August 13th
August 13th, 2020
Our Vibrant Friends!
Throughout most of the farming calendar year, there’s a particular bulk harvest of some seasonal small and delicious crop that takes up long stretches of our collective time each week, twice or three times a week, hours and hours melting together as we gather.
First it is the peas in the spring. Later it is the pickling cucumbers and the beans. Then come the peppers, namely the padróns.
Requiring much digital dexterity, treasure hunt find every last one vibes, and up down and around body movement, we move down the many long rows of padróns as slow moving masses, each filling our tall buckets three or more times with the petite peppers. We try our best to engage our core when we harvest, and pause occasionally to stretch, but for the most part we are perpetually on the move, weaving our hands through each plant, consistently amazed at how the padróns keep coming, a bright green wildfire of little jewels on the branch.
Though padróns originated in South America, they are named after the village of Padrón, Galencia, a small community of less than 1,000 nestled in the upper Northwest corner of Spain, where they were first imported in the 16th century by Spanish Monks who enjoyed growing them inside the walls of their monastery. Today the region grows over 33,000 lbs of padróns each year. The first Sunday in August the village holds a festival at the Franciscan friary celebrating the pepper that is attended by thousands, the Festa do Pemento de Herbón. Over 4 thousand lbs of padróns are prepared and served free of charge, accompanied by corn bread, chorizo, and wine. #yesplease #getmethere #coronabegonesoIcantravelagain
There is a popular saying in Spain: "Os pementos de Padrón, uns pican e outros non" which is Galician for “Padrón peppers; some are hot and some are not”. It is this epicurean Russian roulette that delights and surprises consumers of the pepper, as for every 9 mild padróns one consumes, the 10th can be spicy, about the heat of a jalapeño. Yahtzee! Note – some say you can artfully sniff out the spicy ones before you pop them in your mouth should you be wary of heat.
Most traditionally served fried in olive oil until blistered and then topped with coarse salt, and sometimes a quick squeeze of lemon, the cooked padrón tastes entirely different than its raw form, which is relatively tasteless, if mostly bright and fresh. Once blistered, the peppers take on an earthy, almost nutty, and somewhat sweet flavor. At the farm we like to blister them by the bajillion and enjoy them dipped in miso mayo because who doesn’t love the yo, yo.
Though we grow many, many varieties of pepper at VVF (like the shishito and the jalapeño included in your boxes this week!) the padrón holds a tender, sometimes spicy space in our hearts, and we are delighted to deliver them to you this season. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do. Clap the lucky winners on the back who get the spicy bites and cheers to the lasting Power of the Padrón!
Until next week, with love and gratitude to you and yours,
-- Rosemary Stafford for Vibrant Valley Farm
ROSE’S RECIPE IDEAS OF THE WEEK:
SHAKSHUKA WITH SHISHITO PEPPERS AND FETA
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 medium/small red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
8-10 shishito peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
3-4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1-2 teaspoons sweet and/or smoky paprika
dashes of ground cayenne to taste
1 28 ounce can whole plum tomatoes with their juices, coarsely chopped
preferred salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 ½ cups crumbled feta
6 large eggs
chopped cilantro and/or parsley for garnish
preferred hot sauce for extra kick
thick cut fried sourdough toast for shoveling the joy into your mouth
Preparation
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add onion and bell and shishito peppers and cook gently until very soft, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and cook about 1 to 2 minutes until tender. Stir in cumin, paprika and cayenne and cook about 1 minute. Pour in tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste, simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed. Stir in crumbled feta.
Gently crack eggs into skillet over tomatoes. Season eggs with salt and pepper. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until eggs are just set, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and/or parsley and serve with favored hot sauce. Boom boom kaboom.
MISO ROASTED CARROTS AND HAKUREI TURNIPS
Ingredients
Bounty of carrots from VVF, greens trimmed and set aside, carrots as dry as possible
Bounty of hakurei turnips from VVF, greens trimmed and set aside, turnips as dry as possible
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 tablespoons of miso paste
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon wedges for squeezed garnish to taste
Preparation
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Cut the greens off the carrots and turnips and set aside.
Whisk together olive oil, miso paste, salt and pepper in your favorite large mixing bowl.
Place the turnips in the bowl and toss until they are evenly coated, then transfer onto a baking sheet and roast for 8-12 minutes depending on size, making sure to flip them halfway through.
Do the same with the carrots. They may require longer cooking time than the turnips depending on size.
While the carrots and turnips are roasting, in a large skillet heat a few tablespoons of olive oil and additional miso paste if you like. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until wilted, like spinach greens would be.
Place carrots and turnips on your favorite platter and circle with sautéed greens and lemon wedges. Serve.
LEMONY AVACADO HERBED SILKY SALAD
Salad Ingredients
Silky Salad in whatever portion you desire
1-2 ripe avocados, cubed/smashed
1-2 tomatoes, chopped
1-3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of ½ to 1 lemon
Parsley and stems, chopped
Dill and stems, chopped
Basil leaves, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preparation
In your favorite mixing bowl, blend and toss avocados, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Set aside.
Lightly toss silky salad greens, fresh chopped herbs, and tomatoes.
Further lightly toss in avocado lemon dressing.
Serve.