Seasonal Boost

This week’s chillier temps are just what so many of us need to get into the spirit of the season. The items in our CSA basket reflect those changes -- we are especially excited about the Arkansas Black apples that come to us from farmer friends in Huntsville. 

This variety is truly something special, as GastroObscura notes, “Arkansas Black apples aren’t meant to be eaten straight off the tree. In fact, the best thing you can do to one is put it in the refrigerator and forget about it until next season. 

Patient pickers are rewarded with a sweet, firm fruit that offers notes of cherry, cinnamon, vanilla, and coriander, but only after having aged it in cold storage for a few months.”  We know that it is hard to wait that long!

Farmer Hamm sends us cabbage this week. Other regional favorites include eggplant from Georgia as well as peanuts and onions from Florida, where the morning temperatures have not dipped as low as ours.

From our own farm, we have more arugula. Just when we think we might have picked it all, more comes in and we are blessed with this bounty. Also from our Harpersville, AL farm are radishes & fresh turmeric root. The health benefits of turmeric are widely known about but some CSA members might not know just how to cook with this root. This primer from our friends at Food52 details the root’s backstory as well as outlines several delicious ways to add turmeric to your weekly meal plan. We love their note about adding the juice from the grated pulp into a morning smoothie — our bodies love this immunity-booster! We are in the home stretch of 2021 and staying healthy and strong is where we all need to be.

Enjoy your week with the contents of this CSA basket — we appreciate you! And don’t forget to add a little extra time at pick-up today; our Pepper Place Farmstand store is teeming with fresh soon-to-be-heirlooms for your holiday table or gifts to share with friends and family.