Greetings CSA Members,

The photo this week is as close as I can come to a companion for Eileen’s piece entitled “Rain Gear”. The photo was taken a year ago when we were forced to cross the narrow footbridge in order to harvest vegetables during the unusual flooding that occurred in June of 2009. The river was so high that we could not cross the ford with either the tractor or truck!

Enjoy your share this week – Justine

Slogging off into the potato beds, our boots gurgling and slurping in the mud, each raised foot encased in cumbersome cement blocks of it, the weight of which makes it difficult to move, let alone walk; our halting, exaggerated steps making us look like practicing graduates of Monty Python’s Ministry of Silly Walks. Picking crops in the rain is somewhat of an endurance event, made bearable only by the humor inherent in the donning and wearing of rain gear.

The typical farmer’s rain coveralls and hooded jacket are canary yellow, which stand out in bright, sharp relief from the darkened sky and dreary landscape. This year, however, some of us have purchased our own rain fashion statements, and like crayons, we now come in an assortment of colors, including yellow, purple, blue, green, and orange. We may all look a little different this year, but we still sound exactly the same. The swish and crackle of rubber-on-rubber where it frictions our arms and legs when we move, the patter and pop of raindrops bouncing off our enshrouded heads, the sucking sounds of our feet leaving the ubiquitous mud.

It’s funny how this rain gear isolates and insulates the wearer so completely, necessitating bold, large movements and gestures, and requiring an extra keen sense of hearing, and excellent bladder control. Once a body is encompassed in the heavy drape of the coveralls and jacket, the body itself becomes entirely invisible, keeping the wearer and the wearer’s clothes warm, clean, and dry.

This is, of course, the reason why we wear it. But then, when working, particularly on warm days, the inside temperature quickly reaches the point where perspiration happens and the wearer experiences a different kind of interior wetness. When it is raining hard, even those with perfect hearing will experience a markedly reduced capacity to hear anything at all in the realm of human conversation.

Not to mention that in order to respond to anything that is actually heard, the wearer must turn his or her whole body in the direction of the speaker, since the edges of the jacket’s hood act like blinders on a horse, completely obstructing from view anything that is not directly in front of the viewer. And I won’t even begin to mention the agonizing torture it is to be dressed in full rain regalia and have to urgently go to the bathroom.

The reader may have deduced from this writing that I have a rather ambivalent relationship with rain gear, perhaps based on my understated personal bias that while it keeps its wearer dry, it is also hot, uncomfortable, and unwieldy, and compromises the wearer’s sense of sight and sound. This is true enough – and as someone who has a pronounced hearing deficit, I am even further handicapped by the sound of rain falling on my PVC hood. But, more than this, sometimes I think about how we would appear to aliens if they were perchance to set down their spacecraft in the adjacent field and observe us working in the rain, ensconced in our rubber suits, flapping exaggeratedly, and walking our silly walks. Looking through their eyes, I see the vulcanized vagabonds we are, each little dry unit in its own protective shell, trying desperately to communicate above the din, whole bodies turning stiffly in unison, our muddied feet pinned down to the earth, attempting in vain to peer into the periphery around our monk-like hoods. And I wonder, given the choice between the observers and the observed in this scenario, which ones the actual aliens might be.

Mexican Potato Omelet

2 tablespoons olive oil

1-3 medium potatoes (6 ounces), well scrubbed, halved, and thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 red , yellow, or orange sweet pepper, cored and sliced thinly

Coarse salt and ground pepper

8 large eggs

1 1/4 cups tomatoes, coarsely chopped (about 2 tomatoes)

1/2 cup shredded jack cheese (2 ounces)

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 10-inch broiler-proof skillet over medium-low heat. Add potato, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir in garlic, sliced pepper and all but 1 tablespoon of the scallions; season with salt and pepper and cook 1 minute.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until well combined. Add 1/4 cup each tomato and cheese; stir to combine. Add remaining oil to pan, and pour egg mixture over the potatoes.

Preheat broiler with rack 4 inches from the heat. Meanwhile, cook eggs on the stovetop, lifting the edges to allow uncooked egg to flow underneath, until the center is almost set, 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheese over the top, then broil in the oven until set, about 2 minutes.

In a small bowl, make a salsa by combining the remaining tomatoes, scallions, cilantro, and limejuice. Run a metal spatula around the edges of the pan and slide the omelet onto a platter.

Serve cut into wedges with salsa.

This week in your share, you will most likely find: Green Beans, Lettuce, Sweet Peppers, Tomato, Sweet Onions, Satina Potatoes and 1-2 surprise items (not yet decided and/or picked!) The fruit share is 1 bag of peaches

French Potato Salad

3 pounds small boiling potatoes

FOR THE SEASONING

2 Tbl. plus 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup good white wine

1/4 cup good-quality chicken stock

FOR THE VEGETABLES

1 cup finely diced celery (4 stalks)

1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions (4 scallions), white and green parts

FOR THE DRESSING

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon coarse mustard

3 tablespoons good-quality champagne vinegar or white-wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup good-quality olive oil

Garnish with 1/4 cup freshly chopped dill

Place the potatoes in a large stockpot; cover with cold water by 2 inches. Place over high heat, and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons salt, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15 to 30 minutes, until just barely tender. Drain into a colander. Cover with a kitchen towel, and allow to steam for 10 minutes.

Cut the potatoes in halves or quarters, depending on size. Combine the white wine and chicken stock, and pour over warm potatoes.

Allow to sit for 10 minutes. Add celery, scallions, and toss to combine.

Combine mustards, vinegar, remaining salt, and pepper in a small bowl; whisk to combine. Gradually add olive oil, whisking constantly, until emulsified. Pour dressing over potatoes; let sit until room temperature; stir in dill. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Brazilian Salpicao Salad

**This recipe feeds 6-8. I suggest cutting it in half.

2 medium onions

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 whole chicken breasts

3 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 scallions, white and light-green parts only, chopped

1 pound green beans, trimmed

2 pounds carrots

5 pounds white potatoes

Vegetable oil, for frying

1/2 cup homemade mayonnaise, or prepared

Peel and mince 1 onion, and set aside. In a large, heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken breasts; brown on each side for 10 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, reserved minced onion, and paprika. Sauté until onion becomes soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 3 cups water; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat; cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add parsley and scallions; simmer until softened, about 5 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a large bowl to cool. Strain cooking liquid; pour over chicken. Working over the bowl, remove meat from bones; discard skin and bones. Using your fingers, shred meat. Cover, and chill 30 minutes.

Cut beans into 1/4-inch-long pieces. Place in a bowl; set aside.

Wash, peel, and grate carrots. Place in another bowl; set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch cut beans until just tender,

about 2 minutes. Remove beans from water using a slotted spoon.

Place in bowl of ice water to cool. Remove from water, and set aside.

Return salted water to a boil. Blanch carrots, until just wilted, about 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon, and place in a bowl of ice water to chill. Drain carrots, and set aside. Slice remaining onion into thin rounds. Place in a third bowl; cover, and set aside.

Wash and peel potatoes. Place in a large bowl; cover with cold water. Set aside.

Cover bottom of a medium stockpot with 2 inches of vegetable oil.

Heat oil until a frying thermometer registers 375 degrees. Grate a potato over a towel, pat dry, and immediately place in hot oil. Fry until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove potato from oil, and transfer to a large paper-towel-covered surface; drain. Repeat with remaining potatoes, adding vegetable oil if necessary.

In a large serving bowl, toss all reserved ingredients with mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

For this week’s recipes, we have Martha Stewart to thank!