Peppers with a Purpose

By Chuck Richards

In late November, I finally committed to the bittersweet task of cleaning up what was the backyard edible garden. Being the Northern Hemisphere’s time to weather the Earth’s 23 degree tilt away from our energy source, my tomato stakes came down, and the remaining plant material went to compost. In the midst of this annual exercise of mind and body, I once again found humor in the absurd amount of hot peppers that I produce annually. By the time I was finished the chore, I had a more than fifty final hot peppers for 2016.

If my wife, our two toddler girls, and I solely ate hot peppers, I would never again have to wait behind that guy at the Giant who uses self-checkout with an overflowing shopping cart when the rest of us behind him have a few things in a small basket. But outside of me, no one in this house eats hot peppers. One can only push so many hot peppers on friends, family, and colleagues before people begin to talk. So, each year, I am committed to finding creative ways to utilize all those hot peppers and, lately, equally committed to being pleasant in the self-checkout line at the grocery store.

After I have made as many salsas as I can dream up, or tried every sandwich or variation of grilled chicken or burger with roasted hot peppers, or even spiced up a tomato sauce; eventually, there are still too many peppers and not enough time. Since they don’t keep forever, I have a few favorite ways to utilize them throughout the winter and all the way into the next growing season.

Crushed Red Pepper

I use my bright red cayenne peppers to make homemade crushed red pepper.  It’s very easy to do and pays long-term dividends with the spice and flavor it can add to many winter meals.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Remove stems, and cut the peppers in half;

2. Spread the peppers across a cookie sheet. Feel free to include some seed too;

3. Bake at 200° F (or less if your oven settings and time allow) for several hours. Use a fan or crack the oven door when you can, as air circulation is important for the process;

4. Crush! When the peppers are fully dried, place in food processor or take a rolling pin or knife to them;

5. Place crushed pepper in a shaker (I just clean out a used shaker and make my own label).

That’s it. It’s that easy. Just make sure they are fully dry, or they are more difficult to crush/dice.

Diced Peppers for Freezing

I use freezer sphere molds…banana, jalapeno, cayenne, serrano, habanero, etc. They are such a simple “add” to any dish throughout the winter when all you have to do is open up one of these molds and stir them in as you begin cooking or thaw and utilize uncooked in many different meals.

Save the Seeds

You can use these seeds for next year’s plants. I’ve been planting for years without buying any seed. Simply separate all the seeds and set on a surface to dry for a few days. Then, put them in a small paper bag, label it, and put it in a plastic storage in the back of the fridge until it is time to plant in the spring!

IMPORTANT SAFETY TIPS!

I think the most important tip is to be careful throughout these processes. I’m often too stubborn to use gloves, but it is a good idea to use some sort of protection from the capsaicin, which is the oily chemical responsible for the "hot" in peppers (genus capsicum)

Capsaicin is difficult to wash/scrub off as it is hydrophobic, and even after you think you are in the clear, you’ll rub your eyes and be instantly and very uncomfortably reminded why you should have been less stubborn.

If you are using the oven to assist your drying process, be sure to either have a window cracked for good circulation, and consider evacuating loved ones and pets prior to oven drying. That capsaicin can begin permeating your living space to the point of irritability. 

Resources:

Search “OC Spray” on YouTube for a few examples of what a military/law enforcement dose of a capsaicin-based spray does to these poor individuals. Sure, these are extreme examples, but maybe they’ll help you remember these safety tips.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsicum#Capsaicin_in_Capsicum

http://www.gandgpeppers.com/faqs

Hopefully this helps you enjoy these healthy and delicious hot peppers year-round!

A Better way to Start Seedlings

Patricia Vance

        I’ve heard all the excellent arguments for starting your own seedlings at home: better selection, control over timing, less risk of introducing microbes and other pests into your garden. And I tried for years to start seeds indoors with poor results: spindly, weak, sallow seedlings that did poorly even when properly hardened off.

        The reason, I knew, was that I couldn't provide them with enough light.  Even windows that face south simply filter too much sunlight. I’d seen the grow lights set-ups for sale in seed and gardening catalogs, but they run around $100 for a 2-foot light set-up. The less expensive models only have one bulb. I found that a  little too pricey for what you get. So I balked and bought young plants in the garden centers instead.

       With a little ingenuity, last year I came up with an inexpensive growing station that I installed in my basement.

This is what I used:

An existing workbench large enough to support my tray of seedlings

Seed starter tray with peat pellets

1 2-foot, 2-bulb T8 fluorescent shop light ($18)

2 T8 grow light bulbs ($10 apiece)

2 chain hangers ($4.50)

2 screw-in hooks (less than $1 apiece)

1 plug-in electric timer ($10)

1 basic extension cord (less than $5)

       I did pony up for the seedling mat because I was concerned about keeping the correct temperature. You can get heating pads from the drug store, but I was afraid of cooking my vegetables before they were big enough to put into the garden!

       Since I provide the light and heat, I set my system up in my basement on a worktable.  I placed the seedling tray on the bench and then screwed in the hooks directly above the ends of the tray. I hung the light up on the hooks using the chain holders (found in the same area of the hardware store as the shop lights).

       The lights must be within an inch or two of the tops of the seedlings. Using chain hangers, I can easily move the light up incrementally as the plants grow. I can even make one side higher than the other, to accommodate seedlings growing at different rates. I put all of my tall seedlings on the right and then allow the light to hang lower on the left. I plugged the shop light into an inexpensive timer, and set it to go on for 12 hours each day. However, I kept the warming mat on all the time

        I check on seedlings daily. It's also an opportunity to check water levels and make sure the seedlings are moist but not wet at all times. 

       My seedlings are now growing so well, that I am considering buying a free-standing metal 4-shelf unit for about $30. I can hang the hooks from the metal grids on an upper shelf and put my seedlings on the lower shelf. More shelves also means more seedlings. Just adding another light and another warming mat, and I can double my growing space. While this also increases the price, the total expenditure will always be significantly lower than purchasing a ready-made unit. And I also find that my set-up is sturdier than the frames available through catalogs.

       The ultimate proof is a tray of hardy, vigorous seedlings that thrive when I put them out in the garden.

Milk bottle cloches to extend your growing season

Sandy Grimwade

A great way to give your tomatoes, peppers and other warm-weather crops a head start in the garden is to use a cloche or hot cap. This allows you to set out your plants a couple of weeks earlier than usual.

The guideline for setting out tomatoes is usually the last frost date, but this becomes earlier and earlier as the climate warms, and is affected by whether you live in a city, which creates a heat-island effect, or in the suburbs. Many other factors like the slope of your land and proximity of walls, buildings and trees can also affect your micro-climate.

The date normally quoted for setting out tomatoes and peppers in Philadelphia is usually around May 1 and in the suburbs May 15. Using a cloche can take some of the guesswork and uncertainty out of the planting-out date and allow setting out a couple of weeks early.

I use recycled one gallon or half-gallon plastic milk bottles with the bottom cut off. Rinse out the bottle, then (carefully) cut off the base of the bottle with a bread knife or a pair of scissors, and you are good to go. Set the bottle over the new transplant with the edge buried about 1 inch deep. If you just sit the bottle on the ground, it is liable to blow away in a strong wind. The warmth of the sun heats up the soil inside the bottle during the day. It also keeps the humidity high, which decreases transplant shock. At night, the temperature inside the bottle stays several degrees higher than the surrounding air, and the plant is protected from wind. I usually leave the tops off the bottles to avoid the trapped air becoming too humid, but if a late frost or cold and windy night is forecast it is quick and easy to put the tops on the bottles, and take them off the next morning. Once we get into late May or early June and your plants are growing rapidly it is time to take off the milk bottle cloches. They can be used for two or three seasons, but eventually the plastic becomes brittle and cracks. That is why I start collecting my empty milk bottles about the same time as I plant my seeds indoors.

A further advantage of the milk bottle cloche is protection from cutworms and other insects. I often leave my cloches on my eggplants until they are too big to fit, to avoid flea beetle and other insect damage.

Other uses for cloches in the garden include covering directly sown seed to encourage faster germination, and covering greens in the fall to extend the harvest.