Lots of Peppers

On Sunday Rob and I picked a whole bunch of peppers to cook up for lunch–Yellow Bells, Holy Moles, Long Slim cayennes, and Clowns. We were so excited by the bounty. We were weighing them and polishing them and taking pictures of them and generally rejoicing in their beauty.

“They’re so shiny and colorful,” I was saying. “Don’t they look like toys or maybe Christmas decorations? They’re prettier than a whole box of glittery ornaments.”

Rob nodded. He put some peppers in a colander and held them under the faucet. “You should take some more pictures now that I’ve rinsed them,” he suggested.

“Oh, yeah,” I said. “I should. They look extra gorgeous spangled with water droplets.” I ran and got my camera . . . and a step stool so I could get a better angle.

Cooking takes a little extra time when you’re in awe of your produce. We spent at least half an hour celebrating our peppers before we finally cut them up and put them in a sweet potato chili. But I guess that’s one of the pretty cool “side effects” of vegetable gardening: You stop taking your food for granted and really start to appreciate it.