Twenty Bag | Jun 13

In the June 13 Twenty Bag: Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomato, sweet corn, Italian eggplant, basil, summer squash, pickling cucumbers, rainbow carrots.

Thank you Harleston Towles and Rooting Down Farms!

With the return of eggplant—and what a beauty in this week’s Bag—lining up with summer squash and tomatoes, the sweet savoriness of ratatouille beckons. I love Alice Waters’ recipe, dubbed Genius Ratatouille, that’s as easy to put together as it is delicious.

Because Harleston’s bunch of basil is so gorgeously abundant, I’m turning it into a classic pesto, and subbing dried basil for the fresh in Waters’ ratatouille recipe.

I made a scrumptious BLT with the heirloom tomato—sandwiching thick slices between crunchy bacon (a rare treat), a couple leaves of the romaine and finishing with a generous slathering of mayo.

For more ideas, a quick search of sweetgrass + grits will take you to plenty more recipes—all curated with an eye toward the weekly Twenty Bag harvest.

Harleston’s storage tips: If greens of any kind begin to wilt at any point or at pick up, put them in a big bowl of ice water for 20-30 minutes. Almost all produce is washed and should go in the refrigerator. Remove carrot tops upon receipt.  Lettuce, corn, eggplant, basil, pickles, squash, and carrots should all go in the fridge.  If your slicing tomato is not fully ripe, leave it on the counter for a couple of days.  If it is already ripe, it is ok in the fridge if it is not too cold.  Cherry tomatoes best on the counter, but can also go in the fridge protected.  Basil can also do ok in a vase of water if not too badly wilted.