Peaches and Vidalia onions may get more press, but banana peppers are
a vital part of Georgia cuisine, and late summer is the time to find them.
Thinner-skinned banana peppers are perfect to boost the flavor and
nutrition in a saute or stir-fry without the cook's having to struggle
with the thicker skin (not to mention mild flavor) of bell peppers.
     Peppers grow abundantly in Georgia and all over the South, so chances
are the peppers you buy will be grown close to home. Look for good
supplies until late September. The peak season for peppers is July through
October, or until the first frost.
    Peppers are New World crops but made their way quickly around the
world. Just 50 years after Columbus discovered peppers, three varieties
were growing in India.
     Chiles are bulging with vitamins, and raw green chiles have six times
as much vitamin C as an orange and more vitamin A than any other food
plant.
     But if you are a "chili head," you probably eat chiles for the
capsaicin ---the punch ---rather than the nutrition. Banana peppers offer
a gentle kick of heat and more flavor than a bell pepper.
     But be wary of Hungarian wax peppers if you want a mild pepper. They
look similar to banana peppers but are hotter. My usual heat test is to
smell the pepper, but it doesn't seem to work for bananas and Hungarian
wax. The heat in peppers can vary according to growing conditions and the
age of the fruit. Hot, dry conditions stress pepper plants and increase
the amount of capsaicin; it reaches its peak just before maturity, then
mellows as the pepper ripens to its final red, yellow or orange color.
     If you've eaten a pepper too hot to handle, don't grab the ice water;
grab milk or some cooling yogurt, as casein, a milk protein, breaks down
capsaicin.


Other produce

    Best buy of the week: peppers, eggplant, cucumbers and Roma tomatoes.
Looking good: slicing and some heirloom tomatoes, Ohio sweet corn,
peppers, new-crop California Long White and russet potatoes, green beans,
butter beans, cucumbers, melons, cantaloupe, figs and grapes.
     Iffy: strawberries, spinach and kale.
     Expensive: Figs, melons and new-crop Bartlett pears.
     Going, going . . . gone: local peaches and heirloom tomatoes.
     At farmers' markets: butter beans, pole beans, green beans, Red
Torpedo onions, winter squash, early pumpkins, slicing and Roma tomatoes,
melons, blueberries, muscadine and scuppernong grapes, figs, peaches,
tomatoes, cucumbers, green and burgundy okra, fresh soy beans (called
sweet beans), cured garlic, onions, leeks and potatoes.
    Meat, poultry, seafood
     Look for specials this week on shoulder roast beef, lean ground beef,
beef short ribs, pork tenderloin, stir-fry strips and cubed meat,
roasting chickens, fresh catfish fillets and bay scallops.


SALAD
Corn, Hominy and Butter Bean Salad With Banana Peppers

    Makes 6 servings
    Preparation time: 25 minutes
    Standing time: 1 hour
    Don't forget about hominy, another Southern corn staple that takes
well to pepper flavors.
    1/4 cup olive oil
     1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
    1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
    1 tablespoon hot pepper vinegar (or red wine vinegar plus a small
pinch red pepper flakes)
    1 large clove garlic, minced
     Salt and pepper to taste
     1/4 teaspoon cumin
    1 15-to 16-ounce can white hominy, drained
    1 cup cooked fresh whole corn kernels
    1 cup cooked butter beans, fresh or frozen
    2 banana peppers, finely chopped
    2 tablespoons chopped red onion
     In a medium bowl whisk together the olive oil, cilantro or parsley,
lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and cumin. Add the hominy, corn,
butter beans,  peppers and onion and toss to blend. Cover and let stand
at room temperature at least 1 hour to blend flavors. Serve lightly
chilled or at room temperature with sliced tomatoes. ---Adapted from
"Around the Southern Table" by Sarah Belk (Simon & Schuster, $24.95)
     Per serving: 189 calories, 10 grams fat, no cholesterol, 138
milligrams sodium.
Chart: PEPPER FACTS
Price: Will average $1 a pound in stores. You should get four or five
peppers for $1 at farmers' markets.
Nutrition: Peppers are low in calories (about 35 per 4 ounces) and are
rich in vitamin C.
Selection: Choose peppers that are firm and shiny, not pitted. Older
peppers can be wrinkled or have brown cracks; these are still usable and
flavorful.
Storage: Keep peppers cold and unwashed, in the vegetable drawer in a
paper bag (not plastic; the moisture accumulates on the peppers' skin,
causing black spots and rotting). If kept cold, they will hold for a
couple of weeks. Out of the refrigerator they will start to dry quickly.
Uses: Use peppers raw in salads and salsas, cooked or grilled for other
preparations. When handling hot peppers, wear gloves to protect yourself
from the burning oils that concentrate in the interior veins and seeds.



Copyright 1997, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, All rights reserved.