(Hey, it's September 1st) baskets!

Boy, summer is nearly over and you know what that means....tomatillos are sprouting everywhere in my garden. There are lots of very good recipes on the internet for them, and they are also so easy to freeze. Just husk them, wash them and let dry, then bag up and put them in the freezer.
Here is a tasty soup recipe to try as well;

Tomatillo Soup

This is a yummy soup that can be made with chicken broth or vegetable broth. If you are looking for an alternative to gazpacho try this cold with lump crab meat. The recipe serves 6.
Ingredients

* 3 T. vegetable oil
* 3 shallots, minced
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 lb. tomatillos, husked and diced
* 6 C. chicken stock or vegetable broth
* 1 jalapeno chili, seeded and minced
* 2 Anaheim chilies, roasted, peeled, cored, seeded and diced
* 1 Poblano chili, roasted, peeled, cored, seeded and diced
* 3-4 T. fresh lime juice
* 2 T chopped cilantro
* 1/2 C. light sour cream
* 1/2 C. 1/2 & 1/2
* 1 T. fresh lime juice
* Toppings:
* lump crab
* grilled chicken
* grilled shrimp

Directions

Heat the oil over medium heat and then add the shallots and garlic and sauté until softened, stirring frequently to ensure the garlic doesn't overcook. Add the tomatillos, the chilies and the stock. Boil and then simmer 10-15 minutes. The tomatillos should be soft. Let cool and then transfer to a food processor or blender and puree with the jalapeno, lime juice and cilantro.

Combine the light sour cream, 1/2 & 1/2 and 1 T. lime juice. Either drizzle onto soup or put in an old fashioned ketchup bottle or pastry bag and pipe a design onto the hot soup. This is wonderful as is or if serving as a main course, you may want to consider one of the toppings.

If time is of the essence, add one small can of mild diced green chilies and one small can of hot diced green chilies and omit the chilies and jalapeno. If it isn't spicy enough, season with a few drops of hot sauce.

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Lots of heirloom tomatoes are continuing to appear in the baskets, also peppers, ground cherries, collards or chard, beets or broccolini,potatoes, garlic, peppermint, basil.
If the tomatoes are not getting used up, they as well can be frozen in the form they arrive in, just make sure they are clean.
The garden is looking pretty overgrown right now...I search for veggies in the oats that have sprung up from the oat straw I mulched with. I just read in the paper that this has been the second wettest summer on record. We have had nearly the same number of dry days as the average summer, but when the rain has come, it has really come!
It has been very hard on the gardens in Niagara, and many growers find themselves short of produce and frustrated with their chosen career. My sense is that this turbulent and unpredictable weather will be the way of the future, an effect of global warming?
Please continue to check in with the blog for notes about the ending of the season. I'll continue to get things out to people as long as it is possible...

We had much to be thankful for this past weekend, when my friend Tiffany got married here on the farm. Amazingly, despite warnings of rain and thunderstorms all week, Saturday cleared and the sun even shone here in Wellandport- a good omen for sure.

It is wonderful the friendships that doing the CSA has afforded me. I met Tiffany years ago when she signed up for my CSA for the first time. Now it is an honour to consider her a friend and to have been witness to her wedding to Steve. You never know where vegetables will lead you.