A perfect day. Sleet coating power lines, windows and roads. A howling wind dropping tree branches. Public service announcement — if possible, don’t drive.

A perfect day to gather seed and plant catalogs, pull a rocker close to the woodstove, set out a bowl of oranges and a pitcher of hot chocolate, wrap in a blanket and begin my spring garden order.

Peppers

From Oregon State University, news of two new peppers. For years, I’ve read in seed catalogs the progress of finding hotter and hotter peppers. The hottest pepper measured in Scoville heat units passed the Carolina Reaper, the prior hottest that sent diners to the hospital.

The hottest pepper now, Pepper X, with a whopping 2,693,000 Scoville units. A habanero rates from 100,000 to 150,000. OSU horticulture staff report two new mild habaneros, Notta Hotta and Mild Thing, that rate at 500 to 1,000 Scoville units and are “fruity with a floral fragrance and not the fire.”

OSU estimates they will be in farmers markets by next year.

Good news for those of us branded as wimpy when it comes to peppers that go beyond bell peppers. One researcher noted that we might even see these peppers in ice cream. Maybe vanilla, but I’m doubtful that they will replace the chocolate in rocky road ice cream.

I finished with seed catalogs and put the new peppers on my “wish list.”

On to nursery catalogs—everything from conifer seedlings to fruit trees.

Peaches

Someday I’d love to have a few peach trees — peaches that wouldn’t die from weather or diseases.

And there they were, hardy peaches. One problem. The peach orchard thrived in the 1800s in the Four Corners where Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado meet. Canyon de Chelly in Arizona grew large sections of peaches, which provided food for the Navajo residents at harvest time both fresh and to preserve as well as to be used in Navajo ceremonies.

The Hopis reportedly shared their harvest and knowledge initially. The Navajo tribes found the greatest success by planting the peach pits/seeds rather than grafting during the early days. The peaches seemed to adapt where they were planted. There was optimism that they could thrive in areas where other peaches might not.

Then the order came in the 1800s — move the tribes. At the same time, destroy a main food crop. The U.S. government reportedly destroyed thousands of peach trees. A few pockets of trees were said to have survived.

I looked up Navajo peach markets. No success. I tried different leads — either the nursery had closed or they had no leads.

A variety called the Indian Free peach sounded promising. Turned out this peach hadn’t been in Navajo territory. This peach has white flesh and crimson stripes — not the Navajo peach. Was grown by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello. Said to be exceptionally flavorful, but not the hardy peach I hoped to find.

Any progress with my seed and plant journey on this “perfect day”?

Consumed two mugs of hot chocolate and one orange.

I came up with a 10-page list of seeds and plants. The list needed thinning to match my budget and energy.

Pole beans

Stringless pole beans. My childhood tied to Blue Lake pole beans and my efforts to earn spending money.

A kid’s mother offered to drive to the Blue Lake bean farm for anyone who wanted to go bean picking. I signed up.

At the farm, I was handed a card to track the weight of beans I picked, and a gunnysack. “Start picking,” said the boss.

At home, the weather outside moderated. I hurried to write “Blue Lake green beans” on my order form. Wait … other beans sounded enticing: Slenderette, Tendergreen, Contender …