Herb & Spice Companion

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HERB & SPICE COMPANION

• 198 –

indoors in cool weather and given its

required conditions. Pepper needs high

humidity (at least 50 percent at all times)

and temps between 75° and 85°F; it

won’t survive under 65°F. Vines are obvi-

ously natural climbers, so they’ll need a

structure to support their growth habit

indoors; consider growing it as a hanging

plant or installing a stake or trellis.

Size: Up to 15 feet long

Container: 3 to 7 gallons

Light: Full or filtered sun

Soil: Moist, rich, well drained. Mix com-

post into the soil for improved drainage,

or plant in raised beds.

Plant: Seeds, soaked overnight in water

before sowing.

Water: Regularly and thoroughly, to

keep the soil consistently moist. Mist

regularly with water from a spray bottle

to simulate the humidity in the tropics.

After the plant flowers, water constantly to encourage the berries to sprout.

Harvest: Peppercorns may take up to 3 or 4 years to develop. When they do, harvest

according to your desired ripeness, either when green and full-sized, or later.

Keep It Fresh

Dry fresh peppercorns in the sun for several days or on low heat in an oven or dehy-

drator for a few hours.

In the Kitchen

Dishes: Pepper can be used to season any savory dish.

Prep: Pepper can be used to season any savory dish. Use whole peppercorns for fla-

vor and remove before serving, or grind in a pepper mill and add to any dish.

Serve: Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper into any dish. It’s integral to many spice

blends, including curry powders, jerk and barbecue spices, pickling spices, garam

masala, quatre épices, ras el hanout, and berbere (see pages 250–251). It pairs well

with all herbs and spices.

PAIRINGS

Pepper pairs well with all

proteins.

Seasonings: allspice, basil,

caraway, cardamom, chili

peppers, cinnamon, cloves,

coriander seeds, cumin, curry leaf,

fennel seeds, fenugreek, garlic,

ginger, lemon juice, lime juice,

marjoram, oregano, paprika,

parsley, rosemary, sage, savory,

thyme, turmeric

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