There's nothing more fun than introducing a new product into our family... except when we introduce TWO. That's right, this month we're presenting Handy Corn, a vibrant and zesty corn relish and Heat Seekers, a pickled jalapeno. Handy Corn is something I've been working on for about a year and a half. It started as all great projects do with Mom at home in Vermont. Our version was tasty but I felt it needed a little edge, a little something to make it pop and taste deliciously different. Enter aji dolce peppers, courtesy of my fellow Greenmarket vendor Tim Stark, of Eckerton Hill Farms. Tim's peppers have a sneaky heat that seals the deal and gives the relish an unexpected kick at the finish. Add Handy Corn to salads or your holiday relish tray. My personal favorite is to take a cracker or crostini and top it with a sliver of aged gouda and a dollop of Handy Corn. The Jalapeno project began as a result of customer feedback. People just love hot, spicy food. Another of our Greenmarket brethren, Bill Maxwell of Maxwell's Farm in New Jersey grows a wide range of vegetables, including beautiful Jalapenos. The trick here for me was to come up with a way to augment the natural heat of the Jalapenos. The answer turned out to be adding to the brine Orange Blossom honey from our friend Zeke Freeman of Bee Raw Honey. The honey in the brine lightly tempers the fire of the jalapenos in a subtle pleasing way. Heat Seekers are a great way to top off nachos and chopped into little squares, they are a surprising compliment to cubes of sharp cheddar. Welcome these new additions to our family and invite them into your home!
Posted by Rick at November 15, 2008 06:02 PM