Ajay Sharma is once again testing his palate with peppers.
Record readers may recall a story from last year about the West End resident’s pepper garden that featured one of the world’s hottest pepper – the Ghost Pepper, which measured one million SHU. The Scoville Heat Unit measures peppers’ spiciness.
Well, Sharma has outdone himself this year. He’s grown some Carolina Reapers, which are now considered the hottest peppers in the world.
“It is 2.2 million SHU,” he said.
Along with the Carolina Reapers, Sharma is also harvesting the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, considered the second hottest pepper in the world at two million SHU and Scotch bonnet, which ranges from 100,000 to 350,000 SHU. Compare that to the jalapeno which ranges from 2,500 to 10,000 SHU.
Sharma’s front yard is filled with containers growing a variety of peppers, which he harvests, preserves and uses to spice up curries, soups and other meals. Last year’s hot summer produced a bumper crop of peppers for the New West man.
“Not very good this year,” he said. “The weather was not very good.”
On the move
The Royal City Farmers Market is heading back uptown to its winter home.
Beginning Nov. 5, the market will take place on the first and third Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Belmont Street. Organizers promise the winter market will be jam-packed with vendors and note a waiting list is already being taken by market management.
“Last year’s winter market was an amazing success,” said market manager Valerie Tessier Lee in a press release. “We heard great feedback from the vendors who loved the location. We are happy to be back uptown again this winter.”
The winter market will feature many of the most popular vendors from the summer market that’s held in Tipperary Park. The press release notes that the city’s parklet on Belmont Street will remain open throughout the winter to provide space for market goers to sit and enjoy the spoils of the market.
Century House to bloom for Canada
New Westminster will be blooming in red and white in celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017.
The Port Royal Community Garden Society will receive one of 150 packages of tulip bulbs being distributed to groups across the country by Canada Garden Council and Vesey’s Bulbs of Prince Edward Island. Each of the lucky recipients will get 500 red and 500 white tulip bulbs to plant in celebration of Canada’s sesquicentennial in 2017.
“We feel very fortunate to have received one of these gardens, as we understand the Canadian Garden Council, the organization behind the 150th Celebration Garden program, received more than 400 applications,” said Karen Justice, secretary-treasurer of the Port Royal Community Garden Society.
The garden will be planted on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 1:30 p.m. at Century House, 620 Eighth St. Everyone is invited to attend the planting ceremony as the community prepares to celebrates Canada’s 150th birthday next hear.
The garden will be featured on Canada’s Garden Route. Check it out at www.canadasgardenroute.ca.
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record.ca, or find her on Twitter @theresamcmanus.
