Master gardeners prepare for pepper tasting

Locals are invited to view and taste a Jamaica scotch bonnet, jalapeño mitla or Nardello sweet pepper at the free McClellan Ranch Pepper Tasting from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at McClellan Ranch Park, 22221 McClellan Road.

Local master and volunteer gardeners, certified through the University of California Cooperative Extension, grew 40 varieties of sweet, hot and mild peppers this summer in Cupertino's community garden at the park.

"The standard green pepper you get in the store is a Yolo, and we grew one of those as a benchmark," said Roxanne Beverstein, a master gardener. "Then we wanted to grow other unusual ones, what people don't normally get in the grocery store."

Last year, the gardeners planted a crop of 20 varieties of potatoes.

The purpose of the Master Gardeners' McClellan Ranch project is to educate the public about the wide range of choices the standard varieties of vegetables sold in supermarkets.

The results of all the master gardener tastings are published on the master gardeners website (www.mastergardeners.org), and local nurseries use the information to decide the preferred varieties of vegetables to have available, Beverstein.

Approximately 100 people are expected to attend the event.

For more information about the Pepper Project, visit the web site at www.geocities.com/NapaValley/Vineyard/5062/.

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