CSA # 22

September 12th  2014

Hello everybody!

I have a confession, I am a hot pepper hoarder. I grew many new peppers this year and I haven't had time to figure out what I am going to do with them and in the meantime I can't let them go.  Last winter, I bought a few really good books and just flipping through the pages has me buzzing with so many options.  I have taken such a liking to peppers, reading about them, growing them, harvesting them and using them all make me very very happy. My husband doesn't get it and I can't explain but hey, he's been pretty happy about his potatoes this year.  So hot pepper products are bound to make some sort of appearance this fall, with my usual hot sauce and who knows what else! This week I included a few of some new not so hot peppers I trailed this year, they are Scotch Bonnet looking and tasting but without the heat and only a little spice but definitely doable with salsas, veggies or eggs etc..  I love mine in salsa or cooked with zucchini, pasta. Let me know what you think....trying to expose some of you not so hot pepper lovers to the amazing taste of hot peppers.

Two things I wanted to mention, 1- juicing upgrade no longer always comes in one bag that is labelled juicing but I always write the items in the newsletter- I hesitate to through everything into one large bag when it consist of different sprouts and small items. 2- Seasonal members have baskets until  Friday October 10th which equals the 21 weeks that were charged.

In your basket this week:

beets and greens ( the greens are as delicious and the roots!)
Kale
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Cucumber
(Trial size)Medium Hot Peppers
White Potatoes

Juicing: Swiss Chard, Buckwheat greens, Celery Leaves


Here's a photo of the potato field mid-summer

And here's the potatoes now, the foliage has been dead for at least 2 weeks which means the potatoes have been curing. We really needed to get them out this week so we pulled out our sophisticated potato harvesting system.

Check it out!

This here is called the digger.

 Digging

 And here is the picker upper.

 Yes, quite a job we got 8 rows done leaving 2 to go and a row of sweet potatoes to come out a little later.

 The harvest room is busting at the seams right now and running short on space.

 And here are the peppers we sent out this week Aji Dulce, Numex and Trinidad Perfume these are quite mild.

Along with some Fish Peppers which i have also grown quite fond of this year, it is a little hotter than a jalepeno.  

 I've been testing different peppers heats by making quick salsa's tomato, garlic, onion, lime juice and salt plus whichever pepper into the blender. Here i was having some with some delicious potato pancakes made with leftover mashed potatoes...ps; the also taste amazing cold!
http://www.justataste.com/2013/11/cheesy-leftover-mashed-potato-pancakes-recipe/

And last we still have some pastured, organically supplemented  stew hens for sale in the store. they make amazing broth and chicken to be used for any dish.

This week i cooked up 3 ( I also seem to have a better batch when I use more than 1 and if your going through the trouble...) It gave me 10 tubs of broth and 3 of chicken.  We sell them for 15$ each.

Here's a link to how i cook mine: http://www.cheznousfarms.com/2011/08/stewing-hens-and-chicken-noodle-soup.html

Thanks so much, 2 weeks left summer crew!

Shirley and Rick