He's a fan of a wide variety of peppers and chili pepper dishes such as salsas, chilis rellenos, chili, sauces and tapas.  He roasts them, freezes them, stuffs them and dries them. He also grows them from seeds, about 80 of them in 11 different varieties this year. He gives some plants away, but this year planted 55 pepper plants in his Morgantown garden.

He started growing pepper plants about 20 years ago when he couldn't find any of his favorite varieties of plants in garden centers or nurseries.

"Unquestionably, it was my love of eating hot peppers that prompted me to start growing them," he said.

And he does like them hot. He grows a Red Savina Habanero pepper that ranks between 350,00 and 580,000 Scoville units, which is a system for measuring the heat of chili peppers.

Starting with sweet bell peppers at 0 units, peppers are ranked in increasing heat levels to the hottest pepper recorded, Naga Jolokia, or Ghost Pepper, which measures at more than 1,000,000 Scoville units. Pepper spray also has a 1,000,000 unit rating. A jalapeno pepper has 2,500 to 8,000 units.

Ben is not a fan of sweet green peppers, but he likes a stuffed pepper soup using them, which is on the menu at his workplace's cafeteria. He replicated the recipe, but substitutes Anaheim peppers for sweet green peppers.

Padron, his current favorite, is mild if picked before when it's about the size of a thumb, but heats up as it matures. Sauteed in olive oil until they are lightly singed and dusted with coarse sea salt, padrons make a great tapas dish. Haters of hot peppers avoid padrons because of the pepper's Russian Roulette quality -- one in every five to 10 peppers is extremely hot.

Jalapeno and serrano peppers are great choices for fresh salsa. He roasts and peels mild Anahiem peppers, then tosses them in olive oil and serves with Asiago cheese and crusty bread. Both Anahiem and pablano are good choices for baked chilis rellenos, stuffed with pork, beef and/or cheese.

His wife, Marsha, recently developed a new recipe for roasted peppers and hamburgers. She sandwiches the peppers and thin slices of cheese between two thin hamburger patties, presses the edges together to seal in the peppers and cheese, then grills the burgers.

When the harvest is too prolific, Ben and Marsha cut them into strips or roast and peel them and freeze for later use. The roasted peppers add a smoky presence to omelets, sandwiches and soups. They also dry some of the hotter varieties such as cayenne and habanero, then grind them into powder to sprinkle on just about any dish from eggs to soups to grilled meats. They keep the pepper powder in a sprinkle shaker.

Ben adds the requisite warning about handling hot peppers. The seeds and veins contain the most capsaicin, the organic material that causes a burning sensation when it comes into contact with skin or taste buds, so most people remove them before serving.

"You should definitely wear gloves or be extremely cautious about touching the inside of the hotter peppers, particularly if you wear contacts. You can wash your hands many times, and still at end of the day when you touch your eyes to remove contact lenses, you'll be reminded that you handled chilis earlier in the day," he said.

When he first purchased seeds, he ordered them from Burpee seed company. His search for hotter varieties led him to Reimer Seeds, a seed company that sells more than 2,100 varieties of hot pepper seeds.

Because the seeds must be planted well before the last frost, Ben starts the seeds indoors in February. An unused bathtub in the basement bathroom provides the perfect environment for the plants and bulky grow lights. After about three months, they are usually 8- to 12-inches high and ready to be planted.

During a well-planned year, his dried and frozen pepper supply runs out at about the same time the plants come into production.

"We enjoy using the peppers year round in a seasonal way. Fresh peppers for salads and salsas, roasted for appetizers and sandwiches and dried or frozen in cold weather dishes like soups," he said.

Reach Julie Robinson at jul...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1230.

Ben's simple salsa

6                fresh roma tomatoes or 2-3 fresh summer tomatoes (any variety) - coarsely chopped and slightly drained if too watery

1 to 2         serranos or jalapenos, veins and seeds removed, finely chopped

1/3             mild white onion, preferably Vidalia, finely chopped

1/4             cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

1/2             lime, juiced

1                teaspoon sugar

MIX ingredients well.

Stuffed pepper soup

2-1/2           pounds ground beef

3/4              cup onions, chopped

2                 cups mild Anaheim or banana peppers, chopped

1/2              cup carrots, finely chopped

2                 garlic cloves, minced

2                 teaspoons salt

2                 teaspoons black pepper

1                 cup instant rice, uncooked

1                 can (28 ounce) diced tomatoes

1                 can (11-ounce) tomato soup

3                 cans (14-ounce) beef broth

1                 pinch baking soda

grated parmesan cheese

BROWN ground beef in stock pot; add onion, pepper, garlic, salt and

pepper and cook over medium heat until beef is browned, and onion and peppers are slightly soft.

ADD rice, tomatoes and tomato soup. Mix well.

ADD beef broth and baking soda. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or cook in a crock pot for four to five hours.

TOP with grated parmesan cheese and serve with crusty bread.

Pineapple habanero salsa

2                cups, about half a pineapple, peeled (reserving rind), cored, and coarsely chopped

2                 tablespoons fresh pineapple juice, squeezed from reserved rind with your hands

2                 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1                 tablespoon mild molasses

3                 scallions, finely chopped

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon minced, seeded habanero or Scotch bonnet chili

1                 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

3/4              teaspoon salt

1/4              teaspoon ground allspice

TOSS all ingredients together in a bowl and let stand, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes, to blend flavors. Excellent with pork dishes.

Red pepper soup

2             tablespoons butter

4             red bell peppers, chopped

1             onion, chopped

4             cloves garlic, minced

24           ounces chicken broth

1/2          cup heavy cream

1/8          teaspoon ground black pepper

MELT butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Place the red bell pepper, onion and garlic in the saucepan and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes, or until tender.

POUR in chicken broth, stirring well, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Transfer half of the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. This produces a soup with some chunks in it. For a smooth soup, process all the all the soup mixture.

RETURN soup to saucepan over medium low heat. Stir in the heavy cream and the ground black pepper and allow to heat through, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Jamaican Jerk Seasoning Recipe

1/2cup         allspice berries

1/2              cup brown sugar, packed

6-8              cloves garlic

4-6              Scotch Bonnet or habanero peppers

1                 tablespoon ground thyme or 2 tablespoons fresh

2                 bunches green onions

1                 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2              teaspoon nutmeg

2                 tablespoon soy sauce

PROCESS all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth.

KEEP refrigerated until ready to use. Rub meats with the seasoning or place the rub under the skin of chicken.

Refrigerate overnight. Grill meats over low fire until done.

SOURCE: habanerorecipe.blogspot.com

Stuffed Anaheim Chili Peppers

8                 Anaheim chili peppers , tops cut off and sliced lengthwise open, seeds removed and rinsed out

10-12 slices  French bread , chopped into soft crumbs

1                 medium-large onion , chopped

4                 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3                 large cloves garlic , chopped

3                 cups Monterey jack cheese , shredded

Salt and black pepper to taste

dash                 cayenne pepper, to taste

Reduced sodium chicken broth

Additional shredded Monterey Jack cheese for topping peppers

HEAT oven to 350 degrees.

CLEAN peppers by removing tops, slitting the pepper lengthwise, removing the seeds and rinsing out.

ADD olive oil to a large pot and heat over medium-low heat until warm, add onions and sauté until onions are softened. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Remove onion-garlic mixture pan from heat to cool a bit.

WHEN onions have cooled, add bread crumbs, salt, pepper and cayenne and mix thoroughly.

ADD cheese to mixture. Mix together thoroughly

STUFF peppers with bread-onion mixture.

PLACE peppers in a baking dish large enough to hold them. Sprinkle a little extra shredded Monterey Jack cheese on top of peppers.

POUR a little chicken broth in bottom of pan to help keep the peppers moist. (About one-quarter inch deep.)

COVER with lid or foil and bake for an hour or so in upper middle of oven until the peppers are starting to bubble.

REMOVE cover and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until pepper tops are lightly brown.

REMOVE from oven and let sit 5 minutes or so and serve.

Source: theromantictable.com