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| By Ianpassion |
Black Peppers are common backyard spice plants of the Southern Thais, especially in Satun. Like chili, lemongrass, lime, and parsley; peppercorns are used for savoring delicious Thai curry dishes.
Eating raw peppercorns like what Thais in Satun do is best to appetite your taste. It is spicy but not as chili. I already got used to this for savoring my adobo (a Filipino traditional dish).
Digesting raw peppercorns is good for fighting bacteria in our bodies. This plant contains high antioxidant, has high anti-inflammatory properties, improve brain function, improve blood sugar metabolism, may lower cholesterol level, may have cancer-fighting properties, and may use as a pain reliever.
So I planted more of this on my farm. Farming is my joy. I think I got this passion from my father. He is my idol when it comes to agriculture. We had a greenery lawn and refreshing outdoor before because of him. He is very diligent.
However, there was a plant that I had never seen in my father's garden - the pepper plant. No one grew this spice in our community even we knew it was a tasty condiment and essential for savoring the adobo (a favorite Filipino dish).
How did I have a seedling of black pepper?
It started here!
One day my wife told there was a ngan kaset (agriculture festival) in the main town Hatyia, 2 hours drive from my home in Satun. At this event, there were different seedlings displayed for sale. There I got black pepper 80 Bhat for one stem in a black bag. I supposed to pay 150 baht as the original price, but because it was the last displayed, then the seller gave this with a discounted price. Wow!
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| Planted more peppercorn at my backyard |
Thanks to Google, where I knew how to plant my first pepper plant.
Black peppers need shade with dappled sunlight and cold ground. It requires fertile soil that drains easily. So I planted this about one foot below the surface under the jackfruit tree behind my house. I soften the soil and shoveled back enough the plant was not over-covered.
A peppercorn plant is a vine, so I provided a trellis about 15 feet high for this to climb. From the log of a santol tree (a cotton fruit) fallen in my backyard, I lifted this and made it as a trellis to support the growth. I used a rope to tie each stem on the trellis for rooting and preventing from shaking.
There are three types of peppercorn depending on your preference. The most common are black peppercorns which undergo the process of boiling and drying. Second is the white peppercorns which only gone through the process of drying. Lastly, the green peppercorns which are common on eating raw and often use for spicing a Thai curry dish.
After one year of waiting, I eventually could harvest my first peppercorns. Instead of using black peppercorns, for the first time, I used the mashed raw peppercorns for my adobo (a Filipino dish) and started eating them raw. Aroi maak krap (very delicious).
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| Cooking my First Adobo with Raw Peppercorns |
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