Jalapeno Sauce and Eagle Heights Community Garden in Madison, Wisconsin
Wisconsin is known for beer, brats and dairy products, especially cheese. If you read Bunkycooks on Monday, you will know that Madison, Wisconsin is also known for its Dane County Farmer’s Market. It is the largest producer-only market in the country.
We were very impressed with the market and the varieties of produce, flowers, cheeses and other items sold there and wish we had something like it in Atlanta. With hundreds of vendors and thousand of visitors, it was pretty spectacular.
My stepdaughter and her husband visit the Farmers’ Market almost every Saturday morning and then they spend part of the rest of their weekend tending to and picking their own berries, vegetables and herbs at their garden located at Eagle Heights Community Garden.
This community garden sits right near the campus of The University of Wisconsin and is owned by the school. Looking over the many acres dedicated to this community garden, it seemed endless. We watched the gardeners come and go as they tended to their plots and took home the fruits of their labor.
Angela and Jim have a standard size plot, which is approximately 20’ X 25’. They pay $35 per year to be able to plant what they choose to and maintain this plot. The community provides the tools and water for their use.
This has been a tough growing season with the extreme heat, but Angela and Jim did have success with their onions, garlic, carrots, beets, tomatoes, radishes, lettuces, peppers and various herbs. That sounds pretty good to me! 🙂
We had these carrots for dinner
We took home some carrots, beets, basil and jalapeño peppers last Saturday. After a stop at the Willy Street Co-op for some local grassfed N.Y. Strip Steaks to throw on the grill for Mr. Bunkycooks birthday dinner, Jim whipped up a Jalapeño Sauce for the steaks. I must admit that when he said jalapeño I thought it would be really hot and spicy and an odd combination with the steak. I was wrong. It was a perfect accompaniment to meat and not just steak. It was tasty enough that I decided to make it again and share the recipe with you!
What a great, simple recipe! I’d love to stir this into rice and make burritos with it!
A tip for the pepper-unenlightened (people like me)–whatever you do–if you decide to hand dice the jalapenos, wear GLOVES. I chopped up a bunch by hand for chili in January because my food processor was on the fritz. Probably people who work with jalapenos know this, but my hands were ON FIRE for 2 days. OUCH! I tried everything to get that jalapeno oil off my skin.
This looks yummy! Jalapenos are so easy to grow and they are such abundant producers!
Hi Gwen,
This looks great. Will be trying this this weekend. Thanks.
I have been to that market and it is wonderful. GREG
I had the same thing happen to my fingers once when I was working with jalapeños.
Back in the ’70s, the guy I was dating in college worked at a “Whattaburger” hamburger dive in TX. Mexican food was kinda new to the States back then, and he had a lady come in to the restaurant and place her order:
“Give me one o’them JAP – A – LEEN – O burgers,” she ordered.
They will forever be JAP-A-LEEN-O peppers to me. 😀
Jalapeno sauce…the spicy pepper is in the air! I just made a lovely batch of jalapeno bagels. Thank you for sharing your words and pictures, my friend. I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow. I’m enjoying your post with a big bowl of watermelon. Just perfect. Much love and many blessings from Austin!
What a great recipe for the sauce but I guess the key is having these super fresh splendid ingredients! You’re looking great Gwen 🙂
chow 🙂 Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
That sounds like it’ll be really delish on fish! I always tend to have these ingredients in my home – so definitely adding it to the saved recipes!