A weekly series about our food and sustainable agriculture.

Coming Next: Peppers

Tuesday
Roasted Peppers and Corn Tamales
Gloria Vargas, of Gloria’s Secret Café, shows us how easy it is to make authentic tamales at home. Vargas, originally from El Salvador, loves this time of year because of all the different kinds of peppers that are available at the farmer’s market. She especially loves making tamales, and really takes the mystery out of making this savory dish.
Wednesday
Peppers of the Basque Region
A love of Spanish food and culture, partly a reflection of one partner’s Basque heritage, was the impetus behind Manuel and Leslie Recio’s decision to grow peppers from northern Spain. Since the climate of Western Oregon where they farm, and the Basque region of Spain are very similar, not only have they met with success in the growing of these traditional Basque varieties of peppers, they have also been successful introducing these new peppers into the marketplace, as well.
Thursday
Peppers – Hot or Sweet?
Manuel Recio shows us some of his favorite native Basque pepper varieties that he grows on his farm near Portland, Oregon , and talks about some of their defining characteristics. While most of the peppers grown in the Basque region of Spain are sweet, not spicy hot in temperature, Recio also tells us what makes a pepper hot.