October is usually the time of transition as the summer crops fade and the fall crops come in. Peppers are often the transition crop that shines in this in between season. The barn is full of delicious sweet and hot peppers! Here is a brief description of what is available:
Sweet Peppers (Most of the sweet peppers we grow come from wildgardenseed.com):
-Yella Bella and Bella Italia: These are large, thin skinned peppers that are excellent for slicing and adding to dishes. These are my favorite to freeze as well! I simply slice them thin, bag them, and freeze. Since they are such large peppers, we also tend to have a lot that have damage (sun spots or rotten tips mostly). These seconds are the ones I freeze. I cut away the damaged parts and there is still so much pepper left! Right now there are too many seconds for me to handle, so I am asking for your help! We will be offering the seconds in the barn this week.
-Jimmy Nardellos and Petite Marseillais: Both are thin skinned frying peppers. They are great to saute whole with olive oil and salt and then eat. They make an excellent side dish to any meal.
-Lantern and Little Tangerine Bell Peppers: Great for eating raw or roasting! You can freeze the roasted peppers as well.
-Stocky Red and Golden Roasters: These arrive later in the season and are also great for eating raw or roasting!
Medium Peppers:
-Hatch Green Chiles and Poblano Peppers: Both Hatch and Poblanos are mildly spicy peppers with a complex flavor. Hatch chiles are traditionally used in New Mexican cuisines, while Poblanos come from the state of Puebla in Mexico. They are both usually roasted, skinned, and seeded and then added to many dishes, or stuffed whole! These also freeze well after being roasted, skinned, and peeled!
All of the spicy peppers make great hot sauce!
This Week’s Pick List:
Eggs
Red Gold and La Ratte Fingerling Potatoes
Ailsa Craig and Red Long of Tropea Onions
Winter Sweet Kabocha, Gil’s Golden and Tuffy Acorn, Candystick and Zeppelin Delicata, Orangetti and Spaghetti Winter Squash
Yaya Carrots
Rhonda Beets
Hakeuri Turnips
Pink Beauty Radishes
Calypso Celery
Gypsy and Solstice Broccoli (smaller side shoots mostly)
Taiwan Flat and Caraflex Cabbage (Lots!!!!)
Emiko Napa Cabbage
Dark Star, Yellowfin, and Cocozelle Summer Squash (Possibly last week)
Silver Slicer, Sweet Marketmore, Salt and Pepper, and Addis Pickle Cucumbers
Sweet peppers (Lots!!!!)
Tomatoes (Limited amounts and possibly the last week)
Bastan Poblano and Highlander Green Numex Peppers (Lots!!!!)
Jalapeno, Serrano, Rodeo, Aji Crystal, and Wenk’s Yellow Hot Peppers (Lots!!!!)
Rainbow Lacinato and Old Growth Palm Kale
Champion Collards
Ruby Red Chard
Basil, Dill, and Cilantro
Head Lettuce
Melons and watermelons (Possibly last week)
Decorative gourds and pumpkins
Pick your own Albion Strawberries
Pick your own: padron and shishito peppers, okra, jade and dragon langerie beans. Along with the flowers, there are shiso, purple and thai basil in the annual field.
Saltonstall Olive Oil (Please bring your own jars!)
Revolution Bread (Friday only)
Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce Recipe, from ciaoflorentina.com
4 colored bell peppers -large
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil + more as needed
3 cloves garlic -grated
1 tsp sea salt + more to your taste
1 tbsp smoked paprika
The juice from 2 limes or lemons (or red wine vinegar)
10 leaves basil
3/4 lb pasta -your favorite noodles
1 c reserved pasta water
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes -optional
Preheat a grill or cast iron griddle and charr the bell peppers until black on all sides. Transfer to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. When cool enough to handle peel and discard the skins together with the seeds and core.
Transfer the roasted peppers to a food processor together with the garlic, olive oil, smoked paprika and lemon juice. Puree until smooth and season to taste with the sea salt and red pepper flakes.
Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package, making sure to reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Toss the pasta with the roasted pepper sauce, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the basil leaves. Serve at room temperature.
This sauce would also freeze well!