Journey to Riverhill Farm

Every Wednesday I’m looking forward to 2 o’clock. That’s when our farm-stand opens.

We pack plastic bags and shopping bags, decide if we want to run any other errands, today it was the library, and head to the farm about 5 miles from us.

It’s never a disappointment. I do get anxious a bit if I see too many cars parked outside the farm gate, but there is always an abundance of vegetables.

I immediately grabbed some basil. Our go-to recipe for basil is vegan pesto. Throw a bunch of basil into the food processor, add lots of garlic, a pinch of salt, some pine nuts and turn the machine on. Slowly add some extra virgin olive oil until it all has reached the right consistency.

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Stephen went for the pluots, he loves his fruit. And so do I.

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The peppers were exquisite and we bought three kinds. The nardellos are the red beauties below. I already bought some seeds to grow my own next year. Their colors are so vibrant, from a dark purple to a bright red.

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Of course gypsy peppers are a must, a staple while the farm sells them. Ranging in color from mostly yellow to orange and a bit of red.

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And then there were poblano/ancho peppers, and jalapeno peppers, and serrano peppers, and padron peppers. We grow our own Thai peppers so no need to add more spicy peppers. And one pepper we grow promises to be the hottest there is though I forgot its name. Padron is also growing in our garden, but this year I forgot about the ancho peppers. And with a prefect Chile Rellenos recipe I hardly can wait to taste them.

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Though I’m not going to take pictures, my favorite are the lettuces. That’s also a staple for us and something we eat every day. They did sell kale but I already bought some at the store yesterday, grown by the same farmer.

Stephen wanted an eggplant and they were so plump and dense, I’m happy with the tactile experience alone. But it can’t hurt adding another sense to the mix, like taste.

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A big part of the farm are tomatoes, but we have these in abundance this year in our garden. The same with zucchini. Of course our tomato plants don’t even come close to the size of theirs. I had Stephen stand in front of them to give you an idea. And can you see the huge tomatoes? I believe they are heirlooms.

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My favorite tomatoes and I might as well not grow any others are the sungold tomatoes. I might have 7 or 8 plants growing. There are little cherry type tomatoes in yellow/orange. There is no better taste. I grow bigger red tomatoes for slicers on a caprese salad and such. I don’t have to worry about my plants giving up because they have had an early season, because I’m sure our farmer can keep me in sungolds.

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A nice visual treat is the amaranth growing right next to the sungolds. Doesn’t it look like they are giving someone the finger?

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This makes for very delicious Wednesdays I always look forward to.

Now on to cooking and processing. But most of it we eat raw in a salad.

But kale chips and pesto are in my near future. I have been a bit lazy after having hurt my back and have taken it easy. But all this wonderful food makes me want to get back into the swing of food. Hello stove, hello dehydrator, hello!