We all know that Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, but did you know that his picking spree was in anticipation of a hard frost?!?
Last Friday afternoon the farm crew picked several pecks of peppers, both sweet and hot, stripping the plants of their hot-weather-loving fruits to save them from freezing in the imminent cold. When we woke up Saturday morning to the fields covered in a thick layer of dazzling frost we were glad we had! Though the dahlias sparkled beautifully in the first rays of sun, as soon as they had thawed they turned brown and wilted. We were happy we had seen so many beautiful end of season bouquets harvested last week. The farm will start to look a bit different now, with summer crops being plowed under to return their nutrients to the soil, but there are plenty of cold-tolerant cold crops that are still growing quite happily in the fields.
Don’t hesitate to pick an extra bunch of herbs and hang them to dry in your kitchen for use this winter. The brassica family also loves the cooler weather, and the kale will start to sweeten up with the frost. And of course the root crops, tucked in their underground beds, will be just as cozy as ever as the temperature drops. In other words, though the jungle of summer is over, there’s still plenty to eat out there! Here’s what’s in store this week.
Cheers, Norah and the Sweetland Crew
Week 21 Harvest, Brimming Basket
- Sweet peppers, 5 large or 10 small
- Hot peppers, 8
- Purple carrots, 2 pounds
- Purple kohl rabi, 3
- Beets, 1 pound
- Kale, large bunch
- Delicata squash, 3
- Apples, .5 pound
- Onions, 2 pounds
- Tomatoes, 3
Week 21 Harvest, Half Pint
- Sweet peppers, 3 large or 6 small
- Hot peppers, 4
- Purple carrots, 1 pound
- Purple kohl rabi, 2
- Kale, small bunch
- Delicata squash, 2
- Apples, .5 pound
- Onions, 1 pound
- Tomatoes, 2
Recipes of the Week
- I was excited to find this Super Easy Hot Pepper Jelly recipe that doesn’t require canning!
- Just because it’s not Thanksgiving yet doesn’t mean you can’t stuff things! Fire up the oven for stuffed peppers and stuffed kohl rabi
- We’ll be digging the sweet potatoes next week, but in the mean time I plan to use my delicata, purple carrots, beets and onions in this Roasted Root Vegetables recipe