Garden gold: Hungarian hot peppers

I just ate a Hungarian yellow-orange hot pepper fresh from the garden. Slightly sweet, with just a smidge of pepper bitter, and a beautiful midrange mouth heat. Within a minute, I felt perspiration rising on my face and upper body.

I had been working in the gardens, yanking spent broccoli plants and choked tomatillo vines and tossing them on the compost pile. I had earned a little sweat, but the pepper gave it a boost. Then, two minutes later, the heat faded. I jotted a quick reminder on the kitchen chalk board — “salsa with Hungar. pep, garden tomato & onion/ salsa verde with tomatillos.” All it needed was a little tomato tangy sweetness to send it into summer bliss.

At long last in this cool summer, I’ve got some garden produce. I’ll be sharing some tasting notes and quips from “the field” on our 75 x 150-foot city lot as flashes of inspiration occur to me.