When my family had this season’s first roasted Padron Peppers a couple of weeks ago, the kitchen filled with that familiar, tantalizing aroma and everyone came to the table with a smile to enjoy their irresistible taste and sometimes unpredictable biting spiciness. The Pimento (Chile) de Padron, or Padron Pepper, roasted, then sprinkled with olive oil and coarse salt, has many of us hooked; even our 8-year-old Elisa will help us finish a large plateful at dinner. If you are unfamiliar with these green peppers, make sure to look up our recipe database for a description of ways to prepare and enjoy them.
Padrones – fresh and roasted.
Padron Peppers are said to have been brought to Spain from Mexico by Franciscan monks in the 16th century, where they were then adapted to the soils and climate of Galicia near the town of Padron, after which the peppers are named. The town of Padron is located near the Atlantic coast, where today the peppers are grown extensively in a climate probably very similar to ours. The people of Padron best describe the character of these peppers in their native Galician as “Os pementos de Padron, uns pican e outros non.” (Padron peppers, some are hot and some are not.) Indeed, eating Padrones is likened to playing Russian Roulette — you never know which one you bite into will be burning hot. So enjoy, but don’t forget to have something close by to cool your palate should you encounter a hot one!
The first Green Beans of the season are sizing up nicely and will be in shares next week. Santa Rosa Plums will be in the fruit shares and the “toe curling” sungold cherry tomatoes are only a couple of weeks away. Sweet Peppers are starting to take on some color, we will be harvesting and thinning some of the heavily weighted plants and putting them in the shares. Baby Carrots will be back again next week. Enjoy!
