Staunton Farmer's Market
Before taking our vacation we (well actually hubby) did some on-line searches about what the area of Staunton, VA had to offer for eateries and shopping. There were a ton of wonderful locally owned shops and places to eat. I was so pleased and that's when I decided to not eat at a chain the whole three days we were there. Except for Five Guys, I think I did very well. Saturday morning we got up early and drove to downtown of Staunton and checked out the Farmer's Market. It was small but with the weather turning colder every day the vegetables are dwindling as well as the vendors. The die hards are hanging in there until the end of October. We walked around for about an hour looking at the vendorsand what there was and then doubled back to make our purchases. I don't usually buy peppers like this but they were so pretty when I saw them that I couldn't help myself. I think I bought between 3-4 pounds of them. I left them in the refrigerator for over a week and felt sure they would be some long fuzzy disgusting things when I went back yesterday to look at them. When I took the bag out, I was so surprised to see they were as crisp and beautiful as the day I bought them. I wanted to use them to make some Verde Enchiladas Sauce. So I set aside 6 of them to save for a project in the next few days and fired up the old back yard propane grill, which looks like bloody hell but still WORKS! After grilling them I then peeled off the blackened skin and seeded them. I took them and put them whole into a freezer zip bag and they are waiting for me until I have time to get back to them. I don't know who invented a freezer, but God bless 'em!
After grilling the peppers, I was sorry to see such a small pile. Maybe I should have bought more. And while I am full of regret, I should have asked what kind of peppers I was buying too. I know the vendor said they were sweet and I guess if she told me the kind I must have blocked out her voice after the word "Sweet". I have been a mother for 23 years and I think I might have used my mother ears and pulled one of those selective hearing loss things. Oh well, guess when I make my sauce we will find out just how sweet those nameless peppers are! Stay tuned...
I know this picture and the one after it are really out of focus but I wanted to show you that we bought some Strawberry Rhubarb Jam from Farmer Brown. Since my last name is Brown I just had to buy something from this old guy. And yes, I did ask if his real name was Brown and he said yes indeed. That delighted me. Silly, but it did. My husband insisted on buying this stuff too. It's Red Pepper Jelly (sorry about the out of focus). Since my husband works in an office he gets to eat food that folks bring in for the lunches when someone has a baby, birthday or retires. Someone brought in this really hot jelly stuff with some crackers, and cream cheese. He told me that you spread the cream cheese on the cracker (I think it was some kind of a butter cracker like Ritz) and then a little dab of the pepper jelly. I am not one for suffering while I eat food. I like flavor to my food but heat is not my thing. I relented when he wanted me to try this and sure enough it was wonderful. My friend Wendy, from AZ said that when you eat something hot you can either eat a tortilla, piece of bread or some form of a dairy product such as milk or cheese. So I guess the cream cheese toned down the hot jelly. So now everytime we see red or green hot pepper jelly, we have to buy some.
So everyone go out and buy a small jar of Hot Red or Green Pepper Jelly and give it a try!