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Pepper as we all know is one of the most used spice in almost all dishes globally and might i add, my favourite.
Most people actually use this vegatable ignorant of its health benefit. Just the other day, i was speaking with someone and topic pepper came up. He asked and i quote "why use pepper, what is so special about it anyways"? I was astonished but then, i explained.
Pepper is not just a spice, it is an agricultural produce under the species of vegetable, a great source of income and as well, healthy for the body in more ways than one.
Ask me and i will tell that pepper farming is one way of improving the standard of living of people.
In this post, I hope to enlighten you on
*how to cultivate pepper
*how to harvest pepper
*how to preserve pepper
*some health tips about pepper
*how pepper can improve the economy and help feed the poor
how to cultivate pepper
Clear the area or land in which you want to plant the pepper. After that, you make the beds which should be spaced and about 11 inches high and 12-18 inches spaced. When this is done, introduce your manure which could be poultry dung,human dung or inorganic fertilizer like NPK15 15 15 or sawdust to the soil. Leave for a short period then begin planting your dried pepper seeds. Put at least 3 seeds in a hole and water it immediately and subsequently to speed up germination.
NOTE: the best soil for planting pepper is sandy soil and loamy soil. Staking of the pepper is also important as it help prevent damages.
Peppers take as long as 70-150 days to mature according to their varieties. Feeding the soil with manure during germination also helps produce healthy pepper.
Weeding also should be done 3-4 times before harvesting to prevent the tussle for nutrients and space between the pepper and the weed.
how to harvest pepper
Harvesting is done by gently detaching/ plucking the pepper with the use of your hands.
Now, do fear if the pepper is still green which is the case of most unripe bell peppers for as far as it is mature, it can be harvested. This is actually better because it gives room for the growth of more therefore, leading to an increase in productivity and income. Also, plucking unripe pepper dosen't stop it from ripening.
how to preserve pepper
Pepper is a very perishable vegetable hence, deserves a lot of attention in its preservation. For me, I wash and dry them as moisture makes it spoil quicker. Then, i place it on or in a cool dry place. I really feel like this is one of the best method of preserving large amount of pepper and some other perishable vegetables minus the washing in special cases like onions.
Some people refrigerate whole pepper while some will first of all wash it, cut open the pepper and remove its seeds and stems, then refrigerate.
health benefits
Red bell pepper which packs more nutrient than any pepper due to the fact that it stays longer on the vine is rich in
*vitamin C way more than orange
*vitamin A
*antioxidants
*vitamin B6
*mild thermorgenic which improves/ increases metabolism
*hot pepper acts as an aphrodisiacs which is a sex stimulant
*black pepper reduces the risk of cancer
*black pepper is an instant(maybe temporary) cure of nasal congestion
*causes the body to be hot and this prevents cold
how pepper can improve the economy and help feed the poor.
Pepper is a globally accepted agricutural produce. Knowing this, one could invest largely in this and gain highly. Also,the government can invest in this agricultural produce by making farmers out of the jobless youths thus, creating employment. Exportation is also possible. Now imagine you plant pepper and the harvest is glorious, you export and you make so much gain, wouldnt that put a smile on your face and joy in your heart. Now, you can expand your business and offer employment opportunities to others. Money is coming in,economy is improving so now ,one can offer meaningful help to the needy.
Thanks for reading
Yours truly,
Cuppcake.