Increasing Signs of Life

The pepper plants are blasted by the late frost, but there may be overwintering life left -- the stems aren't blackened. I'll wait a few more weeks and clip back some of the worst-hit areas. Hopefully the best peppers will get a jump-start on the season and then be joined by newly-planted ones. Turns out I do want many more peppers than I had last year.

It's time to get into the hives. Pollen coming in means there must be brood. I noticed too many ants and I'd like to split these hives early enough to avoid a May that is all about swarms. If it doesn't work? Well, I'm not completely committed to this hobby any longer.

 

Easy to see their reptile links. Eggs are beginning to trickle in, and I do mean trickle. We may have to Have Words soon.

The Anna apple is always first to break bud.

Allowing parseley to go to seed turns out to be the easiest way to guarantee loads of fresh parseley, although not succession planting necessarily.

Last year's gone to seed area -- actually, I think I took seed heads and hit the ground here. Sort of a mythical kind of sowing: "Strike the ground with the magic seed head. . ."

Remembering to be grateful

My days seem to race by, filled with a mix of minutia and must-dos, with little time taken for reflection and prioritizing. Anyone who saw my garden could attest to that!

I try to be really generous in my thoughts and approach -- seeking to keep focus on the long-term things and realize that, yes, the house needs sweeping but if it doesn't get done perfectly or now, it will still be sweepable tomorrow, but the family member wanting attention probably does need it now.

Friends and family far away in the path of the hurricane, or close by in the sights of devastating disease help me keep my mind on bigger things. Our weather is not at all exciting, except in the memory of how a weekend spent bodysurfing under pure California sun has morphed into seasonally-appropriate gray fog, with rain on the way.

A quick run out to the chickens (who aren't Big Picture important, but can't check their own water) and I noticed this beautiful pepper hiding in the pepper bed. Holding its cool, blocky heft, I remembered to be grateful for all the sunshine that concentrated in its sweetness.

When we eat it on salad tonight I will be grateful, indeed.

Home for Hot Peppers

The Jalapeños have been quite nice this year. Sometimes it seems as though hot peppers are just easier than sweet -- they're abundant, they aren't terribly picky about just the right heat, and generally mine aren't pest bothered. Mine are also somewhat small, over all. I just haven't watered enough. But they taste okay. Generally, I don't grow anything but bells and Padrons, for me, yet this year I ended up with a good handful of what I'd consider hot peppers -- and for me, that starts with Jalapeños, and goes up to "heat I can't handle."

Eric said he wanted some of them pickled, and I figure I'll try my hand at a Tabasco-style sauce with the long hot chiles and some of the ripe banana peppers, but still. . . there's a lot of green, hot peppers out there. What to do?

Well, that same Eric mentioned he thought he might like some pepper/cheddar bread, so I trolled around the internet to find a recipe to tweak follow, and this is what happened:

 

 

And the recipe, from Epicurious:

• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast (less than a 1/4-ounce package)
• 1 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon warm water (105-115°F)
• 4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting (I cheerfully substitute whole wheat or white whole wheat for at least half)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh jalapeño, including seeds and ribs, plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh jalapeño, without seeds and ribs (from 3 medium total) (I left all the seeds and ribs -- hey, I'm not eating it! As written, it was sort of flavorless.)
• 5 ounces coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar (1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons)
• 1 1/2 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (3/4 cup)
• 1 large egg, beaten with a pinch of salt

Stir together yeast and 1 tablespoon warm water in a small bowl; let mixture stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If it doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)

Mix together flour, salt, oil, yeast mixture, and remaining 1 3/4 cups warm water in bowl of mixer at low speed until a soft dough forms. Increase speed to medium-high and beat 3 minutes more. Add jalapeño, 1 1/2 cups Cheddar, and 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano and mix until combined.

Scrape dough down side of bowl (all around) into center, then sprinkle lightly with flour. Cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel (not terry cloth) to keep a crust from forming and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. (Alternatively,let dough rise in bowl in refrigerator 8 to 12 hours.)

Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and gently form into a roughly 11- by 8-inch rectangle with floured hands.

Fold dough in thirds (like a letter) with floured hands (dough will be sticky), pressing along seam of each fold to seal.

Put dough, seam side down, in an oiled 9- by 5-inch loaf pan. Cover pan with same clean kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until dough completely fills pan and rises above it slightly, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.

Brush loaf with egg, then sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons Cheddar and remaining 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano down center of loaf.

Bake until bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Run a knife around edge of pan to loosen loaf, then remove from pan to test for doneness.

Return bread (not in pan) to oven and turn on its side, then bake 10 minutes more to crisp crust. Cool completely on a rack, about 1 1/2 hours.


Enjoy!