We’re still bringing in produce from the kitchen garden even though we’re going into late October.
Maggie harvested about a bushel of small peppers last week along with another bushel of cabbage.
I thought we might have five cabbages out there, but, as usual, some were hiding.
We’re finished selling produce this year, so most of the vegetables will be canned, frozen, or fermented, as are some hot peppers sitting at the back of a kitchen counter. Just looking at them makes my head start to sweat.
I looked at that cabbage and those peppers in the baskets, and decided to make an omelet to finish off a baseball game. It was about 10 p.m.
I sliced half an onion up, a small green pepper and some cabbage, and added some salt and pepper.
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I fried them until it was time for a couple of eggs, scrambled with sliced tomme, a Parmesan-like goat cheese that Maggie made a few months ago.
It was quite good, but at about the halfway point I told Maggie, “This cabbage has a lot of zing.”
Cabbage often has a little zing this time of year, but this zing kept growing. It wasn’t bad. It also wasn’t what I expected.
“What kind of pepper did you use?” Maggie asked.
I said, “One of those little green peppers.”
No, those were cherry peppers that were still green. They have capsaicin like any hot pepper, but they won’t make you feel like your eyes, ears, nose and throat are on fire, just more like starting to combust.
The cherry pepper is kind of Cajun. It gives a friendly, “how do you do?” and then subsides somewhat, allowing you to taste the rest of your meal.
We grow habanero chilies, as well. I won’t go near them. I like to enjoy my food, not be persecuted by it.
One time my sister used one little habanero in the Super Bowl chili and had 20 people wondering if they shouldn’t go to the emergency room.
No one remembers who was playing, but they certainly remember that chili. There hadn’t been that much weeping since the death of Gandhi.
It’s amazing how much potency can come out a garden.
When you handle and slice habanero, you should wear gloves and avoid touching your face.
They are so powerful they go a long way. I always wonder why we grow so many every year. We probably have dry chilies hanging around someplace that are 10 years old. (Is Maggie into chemical warfare?)
A friend sent us a picture of his whole head in a sweat after he used one earlier this season.
I’ve had that reaction a few times in my life. At this point, I think I’ll stick with the warm and friendly cherry pepper.
Not a prepper, just eats peppers, Forrest Hartley lives in Hadley, N.Y. Leave a message at new_americangothic@yahoo.com.