Crisp crackers for a crisp fall morning - Saratoga Crackers is here this week! So is the knife sharpener

And lots & lots of peppers: Bull's Horn, Cubanelles and Japanese shishitos. This is the time of year when they take over the market and make it look so textured and painterly. If you haven''t tried shishito peppers, head straight to the MX Morningstar tent to get some this week. These "mini" thin-walled green pepper lean sweet -- for the most part.  Every once in a while you'll  bite into one and it will bite back. Here's a tip: the smaller the pepper the more heat it packs, generally speaking.

Shishitos make the perfect appetizer, just the thing to nibble on while you're waiting on something on the grill. They couldn't be easier to prepare: All you have to do is blister them (on the grill or in a cast-iron pan with some olive oil)  and dust them with some coarse sea salt.  Serve hot and hold by the stem to eat.

Right now, you can have your pick of sweet peppers that are perfect for stuffing.  I love this Food52  recipe for green peppers stuffed with  sausage, goat cheese and caramelized fennel because you can buy most everything you need at the market. Since Gary, our mushroom guru, is back for the fall season, I would undoubtedly add mushrooms to this recipe. But that's just me.

Don't forget your knives for sharpening...

And, in anticipation of our upcoming plastic bag ban in Hastings, Costanza Zordan will be displaying "green"  alternatives to plastic bags that are perfect for packing peppers - and other things. Make sure to visit her table...

See you at the market!

Pascale