Farm Direct Coop Recipesor. . . what you can do with your share!

From FDC Newsletter 8 23, 07 by  Sandi Peaslee which she got from another Marblehead member, Judy Jacobi

• 8 ripe medium tomatoes
• ½ red onion, chopped
• 2 ripe peaches, cut into ½” pieces
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, cut into ½” pieces
• kernels from 2 ears of corn
• 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 ¼ tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
• freshly ground black
• ½ cup fresh basil leaves plus sprigs for garnish

1. Slice off tops of tomatoes (about ½ inch). Scoop out seeds and ribs and coarsely chop.
2. Stir together chopped tomatoes, peaches, cucumbers, corn oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Let stand for 15 minutes.
3. Stir in basil.
4. Season inside of tomato shells with salt and pepper. Fill tomatoes with tomato mixture and garnish with basil sprigs.
5. Serve immediately

When I went to store this week’s bounty of fruit, I discovered that I’d failed to use up all of last week’s peaches. Since my son is a slushie fan, I searched the web for some recipes. They all seem to follow the same principle: puree lightly sweetened fruit, and freeze.

You don’t have to limit yourself to peaches and cantaloupe – most any fruit will do, singly or in combination.  (Remember to remove the seeds from watermelon!). You can play around with flavor additions, too – add a bit of freshly chopped mint or basil, or other herbs. Very ripe (or even overripe) fruit gives the best flavor. Frozen slush will keep for several weeks - a great way to extend fruit’s ”shelf life.”

• 2 large peaches (or 3 medium ones), peeled and sliced
• 1 small cantaloupe,(cut into wedges and remove seeds and rind, then cut into chunks
• 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1-2 tablespoons honey, sugar, or maple syrup (note: do not use honey if making this for children younger than 1 year old)

1.  Place fruit, 1 tablespoon honey or sugar, and lemon juice in a food processor and puree until smooth. Taste and add additional sweetener, if desired (it should taste a little sweeter than you want the final product to be).

2.  Pour into a 9″x9″ glass dish and place in the freezer. Let freeze until mostly solid, about 2 hours. Use a fork to break up the slushie, scraping around the edges of the dish and mix well to break up big lumps.

3.  Cover the dish with plastic wrap and return to freezer. Let freeze until solid or overnight. Transfer to a covered plastic container and store in the freezer. Scrape again with a fork before serving.

By Karen Yates, Melrose Depot

I devised this method to freeze peaches so that my three-year-old, fruit-loving son would have a nice treat in the winter. The texture of the finished product resembles canned peaches, but this method is less trouble, doesn’t require canning jars and works well with small quantities. It also uses much less sugar than the usual methods for freezing.

I usually freeze peaches in pint-sized containers because my son will eat that much in a day, if I let him. You can also freeze them in zip-top plastic freezer bags: fill the bags, squeeze out the air and lay them flat on a cookie sheet; place in the freezer until frozen solid, then you can store them upright.

To use the peaches, thaw them in the refrigerator. They’re great for breakfast served with yogurt and granola. You can also use them in cobblers and muffins, though you’ll want to drain them first. They work well in smoothies, too, and you don’t need to thaw them. My son prefers to eat his peaches while they’re still partially frozen, kind of like a slushie.

1. Fill a 4-6 quart pot with water and bring it to a boil. Put about 2 cups of apple juice into another large pot and bring the juice to a simmer.

2. Working with 4-6 peaches at a time, carefully place the peaches into the pot of boiling water for about 20 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the pot.

3. Peel the peaches, then use a small knife to cut the peaches into 1/3-inch to ½-inch thick slices top to bottom. If there are any bad parts (soft or overripe), cut them out and discard. Drop the slices into a large bowl as you work.

4. When you have accumulated a pile of sliced peaches, carefully transfer them to the pot with the simmering apple juice. Bring the peaches to a simmer, and add more apple juice, if needed, until the peaches are partially submerged. If you wish, add a vanilla bean, a stick of cinnamon or slices of fresh ginger.

5. Cook, stirring occasionally and gently, until the peaches are soft and their appearance changes from that of fresh peaches to cooked, 10-20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the peaches cool. (If you are short on time, place the entire pot in the refrigerator, cover it and pick up again the next day).

6. Transfer the peaches to clean, freezer-safe containers and add the liquid to cover. Leave room for expansion – fill a quart-size container up to ~3/4″ below the rim, a pint-sized container ~1/2″ below the rim. Cover the containers and place them in the refrigerator to chill, then transfer to the freezer.

By Salem Depot Member Leah McCoy

• 2-3 peaches
• 1 cup frozen pineapple
• small hunk of ginger (to taste)
• about half the tops from a bunch of carrots (maybe a third of the blender, packed)

Fill blender about half full with water. Blend and enjoy!