Harvest of the Month: Bell Peppers
The bell pepper suffers from mistaken identity. Its name doesn’t reflect what it is so much as what people were looking for when they first found it: Legend has it that Christopher Columbus and Spanish explored named it a “pepper” because they found it when they were looking for peppercorn bushes.
Native to North and South America and The Caribbean, the bell pepper also is often mistaken for a vegetable. It’s actually a fruit, and its vitamin punch backs that up: It provides up to three times the vitamin C that you can get from an orange, and is also rich in other vitamins and minerals.
Suitable for eating raw or cooked, the bell pepper is a versatile and accessible food that can add color and flavor to a wide range of dishes. When selecting bell peppers, look for bright, shiny skin that yields to a little pressure. The stems should be green, and the peppers should seem heavy for their size.
Once you get bell peppers home, you can store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week, and you’ll get the best storage results if you put a damp paper towel in the vegetable compartment to help the pepper retains its water.
Try April’s Recipe: Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers
Tags: bell peppers, harvest of the month, recipe