CSA Week 17

Ryan and I were away on farm day last weekend, so Jason did the honors by himself. No photos, but here's what we got:

• 1 1/2 lbs. heirloom tomatoes
• 2 1/2 lbs. slicing tomatoes
• 4 eggplant (2 of which are tiny "international" eggplant)
• 1 bunch kale
• 1 head bok choy
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1/4 lb. swiss chard
• 2 peppers
• 14 hot peppers
• 1/8 lb. arugula
• 1/2 pint cherry and currant tomatoes
• 1 pint raspberries
• 1 quart green beans
• 1 quart sauce tomatoes
• 15 sunflowers

Most of the hot peppers are in a pick-your-own field and the labeling is not great- hard to tell if the peppers you're picking are supposed to be used green or ripened to red, or what the heat factor might be. But Jason lucked into a poblano plant- those are easily recognizable, and I was excited that he found and brought some home. Yesterday I tried a recipe for roasted poblano cream from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen cookbook. The peppers are roasted and peeled, then pureed with milk. You make a quick roux using oil and flour, then gradually whisk in the pepper puree. Once the sauce thickens, you add some "thickened cream" which is essentially a homemade version of creme fraiche and oh-so-tangy. The resulting spicy sauce can be used over enchiladas or cornmeal crepes, or thinned with broth to make a soup. I did some quick enchiladas last night, filled with a mix of black beans, onions and chopped tomatoes. The sauce was very good as a topping, and I'm looking forward to trying it as a soup. I may also try freezing some. I know creamy things don't always freeze that well, but we'll see...