I had a belated mothers day well wishing call with my mom yesterday.  We missed each other on Sunday.  She really enjoyed one of the gifts that I sent to her….which was a copy of Deborah Madison’s new cookbook Vegetable Literacy: Cooking and Gardening with Twelve Families from the Edible Plant Kingdom.  I have a copy for myself and love how it was organized (by plant kingdom) so I shared.

My mom particularly mentioned how excited she was to see recipes for shishito peppers in the book.  Have you heard of them?  Seems that these tasty pepper treats are quite trendy in Denver.  I also saw a story about their popularity the restaurants of Dallas.  But they haven’t made their way east to DC (where my mom searched for them when she last visited my sister) and they certainly are still unheard of here in the New England culinary hinterlands.  Mom found some starts at Tigawa Gardens last year but hasn’t had any luck this year.  (if you have seen them in the Colorado Springs or Denver Metro area let us know — she is on the prowl)

Regional scarcity and promised tastiness is just the impetus I need for planting something new! Seeds can be found at Kitazawa seed Company if you care to join in the experiment.  There is still time if you act quickly to get these going for this year.

My mom says that these sweet peppers are perfect when grilled and tossed with a little salt and oil just like this recipe at Spoon Fork Bacon.  Sounds perfect after a long day in the dirt…washed down with a cold beer.

image Spoon Fork Bacon