October went out with some wonderful summer-like temperatures. But with the arrival of November the chilly fall temperatures have returned. This morning during the wee hours before dawn we got a killing frost aka a freeze. Pretty much every crop we grow is heat loving and frost sensitive. So earlier this week we were busy harvesting everything that was left out in the field. We picked all the peppers we could find, the gorgeous gourds, and the last of the pumpkins.
Last week we finished harvesting our sweet potatoes and they are boxed up and curing. Curing is when the roots develop their flavors. The starches are converted into sugars that give sweet potatoes their sweetness and flavor. We like to cure our sweet potatoes for about 2 weeks before we offer them for sale. Since we harvest sweet potatoes over several weeks, different varieties become available at different times.
This week we have our favorite, Covington, which has a copper-rose skin with sweet bright orange flesh and new this week is All Purple, a traditional Japanese variety. It is true to its name, All Purple has dark purple flesh and skin. The dark purple roots are starchy, sweet, and store well. We find these really shine in savory dishes that need a pop of purple color. Sales have been swift on the All Purple so we are almost sold out but have no fear, we have more purple varieties that will be available soon.
This week’s taco special will be our Denver Taco: chopped ham, diced sweet peppers and onions with fluffy scrambled eggs served on a warm corn tortilla and garnished with pico de gallo. It is our version of the classic Denver omelet.
Our hot soup this week will be Sweet Potato Lentil. This delicious vegan soup will be made with our scrumptious sweet potatoes, hearty lentils, and a rich vegetable stock. Our soup has been selling fast each week so if you want to make sure not to miss out you can pre-order a half pint, pint, or a quart through our online shop. No matter where you are, we hope that with the arrival of chilly temperatures you are able to get cozy and enjoy hearty vegetables like sweet potatoes and comfort foods like soup.