Growing Peppers

I like growing peppers.

Peppers have always been a special part of my garden. They like warmth so during the dog days of August they grow at a fantastic rate.

When there is news of a frost I take my baskets out and pick all of the peppers and pimentos and take them in the house. I cut the peppers in half, remove the seeds, package them and put them in the freezer. It’s that easy.

Peppers are a fruit so they do not have to be blanched before freezing.All winter I have pepper halves for stuffing, pepper strips for stir frying or small pepper pieces for adding to soups and stews.

I love to take a handful of pepper strips and a tablespoon or two of olive oil,sauté them briefly in my frying pan and add them to the dinner menu. They are delicious that way.

At first I only grew green Bell peppers and pimentos. Now I have expanded my garden and raise three other kinds of peppers….Jimmy Nardellos, Purple,and Poblanos.

My Jimmy Nardello peppers come from Seed Savers in Decorah,Iowa. The seeds were brought to this country by Jimmy’s parents who came from Italy. The Nardellos settled in Naugatuck, Connecticut where they proceeded to raise children and continued growing peppers.

Jimmy was the 4th son and like his mother he loved the garden and the peppers. Jimmy used to string them up and dry them for use during the winter. When Seed Savers put out a call for heritage seeds Jimmy sent some of these special seeds to them. Ever since they have been called Jimmy Nardello Peppers.

When growing purple peppers I think of the song” Pick a peck of purple peppers.” The purple pepper seeds came from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds in Mansfield Missouri. They grow 1200 varieties of heirloom seeds. The ones I chose are called “Purple Beauty” and indeed they are.

These beauties were a delight to grow. They continued to produce week after week until the first frost. And once my customers tried them, they requested more. The Purple peppers seem to be sweeter than the other colored ones and they retain their color even when they are cooked.

When poblano peppers are dried they are then referred to as Ancho-poblano. I find that they are very good in what is called Chile Relanos where by they are stuffed with cheese and dipped in an egg batter and fried. Since I don’t do much frying I stuff them and bake them in the oven.

Since I had so much success growing peppers this year, I have strung the poblanos on string to dry on my porch. I will then use them in chile dishes throughout the winter.

STUFFED PEPPERS

• ½ pound lean ground beef
• 1 cup cooked white rice
• 1 onion finely chopped
• ¼ cup thawed frozen peas
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tsp minced fresh thyme
• tsp minced fresh basil
• ½ tsp minced fresh sage
• 4 green, red, or yellow bell peppers, tops cut off and seeded
• ½ cup tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine beef, rice, onion, peas, cheese, tomato paste, garlic, thyme, basil and sage.

Loosely stuff the peppers with the mixture and stand them in a baking dish. Pour the tomato sauce over the peppers. Add enough water so that the liquid comes about ¼ up the sides of the peppers.

Cover with foil and bake, basting occasionally with the juices for 30 minutes.

Uncover and bake until the peppers and rice are tender and the filling is completely cooked, about 20 minutes longer.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving.