Re: Pepperdews
- Subject: Re: Pepperdews
- From: C* d* W*
- Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 01:26:08 +0200
Hi Glen
Nice to see a fellow African in the group. I am just over the mountain
from you in Simonstown.
I have experimented with the pepperdew ( or as a lot of people write about
or refer to it - 'peppadew') to see how long it's yield period is. I have
also spoken to a couple of people who grow for small markets. The
consensus is to
plant it as an annual as the yield decreases significantly as it ages. I
find that one
bush is sufficient for our (2 adults') needs. My wife usually pickles the
fruit but it doesn't soften the skin.
Re your quest for a recipe: On the last Sunday of every month, Imhoff's
Farm (on the way to Kommetjie) has an organic market. There is a
stallholder there who sells preserves, including a damn tasty pepperdew
one. Try her and see whether she would be willing to part with her recipe.
You never know, organic, free-ranging gardeners on that side of the world
are generous people!
Regards
Charl de Winnaar
----- Original Message -----
From: "Glenn Breayley" <valhalla@iafrica.com>
To: "medit-plants" <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
Sent: Saturday, March 02, 2002 4:45 PM
Subject: Pepperdews
Hi All
My apologies for a delay in response here - work pressure & all
Thanks to Carol Joynson for all the info she found. I had no idea it was a
South African development. And Joe Seals is right in his cynicism about it
being a slick piece of marketing, though I don't think you can easily
dismiss them for their culinary worth however.
They arrived on the market a few years back & acheived a great demand very
quickly, as they have a very unique flavour. A chili pepper clone maybe,
but
it has a very distinct sweet flavour & taste with only a very faint burn.
Just enough to give it some spice - & believe me I'm no chilli or curry
fan.
Woolworths in SA is a very high quality & pricey department store, & seems
they have the marketing rights these things are very pricey. So everyone
was
pretty happy when seeds started circulating amongst the home gardeners
last
year. A few local nurserymen tried selling them & Woolworths lawyers came
down very heavily - this is what made me believe they were an
overseas/American innovation - we're usually a little more anarchistic in
our attitudes to patenting rights here. However theres now a good number
of
people growing in home gardens & they're spreading from there.
They make a strongly growing upright bush to about 1m & bear very heavily.
If you're in a frostfree area it seems to carry over into a second season
OK, but otherwise must be regarded as an annual. Germinates from seed very
easily. The pepper is small/cherry tomato size. Nice & tasty raw but has a
slightly leathery skin. Certainly better preserved in a sweet sauce ( that
is the recipe I was hoping to find ) where the skin loses its chewiness.
As for Christine Moores question about selling seed - no I won't - its
probably illegal at any rate. What I would like to do, as a thank you &
gesture of appreciation for the stimulation & information I get from this
group, is send it out free to anyone who requires it. I'm just harvesting
the first ones now, so the seed should be dried in a few weeks. If anyone
wants them please send me their snailmail address, privately, don't
clutter
up the groups messages, & I'll post them out ASAP.
Regards
Glenn Breayley. Ragnarok & Valhalla Research.
POBox 26158, Hout Bay, 7872, Capetown, South Africa
Ph/Fax SA 021 7904253 E-mail valhalla@iafrica.com
Wholesale nurseryman & Tillandsia specialist wholesale & retail grower.
