What’s been going on!

We feel like we slipped a bullet with Irma moving so much farther west than originally forecast, under an inch of rain and just a bit breezy.  We will take that but feel for the people in Florida who now have weeks and months of clean up to do.  Thankfully it looks like Jose is going to stay out in the Atlantic.

The peak of pepper season the last few weeks, with some slowing of the ripening with all of this unusually cool weather for early September but still always an amazing amount of peppers to pick.  Peppers are our second largest and most important crop after tomatoes but the season is so much longer and less perishable that tomatoes.

The growing season unwinds slowly after the rush to get them planted and while they too require a support trellis they don’t grow overnight like tomatoes seem to do so that part of the management is more relaxed and can happen at different times and over days.  Harvest also carries less pressure because the fruit is much less fragile than a juicy tomato and they keep much longer on the plant or in the cooler.

We have to pick tomatoes twice a week and constantly be selling them within days but that intensity only lasts six or seven weeks.  Peppers on the other hand we only pick once a week, sometimes every other week, but the season is long from the first few pods to the last pick at first frost it spans over four months.  A marathon not a sprint.

We do harvest twice a week but one day is hot peppers or the small varieties and the other day is the sweet bells and Corno di Toros.  Shishitos and Padrons we have to pick three times a week to ensure just the right size fruit.  It usually takes a half a day each time between searching for the pods tucked down in the plants, cleaning up the bad fruits and sorting and grading on the tailgate of the truck into ripe, part ripe and seconds.  It is a nice crop to end the summer season with in a steady and calm way.

Picture of the Week

Long rows of Red Bells to pick

What’s going to be at the market?

Remember to come to the stand first to get your peppers into the queue and then when you are finished shopping your roasted peppers will be waiting for you.  If you want a large amount roasted let us know and we will make sure to have them ready for you, they freeze great!  For our Green Chile fans this is a great time for us to do big orders as we have a lot and they are really nice.

All of the peppers are here in all colors and heat levels.  Lots of Sweet Red Bells; fewer Corno di Toros in yellow, orange and red; lime green Italian Cubanelles.  Sweet Pimentos, long and sweet Jimmy Nardelos and a few Spanish Piquillos.  Shishitos and Padrons for appetizers and Aji Dulces the Habanero flavor without the heat.

Hot peppers from mildest to hottest- Passilla, Anaheim (New Mexican), Poblano, our own Picante Pimento, Serrano, Jalapeno, Guindilla from Spain, Cayenne.

Fall salad crops with Summer Crisp Lettuce, Japanese Salad Turnips and Red Radishes.  Lacinato Kale, tender and full of flavor.  Callaloo, Jamaican spinach, our favorite hot weather green, with just a quick sautee.  Lots of beautiful Eggplant with Heirloom Italian and striped Nubia. Spaghetti and Butternut Winter Squash.

The Crested Celosia wave continues, big felt like heads.

As a reminder if there is anything that you would like for us to hold for you at market just let us know by e-mail, by the evening before, and we will be glad to put it aside for you.  Just so you know, sometimes not everything listed will be at the Wednesday market.

Hope to see you all at the market!

Alex, Betsy and Jennie

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