Pick a Peck of Peppers

Have you ever looked at those lists of the Top Ten to Buy Organic? – the things that are the most heavily sprayed with pesticides, and/or are genetically modified? Peppers are usually right near the top of that list. Now I love peppers, and use them in lots of my cooking – sauces, chili, stir-fries – and love ‘em raw in season. But the price of organic peppers in the market is often beyond my sense of “yeah, that sounds reasonable.” It’s just more than my budget can bear.

So why not grow them? Well, it’s a little tricky this far north … after multiple attempts at growing them out in the field with the rest of the veggies, it became clear that method wasn’t going to produce the nice, large, abundant peppers of my dreams. So I began growing them indoors.

By indoors I mean in the greenhouse. And no worries if you don’t have a greenhouse – you can, if you crave home-grown organic peppers, create your own little hoophouse that will provide the warmth that these puppies need to grow large and luscious. Do a quick search for “hoophouse” or “low tunnel,” and you’ll come up with an abundance of ideas and directions for low-cost ways to grow peppers, eggplant, and other crops that struggle in our northern climate. You don’t need to buy a kit; if you’re at all handy, you can put one together with low-cost PVC pipe and plastic sheeting. For a small investment of time and money, you can be rich in peppers.

So this year I grew sixteen pepper plants in large pots – five-gallon size – of six different varieties. Sixteen plants, you’re thinking – isn’t that a bit much? But here’s the coolest thing: peppers are the easiest veggie to freeze for future use. No blanching, no ice baths, just slice ‘em or chop them, pop them in freezer bags, and there you are. They’re perfect for stir-fries, pizzas, scrambled eggs, whatever; and during the harvesting season, you will have such wonderful, fresh peppers for eating raw, for stuffing, for red pepper pesto and relish, for salads, for luxurious sharing with friends. What’s not to love?

At the moment, we’re swimming in ripe peppers, and so my day started with a little pepper breakfast pizza. Being a gluten-free person, I’ve found that Food for Life’s GF brown rice tortillas are a godsend … I asked my local Hannaford to stock them a few years ago and they did (yay Hannaford!), but they can usually be found at your local natural foods store as well. This recipe can be used with most any sort of produce that you’ve got; earlier in the summer it was spinach, chives, Parmesan, & feta, then broccoli & cheddar, then it became tomato, basil, & mozzarella – you get the idea. And obviously, it’s an any-time-of-day meal.

Fresh Veggie Breakfast Pizza – Gluten-Free
Simple – fast – yummy – and you start your day with a serving of veggies!

1 brown rice flour tortilla
1 t olive oil
Garlic powder, if desired
1 small or ½ large bell pepper, sliced
1 t dried basil or sm handful fresh basil leaves, torn, or any other herb(s) you prefer
Cheese of your choice – cheddar, mozzarella, havarti, etc
(note: if you are GF, you might want to be wary of pre-shredded cheeses. Various anti-clumping agents are used and not always indicated on the label … I generally cut slices from a block of cheese just in case.)

Spread the olive oil across the top of the tortilla; sprinkle the garlic powder, then the pepper slices, then the basil. Top with cheese.

Slide under broiler until cheese melts; watch carefully! – I use a toaster oven at 10 minutes, but ovens vary.
After removing from oven, let sit for a minute or two before slicing.

Enjoy!