{"id":12202,"date":"2014-09-23T13:05:18","date_gmt":"2014-09-23T17:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/?p=12202"},"modified":"2014-09-23T13:05:18","modified_gmt":"2014-09-23T17:05:18","slug":"soot-peppers-and-tradition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/2014\/09\/23\/soot-peppers-and-tradition\/","title":{"rendered":"Soot, peppers and tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"peppersisistastesa2014\"<\/a>

Roasting peppers on an open fire is not for clean-freaks. But, ooh, they taste so good. Isis, here, testing our work. Photo: Mary McCallion<\/p><\/div>\n

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For years, my friends Mary Harding McCallion and Isis Melhado and I have been getting together in the fall to roast peppers.\u00a0 For this week’s garden post, I share a series of photos taken recently as we gathered\u00a0 for our annual Roast of the Peppers, with friendly participation from Mary’s husband Jochen Sieckmann (who helps out even though he’s not a fan of garlic and our method involves a lot of garlic). We’ve been tracking your gardens all summer–great photos on an almost weekly basis from growers across the region. Now, it’s harvest and clean-up-the-garden time. Keep the photos coming! Send them to me at ellen@ncpr.org. For the rest of this post, I’m going to let the photos tell the story.<\/p>\n

It starts with peppers, an open fire, and lots of garlic.<\/p>\n

\"Peppers<\/a>

Peppers roasting on our open fire pit: yes, you want them totally blackened. Photo: Mary McCallion<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Isis,<\/a>

Isis, chief pepper poker. Photo: Mary McCallion<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Here<\/a>

Here comes the garlic. Photo: Mary McCallion<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Blackened<\/a>

Blackened peppers are cooled in brown paper bags before skinning. Photo: Mary McCallion<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"Lots<\/a>

Isis and Jochen with lots of bagged peppers to be skinned. Photo: Mary McCallion<\/p><\/div>\n

\"It<\/a>

It gets pretty messy skinning charred peppers. Photo: Mary McCallion<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"Soooo<\/a>

Soooo good. Photo: Mary McCallion<\/p><\/div>\n

\"All<\/a>

All four of us grab onto the biggest pepper of the day. Photo: Mary McCallion<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"One<\/a>

The big one, after charring, before peeling. (That’s the Oswegatchie River behind us, by the way.) Photo: Mary McCallion<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Adding<\/a>

Adding the garlic to the peeled, cut up roasted peppers. Add olive oil, put in bags and freeze. Photo: Mary McCallion<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

A portion of the day’s work. Photo: Mary McCallion<\/p><\/div>\n

Part of the tradition is an al fresco meal. This year, Jochen made squash soup and we roasted some homegrown potatoes.<\/p>\n

\"Isis<\/a>

Isis chowing down on Jochen’s squash soup, and Ellen’s bread. Photo: Mary McCallion<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Slightly<\/a>

Slightly over-roasted potato…another mess. But I love those fire-charred spuds. Photo: Mary McCallion<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Mary,<\/a>

Mary, Ellen, Isis with a bowl of roasted peppers. Photo: Jochen Seickmann<\/p><\/div>\n

Remember: send me those harvest and garden clearing photos, or photos of harvest meals. ellen@ncpr.org<\/p>\n

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