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Midsummer Farm CSA 2014 - Pick Up #10 and Hot Pepper Question!   


Greetings!

I am starting to pick the hot peppers this week - I know that some people don't like hot peppers and some people like to have a little and other people just can't get enough hot peppers! So please let me know if you want a lot of hot peppers or just a few or none at all! I put all hot peppers in plastic bags in your basket so you'll know if they are hot. (Sweet peppers won't be in bags...)

Peppers are doing very well this year - Cooler nights and warm days are known to increase flavor and vigor in peppers. There will be green and red bell peppers, sweet white lakes peppers, and cubanelle peppers this week.

Prepared Green Bells A note on storing peppers - they all freeze wonderfully. Just wash, de-stem, and take out the seeds. I usually cut them in halves and just pop them into freezer bags. They can last for years!

How to Roast a Chili Pepper.  The cubanelle or corno style sweet peppers do well roasted as they have that touch of hot flavor yet are nice and mild. I 'roast' chilis in my broiler. There are three main steps to roasting chilis:

Step 1: Place whole chilis on a baking sheet under the broiler set to high. Keep your eye on the chilis - this all moves very fast. Once they are blackened and bubbly on the one side, flip them over and blacken the other side. You want the whole surface tobe mostly black and bubbled.

Step 2: Remove them from the broiler, and place in a bowl. Take another bowl and put upside down over the first so the peppers are in a dome. Steam them until they are cool.

Step 3: Pop the stem off and peel off the skin. Split and clean out the seeds. You can store the roasted chili in the fridge for several days or freezer them at that point.

I'm getting more and more red tomatoes now! I should have some roma or plum tomatoes in the basket this week and it looks like the larger, colorful heirlooms will start being ready for next week's basket.

There will also be summer squash, cabbages, and Romanescos in your basket this week. This is the first year I have been able to grow really nice looking Romanescos, they like this cooler summer we have been having! Romanescos are a mix between a cauliflower and a broccoli and can be prepared just as you would either. I am planning to slice it up, and lightly saute in butter, shallot, and sage.
Romanesco!
The fruit this week will be plums but do make sure you wash your fruit! I know I wrote this last week, but I feel the need to reiterate: I don't grow the fruit portion and it has traveled and may have gotten quite dirty so even though it is organic, wash it well before eating it. And remember that I don't wash the vegetables that I put in the baskets - and they are much cleaner than vegetables you'd get in a grocery store, but they are all grown outside with animals and birds and bugs and slugs all around... it is a best practice to wash all your produce.

Mushrooms will be crimini.  
 
Herb Share will have parsley, herba stella, thai basil, and sage.
Herba Stella is in the same family as the amazing healing and health-giving plantain. Herba Stella is thin leafed and is sometimes called staghorn plantain as the leaves do seem to make antler-like shapes. I like to simply chop it up into bite sized pieces and add it to salads or to smoothies. It has a mild pleasant flavor and a nice texture.

Always feel free to email me with any questions you may have or if you find yourself needing some recipe inspiration!

Very best and thanks,
~Barbara
Midsummer Farm

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 845-986-9699
  

  

Midsummer Farm Contact Info:
Barbara and Mark Laino
Midsummer Farm
156 East Ridge Road
Warwick, NY 10990
845-986-9699
[email protected]

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