Valley Bounty, September 7: Peppers

Peppers come in lots of colors, shapes, and flavors, and short of growing your own, there’s no way to get that variety in fresh peppers other than to buy them from a local farmer. Find a farmer who loves peppers, and you can experiment with tastes and cuisines that are otherwise unavailable. Look for small, sweet varieties for school lunchboxes, thin-walled frying peppers, blocky varieties for roasting, and of course all levels of heat, from mild to fiery.

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Kids’ School Lunch Recipes: Peach Fruit Leather

With fresh peaches, you can make your own delicious fruit leather from scratch. It tastes better and is healthier than it’s store bought cousin. This recipe was developed by local cookbook author Deanna Cook and featured on Mass Appeal — see the segment here!

5 ripe peaches
2 tablespoons honey

Preheat the oven to 200*. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Pit and slice the peaches (you can leave the skins on). Place in the bowl of a food processor. Add […]

Valley Bounty, August 17: Peaches

Juicy and delicious, a tree-ripened local peach is nothing like one that was picked before it was ripe and shipped across the globe. While they’re here, it’s worth eating lots of them. Start simple: eat them whole, or sliced and tossed with blueberries. Make a fresh peach salsa by chopping peaches with tomatoes, peppers, onions and cilantro. End your meal with peach pie or cobbler—or just slice up some more peaches and serve them on ice cream.

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Valley Bounty, August 10: Fresh Beans

String beans—most often green, but sometimes yellow, purple, or striped—are the most common bean in local markets, but look also for fresh shell beans.  Try them boiled until tender, then tossed with oil and vinegar, garlic, cherry tomatoes, and herbs.  String beans are delicious and crunchy raw, but can also be sautéed, pickled, or steamed, then chilled and tossed with dressing and a little feta cheese for a cool salad. 
 
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Preserving Tips:  Green beans freeze well and easily.  The National […]