Chiles (or chilis) are a magical vegetable
Folks who like it hot will be thrilled to know that 2006 has
been named The Year of the Chile Pepper.
The National Garden Bureau comes up with these designations as
part of a public relations effort to focus on certain vegetables
and flowers that are grown from seed in the garden. Over the years
we’ve seen the honor going to such diverse plants as tomatoes,
spinach, sunflowers and eggplants. This year’s flower is
celosia.
Folks who like it hot will be thrilled to know that 2006 has been named The Year of the Chile Pepper.
The National Garden Bureau comes up with these designations as part of a public relations effort to focus on certain vegetables and flowers that are grown from seed in the garden. Over the years we’ve seen the honor going to such diverse plants as tomatoes, spinach, sunflowers and eggplants. This year’s flower is celosia.
But chile peppers? Actually no other vegetable has the magic appeal of peppers. From the smallest cayenne used sparingly as a seasoning to the largest poblano stuffed for a vegetable, chile peppers are outstanding among vegetables.
There are lots of questions about chile peppers, not the least of which is how to actually spell it. The South American country is Chile. Cooks and chili-cook-offs use chili when referring to the dish chili con carne. The British prefer chilli, as do many folks in parts of the Southwest. To establish a spelling for gardeners, the National Garden Bureau determined that most seed catalogs and magazines use chile when referring to the peppers, and when the pepper is an ingredient to an ethnic dish.
Regardless of how you spell it, chile is surprisingly easy to grow in the garden. Most chile peppers offered in nurseries and catalogs are hybrids, and they are grown during summer’s warmest season in the same was as bell peppers and eggplants.
If you choose seeds, start the plants indoors in peat pots. Sow the seeds 1/4 inch deep in 3-inch peat pots filled with lightly moistened seed starting mix. Once the plants are 5 inches tall, and night time temperatures are above 60 degrees, move them outdoors into the garden beds.
Because chile peppers are literally a hot item with West Coast gardeners, you can find an assortment of started plants in most garden centers. Peppers need full sun, rich soil amended with compost, and good drainage. Mulch with a 2-inch layer of organic matter to keep down weeds, which rob the peppers of moisture and nutrients.
Tall-growing varieties need to be staked. The branches are quite brittle and will break off if left to flop on the ground. To avoid problems with cutworms, which can chew young seedlings off at ground level, place a 2-inch collar of cardboard or aluminum foil around the new plants. Feed the plants with an all-purpose fertilizer six weeks after transplant, and again later in the season if the plants start to look pale or the leaves are small.
While peppers do fine surrounded by other vegetables, they also look great planted among flowers. A ripe red cayenne plant, for instance, is an attractive accent to salvia, rudbeckia and similar low-growing flowers.
Most chiles are green when unripe and turn yellow, orange, red or brown when fully ripe. Harvest chiles when they feel firm and get a glossy sheen, the National Garden Bureau advises. For drying, fully ripe chiles are best. Hang the chiles in a warm dry place, or dehydrator until brittle dry. Store dried chiles in air-tight containers or in sealed freezer bags.
A warning here: Capsaicin, an alkaloid compound unique to chile peppers, gives them their heat. It creates a pleasure/pain response in the mouth, but it burns the skin and eyes. So, use caution when handling hot peppers. If you get pepper juice in your eye, immediately wash it out with clean cool water.
And, if you eat too fiery a pepper, you can get relief by eating yogurt, ice cream or milk.
A Reader Wants to Know: My neighbor is going to throw out an old wooden ladder. He says it is rickety and some of the steps are loose, but it looks pretty good to me. Do you know of any way to strengthen a ladder? – Jack
Joan Says: If you are considering rescuing a rickety ladder, just make sure your medical insurance is up-to-date. A rickety ladder with loose steps is a hazard and you should stay as far away as you can get. There is no way to repair this ladder. You can buy a nice new sturdy ladder – either metal or wood – for a lot less than you would pay for a visit to the emergency room at a hospital. Pass on this ladder. Let it go to the landfill where it belongs.
