Can you feel it? The season for fresh peppers is just around the corner. Peppers season officially begins in August. But you can already find green bell peppers, Anaheim peppers and jalapeno peppers (in small quantities) at your nearest Farmer's Market. So start planning what succulent and yummy dishes you'll be preparing to take advantage of the wonderful and unique flavors you can enjoy for the great variety of peppers.

Recently, government inspectors have determined that the recent salmonella outbreak can be traced to "a single Mexican-grown jalapeno pepper handled by a small Texas produce shipper." That means your local Farmer's Market jalepenos are safe.

Recently I've been buying a lot of jalapeno peppers to put in all my meals. I have discovered that you don't have to limit their use to just salsa or pico de gallo. You can cook with them in recipes that call for bell peppers, for instance, and they're not really all that spicy if your remove the seeds and white membranes completely.

I'm even adding them to my raw salads. I seed and derib them completely, then I chop them very finely and add them to my salads and dressings. They add lots of fresh flavor and texture to meals, cooked and raw.

Try them and let me know what you think!