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Toward the end of summer and into the middle of fall, my garden reminds me of a jewelry box filled with sparkling gems. The bright canary sapphire yellow and ruby red of the tomatoes, the amethyst of the eggplants, the emerald green of the beans and cucumbers and, in my eyes, the most beautiful of them all, the dazzling colors of the sweet bell peppers.
I have mentioned before that I am an impatient gardener and the bell peppers love to play on that trait. Waiting until the very end of summer to ripen from their early green stage into fruits of red, orange, yellow, purple, and deep chocolate brown; they taunt me by staying green much too long into the season. But my patience is usually rewarded with a bountiful harvest and this year is no exception.
Bell peppers are a member of the nightshade family along with eggplants, tomatoes, and potatoes. They have thick, crisp, juicy exterior walls and a hollow inner cavity which stores their somewhat bitter seeds and spongy core. Pepper plants love warm weather, but are a bit fussy, and thrive in the garden when the temperatures stay between 65 and 80 degrees F. If you have bell peppers in your garden, harvest them when they have fully turned color and use a garden scissors to gently cut the pepper from the main plant. If you are buying them at your farmers’ market or grocery, look for peppers that have thick green stems, glossy skin and no cuts or bruises.
You can store bell peppers, unwashed, in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator for 5-7 days. For longer storage, I wash the peppers, slice them into long strips, about ½ inch thick, and freeze them in freezer bags for use during the winter months. Frozen bell peppers will become limp and lose their characteristic crunch once thawed out (which is why you want to cut them prior to freezing); but they are wonderful to use in stews and soups or just sautéed with some onions and garlic and spooned over a grilled chicken breast for a quick dinner. And for a no fuss appetizer, sauté them in a tiny bit of olive oil with some garlic, pile them high on a thick slice of hearty grilled bread and finish with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.
I also chop them up in my food processor, using the pulse feature to assure that I don’t liquefy them, and fill plastic ice cube trays with the finely diced peppers. I cover the tray with plastic wrap and foil and put them in the freezer. When I want to make a recipe that calls for chopped sweet bell peppers, I just pop a few of those frozen cubes (which are about a tablespoon each) right into the sauce, soup or stew. I do the same with chili peppers, which we’ll talk about in a future column.
My favorite way to eat sweet bell peppers is freshly picked and raw. Cool, crisp, juicy, and sweet, the bell pepper needs nothing else but to be sliced and eaten as a snack or tossed into a salad or bowl of brown rice. And these beauties are as nutritional as they are pretty and delicious. One half cup of sweet bell pepper has only 20 calories and contains 236% of our daily vitamin C and 50% of our vitamin A requirements along with fiber, vitamin B6 and folic acid.
When my garden is at its peak of harvest, I often make this vegetable studded couscous salad for a quick lunch. The squashes add a nice dimension to the dish, but sometimes for a change of pace I’ll use a variety of colorful bell peppers in their place. And if I am really relaxing in the evening, I might forgo the sautéing altogether and instead just toss a few handfuls of colorful diced raw bell peppers into a bowl of warm couscous, sprinkle on some shredded fresh basil, add a bit of feta or leftover shredded chicken, drizzle it with my very best olive oil, sit on the patio with a big bowl of it in my lap, watch the sun set over the pond, and call it a night.
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/victoria-wesseler/373-garden-jewels/
Garden Jewels
Toward the end of summer and into the middle of fall, my garden reminds me of a jewelry box filled with sparkling gems. The bright canary sapphire yellow and ruby red of the tomatoes, the amethyst of the eggplants, the emerald green of the beans and cucumbers and, in my eyes, the most beautiful of them all, the dazzling colors of the sweet bell peppers.
I have mentioned before that I am an impatient gardener and the bell peppers love to play on that trait. Waiting until the very end of summer to ripen from their early green stage into fruits of red, orange, yellow, purple, and deep chocolate brown; they taunt me by staying green much too long into the season. But my patience is usually rewarded with a bountiful harvest and this year is no exception.
Bell peppers are a member of the nightshade family along with eggplants, tomatoes, and potatoes. They have thick, crisp, juicy exterior walls and a hollow inner cavity which stores their somewhat bitter seeds and spongy core. Pepper plants love warm weather, but are a bit fussy, and thrive in the garden when the temperatures stay between 65 and 80 degrees F. If you have bell peppers in your garden, harvest them when they have fully turned color and use a garden scissors to gently cut the pepper from the main plant. If you are buying them at your farmers’ market or grocery, look for peppers that have thick green stems, glossy skin and no cuts or bruises.
You can store bell peppers, unwashed, in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator for 5-7 days. For longer storage, I wash the peppers, slice them into long strips, about ½ inch thick, and freeze them in freezer bags for use during the winter months. Frozen bell peppers will become limp and lose their characteristic crunch once thawed out (which is why you want to cut them prior to freezing); but they are wonderful to use in stews and soups or just sautéed with some onions and garlic and spooned over a grilled chicken breast for a quick dinner. And for a no fuss appetizer, sauté them in a tiny bit of olive oil with some garlic, pile them high on a thick slice of hearty grilled bread and finish with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.
I also chop them up in my food processor, using the pulse feature to assure that I don’t liquefy them, and fill plastic ice cube trays with the finely diced peppers. I cover the tray with plastic wrap and foil and put them in the freezer. When I want to make a recipe that calls for chopped sweet bell peppers, I just pop a few of those frozen cubes (which are about a tablespoon each) right into the sauce, soup or stew. I do the same with chili peppers, which we’ll talk about in a future column.
My favorite way to eat sweet bell peppers is freshly picked and raw. Cool, crisp, juicy, and sweet, the bell pepper needs nothing else but to be sliced and eaten as a snack or tossed into a salad or bowl of brown rice. And these beauties are as nutritional as they are pretty and delicious. One half cup of sweet bell pepper has only 20 calories and contains 236% of our daily vitamin C and 50% of our vitamin A requirements along with fiber, vitamin B6 and folic acid.
When my garden is at its peak of harvest, I often make this vegetable studded couscous salad for a quick lunch. The squashes add a nice dimension to the dish, but sometimes for a change of pace I’ll use a variety of colorful bell peppers in their place. And if I am really relaxing in the evening, I might forgo the sautéing altogether and instead just toss a few handfuls of colorful diced raw bell peppers into a bowl of warm couscous, sprinkle on some shredded fresh basil, add a bit of feta or leftover shredded chicken, drizzle it with my very best olive oil, sit on the patio with a big bowl of it in my lap, watch the sun set over the pond, and call it a night.
Warm Couscous Salad with Bell Peppers, Caramelized Summer Squash and Onions
Made with Parmesan or crumbled feta cheese, dry whole wheat couscous, unsalted butter, grapeseed oil, sweet onions, sweet bell peppers, garlic, zucchini, yellow squash, fresh basil
Made with Parmesan or crumbled feta cheese, dry whole wheat couscous, unsalted butter, grapeseed oil, sweet onions, sweet bell peppers, garlic, zucchini, yellow squash, fresh basil
Serves/Makes: 4
- 1 cup dry whole wheat couscous
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- 1 cup sweet onions, 1/2 inch dice
- 1 cup sweet bell peppers, 1/2 inch dice
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 small zucchini (4-6 inches long), 1/2 inch dice
- 2 small yellow squash (4-6 inches long), 1/2 inch dice
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, cut into ribbons
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan or crumbled feta cheese (optional)
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Prepare the couscous according to package directions and cover to keep warm while you are preparing the vegetables.
In a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat, melt one tablespoon of the butter with one tablespoon of the oil. Saute the onions and bell peppers, stirring occasionally, until they are softened and browned around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for one additional minute.
Remove the onion/pepper mixture and put it in a bowl. Cover to keep warm. Add the remaining butter and oil to the pan.
Saute the zucchini and yellow squash, stirring occasionally, until they are browned around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the basil and saute for one additional minute. Place the squash in the bowl with the onion/pepper mixture.
Pile the prepared couscous onto a serving plate and put the vegetable mixture in the center. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the cheese, if using it, and serve immediately.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/victoria-wesseler/373-garden-jewels/