Column from September 3, 2009

Fall means fresh produce

You can definitely tell fall is just around the corner.

Even though it still gets hot during the day, as soon as the sun starts going down, the temperature starts dropping. Soon, the leaves will begin turning colors.

Growing up in the Midwest, fall meant a plethora of colors in the landscape. Trees were every shade of red, yellow and orange.

Here in Othello, we don’t have a lot of trees that change to those wonderful autumn colors. That’s why when we removed the two dying locust trees from our yard, we planted an autumn blaze maple. I can’t wait to see the red leaves this fall.

Autumn also means a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. That’s one of the best things about this time of year.

From squash to tomatoes to corn to melons, meals become just as colorful as those changing leaves.

I took a trip to Sunny Farms this past weekend. For those who haven’t been there, it’s located just east of Wal-Mart and offers wonderful produce.

I picked up watermelons, cantaloupes, sweet corn and green peppers. What a treat!

Add to those the freshly dug potatoes we were given and mealtime was fit for a king.

One of my favorite meals is stuffed green peppers. My mother used to make them when I was a little girl and I cook up a batch every now and then.

When I saw those green peppers at Sunny Farms, I couldn’t resist a bag full. They were just gorgeous … so bright green and huge. I haven’t seen green peppers that big in a long time.

Just the smell can start the mouth watering.

I’ve never used an actual recipe for my stuffed peppers, but I’m going to create one just for Table Scraps. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does.

Stuffed green peppers

6 large green bell peppers

2 to 3 pounds ground beef

¾ cup rice

½ cup finely chopped onion

2 eggs

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon pepper

15-ounce can tomato sauce

Cut tops off the green peppers, remove core and seeds and trim veins. Rinse thoroughly and set aside.

Combine ground beef, rice, onion, eggs and seasonings. Stuff firmly into green peppers.

Stand stuffed peppers in a casserole dish. Pour tomato sauce over the top. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for one to one and a half hours or until stuffing is cooked through.

Remove cover and bake about 15 minutes or until tomato sauce begins to brown.

Makes six servings.