Port Townsend paprikas are hot stuff | Seattle Times Newspaper

WHEN CHARLIE Bodony presented his Port Townsend-grown alder-smoked paprika at Seattle's sixth annual Farmer Fisher Chef Connection in February, locavore chefs were all over it. And what started as a pepper-growing hobby in 2007 started taking root as a full-fledged business.

"The Herbfarm ordered an ounce of every variety I sell," says Bodony, referring to the Woodinville restaurant renowned for its reliance on high-quality local ingredients. "They wanted the whole range of flavors in their toolbox."

And quite a range of flavors that is. Bodony lists five varieties of smoked pepper on his website (www.aldersmoked.com), and three varieties of dried peppers that are not smoked. (Read More)