JALAPENO POPPERS

One of my favorite times of the year in the garden is late summer when the peppers begin to mature. I grow Italian Peppers, which I love to roast, Cayenne Peppers from which I make a fermented mash I use throughout the year and Jalapeno Peppers. All summer my kids are asking when the Jalapenos will be ready for making poppers. I grow El Jefe Jalapenos from Johnny's Selected Seeds. While I Prefer to grow open pollinated seeds in some cases the hybrids are so superior there is no choice. El Jefe is incredibly prolific, the peppers are large and they are completely devoid of netting.

Here is my Jalapeno Popper recipe;

Ingredients:

12-15 Jalapenos, stemmed, halved and seeded. Also remove as much of the white membrane as possible

8 oz cream cheese

8 oz grated Cheddar cheese

4 oz mayo

2 garlic cloves minced

2 scallions finely chopped

2 eggs

2 TBL milk

flour

Italian breadcrumbs

If you are afraid these might be too hot for your family soak the Jalapenos in water for about 15-20 minutes prior to making the poppers.

Mix the cream cheese, cheddar Cheese, mayo, garlic, and scallions together and place in a pastry bag. I don't have one so I make one by cutting the corner out of a zip lock bag. Beat the eggs and the milk together. In three separate bowls place some flour, the beaten eggs and then the breadcrumbs.

Squeeze a generous amount of the cheese mix into the cavity of each Jalapeno then roll it first in the flour, then the egg, and finally the breadcrumbs. Place the finished Jalapeno Poppers on lightly oiled baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour then enjoy!

Preserving Fresh Basil

There is no substitute for fresh basil, in my opinion. So as the threat of frost approaches I like to harvest my basil and process it for winter use. I use the freezing method which seems like the easiest method to me and since I don't have much leisure time I like quick and easy. I usually pick the main crop all at once. First I separate the leaves from the stems, the terminal buds I just break off, if there's a bit of the stem left I don't mind. Again I am into expediency. I grow all organically so I don't bother to wash the leaves first. I've never encountered a bug problem with basil so that's not a concern and even if there were a few bugs no one will ever know and it's just extra protein!

Next I fill the bowl of my processor with leaves, not packing it too tightly. Then I drizzle olive oil over the leaves. I've never measured the amount of oil I use but the desired result is to coat all the leaves with oil to help prevent them from turning black when they freeze. Run the processor until the leaves are coarsely chopped and thoroughly coated with oil. Add a little more oil if needed.

I pack the chopped mixture in 8 oz deli containers but zip lock bags will work equally well. I like the deli containers because I can just remove the lid and chip a chunk the size I need out and put it right back in the freezer.