The Little Village Celebration with a Big Italian Flavor!
Living in a small town…is like living in a large family. Sometimes it’s fun, and sometimes it’s perfectly awful, but it’s always good for you. People in the metropolis are like only-children. – Joyce Denny
Life Hudson is on a more human scale than a larger city. The likelihood that you’ll run into the same people over and over is greater. That’s a good thing, because it means the people you see at gas station, the bank, the pharmacy or the football game are neighbors, not strangers.
We get a sense of community here that’s hard to come by in a larger setting. This awareness of belonging is what will make Hudson Grocery Coop work; we’re in this together. We are committed to making Hudson an even better place to live, now and in the future.
We get to feel grounded in a way that is hard to acquire in a metropolis. We have a real home town and the emphasis is more on doing and being than on getting and having. It’s easier to see that relationships are what matter in our life, not the number of toys we can collect before we die. In Hudson, even goofy adolescent boys with their caps on backwards will likely as not shake your hand and say, “hey” when introduced. It’s not exactly, “Pleased to meet you sir,” but let’s be realistic. There are so many reasons to love this community.
This weekend we get to celebrate a uniquely homegrown tradition: the Pepper Festival. We get to enjoy a small town parade with red rider wagons pulling children, see our young daughters laughingly dance down the street with a local tumbling class and our older daughters step out of their comfort zone to run for Pepperfest Royalty. Small local businesses will sponsor clowns or a tractor pulling a float, throwing candy and freezy pops. Local teenagers will show their self-discipline and musical skills with the marching band. What a delight!
The locals who volunteer to organize and run this event have values in common with those of us who are working together to grow a coop; they give their time and selves to create a heartwarming shared experience for young and old alike, for friends and strangers, for the common good. They were the original community organizers – even before it was a vocation made popular by our president.
The small town parade and community festival is a uniquely local experience, one you won’t want your children to miss as they form memories to last a lifetime. Get out there and meet your neighbors. And, when you find yourself sitting down to taste the local cuisine of stuffed peppers, tell the person you just met across the picnic table how exited you are about the new coop that’s coming to town. You just might help someone new get more connected in their community.
Check out the Pepper Festival Schedule of Events!
Pickled Sweet Green Pepper Strips adopted from the book The Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich
Makes 4 pints
4 thin slices peeled, fresh ginger
4 small garlic cloves
2 tsp pickling salt
2 lbs green bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch strips (remove the curly tops and bottoms)*
2 c white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar
2 c water
1 1/4 c sugar
1) In each of 4 clean, pint mason jars, put 1 ginger slice, 1 garlic clove, and 1/2 tsp pickling salt. Tightly pack pepper
strips into jars.*
2) In a nonreactive saucepan, boil the vinegar, water, and sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar. When boiling, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 5 minuted.
3) Pour hot liquid over pepper strips, leaving 1/2 inch
headspace. Close with hot two-piece lids. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.
4) Store the cooled jars in a cool, dark place for at lease 3
weeks before eating.
* Chop the curly tops, bottoms, and any strips that do not fit in the jars into small pieces. Place in a zip-close bag and freeze to use for omelets, hot dishes, tomato sauce, etc later.
Let us know your favorite event at Pepper Fest!
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