AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: Celebration! (and Give-Away) DATE: 1/22/2009 08:07:00 AM ----- BODY:
Do you have a secret stash of wine or cheese that you only break out for special occasions? Or maybe it's your favorite jam that you can only buy once a year when you visit friends on the coast of Maine?

I have a stash, and it mostly comes from Even' Star Farm. My friend Brett grows lettuces, tomatoes and chilies that taste like nothing I've eaten before. He cultivates his seeds so that he grows the most flavorful products. Each variety of tomato has its own personality, each lettuce leaf has texture and a distinctive peppery-ness, and each pepper is has a unique combination of floral and spice. The chickens have almost a gamey flavor from eating an organic diet and getting lots of exercise. And the eggs have a sweet undertone from the sweet potatoes the chickens eat.

Unfortunately, I don't visit Brett nearly enough. So when I do, I preserve as much as I can to last me until the next visit or season. This summer, I canned 50 pounds of tomatoes and 10 quarts of my favorite Peachy Mama peppers. I have a quarter of a lamb in my freezer (the first first quarter I shared with friends for my birthday).

And I save all of this wonderful food for special occasions! Tuesday was a special day -- with the inauguration of an intelligent, inspiring and thoughtful man as our president and the engagement of my friend R!

What better way to celebrate than to break into my stash! On the menu tonight: Rack of Lamb and Champagne!

To help you celebrate with me, I'd like to share some of my stash with you. I'll be giving away a jar of peachy mama peppers to three lucky winners. All you need to do is leave a comment on my blog between now and Wednesday, January 29th at 5pm EST.
As you can read about here and here, peachy mamas a treasured crop for me. Brett is the only one I know in North America growing them (though I've heard a rumor about a nursery in Southern California). The peppers are small and wrinkly like habaneros, but with a floral and sweet flavor. My favorite way to serve them is roasted with crackers: they make a perfect hors d'oeuvre. I also use them to season rice or succotash. Mixed with mint or corn, they make a wonderful relish. Lydia of The Perfect Pantry wrote about them here, when she served them with her birthday pizza.

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----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger trapezeboy DATE:1/22/2009 08:54:00 AM YOWZA!!! Sounds FABULOUS!! Peach mamas ahoy!! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Anonymous DATE:1/22/2009 03:01:00 PM Oh I'm intrigued! Pick me, pick me! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Rachel DATE:1/22/2009 03:09:00 PM Oh yum! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Katie DATE:1/22/2009 03:11:00 PM Those sound great! I love peppers, and it's always fun to learn about new kinds. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Vicki DATE:1/22/2009 03:14:00 PM I've never seen those before, they sound delicious! (But then, I think all peppers are delicious) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Anonymous DATE:1/22/2009 03:37:00 PM I'd love to be a lucky winner of peachy mama peppers! You are so generous to share! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Anonymous DATE:1/22/2009 03:58:00 PM i've never heard of these before, but now i must have them! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Heather DATE:1/22/2009 04:04:00 PM mmmm. those look good :) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Foodlbogz DATE:1/22/2009 06:25:00 PM My grandmother lived on a reservation in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She taught me how to can and preserve. One memory I have is of her canning peppers and then letting us use them in all of our food. It seemed as if we always had a little of her touch in our food. I realized that in cooking, love is just as important an ingredient as anything else. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Renee G DATE:1/22/2009 09:15:00 PM I've got to try these. They sound yummy.

rsgrandineti@yahoo(dot)com ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Knitopia DATE:1/22/2009 09:57:00 PM They're so pretty! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Carolyn G DATE:1/22/2009 10:56:00 PM I love peppers! THere is nothing like any pepper to make food tastier. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Anonymous DATE:1/23/2009 10:39:00 AM Yum! Love peppers! Always looking for new things to do with them!
tlstickland@netscape.net ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Adrienne DATE:1/23/2009 10:42:00 AM Oooh, the peachy mamas sound WONDERFUL! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Barbara DATE:1/23/2009 10:44:00 AM Those look amazing and I love the name. Peachy Mamas sound yummy. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Unknown DATE:1/23/2009 11:08:00 AM se toss my name into the pot for this!!!! they sounded amazing When lydia was writing about them! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Leslie M. DATE:1/23/2009 11:25:00 AM YUM! Peaches? I'm from GA, and I'm a vegetarian, Peaches and peppers sounds YUM to me!
Thanks for sharing the wealth!
Leslie
LeslieVeg@msn.com ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger The Food Hunter DATE:1/23/2009 11:27:00 AM Those peppers sound great. I would love to try them. Thanks! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Anonymous DATE:1/23/2009 01:07:00 PM I love peppers in just about anything. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger screeching capuchin monkey DATE:1/23/2009 01:44:00 PM i would love to try these! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Sandie DATE:1/23/2009 02:14:00 PM Read about your fabulous peachy mamas on The Perfect Pantry. I'd love to try them---count me in! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Kate DATE:1/23/2009 02:37:00 PM I also read about the Peachy Mamas on the Perfect Pantry and my interest was positively piqued :)
I'd love a chance to try them! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Jade DATE:1/23/2009 03:05:00 PM That sounds delicious! I would love to celebrate with you and your give-away! :) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger PG DATE:1/23/2009 03:06:00 PM I don't think I've ever seen a peach mama in person. Sounds like an excellent giveaway! If they're your favourite, they must be good.

I'm such a suck up. :) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Unknown DATE:1/23/2009 03:48:00 PM these look fantastic! thanks for the opportunity to win some! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Nate @ House of Annie DATE:1/23/2009 06:10:00 PM Hi, came over from Perfect Pantry to enter. Pleased to know you! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Joan S DATE:1/23/2009 09:08:00 PM I came over from Perfect Pantry to enter. I'd never heard of these kind of peppers, and I'd love to be able to try them! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger April was in CA now MA DATE:1/23/2009 10:44:00 PM These look great! Sounds fantastic! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger The Mailes DATE:1/24/2009 01:20:00 AM mmmm---they look pretty and sound tasty. In our house, we like peppers, all kinds of peppers. I'd be interested in knowing where these originated but even more interested in trying them. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Anonymous DATE:1/24/2009 02:32:00 AM Oh yes! count me in! I'd love a chance to win a jar of those beautiful peppers! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Ven DATE:1/24/2009 05:06:00 AM looks good! YUM!!!!!!!!! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger pauline DATE:1/24/2009 09:11:00 AM Choose me!! I'm a late convert to the wonders of peppers and I am in love!! Choose me!! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Unknown DATE:1/24/2009 10:04:00 AM sounds delicious - you have a lot of energy to make such a huge batch - and all those jars= big round of applause to you - thanks for sharing ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Anonymous DATE:1/24/2009 11:41:00 AM I thought I'd heard of every kind of pepper until I heard about these. Would love to try them--wonder if I can ever find them up here in frozen Minnesota?? Thanks for the education! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Rajee DATE:1/24/2009 01:11:00 PM I have to try it ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Michele P. DATE:1/24/2009 09:38:00 PM I so want to make that pizza, it looks delicious. Hubby and our friends from Brazil, Joao & Regina would love it as well-her birthday is next month and it's be so cool to make her a birthday pizza!

thanks for the opportunity to win!

micaela6955 at msn dot com ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger angie DATE:1/24/2009 10:19:00 PM Oh yum! These look so good~thank you! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger kathryn DATE:1/25/2009 08:39:00 AM I just told my husband about these and he mentioned that they would be great in an omelet. I'm in! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Unknown DATE:1/25/2009 12:45:00 PM Pick me...I would love to know where to get some seeds. Matt and I are going to plant a very small (not the usual 5000 sq ft) veggie garden at our new home in South Dartmouth and grow only special things: haricot vert, cauliflower romanesco (none for Lydia!) , basil, arugula, sungold tomatoes, charentais melon etc. and maybe...peachy mamas??? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Anonymous DATE:1/26/2009 01:02:00 AM These sound like they'd be fun to cook with- especially with Valentine's Day coming up! Such exotic possibilities! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger ailad DATE:1/27/2009 12:54:00 AM Well since I've never heard of them, naturally, I have to try them! I'll keep mu fingers crossed! ----- --------