COOPERATIVE EXTENSIONUnivereity of Arizona and U^. O^iertmerrtof Agriculture ODopefBting.

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»«.«pot)ert E. Call^dmision Agent,

^ Horticulture

the Cochise County Master Gardener

NEWSLETTER

VOL. 4, NO. 11 NOVEMBER 1993

CHUl (Capsicum fnitescens L.)

Barlrara KislilMiii^hStaff Writer

Chiliesare not difficult to grow, and the variety selected dependson individual taste. We are in a prime chili growing area. Chili is growncommercially in Cochise County, anda processing planton FrontierRoadnear McNeal cans chili to be shipped across the United States. Beforecanning, the chili processing plant leaches the chilies in a lime solutionwhich preserves them. The chilies grown locally, and in Hatch, NewMexico, are the largest and meatiest of varieties.

All pq)persare grown in the samemanner, maturing just about thetime school begins in September, or a little later. Planted in spring,usually as transplants, although seeds are also used, theplants are similarin appearance to a bush-type bean plant. They like sandy soil and don'tmind a littlecrowding from otherchiliplants. Theyare moresuccessfullygrown in a raised bed where water is readily available to the roots. Theextra nutrients brought in with the summer rains can then collect in thetroughs between the rows, giving the plants the added moisture requiredfor full and meaty fruits. Keep the chilies picked regularly and they willcontinue to produce until frost.

The Native Seed Search catalog has over 15 selections of chiliseeds—the largest collection available for purchase, it seems. Chilicontains capsaicin which is used in liniments to sooth sore muscles. Thecapsaicin causes blood to increase in circulation. That is why ^me of usget the red ear while still chewing the stuff. It is also addictive—onceenjoyed in a food, the desire for more is compelling.

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450 Haskell • WiliCOX, AZ • 384-35941140 N. Colombo • Sierra vista, AZ • 458-1104

The homemaker can purchase agunny sack full of green chilifrom a grower or roadside venderin the fall. Sometimes the chiliesare roasted in a large drum, rotis-serie style, at the location wherethey are purchased, or at homethey are cooked on a grill outsideor in an oven, roasted until themoisture inside makes the chili

pop or explode allowing the steamto escape. Chilies can then bestored in plastic bags, frozen, andthen peeled, ready for consumption, After freezing, the skinseems to be more easily removedby gently rolling the chili betweenyour fingers. These are the typeof chili stuffed with cheese andonion, dipped in a milk mixture,floured and fried in hot oil—achili rellano.

These longchilies, whilestill green,are strungindividuallyand gatheredtogetherforming aristra which

is bright redwhen dried.

Hangingunder a

porch by adoor, theseristras are a

southwest art

form and are

also useful

since chilies

are pickedfrom the

ristra to be

used in co

oking whenneeded.

The bright red color of freshdried home-ground chili is excq)-tionally pleasing to the senses. Itis most appreciated for its fresh,poignant flavor, more so, becausethe cook can grow it, dry it, andprepare it.

The red, dried chili may also besoaked, and chopped in a blenderwith water. This mixture is used

as a base for enchilada sauce. Tomake enchilada sauce simply heata tablespoon or two of oil, add alittle flour, salt and garlic salt.Stir until lightly browned. Carefully add the chili water mixture,stirring until it boils or is the desired consistency.

A smaller sized chili, the jalep-eno, is also now popular as acheese-stuffed appetizer. Themeaty jalepeno has a stronger,more distinctive flavor than dielarger green chilies. Jalepenoscan be eaten fresh. Pico de Gallo

sauce uses fresh ingredients—peppers, tomatoes, onions,garlic, cilantro, and a touch oflemon. A lively addition to anymeal, jalqieno peppers are nowgrown for flavor, not hotness.They are also pickled and cannedor used in the making of jelly.

Yellow hot peppers can begrown and used fresh in sauces,also. They may be served raw,taking the place of a crunchypickle with a sandwich.

Chiletepin is a northern NewMexico native and is used as a

decorative bush. The small red

dried seed pod is crushed betweenthe fingers and used to flavorsalsa made with canned tomatoes

and onions for use over tacos and

tostados.

The pequine-type chili is theone used in making Lxiuisiana hot

sauce and in Cajun cooking.The oriental chilies are the hot

test and used in Szechwan dishes<»->»«^If you request "hot" sauce in 8^.oriental restaurant, you will probably receive crushed chilies in anoil base and it will be hot! Mi

croscopic portions only can beconsumed.

Depending on location, themanner in which chilies are prepared varies significantly. Afavorite New Mexico winter tradition is a pot of green chili bubbling at the back of the stove.Green chili made with pork, greenchilies, pinto beans, onions, andseasonings is guaranteed to warmthe soul of the person who eats it.This dish is served in a bowl,accompanied by a tortilla—soupand crackers to a gringo.

Fresh chili, an important southwestern staple, is stocked in mostsupermarkets. Usually Anaheim^and jalepenos are obtainable. 1^-other varieties are desired, trygrowing your own. Consider thisHOT tip: chilies produce prolifi-cally and continuously and areeasy to grow—no wonder they areso popular!

Staff:

Carolyn Gni^ihagenBarbara KishbaughT.J.Martin

Elizabeth Riordon

Virginia Westphal

1993 PHONE BOOK

RECYCLING CAMPAIGN.

The first week of November,1993 new telephone books will bedelivered to Cochise County. TheCity of Sierra Vista Environmental Affmrs Commission, HorizonMoving Systems, and US WestDirect are sponsoring a recyclingcampaign. From November 1 tomid-December, you may dropyour old telephone books off atthe following locations: SierraVista City Hall, Cochise Lock &Safe, Safeway, Wal-Mart, andSHARC. Also Johnston School,Meyer School, Smith MiddleSchools, and the Commissary onFt. Huachuca will be collectingthem.

For every 1,300 phone books^recvcled. we save 17 trees, 3

ubic yards of landfill space,7,000 gallonsofwater, 4,100 kwhof electricity, and 683 gallons ofcrude oil!

Please help preserve, protectand restore our environment.

CLASSOFFERED IN TUCSON•

The Tucson Botanical Gardens,2150 North Alvemon Way, Tucson, AZ, is offering the classTurn Surviving Plants Into Thriving Plants, Saturday, November13 from 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm (fee).Get tips on varieties best suited tospecial areas and creative ideas tohelp you bring your green thumbinside. The instructor is ElizabethNewton, owner. Fig Tree LivingInteriors. For information, call

^602)326-9255., Luminaria Nights at the Tucson^tanical Gardens are December4 & 5. Call for details.

A BOOK REVIEW

Frank L. Christ

[b035] Gardening Success withDifficultSoils:Limestone,AlkalineClay, and Caliche by Scott Og-den. Dallas: Taylor PublishingCo., 1992.

Instead of cursing the soil ofCochise County, gardaim canreap its blessings as they recognize its composition, its needs, itsnutrients, and the many native andexotic adaptive plants that it cangrow. This 1992 book can helpCochise County gardeners toappreciate and exploit soil that ismostly limestone, alkaline clay,and caliche.

The author starts out by identifying the nature of calcareoussoils, discusses its garden chemistry, explains the value of humusin enrichingsuch soils, details thenecessary ground preparation, andbegins a remarkable catalog oflime-loving plants that can beselected for gardening pleasure.In later chapters covering morethan 150 pages, the author describes mbced border plants, herbaceous plants, mid-season flowers, lime-tolerant shrubs andtrees, plants for heavy, wet claysoils, and plants for dry banks andchalk gardens, heat loving annualsand biennijds, night-bloomingplants, wildlife plants, roses,shade plants, vines and groundcovers, plants of the Sierra Mad-re, and fruits and vegetables forlimy ground.

A listing of plant sources andplant societies, along with references and an extensive indexcomplete a book that every Co

chiseCounty gard^er will appreciate...especially Master Gardeners who are called upon to sensitize their neighbors and otherSierra Vistans to the joys andsuccesses of gardening accordingto the land. Ogden's book is arecent addition to the Sierra VistaPublic Library.

The first annual High Desert Gardening and landscaping Conference mill beheld february 17 & 18,1994 at the Ramada Inn inSierra Vista, flZ. OptiorKiltours ore scheduled ForFebruary 19. The conference is sponsored bp theCochise County listerGardeners in associationuiith The Arizona NativePlant Society, CochiseGlobal Releof and SierraVista Garden Club.

UJotch for more details!

TURKEY HOTLINE

The Agriculture Departmentwants to talk "turkey" with you.Year around, registered dietitiansand home economists staff ttiehotline ready to answer questionsabout the entire spectrum of food,its preparation, storage, and howto use cooking equipment.

The toll-free number is:1-800-535-4555

During November the line willbe openfrom 9:00 am to 5:00 pm(EST) Monday tiirough Friday.The hotline will also be staffed toanswer last minute "turkey" questions on Thanksgiving from 8:00am to 2:00 pm (EST).

SOLAR

PARTY

GREENHOUSES-

Emilie Vardaman

Now that there has been some

serious chill in the air for a few

weeks, it is time to talk aboutheat. Just sit in your favoritechair in a sunny window onewinter day and see how fast thesun warms you up. The suncreates heat.

All objects, including people,water, air, and soil warm upwhen they are exposed to the sun.However, some objects are betterthan others at storing the sun'sheat. People aren't good at storing heat. When you move out ofyour sunny window, you'll feelcool pretty quickly, especially ifthe temperature in your house isabout 55-60 degrees.

Other objects hold heat andcool off slowly, releasing heatinto the surrounding air. Thinkabout a cast iron pan. If you useone to stir-fry some veggies andturn off the heat, the pan will stayhot to the touch for quite a while.The hotter you get it, the longer itwill take to cool off, and duringthe time it cools, it will radiateheat.

This ability of certain materialsto store and release heat is one of

the most important principles ofsolar greenhouse design. Ifenough heat-storing materials in agreenhouse are exposed to the

sun, they will absorb the sun'sheat by day, and release the heatin the evening, keeping the greenhouse and its plants (people, too)warm.

Things that store heat well aregenerally those that weigh a lotfor their size. Bricks, rocks,gallons of water, and cement aresuch objects, and they can also beused in construction. Yes, watercan be used in construction.

More about water next month.

Very heavy things such as steeland oAer metals, though capableof warming up quickly, also release their heat quicWy. Thismakes them unsuitable for use in

a greenhouse. What a good solargreenhouse needs is materials thatgather heat slowly and release itslowly, keeping the greenhousewarm after the sun goes down.

Another important principle ofgreenhouse design is minimizingheat loss. Because the goal is tokeep the greenhouse warm atnight, not warm the great outdoors, the room must also be wellinsulated and weather stripp^.Curtains, shutters, or movableinsulation over the south facingglass will help slow heat lossthrough the windows at night.

A third design principle isventilation, both between thehouse and the attachedgreenhouseand from the greenhouse to theoutside. Ventilation into the home

will allow surplus heat gatheredduring the day to be moved into

the house where it can be used to

regulate house temperature. Thevents can also be used at night tqU-vmove a small amount ofheat fromthe house into the greenhouse tohelp keep it warm enough forsensitiveplants. Ventilation to theoutside is used in summer to keepthe greenhouse from overheating.

Next month I'll cover the inte

gration of these design features.Until then, one word of caution.If you're beginning to roam library and bookstore shelves seeching for books on solar houses,rooms, and greenhouses, keep inmind that most of the designs yousee will NOT work in the desert.

Most are designed to gather moreheat than what we need, and ifyou follow a "stock" plan, youmay cook your plants right wherethey grow.

Don't plan to use glass or otherglazings on the roof of your grey^enhouse. First, glass on the rootinvariably leaks, and second, yourgreenhouse will be exposed tosummer sun all day from Maythrough September, just when youwant the greenhouse to be cool.Third, don't slope the glass on thesouth side. Again, it will be moreprone to leak and will gather toomuch summer sun. Think about

well insulated ceilings and easy tobuild vertical walls. And begingathering bricks and rocks.

Issued infurtherance ofCooperative Extension work, acts ofMay 8and lune 30, 1914, incoopetation with the United States Depaitment ofAgriculture, James A,Christenson, Director, Cooperative Extension, College ofAgriculture, The University ofArizona and Arizona Countiescooperating. The University of Arizona College of Agriculture is anequal opportunity enq>loyer authorized to provide research, educationalinformation and other services only toindividuals and institutions that hinction without regard tosex, race, religion, color, national origin, age,Vietnam Era Veteran's status, or disability.The information given herein issupplied with the understanding that nodiscrimination isintended and noendorsement byCooperative Extensionis implied.Any products, services, ororganizations that are mentioned, riiown, orindirectly implied inthis publication donot imply endorsement by theUniversity of Arizona.

WHAT'S BUGGING YOU®by T.J. Martin

PEST-WISE PREPARATION FOR FALL AND WINTER

Congratulations to all my fellow gardeners out there who have successfully completed yet anothersummer growing season in Southeastern Arizona. I hope that you enjoyed a bountiful harvest with a minimumof hassle from our local pest population, for many of us, this is the time of yearthatwe put the gardai to restfor the winter while enjoying a well deserved respite for ourselves. Forothers, fall is the transition time fromhot to cool-season crops and is often one of the most productive seasons of the year.

For those who followed a spring and summer pest-prevention program (from the previously publishedPreparation For Spring article or useful ideas from other sources) the fall and winter program will be alongmuch the same lines. For those just starting a prevention program, thefollowing are some ideas thatyou maywant to use togeta jump onnext year's pest problems, and hopefully leave you more time, energy, and moneyto enjoy gardening and other hobbies.

KNOW YOUR PEST — Try and identify the creatures that gave you the most problems during the pastgrowing season. Study their life cycle and try to determine where and how they overwinter. This informationwill give you many ideas on what to do to interrupt their breeding/feeding cycles and how to discourage themfrom frequenting your garden patch or orchard.

CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN — If the most important word in real estate is LOCATION, it's corollary ingardening is CLEAN. Garden debris, weeds, and leftover materials such as rocks, boards, etc. are primeoverwintering and breeding places for pests and an open invitation for trouble. Pull up all your oldplants andweeds and put in the trash for pick-up, bum, or compost in a HOT compost pile. Speaking of compost piles,stir yours up, wet it down, or add a little manure to get it "cooking" again. A compost pile that is too coolto properly (and quickly) decompose can become simply another pile of trash that bugs and other vermin loveto set up housekeeping in.

CHANGE YOUR MULCH AND CULTIVATE THE SOIL —If you used a mulch this summer, then rakeit up and add it to the compost pile. Many insects will have chosen this material for a egg-laying, pupation,or overwintering site. By removing and destroying the remains of THIS year's pest population, you canseriously reduce the number that show up NEXT spring. Other insects survive the winter by burrowing intothe top 12-18 inches of soil. By digging and turning over this soil in the fall you can expose many of thesecritters to the weather or predators looking for a late-season snack.

"SOLARIZE" THE SOIL —Somefolkshavehadgoodresultswithusing the sun to "pasteurize" theirgardensoil. After letting the weather andpredators have a chance at thepests (see above), moisten the soil and coverwith a layer of plastic tucked in securely at the edges. Our fall and winter sunshine is hot enough to heat thesoil toa significant degree and can "cook" many insect eggs or pupae that you may have missed. If you useclear plastic, you will oicourage growth from any weed seeds that may be present and you may go ahead andpull these up and thus prevent problems with them next growing season.

IDENTIFY BENEPICIALS — Insect pests are not the only ones that may overwinter on your property. Learntorecognize thepupal cases and egg masses of any "good guys" that may be helping you with your pest-controlduties. Look for these during your clean-up operations and putIhem aside in a protected place for the winter.DO NOT BRING THEM INTO YOUR HOME!!! Imagine the chaosif you wakeup one bright, sunnyJanuarymorning to find a hundred newly hatched Praying Mantids sharing your house. Not only would your spouse

COOPEflATIVE EXTENSIONU. & DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONATUCSON. ARIZONA tSTEl

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probably have a few well-chosen words to say to you, but all ofthese helpful creatures would die once you hadtransferred them backoutside to thecold weather and lack of appropriate prey to eat. Leave them outside tohatch at tile proper time.

ENRICH THE SOIL —Do your pH testing (ifneeded) and add fertilizer and humus to the soil togive yourplants an extra-healthy start next growing season. Remember, anything that you can do to strengthen yourplants will make them less susceptible to pests, disease, and weather stress next spring. If you will not havea winter crop, you might want to sow a cover (or "green manure") crop. This is often a species that can betilled under in the spring to help provide a nitrogen boost to the spring planting. Some winter plants can alsoprovide food orshelter for overwintering beneficials. If you do plan awinter garden, besure topractice propercrop rotation so as to notdeplete any particular setof nutrients in the soil.

READ PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED MATERIALS FOR FURTHER IDEAS —My Preparationfor Springand Ecologically-Sane Pest Control publications both contain other ideas such as dormant oils, washing yourtrees with soap, and the use of tree wraps and agricultural fleeces that can beused in the fall aswell asspring.These and many other useful articles can be obtained at the Cooperative Extension offices in Sierra Vista orWillcox. Most, if not all of these ideas can also be used bywinter gardeners as they convert their plots fromsummer to fall/winter use. For those taking the winter off, hopefully these ideas will take away some of thework and worry as you prep^e for next year's crops, and you will be able to concentrate on ordering all thosg_^new seed catalogs and spend the winter anticipating a wonderful gardening experience next spring with far few(pest problems than ever before.

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