Pink peppercorns are often thought of as a gourmet spice, packaged in small, expensive jars and called for in fancy cookbooks.
But in Southern California and other parts of the country, bucketfuls of the vibrant berries litter the ground all fall and winter, sometimes considered a nuisance by the gardener who has to rake them all up.
It almost seems like a food crime to let heaps of peppercorns lay forgotten when just a few miles away, they command upwards of $10 an ounce at specialty spice shops — and here in a suburban backyard, they’re free for the taking.
The classic pink peppercorn comes from the Peruvian pepper tree (Schinus molle), also called the California pepper tree.
It grows wild in warm climates like Southern California, and throughout the central and southern regions of the United States, including Southern Arizona, Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. It’s become widely naturalized around the world, where it’s valued for its strong wood and dried berries, as well as shunned for its invasiveness (especially in the grasslands of Australia and South Africa).
Peruvian pepper trees are not to be confused with Brazilian pepper trees (Schinus terebinthifolius), which have similar berries but rounder and wider leaves. Though they are different species, the dried berries of both trees can be found in commercial peppercorn and spice blends, and are labeled interchangeably as “pink peppercorns” or “red peppercorns.”
The pink pepper...
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