August 11th's harvest!

green/wax beans

tomatoes

zucchini

cucumbers

peppers

baby carrots

basil & chives

This year we grew two different cherry tomatoes - Principe Borghese and Purple Plum! The Pincipie Borghese is a traditional Italian grape tomato that's often used for drying due to its excellent flavor, small size, few seeds, and low moisture. Their flavor is so intense, they make a great choice for tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, eating fresh in salads or as a preserve. The Purple Plums are a dark mahogany color and plum shaped. They are thick walled with lots of meat so they can be sliced easily and are wonderful for eating fresh or making chutney. They also make a memorable sauce with their complex flavors.

Zucchini Stewed with Tomatoes:
1 medium sized zucchini sliced into 1/2 " thick circles
1/2 onion, sliced thin
1 quart cherry tomatoes
1 medium pepper chopped
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup white wine
4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil separated

1. (If you don't mind the tomatoes skins in your stew then disregard the peeling instructions) To peel the tomatoes, place them in boiling water for 1 minute and then immediately transfer to cold water.
2. Peel and half the tomatoes, and place in a large saucepan with the peppers, garlic, salt, wine, 2 tablespoons basil and sugar then cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
3. Meawhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and saute onions until the edges barley browning (about 5 minutes). Add zucchini and salt and pepper and continue coking and stirring until the squash begins to soften (about 5 minutes).
4. Add to stewed tomatoes and continue cooking as long or as briefly as you like.
5. Add the rest of the fresh basil and season according to taste.