Peppers are the unspoken queens of summer, packed with health benefits and flavor. Surprisingly, they contain more than twice the vitamin C of lemons!
With over 2300 varieties cataloged in Europe, peppers vary widely. In southern Mazovia, sweet, habanero, jalapeño, Ramiro, and snack peppers are popular.
Summer is the perfect time to enjoy fresh, local peppers. Preserve their flavor with marinated peppers, dried and smoked spices, mixed vegetable salads, roasted pepper paste, and even pepper jam.
Embrace the richness of Polish peppers at their peak, both for their unbeatable taste and health benefits.
Pickled Peppers
Pickled peppers are undeniably the star of pepper preserves. You can use sweet red, green, yellow peppers, optionally adding hot varieties. Just combine water, vinegar, sugar, salt, allspice, bay leaves, and a few garlic cloves in the right proportions, and the brine is ready. This delicious homemade spicy addition enhances any main dish.
Dried and Smoked Peppers
Homemade aromatic spice in an afternoon? Nothing simpler! Wash the peppers, remove the seeds, and cut the flesh into thin strips. Dry them in a dehydrator or oven until crispy. Blend the dried peppers into powder and store in jars. Tightly sealed, it will stay fresh and aromatic for several months.
Canned Mixed Vegetable Salad with Peppers
August vegetables (carrots, onions, peppers, zucchini, and garlic) should be cut into thin strips or grated. Place them in jars, cover with brine as for pickling, and pasteurize. Properly prepared and stored, this salad will retain its crunch, color, taste, and aroma until spring.
Roasted Pepper Paste
This is a perfect base for sauces, an addition to meats or pasta, and great on sandwiches. Simply roast pepper slices, remove the skin, season with garlic, herbs, and olive oil, and blend. Once pasteurized, it’s ready for a quick meal.
Pepper Jam
A somewhat unusual but very tasty way to use peppers. Depending on the recipe, you need 1 kg of sweet red peppers, nearly 0.5 kg of sugar, less than a cup of vinegar, a bit of salt, and half a hot pepper. It takes a few hours to prepare, but the result is worth the effort.
Embrace the Variety of Polish Peppers
August is the peak harvest time, making peppers of the highest sensory quality and affordable. Enjoy them raw, and use any surplus to create delicious homemade preserves.