What’s been going on!

 Whew!  We are back and it has taken most of the week to recover from the return travel.  Another great trip to Italy where we had the best weather of any of our times there.  We started with five nights southeast of Turin in the Barolo wine country where we visited several large markets

and ate some fantastic meals all with variations on the Piedmontse style of cooking which typically includes lots of raw beef, very fine pastas, hazelnuts and of course peppers.

We then moved east to Emilia-Romanga for three nights where we saw several more markets and a few museums and had great meals in Modena, Parma and in the countryside.  There the food is centered on hams, prosciutto and parmesan cheese along with excellent pastas.

After dropping the Barkers at the airport Betsy and I went back down to Turin to visit with our farm friends who we have not seen in five years.  They of course gathered the whole clan for a typical dinner with 17 people.  Exhausted from so much good eating we made our way back home.

Jennie of course did a great job of running the farm while we were gone including the final pick of the pepper field and the taking down of all of the pepper support and removal of the plants.  There was a frost while we were gone, not cold enough to really kill warm season plants but definitely low enough to mark the end of their production.

What’s going to be at the market?

 Last day of roasting tomorrow, remember the market opens at 9:00!

Peppers are running down with Red Bells and Yellow Bells, Corno di Toros in red, yellow and orange and the sweet Cubanelle.  Sweet Pimiento, Jimmy Nardelo frying peppers and Spanish Piquillo.  Aji Dulce, the habanero without heat.  Shishitos

In hot peppers Passillas, Fresnos, Espelettes, Jalapenos and Serranos.  Anaheims and Poblanos.

More Lettuce this week with Little Gem and Salad Mix.  Japanese Salad Turnips and Purple Top turnips. Red Radishes.  Fairy Tale Eggplants.  Wonderful fresh Baby Ginger and Turmeric!  A small amount of Lacinato Kale and Collards. Spigariello, beautiful greens for cooking.  Escarole and Radicchio in the bitter greens.  Italian Parsley is back too.  The last of the beautiful Fennel.

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

If you know folks who you think would be interested in news of the farm then please feel free to forward this to them and encourage them to sign up at the website.