The Harper News (Harper, Tex.), Vol. 8, No. 25, Ed. 1 Friday, October 21, 2011 Page: 3 of 10
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page 3
The Harper News
October 21, 2011
From the Kitchen of Old Stone Market
bv Karen Vaucher
A Short History
of Pepper
Along with cloves, cinna-
mon and nutmeg, pepper
was one of the most sought
after spices of the Age of
Discovery. The use of dried
pepper goes back 500 years
in the East where it was not
only a commodity but a
form of currency. In fact,
black pepper is the world’s
most widely traded spice.
In ancient times the
Chinese used it to treat
malaria, cholera, diarrhea
and stomach complaints. In
Greece it was used for fever
as well as stomach disor-
ders. Other little known
physical treatments include
arthritis, asthma, bronchitis,
circulation disorders, cold,
flu, emphysema, headaches,
muscle aches, migraines,
sinus congestion and vari-
cose veins. The use of pep-
per can clear confusion,
calm the nervous system,
lessen anxiety and depres-
sion, strengthen focus and
relieve stress. All this and it
makes your food taste
good!
Black Pepper or “piper
nigrum” is cultivated for its
fruit which is usually dried
as a spice for seasoning.
Each fruit grows in a cluster
on a stem and is a single
seed.
Pepper is a product of its
environment: soil, sunshine,
humidity, rainfall; it grows
well in tropical climates
where it has a moist rich soil
and is partially shaded by
larger trees. The pepper
we sell is from Madagascar,
an island off the eastern
coast of Africa. It is indige-
nous to the region and
grows in the Antananarivo
region of the Ankaratra
Mountains. The region is
shrouded in clouds during
the early morning. The
clouds are burned off by
intense sunshine through-
out the day and a twenty-
minute tropical rainfall is
the normal in the late after-
noon.
The berries grow in clus-
ters on a flowering vine
which can either trail on the
ground or climb trees. The
clusters are cut before the
berries turn ripe or red and
are brought into a ware-
house where women sit at
table in front of a screen
and, believe it or not, each
berry is hand picked off the
cluster. They are then shak-
en free of dirt, hauled out-
side and sun dried for sev-
eral days during which the
skin around the seed dries
and shrinks and darkens
into a thin wrinkled black
layer. The peppercorns can
last for years in this state,
only releasing their flavor
and aroma when cracked by
hand or ground in a pep-
permill.
White pepper consists of
the inside seed of the fruit.
The darker colored skin is
removed by a process
known as retting. Fully ripe
peppercorns are soaked for
about a week until the flesh
softens and decomposes.
Rubbing them removes the
residue and the naked white
seed is dried. Black pepper
is considered spicier than
white pepper because the
active ingredient “peper-
ine” resides in the skin and
this is what contributes the
spice.
Green pepper, like the
black is made from the
unripe berries. Treated
with sulfur dioxide, they
retain their green color and
are then preserved in brine
or vinegar. Their flavor is
fresh and piquant and spicy.
These are particularly good
in a creamy sauce flavored
with cognac for pepper
steak.
Pink peppercorns are the
fruit of a plant from a differ-
ent family, originally
thought to be poisonous.
This has been proven to be
no longer true, however.
Black pepper along with
other spices from the East
changed the course of
world history. It was the
rare luxury of these spices
that led to efforts to find a
sea route to the Spice
Islands which ultimately
provided world wide domi-
nance for Spain and
Portugal during the Age of
Discovery.
The pepper from
Madagascar is known to be
the finest, most aromatic
pepper in the world. Since
Madagascar was a French
colony until it gained inde-
pendence in the 1960s, most
of the harvest is imported
to France because it is the
preferred pepper of French
chefs. From there it reach-
es a few other European
countries. Before Old Stone
Market began importing it
in 2000, it was not available
in North America. We
receive a yearly shipment of
2000 pounds which we sell
and distribute throughout
the United States.
Along with salt, pepper is
the most widely used condi-
ment in today’s cuisine.
Madagascar peppercorns
are truly an extraordinary
product and can be pur-
chased from oldstonemar-
ket.com.
Pepper Marinated Goat
Cheese
1 (12 ounce) log of soft goat
cheese
2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
(approximately)
2 TBL. Coarsely ground Black
Peppercorns (preferably
Madagascar)
1 fresh sprig of rosemary
Cut the goat cheese
into pieces and form into a
ball. Roll the balls of cheese
in coarsely ground Black
Peppercorns. Place into a
large jar and cover with
extra virgin olive oil and
insert a sprig of fresh rose-
mary. Cover and refriger-
ate overnight. Serve with
crispy hot French bread or
break into pieces and toss
into a spring mix salad. You
can also flatten the balls
with a spatula, place on a
baking sheet and place
under the broiler until bub-
bly and browned on top. Use
on a nice green salad or
steamed asparagus. The
marinated goat cheese will
keep in the refrigerator for
2-3 weeks.
Ultimate Grilled Steaks
This is the easiest and most
delicious steak recipe you
will ever use.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Coarsely Ground Black
Peppercorns (preferably
Madagascar)
Sea Salt or Smoked Sea Salt
to taste (preferably
Himalayan Pink or Salish
Alder Smoked)
Drizzle steaks on both
sides with extra virgin olive
oil and then sprinkle liber-
ally with coarsely ground
Black Peppercorns, rubbing
it in and pressing down. Let
stand for 20-30 minutes at
room temperature. Grill to
taste and serve with Sea
Salt or Smoked Sea Salt.
V
i! y
Piper Nigrum Plant with
berries
(Karen Vaucher is avail-
able as a guest speaker for
clubs and organizations.
She can be reached at:
info@oldstonemarket.com
or at 830 864-5060).
Local 4-H’ers Sort Food
for Harper’s Help Center
The Harper Volunteer Fire Department
invites you to the Fish Fry on Saturday,
Nov. 5, 2010.
It starts at 11:00 a.m. at the Fire station.
Dinner is by
Donation only.
Big Raffles,
Lots of prizes!
Support your
local Fire
Fighters and
EMS Service!
jfe.
Hope Dillon displays her poster that will be given away
during the third annual Veteran’s Day Luncheon.
Below is the invitation to the luncheon. Call Jackie for
reservations. Below is Lucas Ames with the poster
he designed to honor the Veterans.
V • -•
This was their service project for the annual 4-H day celebration.
Thanks to all who donated canned goods for this drive.
All Veterans, Service Men
and Women
and their Spouses
are Invited
to a
Veterans’ Day Luncheon
on Nov. 11,2011
The Harper Schools are planning their
Third Annual Veteran’s Day Celebration to be
held on Veteran’s Day, Thursday, Nov. 11,
2011, at 11:00
in the Baptist Fellowship Hall.
The program will start at 11:00 a.m. and
will be followed with lunch. All service men
and women and veterans and their spouses
are invited. They are asked to RSVP to
Jackie Felts at the Harper Schools,
(864-4044, ext. 2).
The program is being hosted by the Social
Studies Department and the Junior High and
High School Student Councils.
RSVP to 830.864.4044, ext. 2
Contact
Elected
Officials
(Editor’s note: As critical
issues come before both
the state and national gov-
ernments, I have decided to
devote a little of the
paper’s space to contact
information for our elected
officials. The closer we as
citizens stay in contact, the
better our officials can act
to protect our interests.)
President
Barack H. Obama, The White
House, 1600 Pennsylvania
Ave. Washington, D. C.
20500 •
www.whitehouse.gov
Vice President
Joe Biden, Executive Office
Bldg. Washington, D. C.
20501
vice oresident@white-
house.gov
U.S. Senator
Kay Bailey Hutchison, 284
Russell Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, D. C. 20510
(202)224-5922
www.hutch iso n. senate.gov
U. S. Senator
John Cornyn, 370 Russell
Senate Office Bid.
Washington, D. C. 20510
(202)224-2934
www.cornvn.senate.gov
U. S. Representative
Mike Conaway, Dist. 11,511
Cannon House Office Bid.
Washington, D. C. 20515
(202) 225-3605
Llano office - (325) 247-
2826,
www.conawav.house.gov
Texas Govenor
Rick Perry, P. 0. Box 12428,
Austin, TX 78711
(512) 463-2000 www.gov-
ernor.state.tx.us
State Senator
Troy Fraser, Dist. 24, P.0.
Box 12068, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711,
512.463.0124, 512.463.3732
830.693.9900
State Representative
Doug Miller,
doug.miller@house.state.tx
P.0. Box 2910, Austin, TX
78768-2910, 512.463.0325
or 512.463.6161
County Judge
Mark Stroeher, 101 W. Main
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
(830) 997-7503
Countv Sheriff
Buddy Mills, 1601 E. Main,
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
800-735-0362
Countv Commissioner. Pet 5
Billy Roeder
101 W. Main,
Fredericksbug, TX 78624
(830)997-7503
Copies of The
Harper News
are available
in these fine Harper
stores:
Waldos,
Behrends Feed at
Bode’s, Dauna’s, and
the Longhorn Cafe.
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Stevens, Martha. The Harper News (Harper, Tex.), Vol. 8, No. 25, Ed. 1 Friday, October 21, 2011, newspaper, October 21, 2011; Harper, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth844689/m1/3/: accessed June 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Harper Library.