Our CA Grown Calabrian Chiles Flakes Get Their Moment in the New York Times!
Florence Fabricant said that our Calabrian Chile Flakes “deliver an almost floral aroma and balanced, lingering heat with a whisper of sweetness. Use with abandon on pizza, in linguine with clams, even over steamed lobster.” So, it’s time to do what Flo Fab said and use the Calabrian Chile Flakes on everything!
If you haven’t tried them yet, we promise they are SO much more flavorful than the generic “Crushed Red Chile Flakes” you might be used to. Give them a try and let us know what you think! It’s been really exciting to see how much people enjoy these new chile flakes!
Meet the Maker with Zingerman’s Deli - May 12th
On Thursday May 12th at 6:30pm EST, we will be joining the Zingerman’s Deli team for a Meet the Maker online dinner! We will spend an hour chatting about our farm and what all we produce in Boonville. Zingerman’s Deli is an Ann Arbor, Michigan institution that is celebrating its 40th year of serving some of the best sandwiches in the country. Zingerman’s is an incredible supporter of small food businesses and we’re so lucky to be on the shelves in the Deli! (Side Note: Gideon and I happen to really love their Reuben Sandwich kits. And yes, our dog is named Reuben. Highly recommend!)
I’m really excited about this event especially because the Zingerman’s team has put together 5 really fun dishes with our chiles including:
- Fresh Zingerman’s Goat Cheese with Piment d’Ville and Matzo Chips
- Poblano Mac and Cheese
- Zingerman’s famous Tea Cake glazed with our Citrus and Chile Marmalade
Dinner is available for pick up at the Deli in Ann Arbor or can be overnighted across the country (just order by May 8!). There’s also the option to join for just the chat at a reduced price. Tickets are available for purchase through Zingerman’s Deli. Hope to see you on the 12th!
2021 Harvest Only & News from the Farm
A quick note to let you know that everything on our website is from the 2021 harvest! Chile powders! Whole chiles! The handful of Tolosa beans that are left! Yes, all of it!
We spend February - November each year growing our crop for the year, August-November harvesting, and September-December drying and grinding everything. Right now, our greenhouse is full of our chile starts as they enter their last full month of time in the greenhouse. At the end of May, they will head outside to “harden off” before getting planted in our fields in early June.
When you see the “2021” date on our chiles, that means the chiles were harvested from August - November in 2021. Peppers go right from the field into our greenhouse to dry. For our chile powders, we then remove the stems and seeds of each chile before sending them into our dehydrator. Each variety then ground, bulk packed, and stored in a temperature/light/humidity controlled environment to preserve their quality. Then, when we’re running low on jars, we break down bulk packs into individual jars to ensure the chile powders stay as fresh as possible.
We currently have 9 different chile powders available, a number that seems truly huge since our farm business was built on originally growing one sole chile for our Piment d’Ville.
Now on the Farm
By the time you've read this we will have harvested our first round of strawberries! We grow these to help round out our season, and after an almost complete crop failure in 2021 our new plants this year have been doing well. Much of our harvest is driven down the road to The Apple Farm, which they turn into jam. We also supply berries to businesses around the valley, and individuals who can take a half or full flat (6 or 12 pints).
Its hard not to feel optimistic this time of year, as all our baby chile pepper plants in the greenhouse spend their days developing roots, and our berry harvest is almost a month an a half ahead of last year. There is something special about being able to walk outside the office and eat a red ripe berry that has been warming in the sun!
What we're cooking
- As the weather warms up, it’s salad season for us. Grab all the veg you can along with some kind of protein (beans! crispy tofu! chicken!) and make our Avocado Poblano Dressing with Poblano Chile Powder. It’s herby, creamy (but dairy-free!) and comes together in a few minutes.
- Sunday’s call for a simple, comforting meal. I tend to lean towards a roasted chicken that will lead to leftovers for the week. Check out our recipe for Piment d'Ville Roasted Chicken with Lemony Potatoes. While this calls for the chicken to be spatchcocked (basically butterflied for a quick and crispy roast!), you can follow the same basic recipe for roasting chicken legs, thighs, or a half chicken. Make sure to baste the chicken while roasting to ensure a crispy skin!
