Welcome to your seventh ReFresh newsletter of the season! It’s Fall in Albuquerque and we are looking forward to enjoying warm drinks and hot air balloons in the sky as the leaves change color in the coming weeks.
In this newsletter, you will find:
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Information about Shishito Peppers and their health benefits in “Featured Bag Item”
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What Mustard Greens are good for in “Food Is Function”
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Info about planting fall crops in “Gardening”
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A few simple recipes that you can make with the fresh ingredients in your ReFresh bag!
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Information for Wellness Wednesdays at Winrock, WIC, and the Green Chile U Pick in “Community Resources”
We hope you enjoy this newsletter and thank you for your participation as we work together to build a healthy local food system.
Text your questions, photos, and comments to: (505) 226-3707.
Featured Bag Item
What is a Shishito Pepper and what are its health benefits?
Image from: How to grow Shishito Peppers, the perfect plant for your kitchen garden • gardenary. • Gardenary. (n.d.).
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Shishito Peppers, the name shishito comes from Japanese — shishi means “lion” and togarashi means “pepper,” likely referring to the pepper’s somewhat curled, “lion’s head” tip.
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They are high in fiber making for an excellent snack if you like spice.
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Roughly 1 in 10 peppers is spicy, depending on sun and growing conditions.
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Can be blistered in a skillet or pan, grilled on skewers, oven-roasted, and stir fried
Storage Tips
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Store unwashed peppers in a produce bag in the fridge crisper drawer.
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Best eaten within 1 week for maximum flavor.
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Avoid moisture until ready to cook (it shortens shelf life).
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Can be frozen whole and cooked directly from frozen later.
Shishito Peppers | Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society. (2025). Vumc.org. https://www.vumc.org/cbmes/shishito-peppers
https://facebook.com/healyeatsrealpage. (2024, June 10). 10 Flavor-Packed Health Benefits of Shishito Peppers. Healy Eats Real. https://healyeatsreal.com/health-benefits-of-shishito-peppers/
Gardening
Recipes We Love
Blistered Shishito Peppers with Garlic Soy
Ingredients
- 1 lb (≈ 450 g) shishito peppers
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil (e.g. grapeseed, canola)
- 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (or tamari)
- Flaky sea salt (to taste)
- Sesame seeds (for garnish)
- Lemon or lime wedge (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse the peppers and pat them dry thoroughly (moisture causes oil splatter).
- Preheat a cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium-high / high heat until a water droplet sizzles instantly.
- Add the neutral oil and swirl. Add the peppers in a single layer (don’t overcrowd).
- Let them sit undisturbed for ~1 to 2 minutes so the bottoms blister. Then toss or flip to blister other sides. Continue until charred in places and tender (about 5–8 minutes total) Cookie and Kate+3The Kitchn+3Foodie With Family+3
- Add the sesame oil (if using), garlic, and soy sauce. Toss quickly just until garlic is fragrant (≈ 30 seconds).
- Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle flaky salt and sesame seeds, and serve immediately.
- You can finish with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice if desired.
Serving Suggestions / Variations:
- Serve as a snack, appetizer, or side.
- Pair with a creamy dipping sauce (e.g. garlic aioli, spicy mayo)
- Dress with furikake or sesame seeds for extra umami (Japanese style)
- Add to grain bowls, alongside proteins (fish, tofu, chicken), or as part of tapas repertoire
https://girlwiththeironcast.com/shishito-peppers-with-soy-garlic-sauce/
Roasted Shishito Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
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1 bag TJ’s Shishito Peppers
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3 Tablespoons Spanish EVOO, divided
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2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
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2 Tablespoons TJ’s Plain Greek Yogurt
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2 TJ’s Premium Peeled Garlic Cloves
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1/4 teaspoon TJ’s Sea Salt, or to taste
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1/4 teaspoon TJ’s Ground Black Pepper, or to taste
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Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and sauté about 3-5 minutes, turning occasionally until they blister on all sides. Remove peppers from heat and slice off the stems and discard. Combine shishito peppers, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons greek yogurt, 2 garlic cloves and salt and pepper in a blender. Pulse until desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Makes about 1/2 cup of sauce.
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Serving ideas: Dress a Southwestern salad (butter lettuce, corn, beans, tomatoes, red onion and tortilla chips), drizzle over shrimp tacos, or spread on a BLT sandwich
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/recipes/roasted-shishito-pepper-sauce
Charred Cauliflower and Shishito Peppers With Picada Sauce
Ingredients
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1 head cauliflower, trimmed, halved, and cut into 1 1/2″ wedges
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2 tbsp. plus 1 cup olive oil
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Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
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1 cup canola oil, for frying
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12 shishito peppers
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1⁄2 cup whole almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
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1 cup plus 1 tbsp. roughly chopped parsley
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1 tbsp. finely grated dark chocolate
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2 tsp. sherry
Heat oven broiler. Arrange cauliflower in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush both sides with 2 tbsp. olive oil and season with salt and pepper; broil, flipping once, until charred and tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil and the garlic in a 12″ skillet over medium. Cook until garlic is golden, 4–6 minutes; transfer to a bowl and let cool. Wipe skillet clean and heat canola oil over medium-high; fry peppers until blistered and slightly crisp, 4–6 minutes. Transfer peppers to paper towels to drain; season with salt. Stir almonds, 1 cup parsley, the chocolate, sherry, salt, and pepper into reserved garlic oil; spread onto a serving platter. Top with cauliflower; garnish with fried peppers and remaining parsley.
For the full recipe, click here.
Community Resources
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Winrock Wellness Wednesdays
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Price: FREE!
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When: Every Wednesday from 5 pm to 7pm through October.
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Where: Winrock Town Center. 2100 Louisiana Blvd. N.E., Albuquerque, NM 87110
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WIC Grocery Program
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Pregnant Women, Grandparents + Parents of children under 5 are eligible
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Access to nutritious food
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Apply for WIC TODAY!
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www.centrosavila.com
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www.nmwic.org
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505-315-7296 or 505-645-2882
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Programa de Alimentos WIC
- Mujeres embarazadas, abuelos y padres de niños menores de 5 años son elegibles
- Acceso a alimentos nutritivos
- ¡Solicite WIC HOY!
- www.centrosavila.com
- www.nmwic.org
- 505-315-7296 o 505-645-2882
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Rio Grande Food Project’s 10th Hike to End Hunger
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Saturday, October 18, 2025
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10:00 am – 12:30 pm
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Register Here
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This week’s ReFresh bag:
This week your Refresh bag will include many of the following delicious fresh and staple items:
- Russets from Rodriguez S&J Farm*
- Cucumbers from 2 Willows Farm*
- Green Tomatoes from Vida Verde Farm*
- Shishitos from Farm of Song*
- Summer Squash from Rodriguez S&J Farm*
- Mustard Greens from Ashorka Farm*
- Sprouts from Grounded in Greens*
- Cherry Tomatoes from Farm of Song*
*NM grown / NM made We raise money to purchase these foods from local farmers and food producers as a concrete way to invest in our local food system and get delicious, fresh, local food to our ReFresh families. Keep an eye out for these local farms and food businesses when you do your food shopping. ReFresh bags will always include local food items.
Special thanks to all of the farmers and food producers working so hard to feed our communities; to the staff, volunteers, donors, and ReFresh families who make the program work, and to our partners at MoGro who pack these beautiful ReFresh bags each week for us, and who do so much important work connecting communities to healthy food throughout New Mexico. There would be no ReFresh program without all of you – we love our partners
– All of us at Three Sisters Kitchen