Nov 9, 2022 / The Weekly Dirt / persis

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The Weekly Dirt 11.09.22

11.09.22

Around The Farm

By Julia Macray, UW Farm Student Staff, Mary Gates Scholar, senior majoring in Earth and Space Sciences

 

Veggie Key for This Week's CSA

This Week's Recipe

 

Photo from VeggieJeva
 

Versatile Sofrito Sauce 

By Audrey Sun, Public Health-Global Health: Nutritional Sciences Major, UW Farm Fall Nutrition Education intern.

This week’s featured ingredient is the Aji Dulce pepper. Easily mistaken for its MUCH hotter cousin, the habanero, this pepper can seem very daunting to work with but is a delectable staple of many cuisines. The Aji Dulce is traditionally used in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Cuba. Famously, it is one of the key ingredients in sofrito, a base for many of the dishes in these cultures and similar in ubiquity to a French mirepoix. 

The recipe I have chosen for this week is in fact the aforementioned sofrito. It is Vegan, Gluten and Soy free! I recommend you make and store in the freezer so you can make a big batch and save it for whenever you need. One recipe to try with it is a delicious and flavorful Puerto Rican style rice. Simply fry up your rice with the sofrito, replace the water with chicken stock, and throw in a few seasonings like thyme and oregano. Serve it up by itself or as a side. 

Another great recipe to do with Aji Dulce is a quick pickle. Slice them up and pickle with some onions and spices using the beginner guide included in the Weekly Dirt a few weeks ago. Whatever you do, these crunchy, sweet peppers are sure to impress.

Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds of aji dulce (or a mix of sweet peppers – in the CSA box last week and this week)
2 large yellow onions, or any onions including the white part of bunching onions or scallions (in last week's and this week's CSA boxes). Peeled and diced into chunks
2 large plum tomatoes (in this week's CSA box), or any tomatoes
1 head of garlic, peeled (in last week's CSA box)
1 large bunch of cilantro (if this herb does not appeal to you, omit)
1 tablespoon salt
¼ cup olive oil

Instructions:

  • Prepare and chop all your prepared vegetables into large chunks that fit into a food processor.
  • Blend all the ingredients together until finely minced.
  • Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator if using within a few weeks or freeze using an ice cube mold and store in a gallon bag in the freezer.

Notes: 

  • The color of this recipe will vary depending on the colors of the peppers used. You’ll get a green color if only green peppers are used, or you can get a dark red color if a mix of red peppers and achiote (annatto) oil is used.
  • Save time and prepare a huge batch at once, instead of every time you go to cook. Keep it in a glass container with a lid, or freeze it in small portions.

Aji Dulce Pepper Introduction from the seed source, Fruition Seeds 


Fruition Seeds efforts to select for earlier ripening of this pepper, traditionally used in Caribbean regional dishes.

Nutrition Corner: Aji Dulce Pepper

Did you know! One portion of bell peppers has your daily requirement of Vitamin C! Vitamin C helps heal wounds by absorbing iron. It is linked to lowering blood pressure and preventing a variety of other health conditions.

The nutrients found in 100g of red bell peppers (very similar to nutrition to other sweet peppers – Aji dulce, etc) provides:
Calories: 39
Fat: 0.5g
Sodium: 6mg
Carbohydrates: 9g
Fiber: 3.1g
Sugars: 6.3g
Protein: 1.5g
Vitamin C: 190mg
Potassium: 314.4mg
Vitamin A: 233.9mcg
Vitamin E: 2.4mg
Vitamin K: 7.3mcg

Source: USDA

News and Noteworthy:

Growing Grocery Series Offered by WSU

No matter if you only have a tiny apartment deck, small garden space, or plenty of acreage you can grow fresh food in a healthier, more environmentally friendly way.

With an overall focus on limited space/resources, and the combined challenges of western Washington weather and soils,  this series of speakers and topics will help beginners, as well as long time gardeners, l

When: Wednesday evenings from 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: online using the Zoom platform. 
Fee:  $5 per class, or…save and take all 15 Growing Groceries classes for $50 
 
Oct. 12     Starting a Vegetable Garden
Nov. 9       Healthy Soil = Healthy Plants
Dec. 7       Raising the Onion & Beet Families
Jan. 11      Irrigation & Weed Management
Jan. 18      Pruning Fruit Trees
Jan. 25      Pea/Bean Family & Cover Cropping
Feb. 1       Raising Berries in W. Washington
Feb. 8       Seed Starting & Raising Transplants
Feb. 15     Raising Broccoli & Buckwheat Families
Feb. 22     Raising the Tomato/Potato Family
Mar. 1      Using Hoop Houses & Greenhouse
Mar. 8      Raising the Cucumber/Squash Family
Mar. 15    Raising Carrot, Lettuce, & Corn Families
Mar. 22    Raising Culinary & Tea Herbs
Mar. 29    Pests, Predators, & Pollinators

Register online at GrowingGroceries.Eventbrite.com.  For more information about all classes in the series, visit snohomish.wsu.edu/growing-groceries. 
Sponsored by the WSU Snohomish County Extension Growing Groceries and Master Gardener programs. For more information about the program, contact Kate Ryan, (425) 357-6024, kate.ryan@wsu.edu
 

Urban Food Systems Lecture Series
 

Join the lecture series hosted by the Nutritional Sciences Program and learn about current critical topics in urban food systems! Available in-person and recorded for viewing online.

Click the link to learn more:
https://nutr.uw.edu/news-events/seminar/



Agriculture and Food Systems Employment Opportunities:
photo of 2 pitchforks in the ground with someone's shoe behind them. This is taking place in a garden plot.

Food Access Resources

The UW Farm donates regularly to the UW Food Pantry. During peak season we also donate to nearby food banks. The links below are resources to help you or someone you know with food access.  

Help The Farm Grow!

Every year, we have the capacity to grow more food and increase our educational and research program at the UW, but not without your support. Every contribution goes to work immediately, helping us better serve students. Your support can sustain our momentum and help seed new opportunities for student internships, academic work, and future growth. Please consider making a gift to the Farm online

 

The Weekly Dirt is produced once a week by the University of Washington Farm, a program of the UW Botanic Gardens, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, College of the Environment. It is published nearly year-round for educational purposes and the majority of the content is written or contributed by students and farm staff.

This issue's contributors:

Around the Farm: Julia Macray, UW Farm Student Staff, Mary Gates Scholar, senior majoring in Earth and Space Sciences
Recipe: Audrey Sun, UW Farm Fall Nutrition Education Intern, UW Nutrition Sciences Program
Editor: Perry Acworth, Farm Manager and Chrina Munn, AmeriCorps Volunteer 2022-23
Photo Credits: Pamela Dore, UW Photography
Other photos retrieved from the internet and noted in sections 

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