Peppers, Sweet

Shishito PEppers

Italia Peppers

Sweet Peppers (Capsicum annuum)

Red, yellow, purple, orange, green, and black. Pimento, cubanelle, bell, banana, and mango. Peppers come in so many shapes and sizes that it's hard to keep track of them all. And, did you know-that all bell peppers are green at first, and we often pick and enjoy these "unripe" fruit. If left on their plants, peppers ripen into their different colors. Though sweet peppers originally hailed from the Americas, they are very important exports of the Netherlands and Hungary as well. Sweet peppers are a good source of vitamin C, and those that turn red are also high in beta carotene.

Storage Tips:

• Refrigerate peppers in hydrator drawer unwashed for 1-2 weeks
  
  

• Freezing sweet peppers is as easy as cleaning them, dicing them, and putting them in the freezer.

Potatoes, Sweet

Sweet Potato (Solanum tuberosum)

Potatoes are the fourth most important crop in the world (after rice, wheat, and maize). They were domesticated in Peru some 10,000 years ago, and were a staple of the Andean diet. These ancient Peruvians grew hundreds of varieties of potatoes-sweet, bitter, red, blue-which were baked, boiled, and even eaten for dessert. Now, in America, 65% of the potatoes we grow are used to make processed products-potato chips, French fries, hash browns, etc. Potatoes plus milk make a complete protein-which is why the crop has historically been so important to the world's poor. In America they are a leading source of vitamin C, and are also rich in potassium, niacin, iron, and B6.

Storage Tips:

• You may find that you get too many potatoes to eat in one week - no problem. Just keep them in a paper bag, in a dry and cool (40 F) part of the house - the garage is good until it freezes at night, then the basement is usually good - away from the furnace.

Tatsoi

Tatsoi (Brassica rapa) 

Tatsoi is an Asian mustard grown for its leaves. The subtle tasting tatsoi is delicious in a salad mix or cooked.

Tomatillo

Tomatillo (Physalis Ixocarpa)



Tomatillos are native to Central and South America, where they have been cultivated for centuries--even before the first tomatoes! Tomatillos, or 'husk tomatoes' as they're sometimes called, are important vegetables in authentic Mexican cuisine. Tomatillos are ready to harvest when they have filled out their papery shell--or just after they've fallen.

Storage Tips:

• Store at room temperature, with husks on, for up to 2 weeks.

• For longer storage, refrigerate in husks-but not in a plastic bag.

Tomato

(Lycopersicon esculentum)

The tomato's name comes from tomatl, which, in the language of the Aztecs, means "round and plump." Spanish explorers brought the vegetable back to Europe, where it was greeted with suspicion and confusion. The French called it "pomme d'amour" (love apple); the Italians called it "pomodoro" (golden apple); others called it "pomi di mori" (Moorish apples). Those who weren't confused about the nomenclature were convinced that the tomato, being a relative of deadly nightshade, was poisonous. In the U.S, 85% of the tomatoes we grow are processed into soup, catsup, salsa, juice, puree, and sauce. Ripe tomatoes contain large quantities of vitamin C and beta-carotene.

Storage Tips:

• The easiest way to deal with your excess tomatoes is to freeze them. Just wash your tomatoes, let them dry a bit, then put them in a heavy duty plastic bag, and place them in your freezer. They can be thawed and used in soups and stews all winter long. This takes up a bit of freezer space, but if time is an issue, it's a great way to keep you in tomatoes all year.

Turnip

Purple Top Turnip

Gilfeather Turnip

Turnip (Brassica rapa)

Turnips, which apparently hail from Asia Minor, were eaten by hunter-gatherers millennia before they were cultivated. They can grow in poor soil, and are so cheap to cultivate that they have often been grown for animal feed. The roots can be baked, fried, boiled, and added to soups and stews. Turnip greens are quite popular in Europe, Eastern Asia, and the southern United States. Consumed by American slaves, turnip greens have become a vital component of the cuisine known as "soul food."

The Gilfeather Turnip was bred in Vermont (and has now become the official state vegetable). This is a mild turnip, that keeps it’s crunch and not as much “turnipy taste” as the purple tops. Delicious.

Storage Tips:

• You can store turnips in a root cellar, moist sand, or the hydrator drawer of your refrigerator

Winter Radishes

We grow a variety of storage radishes including Black Radish, Daikon, Purple Daikon, and Watermelon (or Meat) Radish. (Genus: Raphanus)

These storage radishes have a range of spice to them, but they all store well and are a standby of our fall harvests as well as our winter share!

Try grated radish as a colorful addition to salad or cabbage slaw. Or, roast a selection of radishes and notice how their flavor gets sweeter! And, like their spring radish cousins, storage radishes make wonderful quick-pickles!

Storage Tips:

• Leave the dirt on radishes until you’re ready to cook them, then wash

• Store in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or even longer in a root cellar!

Watermelon

Crimson Sweet

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)

Sunshine

Watermelons were originally domesticated in central and southern Africa where they served as an important water source in arid regions.  Watermelons are about 92% water and 6% sugar by weight.  They are rich in Vitamin C, beta carotene and red varieties contain lycopene.

We grow two different type of melons: Crimson Sweet (red) and Sunshine (yellow).  We pick our melons ripe so any melon that comes with your share is ready to eat.

Storage Tips:

• Melons will keep for a week or so if kept cool and uncut.

• Once cut open, melons should be eaten within a few days

Squash, Winter

Winter Squash (Cucurbita moshata and maxima)

Squashes are American natives and were cultivated to serve various purposes. Native Americans ate the shoots, leaves, flowers, and seeds of winter squash, and preserved the flesh in syrup. The yellow and orange flesh of winter squash is rich in beta-carotene. It contains goodly amounts of folacin and vitamin C as well.

Storage Tips:

• If you do get squash that you don't want to use this week, you can store it by keeping it in a dry place that is as close to 50 F as possible. Under a bed in a back room, in the garage, or in a dry basement. Keep it away from moisture and all should be well for 4 - 5 months at least.

Zucchini and Summer Squash

Zucchini is a summer squash that, like all squashes, descended from native related species originating in South America but is believed to have been developed in Italy. Zucchini has been popularized throughout North America most likely by Italian immigrants, their descendants, and their famous cuisine.



Summer squash is approximately 94% water, very low in calories, and a great source of vitamin A, C, potassium, and calcium.

Storage Tips:

• Zucchini dehydrates quickly. Store in plastic bag in hydrator drawer of the refrigerator for up to one week.

• Damaged or bruised zucchini will deteriorate very quickly.

• Cooked, pureed zucchini can be frozen in airtight containers for a great winter soup. You can also grate zucchini and freeze for use in breads and muffins.