Farming in the smoke
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Greetings Folks,
Week 14 has been a hazy one for all of us on farm and off. We are doing our best to farm in the smoke, but it is a little like ignoring the thousand pound gorilla in the room...its hard to not notice and let your mind wander a little bit into the future of a hotter and dryer west. It helps to focus on the positive stuff like all the great food coming off the farm and the nice reprieve we had from the heat during the beginning of the week. In addition to remembering all our favorite apocalypse movies, we have mostly been harvesting tomatoes, selling tomatoes, eating tomatoes, and of course dreaming of tomatoes. We also took a small tomato break (and I do mean small) to weed and plant more fall crops...many of which should be starting to show up at the market by the 2nd week in September...which in case you needed a reminder, is only one week away!
I think the time has come to start talking about peppers. It takes a long time to get sweet peppers on the farm in Colorado, mainly because our nights are so cold, but we are finally into peppers season. Peppers are similar to tomatoes in that they set fruit and then "ripen" to their sweet color; however, unlike a tomato their "unripe" form is very edible and recognized in the culinary world as a "green" pepper. I use quotations around the green part because not all unripe peppers are green, some are purple, or white or lime green and we grow all types on our farm (which is perhaps one reason why you folks chose to get your produce from us rather than the store).
In addition to all the different color bell peppers that we grow, we are also growing some sweet peppers that are different shapes. Carmen and Escamillo sweet peppers are red and yellow and are elongated in shape. They look a bit lite an Anahiem pepper but instead of the spice, you get a deep sweet flavor that is great for fajitas or pizza. Try roasting them on your grill or oven in some olive oil and salt and adding them to pasta or putting them out as a topping for a bread and cheese plate.
Jimmie Nardello peppers, or just Jimmies for short, are a farmer favorite. They look like a long curly cayenne type pepper but are sweet and fruity. Although they are a little more work to cut and de-seed, they are worth the trouble! Sauté or grill and put them on everything....literally.
Although the majority of our peppers are sweet, we also grow a variety of hot peppers that are sold as a medley at the market. I like to get two pints and do a quick pickle with them. They are ready right away to add to pizza, tacos, and burgers and will keep for a couple weeks in your fridge. Just a processing tip, be sure to wear gloves as the capsicum oil from the hot guys can haunt you for days. Don't ask me how I know that.
Tomato Update: We will still have boxes of roma, beefsteak, and heirloom boxes at the market this week. We will also have 10 lb flats of cherry tomatoes that are great for roasting and freezing. Don't miss out on these, we will only have them for a very limited time!
See you all very soon!
Katie
This Week's Harvest
- Kale
- Chard
- Head Lettuce
- Beets
- Carrots
- Sweet Onions
- Summer Squash (Garden Sweet)
- Zucchini (some Garden Sweet)
- Fingerling Potato Mix (Strohaur farm)
- Sweet and Hot Peppers
- Heirloom and Cherry Tomatoes (by the piece or bulk)
- Roma and Beefstake Tomato Boxes
- Green and Purple Beans
- Eggplant
- Cucumbers
- Flower Bouquets
