This week at the farm we are being outpaced by eggplant, peppers, and cherry tomatoes.    These are the plants in full production and they are ripening as fast on the vine as we can pick.  Our peppers are turning bright yellow, red, and orange, all the colors of the sunset.  We are picking loads of sweet peppers from bells, to bullhorns, all the way down to the small but scrumptious lunch box yummies.  Some like it hot and we are also picking a nice little selection of hot peppers including hungarian wax, some gorgeous little serrano peppers and some enormous jalapenos (perfect for stuffing).  This reminds me of a recipe I heard from someone who sounded exactly like Crocodile Dundee at the Mass Ave stand.  “Wow, these are perfect for making ABT’s!” he said.  I learned that ABT’s stand for Atomic Buffalo Turds, are Australia’s beefed-up version of our American jalapeno poppers and are “smoked on the barbie, mate.”  Can’t wait to give them a go this week.

The other crop we are picking by the bin is eggplant.  From shiny black to pristine white, some are as big as boxing gloves, others, such as ‘fairytale’ are so dainty I’ve seen them fashioned into earrings.  Still others, such as our new discovery, Johnstown Orange, trick us into thinking they are tomatoes.  At the stands it seems the pastime is to find the ones which have a nose and tend to resemble either Richard Nixon or Jimmy Durant, and fashion them into a farm market version of Mr Potato Head with blueberry eyes and green bean lips.  Come on out to the stands, pull up a crate and join us for some eggplant crafting.

We are also continuing to pick loads of cherry tomatoes.  Orange sungolds are my favorite, but they are all super tasty and when you mix the reds, oranges, yellows and purples into a salad or just by themselves, the color combination pops out at you and what better memory than snacking on vine ripened cherry tomatoes on the patio in the summertime.  Takes me back to my childhood.

Also this week the basil smells intoxicating and looks great.  We were warned that it was going to be a tough crop to maintain in August and is prone to powdery mildew, but I’ve got to say I’ve never seen basil this pretty.  Gorgeous shade of vibrant green.  Pair it with our heirloom tomatoes which are at their peak and out of this world.

We are picking so many peppers, eggplant, and cherry tomatoes that we are running specials all week at the stands and featuring them prominently at the CSA’s.  Fill your own large basket of peppers and eggplant for $8.   Also get 2 pints of cherry tomatoes picked ripe on the vine, for only $6.  These should be a summer staple in every household so seize the opportunity and don’t be shy.  Have a great week everyone and cheers mates.