Here is another hot little number. It may be small but it is very hot. They are 100,000-225,000 on the Scoville heat scale.

The Bird’s Eye Pepper is a  chili pepper that originated in Guyana. It has a slightly small and round shape, maturing to about a fourth of an inch wide and an inch long. Due to their small size, the fruits are easily spread by birds (if you know what I mean). That is why they were so named. The Bird’s Eye will be a light shade of green, and then turn to a hue of orange, to a vibrant red upon fully maturing. The plants themselves, if happy, can get to 4 feet tall.

Using Bird’s Eye Peppers

Bird’s Eye peppers are widely used in the seasoning of fish or other seafood. Medically, they have many benefits; easing pain of arthritis, treating conditions of the stomach, relieving gas, and toothaches.

These peppers can also be used in your garden. Dried and ground into powder, they can be mixed with water and used as a repellent for insects or a pesticide.

Always be extra careful when handling these and other hot chilis. Use gloves, wash your hands with a soap that works on oils, such as Dawn and keep your hands away from your face. You will regret it if you don’t!

Actually they aren’t all that new. I have seen them at our grocery store and they are beautiful.

These are an elongated, three lobed,  bell type pepper that starts out as a light green, not unlike Cubanelle peppers and matures to a fabulous red in color. They are sweet in flavor and can be used raw, stuffed or try frying them. Gypsy pepper plants are fairly early, depending on the weather of course and can be eaten at any stage.

In my greenhouse they are amazing little plants. The first of the sweet peppers to come up, the first to get their true leaves, and they are head and shoulders above in their growth habit. I would say they make smile with vigor and health. Healthy peppers are always the goal and some can be more resistant than others.

Here is a recipe for stuffed Gypsy peppers, from http://www.peanutbutterandpeppers.com

Sweet Gypsy Peppers stuffed with fresh tomatoes, basil and Parmesan cheese and grilled to perfection. A perfect compliment to a summer meal.

Ingredients

4 Gypsy Peppers or Sweet Italian Pepper

2 medium tomatoes, seeded, diced small

1 Tbs. Fresh Basil (about 3 leaves)

¼ tsp of Olive Oil

2 Tsp. of Parmesan Cheese

Salt & Pepper (optional)

Instructions

Grill, spray grill grates with cooking spray,

In a small bowl add tomatoes, basil and olive oil. Mix until combined and set aside.

Cut a slit down the middle of the pepper, than a slit across the top of the pepper (the cut makes a T-shape) but don’t cut all the way through the pepper. Carefully take out as much of the seeds as you can.

Equally stuff the pepper with tomato mixture and top each pepper with ½ tsp of cheese.

Place on the grill for about 3 minutes until cheese starts to melt and peppers soften a bit, but be careful not to char it to much.

There are times when I absolutely love what I do. Don’t get me wrong, I generally like being The Tomato Lady. Today is a day when I totally love it.

We planted the rest of the tomato seeds on Saturday (about 5000). Yesterday I was making mental bets on when they would come up, I figured about 7 days. This morning I checked and they were up! A couple of days sooner than I thought. Tonight they have started straightening up and are putting forth their seedling leaves.

Growing things is such a wonderful thing. It connects you with nature. I love the idea that these little babies will grow up and someone will give them a new home and they will be blessed with fresh tomatoes. All from a tiny little seed. And believe me, some of these are really tiny little seeds!

There is something about growing your own vegetables. You know where it came from, you know what it was fertilized with and whether pesticides were used to combat the bugs.

Whether you choose to use everything or nothing on your plants, garden organically or semi-organically, it is ultimately your decision. That is certainly not something you have control over in the produce aisle at the grocery store.

Plus there are so many more options/varieties to choose from! Striped tomatoes, blue tomatoes, white tomatoes, purple cauliflower, white peppers, purple jalapenos, red carrots, freckled lettuce, striped eggplant, peppers so hot they should come with a hazmat warning, and heirloom vegetables that have been around for a hundred years. The diversity is endless.