The next morning we hit the Yakima Farmers Market in search of peppers. Sally wanted ancho chilies which are ripened pablanos. We wanted anything that didn’t cost $4.99 a pound. When all was said and done we did score two bags of a variety of peppers at just 3 and/or 4 for a $1. Apples were delicious and cheap too. Julie picked up some of Miz Dee’s barbecue ribs for dinner. Wild chanterelles for $7 a pound! Less than half what we’d pay in Seattle if we could afford to buy them. By the way, the chanterelles were turned into the most amazing wild mushroom risotto. Julie has a gift for making risotto. A newly discovered gift but one that will be called upon often.
Sally found tomatoes for Neva. But no anchos.

Back in the car we called ahead to a farm whose name completely escapes me and were told they had them. When we arrived and looked around we didn’t see them. That’s because we had to pick them ourselves. No problem. It was a beautiful day and the plants weren’t that far from the door. "How much?" we asked. We tried to act real cool and nonchalant when the proprietor announced $.30 a pound. Of course, when we turned around we made faces of disbelief. We grabbed a five-gallon bucket and proceeded to fill it with not only anchos but a variety of sweet bells. It was addictive. We had to pull ourselves away. We could have picked all day. I’ve never seen so many peppers. Keep in mind that we can barely grow a pepper in Seattle. At least not in our yard. It was pepper heaven. And $.30 a pound?! What planet was this? Sally got her bucket of anchos and her anaheims and we got a bucket of everything.

Once back in Seattle we fired up the grill and roasted all of Sally’s peppers and a large portion of our own. We stuffed our peppers into jars with olive oil. We also made two different stuffed pepper recipes and froze a whole bunch of those. And we sliced and blanched enough pepper rings to fill three gallon-sized freezer bags. Of course there are still some hanging around for snacking and cooking.

Where can you pick your own veggies and fruit? Go to
Pick Your Own.