Jean Andrews

Jean Andrews (1923 – 7 January, 2010) also self titled the 'Pepper Lady,' was an American naturalist, author and educator. She was born in 1923 and attended boarding school till the age of sixteen, when she graduated in 1940. She was best known for her work on the shells and shores of Texas, as well as her books on wildflowers and peppers. She traveled to many countries during her lifetime, the first was for her honeymoon to Mexico in 1944. While on her honeymoon she discovered her newfound passion of seashells, which inspired her to start a collection of shells. In order to honor her child, Andrews decided to continue painting in a move she called the 'Jinxy Principle.'

Andrews was an embroiderer since her childhood, which helped set up and fund an artisan group in Costa Rica called the Cooperative Artesania Santa Elena y Monteverde. This group allowed 150 women to make fabrics to achieve financial and personal independence. Shells and Shores of Texas. (1977) Texas Shells: A Field Guide (1981) Peppers: the Domesticated Capsicums (1984, revised in 1995) The Texas Bluebonnet (1986, revised in 1993) An American Wildflower Florilegium (1992) A Field Guide to Shells of the Texas Coast (1992) Red Hot Peppers: A Cookbook for the Not-So-Faint of Heart (1993) Field Guide to the Shells of the Florida Coast (1994) The Pepper Lady's Pocket Pepper Primer (1998) The Pepper Trail: History & Recipes From Around the World. (1999)