Peppers: All the Bells & Whistles from

Growing to Cooking

Homegrown peppers can be one of the

most rewarding choices for yourgarden...and dinner.

Choices and varieties range from the sweet bell peppers to hot

chili peppers. Varieties have their origins in Asia, Central America and

North America, but they are grown around the globe for their brilliant

colors and amazing flavors.Peppers can be used in Italian recipes, Greek

recipes and of course Mexican cuisine. Finding the right choice for your

garden as well as your preferred taste will prove fun and

delicious.

BellPeppers

Bell pepper is the

common name for the group of plants in the species Capsicum annuum. These

plants are known for their bell-shapedfruit, which is where they

get their label. They come in a wide range of colors including red,

yellow, orange, and purple. The green bell peppers that are commonly

found in the produce sections of the market are actually unripe

peppers of the colored varieties. This results is one of the

reasons they are not as sweet as the others. Bell peppers are sweet peppers and do not contain the natural chemical which causes the“heat” in other peppers.

Purple Beauty produces

three inch fruits that start off crisp green before maturing into an

eggplant purple. The plants produce a high yield,and are also cultivated

to be disease resistant. It is a good plant for growing in almost any

climate. The plants are compact and bushy.The fruit is thick, and perfect

for slicing into any meal where a little color is desired.

•Chocolate

Beauty is another bell pepper. The plant was first

introducedin 1993 but is always an interesting addition to the

garden. Thefruits mature to around 4 inches and are a dark,

chocolate brown with afew black or purple highlights.

•Bell Boy is a hybrid bell pepper that produces bright

red fruits.The plants grow to around three feet tall and are

resistant to TobaccoMosaic Virus and other diseases. The fruit is

of medium size, and maturesat about six inches. It is a great

choice for adding color to salads,but is also good for

roasting.

•Summer Sweet is another hybrid that

is highly disease resistant. Thefruit changes from green to gold

when it matures. It reaches around fourto six inches and it a

great color addition to salsa orsalad.

Miniature Yellow

Bell is a compact plant that only reaches about one toone

and a half feet tall. The fruit is also small with most maturingat

less than two inches. It is an heirloom bell pepper that is greatfor

drying and pickling, but can also add some bright gold coloring tosalsa, sauces or salad.

HotPeppers

All hotpeppers get their heat from the

chemical known as capsaicin. The heat ofthe peppers is measured

in Scoville heat units (the number of timesthe extract must be

diluted in water to lose its heat). The higher theScoville number

the hotter the chili.
Not often thought of, but hot peppers

are often used by manyItalians in the form of hot pepper flakes.

Some people love the flavor ofspicy food so much they even add it

to their own spaghetti. However, ifpreparing a meal for family

and friends, it is best to provide each persontheir own individual pasta bowl so they can

individually add the appropriate amountof spices they prefer.

Here are alist of some hot pepper varieties:

•Bhut

jolokia (Ghost pepper) is considered the hottest pepperaround,

and measures out at around 1,000,000 SHU. They have been certifiedby Guinness as the world's hottest chili pepper. This variety

caneasily be grown as a patio plant and does well in containers.

•Aji Amarillo Chili is a Peruvian variety

which produces longyellow or orange fruit around five inches

long. The heat level is intensebut the flavor is

fruity.

Anaheim Pepper is a mild green to red

pepper, and is an excellentchoice for chili rellenos. The fruits

of this variety often grow up to 10inches.

Bulgarian

Carrot Pepper is shaped like a carrot. The fruit is crunchyat

maturity and provides a medium to hot spiciness for dishes. Theplants

of this variety usually grow only to about 18 inches. It is anattractive plant which can be used for ornamental purposes, but

is alsoedible.

Peruvian White is another hybrid from

Peru. This habanero pepper issmall, maturing to a gold coloring.

It is a hot to extremely hot peppervariety with a SHU of around

30,000.

Kung Pao is a hybrid pepper plant that

grows up to four feet tall.It produces hot fruit that measure up

to 30,000 SHU. The size of thefruit is only around five inches

and it has a tapered shape. It maturesto a red color and can make

a nice addition to fresh dishes. It isalso a good choice for

drying because of its size and color. Thisvariety is a good

choice for growing indoors.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Recipe (any color) . Serves 4

Preheat theoven to 350

degrees F. In a large frying pan heat some olive oil andadd

approximately 4 chopped cloves of garlic. Saute 2 minutes. Add 1/3pound

ground beef or bison and cook until done.

Meanwhilecook

1/2 cup orzo pasta in a sauce pan, drain and set aside.

When meat is finished, add the orzo to the meat along with a pinchof

salt and pepper and 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley.

Cut off tops of

peppers and fill insides with the mixture. Place cut off tops backon

top and place bell peppers in a pre-greased baking dish. Bake for35

minutes or longer until vegetables are tender. Servewarm.

AuthorCredit: This article and recipe was contributed by

Elizabeth Trementozzi,publisher of a cooking website featuring easy

Italian recipes. After visiting with relatives in Italy,Elizabeth

has since been inspired to better appreciate the simplistic cooking

and lifestyles of the Italians. From learning how to use a stovetop

and astainless steel espresso maker for a quick shot of espresso,to

learning the value of gardening fresh vegetables for meals, shenow

shares her love for simple Italian cooking through writingarticles

and sharing information on her website.