Fresh organic Jimmy Nardello peppers, a sweet Italian frying pepper prized for its thin walls and high sugar content, with virtually no capsaicin so there's no heat. The pods grow long and slender, six to ten inches, tapering into a gentle curl, and ripen from green to a deep, glossy red. The variety traces back to Basilicata, a mountainous region in southern Italy, where the Nardello family grew it before carrying seeds to Naugatuck, Connecticut in 1887. Their son Jimmy kept the pepper going for decades and donated seed to the Seed Savers Exchange shortly before his death in 1983, which is how it carries his name today; it was added to Slow Food's Ark of Taste in 2005 as a variety worth preserving. The thin walls mean the peppers fry fast in olive oil and caramelize without losing much volume, which is the traditional preparation, though they're just as good roasted whole, grilled, or sliced raw into a salad. Pairs well with olive oil, garlic, tomato, and basil.
Berks County, Pennsylvania
Taproot Farm is a family-owned, Certified Organic farm spanning 200 acres in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Co-owners George Brittenburg and Ola Creston started the farm in 2009 as first-generation farmers, working five rented acres with a single employee, a small tractor, and 27 CSA members. In 2014, with the original land going up for sale, they took a leap and bought it, eventually expanding to the 200 acres they steward today.
The farm grows over 150 varieties of vegetables and berries using regenerative organic practices: cover cropping for soil fertility and carbon sequestration, untreated seed, and pest control that favors beneficial insects and plant immunity over broad-spectrum sprays. The same crew of farmers returns year after year, many of them now closer to extended family than coworkers, with a peak-season team of around 20 people working the fields alongside George and Ola.
Taproot's produce reaches customers through the Chestnut Hill Farmers' Market, a long-running CSA, and wholesale partners who value heirloom varieties and culinary-forward growing. Everything is picked at peak freshness and moved quickly, so the flavor and nutrition of the season comes through on the plate.