Peter Piper picked a lot of peppers.

A bounty of colorful peppers.

Hot Pepper Jelly. YUMMY

We joined CSA this Fall—Community Supported Agriculture. In case you are like me and this is a new term for you, when you participate in CSA you purchase a share of the farms crops. This purchase gives local farms the means to buy their seeds etc for the subsequent growing season, while you benefit from a weekly haul of produce and other products. It is a risk to purchase a share because there is no guarantee of a return, for instance, if the crops are bad or the weather is destructive. But it’s a cool thing to do because it supports local farmers. We need local farmers to thrive, now more than ever.

A Fall CSA is shorter than the spring/summer version. As you might imagine, the variety of possible produce is smaller too. That being said, this year we have gotten an abundance of food. Lots of end of summer corn, tomatoes and melon, winter squashes, pounds and pounds of potatoes, cauliflower, cabbage….and peppers. OH MY GOSH. So many peppers.

Because there was no possibility that the two of us could eat so many, we made a dozen or so jars of Hot Pepper Jelly. Have you ever had it? First of all, it’s easy to make. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be able to do it. Second…it is DELICIOUS. Sweet, hot, yummy with any kind of cheese (especially cream cheese).

I think we might try canning cranberry sauce next. Stay tuned.