SICHUAN PEPPER TREE AB
Zanthoxylum simulans
The Sichuan pepper tree ( Zanthoxylum simulans ), also called 'Keywood' and 'Pepper Flower' , appeals to both gardeners for its hardiness and cooks for its powerful, tingling and very aromatic flavor. The Sichuan pepper tree is a small tree about 4 to 6 m high, well known to lovers of Asian cuisine. Its berries are used to spice up dishes. It grows very well in our latitudes, but be careful of late frosts. The small spring flowering will give rise to the famous red berries with a powerful aroma and a slightly lemony flavor, to be harvested in the fall.
Hardiness : -20°C.
Caution : The bark of all Sichuan pepper species is toxic, so do not place your pepper plants in an enclosure where animals could gnaw the bark.
The genus Xanthoxylum includes 250 species, including 3 edible species, namely Xanthoxylum simulans (which we offer as seeds) and Xanthoxylum piperitum (which we offer in pots).
Successful Sowing of Sichuan Pepper
Place the seeds in a cold place for 3 to 4 months, then sow in spring on a well-drained seedbed. Cover the seeds with about 0.5 cm of substrate or sand.
Place at a relatively cool temperature and keep moist. Germination is slow and irregular, so mark your seedlings well and leave them in place for several months to give each seed a chance to germinate.
How to Grow Sichuan Pepper?
Plant it in spring or fall before winter, as if it were a fruit tree. The Sichuan pepper tree appreciates light, well-drained, not too dry soil and a sunny exposure. An addition of organic fertilizer, manure, or compost may be necessary once a year for fruit production.
It is quite resistant to cold, but be careful to protect it from late frosts using a winter fleece. Water it well once a week the first year and mulch the base to limit soil evaporation. You can also grow it in a pot, although it will need to be watered regularly and pruned green. You can prune it after harvest or at the end of winter, if you wish.
How to Harvest Sichuan Pepper?
Production will begin approximately 2 years after sowing.
You can harvest the berries in October when you see the black seed. Be careful of the very prickly thorns. It is not this black seed that interests us in cooking, but its red envelope, which you will cut carefully. The black berry is not edible.
Sort, peel, and dry on a radiator or in a ventilated dryer overnight at 40°C in a thin layer. You can then separate the black seeds from the red husks.
It will take at least 4 years for the pepper plant to begin producing its first berries.
How to Store Sichuan Pepper?
You can store the berry shell in an airtight jar.
How to Cook Sichuan Pepper?
You can use whole Sichuan peppercorns in simmered meat or fish dishes at the end of cooking. Be sure to remove them before serving. You can also serve them in a pepper mill and let your guests season them to their liking.
Pepper goes very well with duck breast , goose , beef or chicken .
