Bell peppers are truly fun and nutritious food.  Their medley of many colors and varieties are so beautiful and present my praise for them in this music-themed writing.  Their origins date back thousands of years to the early Americas.  They may be enjoyed both raw or cooked.  To preserve, I prefer to freeze them.  Summertime in Alaska is short and precious.  Every day counts for trying to grow this “hot” plant.

 

MALE OR FEMALE JIVE

Turn over a bell pepper and you will usually notice it has 3 or 4 lobes.  I was told that was because it determines the sex of the pepper.  After vetting that information, I realized this is a myth, or what we used to call in the 70s, jive talking.  The truth is the range of the number of lobes is 2-5 and depends on the variety.  Lesson learned:  vet information.

 

NUTRITION BEAT AND ITS CATCHY TUNE

Bell peppers are rich in Vitamin C and antioxidants.  They contain quercetin which is hot on the scene these days.  Quercetin serves as an ionosphore, or ion carrier, to maximize the impact of zinc within our immune system.  Zinc is like a rock star for building immunity and needs efficiency, like an ionosphore, to maximize the benefit.  Quercetin is listed on many doctor sites, such as Frontline MDs, as part of suggested protocols to combat viruses such as COVID. God is so good to place great nutrients in foods like bell peppers for our wellness.

 

CONTAINER GARDENING ORCHESTRA

Due to the hard Alaska soil and need to insulate from fluctuating temperature, I began my container gardening journey three summers ago.  Due to cost of soil amendments, containers, and space, crop choice is vital.  Since organic peppers were quite expensive at $3.49 each in some stores, bell peppers were near the top of my list.  Even though my first two summers’ attempts brought no success, I sought counsel and made changes that brought a small, but thankful harvest.  The three greatest improvements were in using larger pots and organic potting material, hotter conditions, and more regular fertilization. I also chose an heirloom variety matched for my zone.  I chose King of the North from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.  I selected heirloom seeds because they are not genetically modified (non-GMO) which, among other benefits, allows me to save back the seeds from the grown pods and replant next year.

I chose used 2-gallon nursery pots and plastic saucers.  While they are thinner pots, I banked on more heat and the saucers to retain any overflow from watering.  Because Alaska summers can be very dry, I added a moisture retaining bead product.  I also added organic time-release fertilizer pellets at planting and once more.

To combat any spikes in temps above 95-100 degrees, I hung a remote thermostat in the greenhouse with the monitor in my kitchen.  As temps gradually rose, and fell, in June, I raised and lowered the plastic zippered roll up doors and windows.  I relaxed in July and opened both doors and the window flaps.  For the past two summers, I sacrificed plants fearing the moose would eat my plants.  What I learned this year is moose do not care for the “hot” plants such as bell peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers.  This was confirmed to me one afternoon when I spotted a mama moose passing by the greenhouse.  With a little vocal “encouragement” from me as I stood bravely from around the corner of the house, she peeked from a window, sniffed, and moved on.  When natural rainwater was available from our barrel, I used that.  With all this special care, I visited my family in Utah in late July and early August – the peak of growing season – and am so proud of my husband Paul who held down the fort.  Everything looked wonderful when I returned.

 

HALLELUJAH CHORUS

I love to sing over my plants.  My breath delivers CO2 to them.  As I completed the planting process, I stood back and admired what was begun and gave thanks to the Lord.  I prayed for His protection over them and to prosper the work of my hands.  In John 14:13, Jesus said, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”  Routine check-ins and watering times became acts of love and joy expressed for their growth and development. “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.”  (Psalm 118:1)

THE FINAL VERSE

From May 15 to August 12, the plants fared well in the greenhouse with multiple pods emerging on the vines.  However, most did not grow into the usual store-quality size.  As temperatures grew unseasonably cool in early August, I relocated them to my workbench in the garage and placed 24 hour grow lights over them.  On sunny days, I shifted them outside as often as possible. Seeing no change, I picked the plants clean on August 31 and left the plants outsi

de to continue to water and observe.  As they begin a downturn, I will test my theory that the plants got slightly rootbound and thus stopped growing.  My garden mentor assures me that the size of my yield is typical considering the short growing season.  So, it’s……

HARVEST TIME ON THE CHORUS LINE

Using my Ulu knife, I chopped my bounty into pieces and flash froze them for about an hour.  To flash freeze, you merely place your prepped food on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  After the hour, use a spatula to scoop and bag for the freezer.  My yield was 6 quarts!  Thank you, God, for this harvest!

Growing these peppers organically was fun and will bring many wonderful meals.  What made the difference this year?  While I don’t think ideal yet, I believe using the larger pots helped.  The plants also received more pollination and organic fertilizer.   I am encouraged and excited to see what happens next summer!

 

ENCORE

This Ode is not over yet!  I learned I can keep my bell peppers healthy over the winter!  They will be housed in our garage with a grow light and enough water to keep the roots happy.  The leaves may yellow and fall, but the plant will be a jump start for next Spring.  Stay tuned!

 

RECIPE AFTER PARTY

Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers (4)

Ingredients:

4 bell peppers

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1-2 cloves of garlic

1 small onion

1-2 bay leaves

1 ½ cups Italian of mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Cut tops from bell peppers and remove seeds and set into cooking pan (8 x 8 works well).
2. Mix together your favorite pasta sauce. I prefer:

1 pound of ground beef

1 jar favorite spaghetti sauce

1-2 cloves garlic

Small onion

1 bay leaf

Brown beef and set aside.  Sauté garlic and onion in about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and the add beef and sauce back into it with bay leaf.  Adjust the following based upon your preference and strength of any premade sauce.  Allow to simmer up to an hour.

3. While sauce is cooking, cook one cup of cooked rice (white or brown). Cooked rice consists of 2 cups water to 1 cup rice with a teaspoon of salt cooked on low for 20 minutes.
4. Mix cooked rice with beef mixture and fill the bell peppers.
5. Cover and cook on 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
6. Remove tinfoil/cover and top with shredded cheese. Mozzarella or mixed Italian cheese of choice. Cook until cheese melts.  Enjoy!