News

Details

Written by: Lake County News Reports

Published: 26 August 2012

I’m not sure what I like most about bell peppers; there’s so much about them to love.

Their immensely satisfying crunch is definitely a contender, the sound of which (and feel on my teeth) can be considered one of life’s simple pleasures.

Related to this – the cause of the crunch, so to speak – is the crisp texture and water content that makes them such a refreshing treat.

Their mild taste – with its bit of subtle sweetness – makes them a companionable component for many a recipe, whether raw or cooked.

And – oh! – last, but definitely not least, their vivid rainbow colors are a delight to behold! Feasting my eyes on heaps of peppers in bright hues of red, orange, yellow, green and purple is such a treat, one that may tip the scales in favor of this quality.

If you’re wondering, other less available colors include ivory, maroon, chocolate brown and even black.

Add to that some solid nutritional content and you’ve got yourself a pretty lovable vegetable! (Or fruit, if speaking botanically.)

These members of the capsicum family are native to the Americas – Mexico and points south – and have been cultivated for more than 9,000 years.

The term “pepper” is a misnomer, one given by Christopher Columbus upon bringing the plant back to Europe.

At that time, unrelated peppercorns imported from India were an immensely popular spice, and Europeans extended the word “pepper” to mean any piquant food.

However, as we know, our topic today is far from spicy, being one of the few plants in the capsicum genus void of capsaicin, the chemical in hot peppers that produces a burning sensation on mucous membranes.

This is due to a recessive gene that eliminates capsaicin and its resulting hot taste.

Bells are part of a group of mild peppers known collectively as “sweet peppers” and include such cousins as pimentos and banana peppers.

The name “bell” refers to its somewhat square, bell-like shape.

There are those who don’t like bell peppers, and this may be due to the peppers bred to be picked green and immature. These peppers can have – in the words of organic foods enthusiast and writer Jeff Cox - a “bitter, vegetative, almost metallic edge” to their taste.

In contrast, colorful peppers (red, yellow, orange, and the like) are sweetly flavored.

Peppers of every color are used in a variety of recipes.

Green peppers are favored in the cooking of the American south, particularly in such Cajun and Louisiana Creole dishes as etouffe, gumbo and jambalaya.

They’re one of the three components of the “holy trinity” of this style of cooking, a variant on French mirepoix, with the other two being onions and celery. (Mirepoix includes carrots in place of bell peppers.)

The French county dish ratatouille includes red bell peppers along with eggplant and other summer vegetables.

In Spain, bell peppers are featured in gazpacho, a refreshing cold summer soup, and some versions of paella, a dish featuring rice and meats or seafood.

In the Basque region of Spain, rice and pepper soup is popular.

Peppers are wonderful as a component of marinara sauce and other tomato-based dishes, and go especially well with sausages, either as a sauté or in a soup (such as an especially delicious-sounding one with white beans).

You can skewer them for the grill, stuff and bake them, roast and puree them for a soup, sauté all colors together (to use in fajitas, for example), or add them to pasta or bean salads.

Velvety textured roasted red peppers have a rich, soft, but intense flavor, and are a tasty addition to sandwiches or pasta salads. Thankfully, they’re easily made at home in the oven or outdoors on the grill.

One method is to place them on a broiler rack or pan and broil 2 to 3 inches from the heat. Rotate them until the skins are evenly blackened.

Using tongs, transfer the peppers to a brown paper bag (or to a covered bowl or enclose them in aluminum foil) and let them sweat for 15 to 20 minutes.

This makes the skins easy to peel away, and the peppers will be soft and yielding.

Peel, stem, and seed them, and place them in an airtight container until ready to use. They’ll keep, refrigerated, for a week.

Paprika is made from dried and ground sweet red peppers, often of the bell variety, though other members of the capsicum family are also used.

It’s available in sweet, smoked, moderately hot, and hot. It was popularized by Hungarians (who make the best, by the way) and is a main flavor component of many of their dishes, including goulash, a Hungarian stew.

To make a delicious red pepper paste, cook them along with onions and garlic on low heat for a few hours until ultra soft and caramelized. The resulting product may be spread on toasted baguette slices or to add intense flavor to soups, sauces, or other dishes.

When purchasing bell peppers, choose those with glossy, tight skins. They should be firm to the touch, with no soft spots.

If you’re buying peppers to roast and peel, look for those with the smoothest sides.

To store, refrigerate whole, unwashed peppers in the crisper drawer of your fridge for up to a week. Wrap any cut pieces in plastic and use them as soon as possible.

Since peppers colored other than green are riper, they won’t keep as long as the green ones.

A quick and easy way to clean bell peppers is to slice off the top and bottom and cut it lengthwise along one side.

Open the pepper flat and run a knife sideways along the inside of the pepper to remove ribs and seeds.

At this point rinse the pepper and proceed with your recipe or cut for eating raw. The flat oblong shape is wonderful for roasting on the grill.

Peppers become more nutritious as they ripen, and beta-carotene is responsible for their bright hues. Red peppers provide more than 1½ times our daily need for vitamin C in just a half cup.

Peppers have a significant amount of vitamin A, and also contain folate and vitamin B6.

Today’s recipe is wonderful as a bright spread on little toasts for an hors d’oeuvre or as a filling for quiches or small little tarts. It’s nice, too, as a vegetable side dish, served either warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Peppers Provencal

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups thinly sliced yellow onions

2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into very thin strips

½ teaspoon herbs de Provence

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

½ cup finely shredded fresh basil leaves

Heat the oil and butter in a heavy skillet or saucepan over medium heat under the butter is melted.

Add the onions and peppers; season with herbs de Provence and salt and pepper.

Simmer, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are limp, tender, and slightly brown, about 45 minutes. The peppers should have a marmalade-like appearance.

Add the garlic and basil and cook for another five minutes.

Remove the vegetables from the skillet and let cool to room temperature. Drain any excess oil. The peppers are now ready to use.

This recipe makes about two cups and is courtesy of “The Silver Palate Cookbook” by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins.

Note: Herbs de Provence is an herb blend that is sold under a variety of brand labels and is available in most supermarkets. The blend is reminiscent of the herbs used in the Provence region of France, typically including such herbs as savory, thyme, marjoram, and lavender. Blends from different companies vary in their combination of herbs.

Esther Oertel, a freelance writer, cooking teacher, and speaker, is passionate about local produce and all foods in the vegetable kingdom. She welcomes your questions and comments and may be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Details

Written by: Andrew Fulks

Published: 26 August 2012

It’s summer, 2012. The slap, slap, slap of Cache Creek drums on the bottom of my boat as I paddle down the North Fork.

Bobbing, weaving, head down. Branches have grown since last summer. The North Fork is the first couple miles of the Wilderness run and the vegetation makes for more difficult obstacles than further down on the main stem of the creek.

Flows are high this year, despite the drought. It’s an artifact of human water management. With less water in Clear Lake this year after a meager winter, Indian Valley reservoir is releasing more to make up the difference for the thirsty farms in Yolo County.

I have to thank the farms for this experience. If people hadn’t changed the water regime, this creek would be mostly dry in the summer. Makes me reflect on what it means for things to be truly “wild.” But, that thought is cut short by my scanning an Arundo on the shoreline.

A quick turn, paddle in deep, pulling off on the left bank. Arundo, giant reed, false bamboo, cutter of hands and eroder of streambanks. Another human artifact.

Planted as an ornamental and for erosion control, escaped to the “wild” and invades ecosystems. Our hubris about “fixing” nature has broken it.

Ironically, I’m here doing the same thing. Tuleyome’s been battling this weed within the Cache Creek wilderness for the last seven years, and have the infestation down to less than a handful of plants.

This one escaped my detection until now. A quick herbicide spray, and we’re back on the river.

Where there used to be almost 100 of these giant weeds here in the wilderness, we’ve reduced to a handful. Soon there will be none.

The system is broken, though, and hidden upstream sources will continue to fertilize our shores with little plants. We’re in this for the long haul.

The native willows and cottonwoods sway in the slight breeze. Rushes and sedges line the banks, forming a ribbon of green contrasting the bright yellow of my kayak.

There’s a rumble up ahead, warning of a rapid. I’ve run this so many times in the last dozen years, my reaction is automatic. Back paddle, pick my line, hit it straight, dig hard and avoid the tree branch.

A great blue heron unfolds his wings and heads downstream. He’ll be our traveling companion for the rest of the trip, always staying ahead of the interlopers.

Turtles on streamside rocks give us a sideways glance. Some are stacked on each other. King of the mountain gets the sunlight. Some slip into the water as we get closer. They’ll emerge downstream on the next rock that is to their liking.

We pull off at Trout Creek. Even though it’s summer, there’s a steady flow coming out of the side canyon. We know the spring-fed creek will be flowing late into the summer.

We also know what’s up the canyon. Scrambling up the rocks and ducking under the willows, we pick our way toward the sound of falling water. I’ve been here before, and many times.

A large stream of water shoots off a rock ledge, falling vertically into a perfectly round pool. Behind the pool is a grotto. Water droplets drip from rocks onto ferns. This oasis is largely unknown, save for a few boaters that follow the bear path up the canyon. No roads, no trails. Wild.

Back on the water, the breeze picks up. We’re floating downstream, but getting pushed backwards.

Time for the arms to start working again. The drumming of the water gets an accompaniment with the swoosh of paddle strokes.

The rhythm is broken by the crunch of branches. Mother bear and her cub run up the hillside, their bronze fur rippling with each stride.

The exhilaration of seeing such a creature is replaced by the analytical mind. Bear, check. Turtles, river otter, bald eagle, osprey, green heron, blue heron, garter snake, deer … all, check.

Later, as we drag the boats up to the car, I reflect on the human infrastructure that was required to allow me to enjoy this wilderness. Cars, gas, rubbers, plastics, and a sinuous serpentine asphalt ribbon. It’s paradoxical, and uniquely human.

The artificial gets me closer to the natural. It’s a paradox, but also a balance. Preserving wild areas provides that balance.

Andrew Fulks is the president of Tuleyome, a regional conservation nonprofit, and is presently the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve Manager for UC Davis, managing six miles of stream and several hundred acres. His interest is in open space preservation and public access.

Details

Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 25 August 2012

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Heelers, shepherds, a Chihuahua and a great big mastiff are up for adoption at Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Two McNab-blue heeler mix pups join a number of adult dogs waiting for new homes.

Thanks to Lake County Animal Care and Control’s new veterinary clinic, many of the animals offered for adoption already are spayed or neutered and ready to go home with their new families.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

Female lab mix

This female Labrador Retriever mix is 2 years old.

She weighs 51 pounds and has a short brown brindle coat.

Find her in kennel No. 9, ID No. 33985.

Female mastiff mix

This female mastiff mix is 4 years old.

She’s a big girl, at 102 pounds. She has a short tan coat and has been spayed.

Meet her in kennel No. 10, ID No. 34050.

Male Chihuahua mix

This is a male Chihuahua mix of undetermined age.

He has a short tan coat, weighs just over 15 pounds and has not been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 11, ID No. 34054.

‘Willie’

“Willie” is a 7-year-old male border collie mix.

He is not yet altered, weighs about 40 pounds and has a short black and white coat.

Find him in kennel No. 13, ID No. 33930.

Male McNab-blue heeler

This male McNab-blue heeler is 10 weeks old.

He has brown eyes, a short black and white coat, and has not yet been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 18e, ID No. 33939.

Male McNab-blue heeler

This male McNab-blue heeler is 10 weeks old like his litter mate.

He’s got a short black and white coat, brown eyes and has not yet been altered.

Find him in kennel No. 18d, ID No. 33938.

Male shepherd mix

This male shepherd mix is 1 year old.

He has a short tricolor coat weighs just over 62 pounds and is not yet neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 20, ID No. 34097.

Female Labrador Retriever mix

This female Labrador Retriever mix is 1 year old.

She has a short black coat, weighs just over 41 pounds and has not yet been spayed.

Find her in kennel No. 21, ID No. 34098.

‘Fergie’

“Fergie” is a 1-year-old female German Shepherd mix.

She has a short black and tan coat and has not yet been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 24, ID No. 34030.

Adoptable dogs also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dogs_and_Puppies.htm or at www.petfinder.com .

Please note: Dogs listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .