What’s in the box?

Chinese cabbage, Italian plums, Bartlett pears, onions, garlic, sweet peppers.

extras – hot peppers 

•  Chinese cabbage is a very beautiful plant with an amazing bright green colour. It is much more tender than our usual cabbage, with a milder flavour. Chinese cabbage or napa cabbage is as much about texture as taste. The entire plant can be eaten – the leaves as well as the white ribs. Used raw the leaves can replace lettuce in a salad. The ribs can be sliced or coarsely shredded for coleslaw. It is great stir fried on it’s own or with other vegetables, or mixed in fried rice. Toss the ribs in hot oil for about 2 minutes; add a bit of broth to soften, then add the leaves and toss another minute or so. Another use is in soups or stews. But unlike our western cabbage, chinese cabbage does not store for a long time. Keep it in the fridge wrapped in plastic for about 2 weeks max.
• Italian plums/prunes are part of your share again this week – maybe next week yet too. Besides eating fresh, they are great in baking & jam… They also freeze well. Simply slice in half, take out the pit & freeze overnight on a baking sheet. Bag them up the next day. In winter they taste great – eat as a snack, or add to fruit salads.
• There is another basket of Bartlett pears in the box this week. Remember that Bartletts can be used for many things (see suggestions in last week’s newsletter) including pear sauce. Make it and eat it just like apple sauce!
• This may finally be the end of the onions! 
• We are getting lots of positive comments on the garlic – we agree, the taste is incredible! Some of you have asked about buying quantities for winter use. We’re still cleaning garlic. Once that job is done, we’ll count out what we need to save for seed for planting later this fall, decide how much we need for our CSA baskets, and then we’ll see what is available to sell.
• The sweet peppers continue to produce & produce … We are relieved that the cold temperatures of last week did not damage them.
• The hot peppers are also producing an abundance of fruit. We are offering hot peppers as an extra to those who want to add some spice to their life! There will be a few varieties available in varying amounts of heat.

Chinese cabbage

Some of the hot peppers we are growing this season.

Starting in the bottom, left hand corner & moving clockwise they are: Anaheim Joe E Parker, Crimson Hot, Poblano, Hungarian hot wax, 2 kinds of chiles – Santa Fe Grande & Chile D’arbol, Black Hungarian, Jalapeno, Golden Hot, Lemon Drop, Hot Rod Serrano, Ring of Fire Cayenne, 4 varieties of Habanero and Scotch Bonnet.

This same order is also mildest to hottest.

Not shown are Ghost & Trinidad Scorpion – these 2 super hot peppers are still ripening.

 

Oliver – not at all interested in hot peppers … or anything other than resting!