I apologize for inconsistently posting. There just seems like too much to get done each week, and this is one piece that slips.

KCAA HARVEST DINNER
Sunday September 19, 1 p.m.

Finest Food In Kitsap, Anywhere, Anytime

Sign up now to enjoy the Kitsap Community and Agricultural Alliance (KCAA) second annual Harvest Meal on Sunday, September 19, 2010. It will be held in the Student Center at Olympic College, 1600 Chester, Bremerton, WA.

It is timed like an old-fashioned Sunday afternoon dinner, doors open at 1:00 p.m. and food will be served soon after. At 5:00 p.m. it will be all over but the fond memories. Local chefs from restaurants and the Olympic College Culinary Arts program will prepare food donated by Kitsap area farmers and producers. Last year 13 chefs prepared fresh, local food enjoyed by 400 people.

Monica Downen, owner of Monica’s Waterfront Café in Old Town Silverdale, is organizing the dinner. Chef Chris Plemmons is facilitating the dinner as well as preparing some of the food.  Chef Plemmons, as a guest of First Lady Michelle Obama, joined other top chefs from around the nation to visit to the White House and tour its vegetable gardens.

The KCAA Supports our Food Network

The KCAA enhances life, family and community on the Kitsap Peninsula by providing advocacy for agriculture, and connecting agriculture with our Kitsap community.

Buy Your Tickets At: www.localfoodchefshowoff.org

In Advance: $30.00

Couples: $55.00

Children 6-12: $15.00 ea., Children under 6 are free.

Do not count on any tickets being available at the door. They are selling out fast. At the Door: $40.00

Green Beans, Yellow Beans

As with most crops this year, the beans were late. Usually, they begin to flower and produce beans in late July. This year they waited until August to bring us their delicious goodness. You have enjoyed some of our bean harvest, and today there are more.

Since we do succession planting, we have several weeks of beans in various stages of maturity, so we plan on having beans for a while. The crew is putting out the hoops for the row cover to keep the beans and several other late bloomers  safe from the cold weather.

This year we have two varieties of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). Both are gourmet varieties that are normally eaten whole. You can even eat the stems, and there are no strings. Each possesses rich, sweet flavors, and each retains its color.

The Maxibel Stringless French Filet Beans, "haricots verts," are the green beans in your share. Maxibels are so naturally sweet and tender that they can be eaten raw as a snack.  This year they are 5 to 7 inches long and very thin. They have a rich, sweet flavor and vibrant green color that are enhanced by cooking.

The Roc D'Or Yellow Wax Bean are the long yellow beans. They are 4 1/2 to 6 inches long. These are another French Filet variety that have what is called an “honest” yellow color that stays golden yellow when cooked. 

To prepare your beans, simply wash them. Serve them whole. They require about 25% less cooking time because they are thin, so blanch or steam 2 to 4 minutes. There are many ways to enjoy them, but most people tell me they simply drizzle a little butter or olive oil on them and enjoy.