CSA #17

One of the great things about growing food four seasons of the year is the constant change of scenery.  While not too long ago, I was walking down rows of magnificent lush green tomato plants loaded in globes of tomatoes of all kinds. I now find myself smelling rotten tomatoes wasting away feeding fruit flies, the plants have pretty much dried up and most tomatoes are cracking badly or just not ripening properly.  There are still some nice ones but not many and so it's time to rip them out.

Tomato days may be done but hot pepper bliss is in full swing! And yet again, I am overwhelmed by the beauty of it all.  The aroma when walking into a room full of peppers is awesome!  It's quite distracting really.  As all i want to do is run to the house and start cooking.  It's that time of year when everything I eat needs hot even when sometimes it just doesn't suit the meal.  

In your basket this week:

Hearty Fall Chez Nous Salad Mix

Hacker Turnips (don't forget to sauté the greens too!)

Flower Sprout Tops (all is tender and edible)

Beans

A variety of mild-medium Hot Peppers

Extra Greens: Leeks and Bok Choy

One of the most beautiful peppers I have grown this year is this 7 pot white, it's soft creamy yellow is so enticing and i just want to pop one into my mouth.   

These here are Scotch Bonnet also gorgeous.

The peppers you have in your basket today are the ones below. In my opinion, they are a mild to medium hot.  Eating only the flesh and not the seeds really cuts down on any heat.

Top two are Poblano's one in the brown stage and the other green.  Next starting from left are: Chimayo  green and red, Anaheim green and red, Hungarian Wax yellow and red.

Pictured here also in your bag is Aji Cristal yellow, top- Cambuci (mildest)and right is Tobago. Some of you also have a Cherry Bomb which would be the hottest.  I enjoyed these peppers with crackers and cheese and avoided the placenta and seeds. Their flavours are really different.  The Aji is citrusy, the Tobago is a Carabbean pepper without so much heat and the Cambuci which looks like a crown is from Brazil it has a very light flavour.

Cambuci

The Poblano has become our go-to pepper for eggs.  When it's brown it's actually called Ancho.

Anaheim Peppers also pretty mild.  While you can use them as they are, I love roasting and skinning them and then using as a topping on pizza, burgers eggs etc.  You can also easily freeze roasted peppers to use later.

 All this pepper harvest had me craving a trip to New Mexico this week.  I would love to visit as pepper harvest is underway! I've read how you can buy your peppers and have them roasted right at the market! And the aroma fills the streets....

One of the key ingredients in my Sriracha Red Jalapeños...and boy do I have lots!

As for non-hot pepper news... you also have some yummy Hakurei Turnips.

And the Tops of our Flower Sprout Plants which we cut off to encourage the growth of these little guys!

Next week will be the last CSA basket for our main season.

Thanks and Happy Fall!

Shirley

CSA # 15

Good morning

September is the busiest month.  It's insane.  Summer harvesting is still coming on enough to occupy all our time but it's a "new spring" as our winter income depends on getting things planted early enough so that seedlings can be well established to pull through the winter, another full time job.... Rick has his own list of to-dos that i don't even consider...like building a greenhouse!
However, it's also the time where every corner I turn, I am faced with some food to preserve...tomatoes, peppers, herbs etc.... another full time job.  And i mean, what's the point of it all if i can't even get this done? Pulling out a fresh jar of tomato sauce or some frozen herbs from the summer garden to add to my meal in the dead cold of winter, is a wonderful feeling and something i expect from having a farm.
Kids? Yes i love them...hahah! but don't let them ask of me anything right now!  I'm kidding...they consume my thoughts no matter what is going on in my life and this week was no different as they set off on new adventures with school. I was super proud of them and checked my phone compulsively for any updates!

So I remind myself  how September used to mean Back to school for me too... in the middle of all of this, I had to just walk away and I am grateful.  And then, we do the best that two people can do and keep at it until Mother Nature shuts half down.  And, hopefully she hides it all with a nice layer of snow.  At that point, our greenhouses can get all our attention and life gets a little simpler.

In your baskets this week:

A very large bag of Basil (pesto?..or just freeze in cubes of water or olive oil for winter)
Garlic
Tomatoes
Jalapeños
Sweet Peppers
Chez Nous Farms  Hot Sauce (this is still last years batch)

Greens extra: Napa and Kale

Half of our sweet pepper harvest!

These guys...very rare that i don't much care for a variety i grow but this year we tried mini-bells.  Some are a decent size but some are downright small.  And of course the plants are VERY heavy producers! I have been stock piling them the small ones.  

 SERIOUSLY!

What will I do with them all?

I'm lucky to have the equipment that will deseed and de-skin these guys. Last week, I roasted a bunch and made some homemade BBQ sauce to can.  I think the rest may turn into some hot sauce blended

with some super hots. 

Napa Greens so mild and versatile cooked or raw!

My fresh Sriracha  production has begun in my spare time!!! It's delicious and unlike my usual Chez Nous Hot Sauce which has a very deep flavour and is a blend of tomatoes, onions, garlic, spices, maple syrup and lots of different hot and sweet peppers.

This is a fresh, barely processed product.  It's basically a pure pepper pulp.  It is sweeter than the Chez Nous sauce and even a little hotter.  It's a combination of peppers and garlic with just enough vinegar and some salt and sugar.

I have no idea if it taste like the popular Sriracha Sauce but i do know it is amazing!

Have a great week!

Shirley

CSA # 14

September 3 2016

Good morning

And just like that it's september...
I was actually able to work in pants a few times this week.  Yesterday i noticed that the CSA baskets seemed to come together much quicker than I was used to and i was also feeling much less tired and that's when i realized how much extra energy working in that extreme hot weather took, not including necessary pool breaks. I am almost afraid to say that I enjoyed the break, because of course I never want summer to end, Rick on the other hand is probably ready to bid it farewell!
 The baskets are still hanging on to summer too with the usual hot weather crops but one by one they will end...if you are sick of them don't worry they are almost over but if not soak it up because we all know how wonderful the thought of a fresh tomato sounds in the dead of winter!

In your baskets this week:

Salad mix (last one for a couple weeks)
1 pound Winter Radishes
Green Onion
Zucchini
Eggplant
Tomatoes

Greens Extra: Salad Mix and Broccoli greens.

The radish are probably not like what you are used to seeing! These are called Pusa Gulabi Radicand  were ordered from Bakers Creek but didn't quite turn out as expected (see photo). Also, they are no longer found on the site. However, they grew well and taste great, they are more resemblant to China Rose Radish.  They are what you consider a Fall/Winter Radish and store well.  They can be used as is, grated and even sautéed.

Wondering what to do with your eggplant?  Friday night, on a whim, i made some super quick vegan meatballs and was really impressed! They have the texture and taste of a really good veggie burger.  I plan to make some to freeze for winter but it has also picked my curiosity into making some burgers and sure enough a google search brought up tons of interesting recipes for eggplant burgers and meatballs...  I have yet to find a homemade veggie burger i liked maybe eggplant is the solution!

http://citnutritionally.com/eggplant-balls/


I also came across a neat Ratatouille Pasta recipe (and video) that i plan to make this week :http://www.marthastewart.com/902463/grilled-ratatouille-pasta


I tried to get out and snap a few pictures of other crops we have going on yesterday but came up a little short on anything impressive but here you go anyway...

We've got some awesome looking Napa, Kale and Bok Choy under nets...

Flower Sprouts are looking amazing!

Have a great week!

Shirley