In Your Share (Aug 26th 2013)

IMG_0305The peppers have started to ripen! This week we have more hot peppers, Spanish padron peppers and anaheim peppers in the share. Soon we’ll have fresh poblano peppers and Jimmy Nardello sweet Italian frying peppers. The Czech Black hot peppers (in the photo) are a new variety for us this year. They grow on a large sturdy plant and have beautiful lavander flowers. The peppers are similar to a jalapeño in size & shape with slightly less heat. The fruit is shiny and black and will eventually ripen to red. The Anaheim peppers (aka New Mexico chile or Magdalena) is a large long green chile pepper that varies from quite mild to pretty spicy. It is usually blackened & steamed to remove the skin, then it can be used whole for  chile rellenos or diced to add flavor to a variety of dishes. Keep your fingers crossed for more sunny weather to ripen the sweet peppers too!  

In your Recipe Packet are some great ideas for all the peppers and also more things to do with our bountiful supply of cucumbers! 

This week your share may include…

  • Cabbage: Several The small heads of crinkly savoy cabbage will make a nice slaw or if this rainy weather keeps up I might just saute it with sausages for dinner.
  • Corn: Yum!!
  • Rainbow Chard: I love the savory chard pancakes that Katherine put in the recipe packet and another old favorite is my grandmothers Chard Bisque.
  • Cucumbers: You’ll see a few different varieties in the share this week. Of the classic green cucumbers we’re growing two different kinds – Marketmore 76 is long, slender and slightly knobby while Diva is shorter, fatter and has a smooth skin. Both have great flavor.  There will also be some heirloom Lemon cucumbers in the mix – they have the round shape and yellow color of a lemon but taste like a cucumber.
  • Sweet Onions: Walla Walla type sweet onions do not store long so enjoy them while they last! 
  • Parsley: Big beautiful bunches of flat leaf parsley
  • Anaheim Peppers: Your recipe packet has some tips on how to use these tasty green chiles.
  • Hot Peppers: The jalapeños & czech black are definitely hot, but padron peppers are a different style altogether. The spanish padrons are fried in olive oil until the skins begin to blister then sprinkled with sea salt. That’s all there is to it – simple and tasty – and most do not have any heat to them. But the fun of it is that maybe one in ten is hot!
  • Summer Squash: A nice mix of small tender squash in a variety of different shapes and colors including patty pan, crookneck and zucchini.
  • Stupice & Heirloom Tomatoes: Hope you’ve been enjoying the tasty little stupice tomatoes. This week we should be starting to pick some heirloom varieties as well.

Coming soon… Poblano Peppers!