Autumn and aji chili peppers

I looked up today and discovered autumn has arrived and coloured a group of trees. The colour has turned in the last week or so, meaning autumn arrived at the end of February this year.  

One pair of trees has, sadly, only a short time to flaunt their colour.   I feel very strongly that next week I will walk by and those trees will have been bulldozed.  The trees are at the front of a building which is in the process of being demolished to make way for – yes, you’ve guessed it – yet another exciting new development.

This building was a reception centre for many years and in the days of long ago it was the venue where my workplace held their end of year function – the good old Christmas party.  The former work place and the former reception place have both joined the brave new world of apartment complexes proliferating all over the city, like mould spores on bread in humid weather.

The seasons have definitely moved forward in the past ten to fifteen years.  I also noticed last week the camellia tree outside my window has formed buds and is likely to bloom before I leave for Northern Parts in April.  When I first moved into the apartment, July was the earliest when the camellias appeared on the tree; well into winter.

Sitting at the bench in the kitchen at Villa Strode last evening and surveying the vegetable garden produce spread out in front of me, I dipped my fingers into a small bowl of very tiny, orange tomatoes. 

Or so I thought.  

At least I had the wit to ask what they were and received prompt and clear warnings about making the error of popping one into my mouth and biting.

The response was a very loud ‘No!  Do not even think about eating one of those!!’

They are, according to Steve who grows them in a tub in the back yard, Peruvian Aji Charapa chili peppers.   

As it is my nature to give almost everyone an argument about almost everything, I am here to say I think they may be Bolivian.  Of course all my research has been done on the good old internet, where many things are not what they seem to be, maybe Quintisho peppers even.  However I am sticking to my guns and I think they are Quintisho peppers.

Bolivian Quintisho hot peppers in fact, according to this place…

Happily there were no Quintisho hot peppers in our delicious dinner; oven-cooked ling, with tomatoes, garlic and a small amount of common red chili and sides of potatoes and garden-fresh green beans.

An evening of excellent food, wine and conversation.