August 13, 2023
Recent Crop Additions
by Linda Dansbury

Recent crop additions include edamame and hot peppers, both to be enjoyed now and through the colder winter months.

Hot peppers and shishitos - even if you don't enjoy a lot of heat in your food, make sure you take your share of the hot peppers and/or shishitos in the pick up room. There are various degrees of heat in the different varieties grown. Shishitos are generally not hot at all - I have heard/read that anywhere from 1 in 10 to 1 in 1,000 of these will be hot. I eat them a lot and I have only had 2 hot ones in my life - the one was extremely hot, the other moderately. My favorite way to eat them is to simply put a small amount of oil in a cast iron skillet and char them on all sides - this takes about 5 minutes. Remove from pan, sprinkle with a nice flakey sea salt and enjoy. Poblanos are not hot either, more a smoky flavor which is enhanced if you throw them on the grill and char them. I like doing this, then de-seed them and freeze. They add a great flavor to chili and stews which are more enjoyable to cook when it is cooler outside. The other peppers go from moderately hot (jalapenos) to very hot (habaneros). Freezing hot peppers for use through the winter could not be easier - just toss in a freezer bag as is and freeze. I love taking 1 or 2 out of the freezer all winter long to add to dishes.

Edamame - is one of the favorite u-pick crops at the farm. Another delicious, flexible crop that can be enjoyed in so many ways. The fresh picked bean pods will stay in fridge in a plastic bag or container for a week or so. When ready to eat, bring a large pot of water to a boil - add A LOT of salt - more than you think you will need. Add beans and gently boil - start checking for doneness at 9 minutes - I find 11 minutes is usually about right. Make sure the pot is large enough that you don't have to fill it with water to accommodate the beans because they boil over easily. Drain beans, rinse and cool until they are easy to handle. Enjoy as is with more salt added or remove beans from pods and freeze - best way is like a lot of other crops - place beans in a single layer on a cookie sheet and place in freezer. Once frozen place beans in freezer bag or container. There are several nice recipes on this site including Soybean Hummus and Summer Vegetable Ceviche.