Tasty Treats at Summer's End, Vol. 2

We’re back at it again! This weekend’s rain officially signaled the end of summer in my head and I’ve been busy prepping for fall!

This summer I’ve volunteered with an organization called Global Gardens, which aids refugees living in the Treasure Valley in marketing and selling their own locally-grown produce. This time of year is peak harvest, and farmers are over-run with vegetables in need of a home and a mouth.

Pepper Paradise

The best part of my Sweet, Hot Vegetable Summer was getting to know peppers in a more intimate way. For the first time, I came to appreciate and wonder at the diversity in color, shape, and taste, and the not-so-subtle addition they make to so many dishes!

“When life gives you vegetables, you pickle.” That’s what Pappy always said. I had so many peppers I had to devise my own taxonomical system: those for pickling and those for not. I decided on jalapenos and Hungarian wax peppers, for their range of heat and developing color. Just look at that capsaicin rainbow.

The various colors come from peppers at different stages of growth, starting with green and moving toward a deep red.

At one point while chopping, in the midst of second-hand pepper paranoia, I had an idea: Petey’s Pickled Peppers LLC—you name it, I pickle it! My mission statement? To break down the fear society holds toward peppers and their misunderstood heat.

Fun Fact: the capsaicin which gives peppers their heat is contained in the pith, the white inner flesh, not the seeds as many people believe. As peppers mature and change from green to red, the outer membrane becomes sweeter, while the pith grows hotter. To reduce the heat of any pepper, simply remove the inner pith and you're left with the delicious, mild flavor of the pepper itself!

To pickle peppers I almost always use the same brine recipe:

• 1 cup white vinegar

• 1 cup water

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 1/2 tablespoon sugar (I doubled it to give the peppers some sweetness)

• several grinds of black pepper (or whole peppercorns)

This recipe is simple and almost always on hand. Bring the brine to a boil, pour over the pepper slices, and let jars cool to room temperature before refrigeration. Wait 2 or 3 days and you have delicious, sweet & spicy peppers that can last months!

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You Just Can’t Beet That!

On a moody Tuesday morning, I succumbed to a whim and used up our neglected beets to make homemade chips! Beets contain a surprising amount of water, so I encourage you to acquire a good dozen to make it worth the time commitment. And a blessing in the beet chip game is the thickness required: they don’t need to be paper thin, so don’t get flustered! Once cut, drizzle with olive oil and lightly salt, and place in the air fryer. Return to shake the cooking chips every 10-15 minutes and you should have crispy homemade chips in less than an hour!

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They Call Me the Sauce Boss

The Main Event this fall has been my desire to make spaghetti sauce from scratch. The ultimate goal was to can, freeze, and give jars away as Christmas presents, but the involved canning process and botulism deterred me toward simply sharing my sauce as an autumn equinox gift instead.

First things first: don’t get lost in the sauce! When we’re dealing with this many fresh tomatoes (~20 lbs), it’s understandable to quickly get overwhelmed by the process. I read time and time again that Roma tomatoes are best, but I just used what I had, which included some heirloom tomatoes. That’s the great thing about homemade sauce, it doesn’t take much to still turn out better than store bought!

The one step I admit to skipping is peeling. With this many tomatoes and without any helpers, I just couldn’t be bothered to laboriously blanch and peel each one. (This did end up leaving little bits of curled up peel, but we could all use a bit more fiber!) I started by cutting out the tomato cores, removing any other cracks or blemishes, and cutting them into 1-2 inch chunks. Straight into the pot they go on a low to medium heat, as the tomatoes begin to break down and release their water.

At this point, after about 40 minutes of cooking the tomatoes down, I felt ready to give it a blend. If you’ve peeled your tomatoes, you may get away without blending and simply cooking for longer until they completely break down.

With my pureed tomato sauce on the side, I got started on my soffritto. I won’t attempt to explain the intricacies of an Italian soffritto, but for mine I omitted celery and just minced onion, carrot, and garlic, and added it to a healthy helping of extra virgin olive oil. With this type of large volume, I sauteed the soffritto for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, in order to get the desired caramelization and release of flavors. After joining the tomato sauce with the soffritto, I added oregano, thyme, rosemary, and salt, and simmered for another 30 minutes.

All that’s left now is to appoint the household’s official taste tester. Growing up, this was always my Mom. Like Mariana Rivera, we called her The Closer, and she always knew when a bit more salt, sugar, or lemon juice was needed. Perhaps someday I’ll have the taste buds for it!

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There’s something about home cooking that I grow to love and appreciate more each year. It feels like the natural continuation of my deep interest in gardening and farming. Yet, my favorite part of the process is the tail end, sharing my creations with friends and family. I’ve learned throughout my 20s that the most natural way for me to show love is through Acts of Service. In this case, that means an easy spaghetti dinner after a busy day. It brings me great joy to reduce the burdens of others, spending my time in order for others to spend theirs where they choose.

Thanks for reading :)