This past summer, we had a harvest of beautiful peppers. They are very easy to grow and don’t take a lot of care. We put them in the ground, and they took off growing. Peppers like a rich soil with lots of organic matter. They looked great growing in the garden. Pepper plants also make a nice addition to your flower beds. They blend nicely with brightly colored flowers. We did have to keep them watered late in the summer, because the rain stopped for a while. We only added fertilizer one time in the spring.
Most peppers start to produce in about seventy days — some a few days more, some less. Once they get started making peppers, they produce tons. We planted four kinds of peppers: Corno Di Torro Rosso, Marconi Red, Small Purple Bell Peppers, and a Yellow Bell Pepper. We loved the bright colors of all of these wonderful peppers. We enjoyed them all summer long and into the fall. Grand also put jar after jar into the freezer. Some she chopped into small bits, some she sliced into strips, and others she put up as whole peppers. There are many things you can make with peppers, such as casseroles, soups and stews, pepper steak, and even stuffed peppers. But the recipe we are going to focus on today is tacos!
Grand’s Awesome Tacos
Ingredients:
• A pound of ground beef
• A cup of chopped onion
• A cup of chopped bell peppers
• 1 14-ounce cans of tomato
• 3 cans of different kinds of beans, your choice (garbanzo beans, black beans, great northern beans — whatever kind of beans you like)
• About a cup of canned or frozen corn
• 2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 2 teaspoon of cumin
• 2 teaspoon of chili powder
• salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
1. Brown ground beef, then add onion and bell peppers. Cook till soft.
2. Stir in tomatoes, beans, and corn. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, and salt and pepper.
3. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. The longer you let it simmer, the better the flavors will blend.
We have used this recipe for tacos, enchiladas, nachos, and even topping for taco salad!
Hints from Grand:
If you like, you may use an envelope of taco mix. We like to use dried beans in this recipe. Grand cooks up a package of beans and then freezes them in jars. If you want more meat, use two pounds and cut back on beans. Taste this as you cook, as some canned beans have more salt than others. We don’t like hot foods, but you can spice this up with jalapeno peppers or hot sauce. There are no rules here, add whatever you like! Green onions? Some leftover rice? Or maybe throw in some summer squash?
Our delicious taco delight
A close up of our peppers
Beautiful, colorful peppers
