Local Japanese bell peppers are a Japanese pepper variety picked while still young and green, about 40 days after flowering. Compared to a standard American bell pepper, Peaman has thinner walls and a milder bitterness, with the same crisp, juicy bite. Suzuki Farm, one of the few Japanese vegetable growers on the East Coast, also lets a portion of the crop ripen fully on the plant into red Peaman, which takes closer to 70 days after flowering and turns sweeter and less bitter as it matures. Both stages come from the same pepper plant, just picked at different points in its life. Peaman holds its shape well over high heat, making it a natural fit for quick stir-fries with shredded beef or pork, and its walls are sturdy enough to stuff and bake whole with rice, meat, or grains. It also works raw, sliced thin for a slaw or a crudite plate, or diced into a salsa. Green Peaman brings a sharper, more vegetal edge, while red Peaman leans sweeter, so the two can be mixed in the same dish for contrast.
Delmar, DE
Suzuki Farm, established in 1983 in Delmar, Delaware by Ken Suzuki, is the oldest Japanese vegetable producer on the East Coast. Spanning 28 acres, the farm grows a variety of Japanese vegetables, harvesting over 30 different varieties throughout the year! Focused on delivering freshness and flavor, the farm carefully selects popular vegetable seeds from Japan, which must undergo quarantine inspections and disinfection before use, meaning the vegetables are not certified organic. However, the vegetables are pesticide-free, relying instead on plant-based products for pest control, such as extracts from Chinese chives, Japanese parsley, Japanese mugwort, green onion, pickled scallion, and others, as well as pyroligneous acid and certified disinfectants. Suzuki Farm utilizes Japanese farm equipment and Ken dedicates significant attention, effort, and time to growing his crops. It is one of the few farms in the United States owned by Japanese farmers.