to 8 minutes. Cool slightly and then chop on cutting board. Combine eggplant, fresh salsa, black beans and lime juice in a large salad bowl; toss to mix. Add salt and pepper a needed.
Fresh salsa is delicious mixed in any salad, but it is especially delicious paired with grilled eggplant.
**with tomato salsa
3 ripe tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped
2 small cucumbers, sliced, seeds removed, and chopped
½ cup red onion, minced
¼ jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Stir ingredients gently and refrigerate.
Ginger Sesame Eggplant
1 medium eggplant
olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon peeled, grated ginger
1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Coat one medium eggplant with olive oil and roast at 400 degrees until soft. Allow to cool, then peel, chunk into 1/2 inch dice and mix with any juices that have accumulated. Combine garlic, ginger and sesame oil. Saute together until translucent. Toss with eggplant chunks and season with hot sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and chopped cilantro. Serve warm or cold.
This works well as a tortilla chip dip or a sauce for soba noodles!
Kristi Hood
Quail Hill Farm
Amagansett, NY
Beautiful flower and fruit salad
Purchase certified edible flowers at a farmers market.
1 melon cut into cubes
2 cups of fresh pineapple cubes
1 pint of fresh raspberries
1 pint of fresh blueberries
1 pint of fresh strawberries
1 cup of seedless grapes
2 mangos, peeled and cubed
Lime Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup of lime juice
1/3 cup of maple syrup
1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes
1-1/2 cups of edible flowers
Combine all fruit in a large bowl. Toss carefully with lime vinaigrette. Garnish with flowers.
This salad wins the award for most beautiful salad!
RatatouilleTwo ways
Whether you simmer your luscious veggies in a crock pot or for a twist, grill them outdoors, when you make ratatouille, its summer!
When you plan an afternoon in the garden, yet long to come inside for a hot meal, ratatouille is a perfect choice. Create your perfect mixture of veggies based on what you harvested that week.
¼ c. olive oil
2 c. cubed, peeled eggplant
1 c. chopped zucchini
1/ 2 c. chopped tomatoes
1 red or yellow pepper, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 t. thyme
2 t. oregano
½ c. veggie broth
sea salt and fresh black cracked pepper to taste
2 T fresh basil
Saute eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, pepper, and onion until soft. Stir in remaining ingredients except basil. Transfer vegetable mixture to a crock pot and cook on low-heat for 4-1/2 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-1/2 hours, or simmer for an additional 25 minutes. Stir basil into mixture when ready to serve. Freezes well!
Or try……….
Grilled Ratatouille
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 yellow pepper, stemmed, seeded and halved
1 red pepper, stemmed, seeded and halved
2 Vidalia onions, peeled and sliced in rounds
1 large zucchini, sliced into ¼ inch slices
1 small eggplant unpeeled, sliced into 1/4 rounds
2 dozen cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
½ cup fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat grill to medium-high. Place olive oil, lemon juice, peppers, onions, zucchini and eggplant in a large bowl. Gently turn to coat veggies. Grill veggies until tender, turning once. Cool slightly and chop grilled veggies into bite-size pieces. Toss in a large bowl with remaining ingredients. Serve warm.
Preserving the Harvest! roasted eggplant and garlic caviar
1 large eggplant
4 large cloves garlic
3 T lemon juice
2 scallions, chopped
1 small handful of flat leaf parsley
3 T olive oil
Sea salt
Preheat over to 400 degrees. Pierce eggplant about five times with a fork and place it on a baking sheet. Pour a slight amount of water on baking sheet and place in oven. Place garlic cloves in wrapped tin foil and place in oven. Turn eggplant once and roast eggplant and garlic for about 40 minutes.
Remove from heat and cool. Once eggplant is cool, slice it in half removing and spooning the flesh into a blender. Squeeze the garlic out of its skin into the blender also. Add remaining ingredients and season with sea salt. Serve at room temperature. The caviar can be refrigerated for several days and it freezes well.
Tomato, Basil, and Arugula Pasta Salad
4 large tomatoes , cut into 1/2–inch dice
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup (packed) arugula leaves (or substitute with other greens)
3 tablespoons shredded fresh basil leaves
2–1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 pound penne
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional
Toss the tomatoes, garlic, arugula, basil, crushed pepper, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper to taste in a large serving bowl. Set aside to marinade at room temperature for at least one hour or up to three hours.
Cook the penne al dente, drain briefly, and add to the tomato mixture. Add the cheese, toss and serve without chilling.