Sept. 11--If you plan to visit the Windy City Harvest Farm Stand in Washington Park (555 E. 51st St.), get there at 9 a.m. Wednesday mornings, when it opens. The peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, greens and more -- all grown at the Windy City Harvest Youth Farm just steps from the stand -- can sell out fast.
While there, say hello to Reneldia Gardner, a grower at the youth farm and coach to the students in the Chicago Botanic Garden's urban agriculture program. You'll find Gardner (yes, she knows her name prompts smiles) at the stand along with Lily Baker, the coordinator for the youth farm. Both will be happy to offer tips on cooking the produce. The teens who farmed the nearby plots and worked the stand this past summer are back in school now, but arrive after school several times a week to harvest produce and tend to other farm tasks.
Expect spinach and sweet potatoes in the next week or so as well as the bouquets of kale, chard, collards, mustard greens and tomatoes that caught our eye recently.
It was the array of sweet peppers that called to us the most, though. There was the Carmen, an elongated Italian pepper that has a thinner flesh and is sweeter and more delicate than most sweet peppers. "It roasts beautifully," Baker told us. And yellow (Flavorburst), orange (Gourmet) and red (X3R Knight). Gardner and Baker are happy to offer tips on cooking the produce.
You can use big wedges of sweet peppers as dippers, stuff them or preserve them with this recipe from the Chicago Tribune's files.
Olive-oil preserved peppers: Choose 8 assorted sweet peppers (red, green yellow, cubanelle, banana). Ready a charcoal or gas grill to medium-high heat. Wash peppers, wipe dry then rub lightly with olive oil. Place on grill, cover and cook 5 minutes. Turn and continue cooking until they are evenly blackened and blistered, about 15 minutes total. Place on a platter to cool. Work over platter to collect juices. Gently peel off charred skin and discard. Use your hands to pull out stems and seeds. Tear peppers into large sections; refrigerate in their juices a couple days. To preserve, layer pepper pieces in 1-quart jar with thin slices of garlic (use 2 to 4 cloves) and 2 to 3 sprigs fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, tarragon, parsley). Pour olive into jar (about 2 cups) to cover peppers. Refrigerate, covered, up to 2 weeks. Leftover oil may be used for salad dressings.
jhevrdejs@tribpub.com
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