It can be sweet or spicy and comes in various colors. Both raw and cooked, it's excellent, and whether in sauces, salads, or stuffed, it's a great companion in the kitchen. Also, and allow me to step away from my usual topic of the land, something many people don't know is that bell peppers are rich in vitamin C. That said… Let's get back to farming!
Julio’s crops look neat and radiant. The canes serving as stakes form an extensive structure from which plants upon plants hang. We walk through the aisles, looking at the peppers shining in the midday sun.
Julio is going to tell us about his crops, but first, let's explore a bit about the origin of the bell pepper.
Origin of the bell pepper
Although it often carries the "Italian" adjective next to its name, the bell pepper is native to Latin America. It comes from the Andean region of Peru and Bolivia, although remains were found in what is now Mexico.
Like the tomato and the potato, it belongs to the nightshade family and began its journey by ship to Europe after Columbus returned from America. Also, along with the zucchini, it is one of the first vegetables domesticated by humans.
The bell pepper has three main groups: sweet bell pepper for the table, spicy bell pepper for the table, and varieties for paprika.
Now, let's continue through Julio's fields to learn more about his cultivation...
About bell pepper cultivation with Julio
If you are subscribed to the Campos del Abuelo newsletter, you’ll already know that we call Julio's Italian bell peppers the traffic light of the garden. That's because if you leave bell peppers on the plant, they literally go through all three traffic light colors: green, yellow, and red.
This, in turn, has nothing to do with ripeness levels; if it's green, it's perfectly fine to eat, just as it is when it turns from yellow to red.
The "Italian" accompanying the bell pepper is because it is one of the varieties of bell pepper, just like the Lamuyo variety, which Julio cultivates in his garden. In the case of Lamuyo peppers, to achieve this red color, they are left on the plant, but those that touch the ground are removed to prevent spoilage, as Julio tells us from his field: Mites present in the soil can affect them.
In the case of the Italian bell pepper variety, it is generally consumed green, although some also reach a red coloration. About the Italian variety, Julio tells us: It is planted in several phases and is available from June to November.
Julio picks a bell pepper from the plant in his hands and continues: This is a hybrid variety. We obtained it from local varieties that closely resemble the Italian bell pepper, and you could say we ended up creating our own Italian bell pepper. This one of ours stands out for having finer flesh.
Look how good Julio's hybrid variety bell peppers look:
When asked about the process the plants undergo to produce bell peppers, Julio tells us: In the first plantings, a tunnel is used to protect them. Then, plants with insects are introduced to help control aphids.
Regarding farmers' fight against aphids, in this article on how organic products are grown, Clara, also a fellow farmer at Campos del Abuelo, gives an excellent example with aphids and ladybugs.
But besides focusing on pests and how to combat them, work is also done on the plant itself: Something else we do is remove the shoots from the lower part of the plant so that it produces the fruits as straight as possible at the top. If the lower shoots were left, the bell pepper would grow very crooked.
In bell pepper cultivation, Julio also uses sulfur to combat fungi. As we always say at Campos del Abuelo, agriculture isn't just about planting a seed and watering. It's a daily job that requires commitment.
From Campos del Abuelo, we work daily to ensure that Julio and other farmers can sell their farm products directly to the consumer without intermediaries.
The visit to Julio's fields ends for now, but we will surely return later. His bell peppers are delicious and we hope you get to try this season's. Otherwise, you'll have to wait because the earth is generous, but everything takes time to bear fruit.
Remember that by visiting our online fruit and vegetable store, you can customize your box as you wish and receive it at your home in less than 24 hours. Furthermore, not only does everything arrive fresh from the field to your home, but our products are free of post-harvest chemicals and do not undergo any refrigeration.
Until next time, and thanks for reading!
