In season: poblano peppers

Many markets offer chef demos on an occasional or regular basis. Check your market’s website or Facebook page for more information.

FOR SALE

Just coming into season: chestnuts, Malabar spinach, popcorn, radishes

Vegetables: apples, arugula, Asian greens, Asian pears, beets, carrots, chanterelles, chard, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, field peas, garlic, ginger, green beans and pole beans, herbs, kale, leeks, lettuce, melons, mizuna, muscadines, mushrooms, okra, onions, pecans, peppers, potatoes, roselle, spaghetti squash, summer squash, sweet potatoes, sweet potato greens, tomatoes, winter squash

— From local reports

Down in Molena, 25 miles southwest of Griffin, David Mangham and his wife Ava operate Circle M Farm. They sell at the Peachtree City Farmers Market on Saturdays and Wednesdays, at the Avondale Farmers Market on Sundays and at the Henry County market during its season.

Mangham was a builder who turned farmer, deciding to put 5 of his 15 acres into vegetable production. The other 10 acres are for the honeybees. He grows a wide range of vegetables such as tomatoes, kale, Asian greens and peppers. Lots of peppers.

“I’ve got about 700 pepper plants. Habanero, cayenne, jalapeno, bell, sweet banana, hot banana, padron, pimento and more. The poblanos, jalapenos and cayennes are the best sellers of the hot peppers and the sweet bananas outsell all the other sweet peppers three or four to one,” he said.

Of his 700 pepper plants, about 50 or 60 are poblano peppers. Seeds started in early February in a greenhouse go out to the fields around the end of March, at the same time Mangham is putting in tomatoes. It takes about 10 weeks before the plants start bearing, but “once they start, they don’t stop until frost hits,” he said.

Like a few other peppers, padrons and shishitos in particular, poblanos are notorious for being variable in their heat. A batch of poblanos can range from very mild to very hot, with no way to tell from the exterior.

They are the pepper traditionally used in chile rellenos, stuffed fresh with a variety of fillings and roasted. When dried, they are called anchos and frequently used in chilis and tamales.

Mangham’s favorite way to enjoy poblanos? Cut in half, stuffed with cream cheese or goat cheese and wrapped in bacon and then baked. Some of the poblanos will be mild, some will be spicy. “You ain’t got a clue until you eat them,” he said with a smile.

Agave’s Roasted Poblano, Corn and Chicken Soup

Just in time for cooler weather, a warming soup from Agave in Atlanta’s Cabbagetown neighborhood. At the restaurant they make a batch that’s four times this size and serve it in one cup portions. If you like, reserve a little of the diced poblano, roasted corn kernels and chicken to garnish each bowl.

3 poblano peppers

3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

5 cups water

Salt

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 pound fresh corn kernels (approximately 1 ear of corn)

3/4 teaspoon minced garlic

3/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Place poblanos on the open flame of a gas oven or under a broiler. Turn them every two or three minutes and continue cooking until the peppers are charred and blistered all over. Transfer them to a plastic bag, close it tightly and let them sweat for 10 to 20 minutes. Working under a thin stream of cold water, discard stem and peel off each pepper’s skin, making a slit down one side to remove and discard the seeds and veins. Cut one into 1/2-inch pieces. Set pieces aside.

In the jar of a blender, puree the other two poblanos. Set aside.

While poblanos are resting, cook chicken: in a medium saucepan, cover chicken breasts with lightly salted water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken from cooking liquid and allow to cool. Reserve cooking liquid. You should have four cups. When chicken has cooled, shred the meat and set aside.

On a grill or under the broiler, roast corn until it is just golden. Remove from heat and cool. Cut kernels off the cob. You should have about 1 cup.

In a large saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add chicken cooking liquid and garlic and cook 5 minutes. Add reserved pureed poblanos and cook 5 minutes. Add onion powder, black pepper and cayenne and simmer 5 minutes. Add reserved chicken, diced poblanos and corn and cook 10 minutes. Serve garnished with cilantro, if desired. Makes: 8 cups

Per 1-cup serving: 276 calories (percent of calories from fat, 72), 12 grams protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 23 grams fat (14 grams saturated), 106 milligrams cholesterol, 71 milligrams sodium.