Pink Peppercorns

The finished product, dried and jarred.

I was hand picking satsuma and clementine tangerines in Brentwood, CA last weekend with my boyfriend, and as we were leaving I noticed a row of pink peppercorn trees. The beautiful bright pink cluster of orbs hid behind the long draping leaves, but I knew exactly what they were. I try to forage fruits and vegetables every change I get. When driving in the car, I always make my boyfriend immediately pull over the car so I can pick the goods. Its the most rewarding feeling of picking your own food, and I'm convinced that food you gather yourself somehow tastes better.

I know it may be a little difficult to randomly come by, but if you ever do see a tree that looks like this, then definitely take advantage of its offerings. I picked enough to fill a plastic bag and had a smile on my face all the way home because of this unexpected treat I encountered.

Once you pick them, you can't just start to use them immediately, event though they're definitely flavorful at this point. Using a dehydrator or an oven on the lowest temperature, place what you've harvested on the dehydrator tray or a pan on the oven rack and wait. Since I used the dehydrator on about a 110-115 degree setting, I waited almost all day until everything was completely dry. It's a good idea to use the "low and slow" method so you're not risking too much heat causing the peppercorns to roast (even though come to think of it, wouldn't be a terrible idea either).

The next part was the most tedious and time-consuming. Once every peppercorn was dry, I plucked each and every one off the tiny individual branches. It was difficult because they were constantly snapping off and creating a mess, but well worth the effort. Good luck!