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Each winter I plant pepper seeds indoors in little plastic six-packs filled with potting mix. I start them in mid- February or early March and pamper them for months. I keep them under fluorescent lights, I water them, I coo over them. I put them out in my garden in June after all danger of frost has passed, and the soil has warmed up to 60 degrees or more. For me at least, peppers are a bit fussy. They'd really rather be growing in Mexico.
While having dinner at the Lebanon Three Tomatoes this spring I was chatting with Linda, one of my favorite servers there. She told me she had a trick for growing peppers that had worked well for her: she grows her peppers in the cavities of ordinary cement blocks. The cement warms up nicely on sunny days, and retains heat that it radiates out during the night. It also allows her to control the soil content. Peppers do not need rich black organic soil- they do best in soil that is well drained but low in nitrogen. In fact, if you give peppers fertilizer, they will grow tall, but not produce much fruit.
As an experiment this year, I tried growing the same kind of peppers two different ways. First, I planted some in the ground as I have always done in the past. I know that peppers like to grow in tight quarters - close enough that when full sized, their leaves touch those of their neighbors. So I placed them about a foot apart.
The rest of my peppers I planted in cement blocks, two per block. When growing plants in pots, it is not advisable to fill the pots with ordinary garden soil. It tends to compact with watering, and plants do not generally thrive. Potting soil of the purchased variety, however, has almost no nutrition at all. So I made a 50-50 mix of potting mix and compost to fill the blocks. This kept the soil light and fluffy all season. The compost provided nutrients - but not too much. So far, the hot peppers growing in cement blocks seem to be doing better -and certainly producing fruit earlier.
Sweet red peppers cost more than green ones at the grocery store because they have ripened on the bush, which takes time - and care. More watering, more weeding. Not only that, allowing peppers to fully ripen tells the pepper plants that they have done their job: producing seeds. So they don't tend to produce more flowers and more fruit. Pick yours when they reach full size but are still green unless you are really keen on getting fully ripe hot red peppers, which are at their most flavorful when ripe.
I checked in with Chef Bill Howard at Three Tomatoes in Lebanon to see how he used peppers on the menu. Local growers are just now starting to supply him with peppers, he said. He uses fresh bell peppers in salsa, crab salad, crab cakes and in soups. Or he will grill peppers and onions to accompany his lamb kebabs. And he loves preparing chicken cacciatore which, he told me is a hunter's stew. Chicken is simmered in a sauce of fresh peppers, onions, tomatoes, chicken stock and Italian spices.
Chef Joe Perella at Three Tomatoes in Williston told me that personally, he loves habanero hot peppers for their smoky taste. But they are too hot for most diners. Peppers are rated in Scoville units to indicate hotness. Habaneros are near the top with 100,000 to 350,000 units. Jalapenos, poblanos and chipotle peppers, all which you might consider hot, are rated only 2,500 to 5,000 units.
But Chef Joe does use a brined hot pepper called the "peppadew" in salads or with herb goat cheese. This pepper is relatively new to the market - it comes from South Africa where it was trademarked and introduced in 1993. It looks like a cross between a cherry tomato and a hot pepper. It is rated at around 1,200 Scoville units. It is sweet and spicy, according to Joe.
Like Chef Bill in Lebanon, Chef Joe likes to serve chicken cacciatore, a classic dish. In it he uses a mix of green and yellow onions caramelized with onions, along with tomatoes and spices. He uses bell peppers on pizza, in salads with pasta dishes.
Chef Dennis Vieira at Nika in Burlington loves hot peppers and is not afraid to use them - even though many diners are not used to them. But, as he explained to me, "98% of all dishes are made to order. You can control how much heat is going in." He is pleased to let diners inform their servers if they want a spicy dish mild, medium or hot.
Dennis grew up in a Portuguese community in Swansea, Massachusetts, just outside of Fall River. He learned to love the many flavors that are used in Portuguese cooking and has introduced them to Nikka. When he visits Fall River now, he buys special hot peppers to use at the restaurant - peppers not available in regular grocery stores. An importer, "Portaugala" brings in "Pire-Pire" peppers, both salt-cured as a crushed paste, and in brine. Among other ways, he uses these fried on top of a Flat Iron steak.
Dennis also loves a French pepper called the Espelette. To my taste, the Espelette is the most flavorful of all hot peppers. I discovered it in Bordeaux, France, where it is so treasured that big bottles of dried ground Espelette peppers are sometimes kept under lock and key at the grocery store. They provide real flavor, not just heat. They are rated in the 5,000 to 8,000 Scoville unit range. Dennis has a grower at the Intervale that will be providing him soon with fresh Espelettes, even though in France they are only allowed to be grown in 11 designated villages in the southwest.
Global warming is seen as a real threat by many. But for the grower - or lover - of peppers, there is a real plus to longer growing seasons and hot temperatures. Our peppers will produce better - and might even think they are growing in Mexico!
Visit Henry's web site to see his gardening column and learn about his books. That's www.Gardening-Guy.com.
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RAVNAH invites you to join us in celebration of the things we love about life. You'll enjoy a wonderful evening filled with laughter and fun as well as a fabulous dinner, a live auction and a special tribute to Ravnah's CEO Ron Cioffi.
