Week 14 - Poblano Peppers

I have sad news to share: our tomatoes have caught a disease! We believe it to be collar rot, though we're not 100% sure. The rainy cold weather this season combined with swings to hot and humid made for perfect conditions to spread disease. Its on nearly every plant and they're all starting to wither and die. This is sad news for you all, as you won't get to eat so many tomatoes from us this season, but also very sad news for us because tomatoes are typically where we make a large percent of our farmers market income. In a normal year we have an abundance of tomatoes for 2 months or more, but this season it's not even been 3 weeks and they've all started to die. So get them while you can, this will likely be the last week we'll have tomatoes available!

Veggie of the Week: Poblano Peppers

Poblanos were a new variety for us this season  and they're rocking and rolling! Typically spicy peppers such as poblano, jalapeno, and habanero are harder to grow in our cool climate but this variety did amazingly well. They've got just the right amount of spice to add a little kick to any dish. These peppers are traditionally used in Mexican cooking to make chille rellanos, but you can also try them here in this recipe for Southwest Stuffed Poblanos:

Ingredients

4 poblano peppers halved and seeds/membranes removed

1 pound lean ground beef OR chorizo (Can sub soyrizo for vegetarians)

1 teaspoon each ground cumin, chili powder, garlic powder

1 cup cooked long grain white rice

1/2 cup canned black beans, drained

1/2 cup frozen or canned corn (drained)

2-3 diced roma tomatoes 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles

1/2-1 cup grated mozzarella OR Mexican-blend cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a large baking sheet. Arrange halved poblano peppers in a single layer on the baking sheet so that they aren't overlapping. Bake for 10-15 minutes while you move on to the next step. Add ground beef (or preferred meat choice) and rice to a large skillet, and season with the cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder. Saute over medium heat for 5-8 minutes until meat is browned and cooked through.Stir in the black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, and green chiles. Cook another 1-2 minutes. Spoon mixture into the peppers, sprinkle with cheese, and return to oven for another 10 minutes or so until peppers are tender and cheese is melted. Allow to cool slightly before serving. 

Thanks for supporting your local farmers!

Ellen and Ashley