Fresh This Week
- Radishes
- Carnival squash
- Sweet potato
- Tomato
- Green peppers
- Italian peppers
- Zucchini
- Summer squash
- Broccoli
From the Farmer
It is the time of year for us to worry about frost. Frost will end the production of many vegetables that we all have been enjoying. Frost also leads to sleepless nights on the farm. We spend the day before spreading out covers for our sensitive plants. We use a polyester fiber blanket. It is lightweight, lets in light but traps heat. It also blows around in the wind easily so we must stake it down. Covering 700 ft. long rows of squash, 400' rows of beans and peppers takes some time. It also means picking will be slow here after since we must move and replace the covers each time we pick.
With covers in place we head inside to check the weather reports and weather station here at the farm. Next we go back out around 11 p.m. to check to see if covers are still in place. We look at wind speed and cloud cover. Back inside to bed. Up again about 4 a.m. I get up then to check the wind and temp.
If the wind is up and temperature is low I realize I may have to fix the covers soon. Back to bed, up at 5:30 to check temperature. If below 37 I go out to check the covers and repair them. Then I prepare our backup plan. Some crops I may turn irrigation on, because spraying water helps raise temps. We also may prepare bond fires that we place straw bales to blanket the field in smoke. Usually this is not the case but I must be ready. I must watch the temperatures as the sun rises. The temperature is the lowest the 1/2 hour after sunrise. I baby sit the plants until the sun is higher in the sky and temps start to rise for good.
One more night we have made it through. It would be nice for a rest, but it is morning and time for work to be done. Hopefully tonight will be warmer, so I can sleep! This goes on until temperatures rise or till I lose to Jack Frost. Just a little insight into this time of year on the farm.
-Farmer Rick
Roasted Peppers
Any pepper can be roasted, although red peppers are sweeter than green ones. You can roast them in the oven, on a grill, under the broiler, or even over a gas range.
To roast or broil peppers, heat the oven to 450° or turn on the oven and position a rack about 4 inches from the broiler flame. Line a roasting pan with foil and place the whole peppers in the pan. Roast or broil, turning the peppers as each side browns, until they have darkened and collapsed. This takes about 15-20 minutes under the broiler, or up to 1 hour in the oven.
To roast peppers on the grill, preheat to medium-high and put the rack 4 inches from the flame. Put peppers directly over the heat, turning as each side blackens, about 15 minutes total.
Wrap the cooked peppers in foil, and cool until you can safely touch them. Then remove the skin, seeds and stems. (You can run them under water during this process to make it a little easier.) The peppers may fall apart.
Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator for a few days. Serve at room temperature, with a drizzle of olive oil and a little salt.
Roasted peppers are also great additions to dips, pizzas, sandwiches, bruschetta or meatballs.
Source: How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman
Link of the week
Easy Roasted Pepper Hummus – recipe from AllRecipes.com
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