Easy Ways To Use Peppers

It’s that time of the year when the peppers are growing abundantly in the garden. Bell peppers, banana peppers, jalepeños, cayenne, poblanos and others made it into our garden this year. The kids love to munch on fresh banana peppers and snack on bell pepper slices as we cut them up for a meal. One way I love to cook and eat peppers is to saute them in a skillet with onions. The flavors go together wonderfully and make a healthy and delicious side dish. It is so rewarding to gather fresh veggies from the garden and add them to our plates.

Pepper Skillet Recipe

How Can I Use Hot Peppers?

Our cayenne peppers have produced an abundance this year. Since we have learned that it is better to add them to food instead of cook with them, we like to dry them for ground cayenne pepper. When I harvest a batch from the garden, I lay them out in a basket in a well ventilated area. After they sit for a few weeks, they are dry and ready to be ground up. My brother, John Luke, is the pepper guy and likes to grind them up in an electric coffee grinder. We like to sprinkle the ground cayenne pepper on top of our food for the spice and health benefits. John Luke also made ground jalepeño pepper this year by dehydrating jalepeños and grinding them.

Cayenne Pepper For Emergencies

Not only is cayenne used as a spice, it is also used in cases of emergency! Because of cayenne’s blood stimulating and circulation properties, it is used in cases of shock, heart attack, bleeding and even as an energy booster. When some of our baby lambs got dehydrated and sick, we used cayenne to bring them back to life. Just rubbing a little bit in their mouths quickly perked them up, and they revived enough to be willing to drink a bottle which is what they needed in the first place. We keep this amazing pepper with us for those emergencies that arise for both people and animals.

Your Turn

When the summer garden is dying down and the fall is settling in, the peppers keep on coming until the chilly weather arrives. It is so satisfying to harvest these healthy vegetables and use them in many different ways. How do you like to use peppers?

Gratefully,

Hannah

John Luke grinding cayenne pepper. It’s hot so he protects himself with a mask and glasses!