After you had a chance to taste our semi free stone peaches called Garnet Beauty in your week 8 basket, we are now sharing our next variety….Baby Gold clingstone peaches. Unlike the past variety, these don’t get soft as they ripen but stay firm. That is why they are great for canning, freezing, desserts and grilling.
Here is how to pit a clingstone peach effortlessly.
- Using a paring knife, pierce the peach at its stem attachment, slicing it along the seam all the way around the fruit
- Place each half of the peach in either hand. Twist the halves in opposite directions.
- Pull the halves apart to reveal the pit.
- On the side with the pit, use the paring knife to cut it out.
- Peel the peach halves like you would an apple. (Optional: we leave the skin on since it’s a high source of antioxidants and fibre!)
Here is what you can expect this week:
Baby Gold Peaches Follow the pitting directions and you have the perfect grilling peach. Create the most stunning dessert or a side dish by simply brushing the peach halves with olive oil, place on a medium heated BBQ and grill for 4-5 minutes uncovered on each side. They should be tender with grill marks then simply serve with meat or add ice cream for a fast dessert.
Eggplant Are you an eggplant skeptic? The best way to learn to love them is to make eggplant parmesan. Another delicious and easier idea is to make breaded eggplant cutlets. Cut an eggplant into slabs, salt and drain excess water by laying them on a cookie sheet with a paper towel on top. Next dredge them in flour, then eggs and finally panko/parmesan/oregano/garlic powder/salt mixture. In a hot skillet with oil add a couple of breaded eggplant slices but don’t overcrowd. Cook for 2-3 minutes peer side until deeply golden brown. Serve hot.
Hearty Salad Mix A mix of sweet tender lettuce with red and green mustard, kale, red and green mizuna, tatsoi and tsoi-sum. Makes for a nice salad.
Cucumber Slicers Yes, chop them up and put into your salad, but there are other ways to enjoy these slicers. Pickled or marinated, tropical cucumber smoothie, cucumber mojito mocktail, Lemon cucumber cold soup just to name a few. I also add chopped cucumber to my water bottle for a nice change from plain old water.
Garlic They have been curing in our barn and now can be used right away or kept at room temperature in a dry dark place. We chop up a bunch and keep a jar full in the fridge for a fast, cooking ready supply.
Red Potatoes Great when roasted in the oven, holds it shape well and has a neutral flavor which pairs well with a variety of seasonings. Just toss with olive oil, garlic, parmesan cheese and salt/pepper. Place on a sheet pan and roast for 35 – 40 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh parsley or dill and serve.
Fresh Dill One of the most fragrant and flavourful herbs in the kitchen. Use it in a potato salad or roast, add it to a cucumber salad, make a creamy dill sauce for your salmon. It takes only minutes to whip up a fresh dill dip or salad dressing. What about a yogurt-dill sauce for your eggplant cutlets? The list goes on and on. If you just can’t use it all, for long term storage that maintains a fresh flavour, freezing dill is the best option.
Enjoy
