The rains arrived in earnest last month, and for the second year running there wasn’t a single ripe pepper to show for months of effort. How frustrating was that? We’d gotten so close this time, and I wasn’t feeling ready to capitulate. Better to dig up the best plants and move them to gallon pots, I decided, knowing full well it might well be a fool’s errand. I gave them each a haircut then sent them to a warm Southern window to live out their days.
To my surprise, some of the peppers were soon showing wisps of brown and purple; couple of weeks more and most had brightened to crimson, a rousing enough success that I’d have potted up every plant in the garden had there been more room at the inn. Similar intelligence emerged from the remaining pepper plants that had been hung out to dry. At outdoor temps in the 40s and 50s, the fruit shriveled but stayed green, and some rotted. With indoor temps in the 70s and nights in the 60s, they colored nearly as fast as their potted brethren.
The lesson, I guess, is how much work it takes to recreate the optimal growing conditions for peppers in our cool maritime climate. Not that I’m done trying. But I can see why all the peppers at our farmers markets come from the other side of the mountains, where it’s hot and dry, and where they grow without fuss. Seems that the cost of driving them a few hundred miles is still cheaper than re-engineering the climate, at least at current retail gas prices.
Meanwhile the unexpected pepper crop raises a new “problem” — just what to do with the bright red Jimmy Nardellos, which are fryers. I’m thinking of chopping them for a thin-crust pizza with sausage and thyme, but I’d love to hear suggestions.
5 comments
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November 10, 2008 at 11:26 pm
Saara
I love those frying peppers! I vote for your pizza idea since you can’t really go wrong with that. Another way that I like them is sauteed up with kale (we have plenty of that around still, don’t we?), onions and garlic – pasta optional. Stir-fried with beef? So many choices.
November 11, 2008 at 8:00 am
pizza! « Eat Local Northwest
[...] we’re back on a pizza-making jag. This week’s toppings include tomato sauce and chopped sweet peppers from the garden, fresh basil from a greenhouse in Duvall, and mozzarella from Greenbank Farm on [...]
November 12, 2008 at 9:50 am
Katrina
After a few years of trying I’ve determined that only the smaller peppers will grow on my deck that gets limited afternoon sun. Next year I’m paring it down to only serranos. They seem to thrive where jalapenos shrivel and thai peppers mope along. Bravo on your determination. I’m glad it payed off.
November 12, 2008 at 5:56 pm
audrey
Saara, thanks for the ideas. Peppers and beef, now why didn’t I think of that? We’ll definitely be trying it out.
Katrina, good to know that you are getting good serranos on a shady porch. I was thinking about growing jalapenos next year, but I may rethink that one. And I am definitely done trying to get a bell pepper.
November 12, 2008 at 8:06 pm
hshaw
You could do worse than make that old standby, Italian sausage, peppers and onions! Nardellos are made for that. I did something like this earlier this year.