As spring warms the earth, we leave soup season behind, and look for ways to enjoy fresh greens again. Our recipe suggestion for May is a taco salad we created when we wanted the flavors of the Americas, but needed to include more leafy greens in our diet. We hope you enjoy the flavors as much as we enjoy getting out hands into the warming earth once again.
Similar to ginger and turmeric, peppers are a long-season plant. We start ours early (in early March!) from seed if we are trying a new variety and to replace any of last year’s plants that didn’t survive the winter. But, did you know that you can over-winter your pepper plants? They can be dug up in the fall and kept inside in a bright window (if you want to keep them producing), or they can go dormant if kept in a cool, dark space like a garage or basement. Don’t let them freeze, and don’t let them dry out! In the spring, when you start new seeds, you just need to “wake them up” and eventually re-plant them outside once the weather is safe for them.
To make our Tex-Mex Mix we start with a blend of 4 different types of hot peppers. Each one brings something a little different to the mix – some a little sweet, some a little acid – all of them combining together to create a rounded heat profile. To that, we add some other traditional spices used in South and Central American cuisine: cumin, onion, and garlic. These make it a great base for everything from Nacho Dip to Enchiladas and from Fajitas to Burritos. True flavor aficionados may want to supplement with particular spices, but we feel this is a great base that works well all on its own for many meal options.
Our All-Purpose Tex-Mex Mix is available year-round and was offered as our Spice Subscription for the month of May through Wolfville Farmers Market 2 Go (WFM2go).