Hello everyone, and welcome to another week of Serenbe Farms CSA shares! This week you will notice there is a large portion of potatoes in your share. Yum! We’re heading towards the end of our potato harvest, so be sure to store them for the rest of the season properly so you won’t miss these starchy treats. To store potatoes, the ideal space is in a dark, dry place between 45 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Higher temperatures, and even room temperatures will cause the potatoes to sprout and dehydrate prematurely. Cool, dark closets and basements may be suitable alternatives if you don’t have access to a root cellar. Potatoes should never be stored in refrigerators; it causes the starch content to turn to sugar. Also, never store potatoes with onions, they both give off the same gases, and it will quicken the degradation of one another. Wherever you store them be sure to place them in a burlap bag or paper bag and away from any sources of light. Mature potatoes in these conditions can last up to two months.

The peppers that you have mostly received in shares have been a sweet Italian heirloom pepper, called Jimmy Nardello’s. This variety of pepper was originally from Basilicata, a southern region of Italy. It takes its name from seed saver Jimmy Nardello, who brought the seeds from Italy while immigrating to Connecticut in 1887. It is considered one of the very best frying peppers. Its fruity raw flavor becomes perfectly creamy and soft when fried. Peppers are excellent sources of vitamin C and vitamin A, two very powerful antioxidants. These antioxidants can possibly help protect against some health issues related to cataracts, Rheumatoid arthritis, and it helps to fight against cell damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are the major players in the build up of cholesterol in the arteries that leads to atherosclerosis and heart disease, the nerve and blood vessel damage seen in diabetes. So be sure to grab some peppers to add to your share.

Hope you all were able to make it out to the Salsa Festival we had on Saturday. There was a great turn out of people, and we had seven entries in the salsa competition. First Place went to Marie Nygren for her peach salsa, second and third place went to Tom Reed for his cilantro, and Serrano based salsa, and poblano, chipotle, honey, and roasted onion salsa.

Farmers Turtle, Paige, Coby, Ariel and Justin