Once again, the seasons are shifting, which means big shifts on the farm and at our table, too. We are slowly moving out of our most plentiful season, and in doing so, saying goodbye to our summer and early fall favorites. Yellow squash and zucchini has finally disappeared, and with it our delicious summer “Squash & Blossom” appetizer has gone, too.
It’s hard to believe that just a month ago we were getting peppers, peppers, and more peppers from Sol Harvest and our other local farms. We used the shishitos, padrons, bell peppers, Italian frying peppers and more in Chef’s Chicken Peperonata. What a difference a month makes, though: now the peppers are gone and it’s already time to part with the dish.
But while it’s sad to see the summer harvest go, they are making room for the winter favorites we have been waiting for all year: winter squash like butternut, acorn, spaghetti and delicata are growing in abundance – just in time for treats like our pastry chef Tracy’s acorn squash empanadas, which taste like a sweet little bite of fall.
Ric’s sunchokes are FINALLY ready for harvesting, and they look – and taste! – amazing! Chef Sean is using the sunchokes for sunchoke chips on his new fried quail appetizer.
Right now we’re in the thick of green chile season, but before we know it, that will be over too. That’s why we’re bagging and freezing pounds and pounds to get us through the winter and spring.
That’s four freezers filled with hundreds of Ziploc bags of roasted New Mexico green chile!
Every change in season is an opportunity for excitement and gratitude. Even though it means leaving behind delicious foods we’ve enjoyed all summer long, a new season also means new foods, new favorites and new experiences. We can’t wait to see what else this fall will bring us!