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Peppers Spice Up Farmers' Crops

August 15, 2007
Peppers Spice Up Farmer's Crops

Jesse Daves says there's `something magical' about N.M. staple

Farmers' Markets DENISE MILLER For the Journal

Jesse Daves likes to see results. He also likes to collaborate with nature. Combine those qualities with a big heart and you get the magic of a farmer who consistently pulls beautiful produce from the ground.

Daves, who grows about 40 kinds of pesticide-free vegetables, says that by the end of August, market shoppers will again be able to enjoy some of his favorites: peppers.

This growing season is lagging slightly behind other years because the longer, cooler spring kept vegetables like tomatoes and peppers from ripening as fast. But when it comes to produce like Daves' peppers, it's always worth the wait.

"There's just something magical about big, beautiful ripe peppers," said Daves. Whether you favor sweet bell peppers of red, yellow or gold; something hotter like chile, cayenne or jalapeño; or something more exotic, be sure to regularly stop by his stall to see what has ripened that week. Daves sells regularly at the Albuquerque Downtown Growers' Market and Nob Hill Growers' Market.

If you see a red pepper that looks like chile, it is probably a Jimmy Nardello, Daves' favorite. The wonderful heirloom Italian frying pepper has thin skin and a smoky, sweet flavor.

"I always have to put up a big sign near them that says `sweet peppers,' '' noted Daves.

He doesn't think he will have too many this year, and because people have been asking for them, keep your eyes open if you're interested in trying them.

If you see something smaller than a bell pepper, it might be a Red Ruffled Pimento or a Lipstick, both of which are red, have a thick flesh and sweet flavor.

You may also happen on a Corno di Toro ("Bull's Horn"), a long, sweet pepper in yellow and red, or a Quadrato d'Asti Giallo, the most famous Italian sweet yellow bell. Both of those varieties should be out in early September.

The lesson is that market produce is exciting with many unusual varieties often available. "I really encourage people to try things they are not familiar with and to keep their menu options open to what is available and at peak season," said Daves.

Daves, 30, got the idea to farm while visiting friends in California. He had been in graduate school at the University of New Mexico studying regional planning, but the academic world felt lacking in action and results to him.

After an intense year of a farming internship in Sonoma County, Calif., his love and loyalty for New Mexico pulled him back home. He then spent at year farming at Erda Gardens in Albuquerque to learn about the unique challenges of growing food in New Mexico.

Ready to start his own farm, he borrowed money for seeds, equipment, a well and water leasing rights, and started improving about an acre of family land in Bosque Farms.

Full-time farming in New Mexico has proved challenging. Each year Daves learns more about pests like bean beetles, squash bugs and grasshoppers, and generally how to make the land more productive.

When he sees the same customers come back year after year, including toddlers he first met as infants, he knows keeping fresh, locally grown produce on the plates of Albuquerque market shoppers is an important job.

His mother, Georgia, supports that view and took on the job of adding a mid-week market to the Nob Hill Farmers' Market last year.

Daves is inspired when he harvests his crop. "When you cut open fresh food and see it glowing -- that's what it's all about. It connects you to something beyond yourself," he explained.

FEATURED GROWER

WHO: Jesse Daves

WHERE TO FIND HIM: Albuquerque Downtown Growers' Market, Nob Hill Growers' Market

FEATURED CROP: Peppers (sweet and hot)

NUTRITIONAL VALUE: Peppers are high in vitamins A and C. By weight, green bell peppers have twice as much vitamin C as oranges or grapefruit, and red bells have the double the vitamin C of a green bell. Hot peppers also contain capsaicin, which has anticoagulant properties helpful in preventing heart attacks or strokes caused by blood clots.

SEASON: Mid-August through early frost