Pepper festival turns up the heat in Pitman

Aug. 28—PITMAN — Temperatures in the mid-80s were not the only hot thing in Schuylkill County on Saturday.

The annual Hot Pepper Festival at Kenny Stehr and Sons Farm Market turned up the heat.

Summer Stehr said the event began in 2019 with the opening of the farmer's market, and it has been growing stronger each year.

Calling it a family event, Stehr said, the market remained open and the festival continued every year, despite restrictions put in place by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We were essential workers and were able to keep operating," she said. "We could continue to provide vegetables, and it really helped the small businesses in the area."

Saturday's event on Kettle Road featured crafts, clothing, canned items, pepper cheese, accessories, wood art, wines, ice cream, homemade food and music by 3zz A Crowd.

Stehr said the festival is centered on peppers, which were available to the public ranging from mild to the hotter habanero peppers and ghost peppers.

"There's something for everyone," Stehr said while standing behind tables filled with red and orange peppers, both fresh and jarred.

Linda Morgante and her husband, Robert, of Kulpmont, browsed through the colorful selection.

Linda Morgante said she will find many uses for the peppers that she bought, including giving a little zing to her spaghetti sauce.

"We're Italian. We like it hot," she said.

Morgante said she bought something Saturday that she never had before — habanero pepper cookies. The combination of hot and sweet paired well together, she said.

She also raved about the selection of items available at the market, especially the peppers.

"You go to a grocery store and you don't get this kind of a selection," Morgante said.

For those with a sweet tooth, the event featured two special ice cream sundaes — blueberry habanero and pineapple jalapeno.

"I'm the ice cream girl," Lexus Jordan said while preparing a pineapple jalapeno.

Jordan said people look at the names of the special combinations and are timid about trying one.

Once they take a bite, that all changes.

"People love it. It's sweet and creamy with a little heat," Jordan said.

Another item featuring hot peppers was hot macaroni and cheese.

Mary Schaeffer, lovingly known as "Big Marie," has been making the hot macaroni and cheese since the festival started.

Among the ingredients included are jalapeno and red cherry hot peppers, hot cheese sauce and pepper flakes.

"I can't give away all my secret ingredients," she joked.

The hot macaroni and cheese is a crowd pleaser and will sell out before the end of the festival.

"It will go," she said. "Once the people try it, they come back for more."

Suzanne Holley, of Pottsville, came out Saturday for the festival but is no stranger to the farmer's market.

"We love Kenny's. Everyone is so friendly," she said. "We come here usually every Saturday. Everything is so fresh."

While shopping, Holley bought a sausage sandwich and planned to spice it up a bit with some peppers before walking to a table to enjoy her meal.

Stehr said the market and annual festival are not only good for the business but especially for local businesses and the public who travel miles to get fresh produce.

The selection, she said, is unbelievable.

"If it grows in Pennsylvania, we grow it here," she said. "Everything that grows in Pennsylvania we grow."

Stehr said both she and her family plan on maintaining the farmer's market and holding the annual Hot Pepper Festival for years to come.

"It's a great day out," she said. "It's nice to see people enjoying what we have to offer."