Harvest Notes: What to Do the Day Your Pimento Arrives
Harvest season is here. The Trinidad pimento is coming off the plants, and every box going out this season was reserved by someone who's been waiting for the real thing.
[Kiola — add a line or two here about this week's harvest: how the plants look, what you're picking, anything you want people to know.]
Here's what to do the day your box lands so nothing goes to waste.
First: bring it in and chill it
Fresh peppers don't like to sit. Bring the box inside as soon as it arrives and get the peppers into the fridge.
- Don't wash them yet. Moisture is what makes fresh peppers go soft. Wash right before you use them, not before.
- Keep them dry. A container or bag lined with a paper towel is perfect.
- How long they keep: about 1 to 2 weeks in the fridge. Use the ones that feel softest first.
If you can't use them all in two weeks, freeze them
Freezing works beautifully for cooking peppers. They soften a little when they thaw, but the aroma and flavor hold, and since pimento goes into the pot anyway, that's all that matters.
- Whole: rinse, dry completely, freeze in a bag. Chop straight from frozen.
- Chopped: seed, chop, spread on a tray to freeze, then bag. Grab a handful whenever you need it.
- They keep about 6 months in the freezer.
The one thing to do first: make a big batch of green seasoning
This is the move. Green seasoning is the base of nearly every Trini pot, and fresh pimento is the heart of it. Make a big batch now, freeze it in ice cube trays, and you've got flavor on demand for weeks.
Basic Trini green seasoning:
- A big bunch of chadon beni (or cilantro)
- A handful of fresh thyme
- 6 to 8 cloves garlic
- 4 to 5 stalks spring onion (chive)
- 8 to 10 fresh Trinidad pimento peppers, seeded
- A small piece of onion
- A splash of water, lime juice, or vinegar to get it moving
Blend it smooth. Freeze in ice cube trays, then pop the cubes into a bag. One or two cubes seasons a pot of stew, rice, fish, or soup.
Soup season is next
Next week we're cooking five Trini soups in five days, and every one starts with fresh pimento in the base. Corn soup, callaloo, fish broth, red bean soup, and sancoche. Get your green seasoning made this weekend and you'll be ready.
Need more pimento before then? Order here and we'll get you sorted.
Cook something beautiful.