Potatoes, Pisco Sours and Peru

Even though it's sweltering out there today with 90 degree temperatures and 80% humidity, Fall is in the air. It's evident in the wilting tomato vines and the dying squash vines. Farmer Jess here and unfortunately the tons of rain we have had over the past several weeks has not done the garden any favors. Baby pill bugs have infested the tomatoes, just when I thought I had such good luck this year with no tomato hornworms, the tomatoes split and the pill bugs invaded. The squash beetles were terrible this year and ravaged my golden bush zucchini plants while I was away. The late plantings of slow bolt cilantro and cucumbers are doing well as are the Benings Green Tint pattypan squash, but I am not going to hold my breath on those! Two squash does not equal a successful crop! This past winter, I did uncover a huge clump of cilantro, so I am hoping my current plants keep through the fall and maybe I will get another winter crop of it.

It's a little disheartening to come home to a garden that is 75% less lush than it was when you left (I was really pampering those squash plants!), but this is no time to dwell on harvests past, but time to plant for Fall. Here in Central Virginia, we are lucky to have extended growing seasons. This is no California or Florida, but we do have warm temperatures into the fall and late and early frost dates for winter and spring, respectively. So don't fret if you think you've missed the boat. You can still make use of that empty flower bed and plant some veggies. You can even plant some things in pots, although I would not recommend tomatoes or other tenders in pots. Some folks tell me that late planted tomatoes can be kept into the fall and winter if stored properly and I am going to experiment with that this year and get back to you to let you know how it worked. In the meantime, I will provide you with a list of fall crops.

So if you've been reading our blog for a bit, you will know that I had a bumper crop of potatoes this year and Kathleen helped me dig them a few weeks ago. After lots of reading, I figured out a way to store those spuds. Since most houses are not built with root cellars anymore and our basement is finished and not cold enough, I turned my garage fridge into a makeshift potato bin. Potatoes like it dark, the skins turn green which produces a toxic chemical, so you want to keep them out of the light. From the best I could ascertain, 45-60 degrees is ideal storage, so I turned up the temperature on my refrigerator and stored them there. For more information on potatoes, including growing them, storing them and preparing them, check out my potato class in September. It's the next in our continuing Tasteful Kitchen series, which is a series of mini-classes or workshops where I focus on one topic and we do an in depth look at a technique, a cuisine or a food. It's lots of fun and everyone learns a lot, including me!

Potatoes are also on my mind because I just returned from Peru and if you've ever been there, then you know that Peruvians love to eat and they are crazy about potatoes. Potatoes and rice or potatoes and quinoa (even better) is not unusual on one plate. These people would look at you like you're crazy if you mentioned eating like Dr. Atkins. My favorite dish I had was a causa, which is like a mold of mashed potatoes stuffed with crayfish, shrimp, crab, whatever. It reminded me of my favorite crab cakes made with mashed potatoes. Delicious! Driving through the Sacred Valley from Cuzco to Machu Picchu, it felt like Christmas because there is a constant burning wood smell in the air as the people are burning off their finished crops to prepare for potato plantings. It's late winter down there, so it's a little cool also, which adds to that Christmas feel. Chugging along on the train, we passed lots of fields with foot high potato plants, cabbage, broccoli, etc. growing already. They are headed into Spring, so this is right in line with an early crop.

In Peru, they eat good food and a lot of it. And they wash it down with a nice Pisco Sour. Pisco is a Quechuan word for "little bird" and is a liquor distilled from grapes. Similar to Grappa, it was developed by the Spanish and is distilled in conical containers, which is where it gets it's Incan name. The most popular way to drink it other than straight is in a Pisco Sour which combines lemon or lime juice, angostura bitters, simple syrup and egg whites. The egg whites are frothed and layered on the top. It's delicious. If you like margaritas or ciprihanas, you'll like these.

Our tailgating class will feature some foods from South America and will be sure to please. I loved the food so much I brought back two huge cookbooks. Hopefully I won't be getting any chiropractic bills from airline employees! It will be great to share Peruvian dishes with you folks and I know you'll be adding Pisco to your bar afterwards.

Well, the asparagus crowns are on order along with some bean seedlings and I'll be planting the fall crop to hopefully feature in upcoming classes. In the meantime, here is that list I promised you!

FALL CROPS (in the ground):

• Kale
• Swiss Chard
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Peas (short window)
• Lettuces
• Spinach
• Collards, Mustards and Turnip Greens
• Asparagus Crowns (for spring harvesting)
• Beans (short window)
• Winter Squashes like Butternut, Acorn and Spaghetti

FALL CROPS (can be potted until heavy frosts):

• Lettuces
• Hearty greens