Chipolte Peppers (and other things)

First things first, I want to apologize for taking so long to reply to your comments.  I've not been able to get into blogger.  I could use the dashboard and do anything inside but I couldn't comment or reply here or on your blogs. It just kept eating my comments. I finally got it figured out though. (I think anyway)  I've heard about it happening to others over the years but it was my first time.

I had a "procedure" on my back Tuesday and it's kinda got me laid low for a couple of  days. Since I've got to take it easy I  decided it was time to start shelling some of the dried beans.  It keeps my hands busy.  It's one of those things on "The List" that keeps being put off for more important things.  You know how it goes if you are a list maker.  Eventually you do it because you are tired of it hanging on the "List". 

Did you know that Chipolte peppers are red jalapeno peppers that have been smoked and dried? I didn't really know how they were done until reading an article about them a few weeks ago. I've been saving back the red ones until Mars fired up the pit. Well he fired it up  the other day to smoke a Pork Roast. I thought "What a perfect time to smoke those red jalapeno's I've been saving!"  So I spread the peppers out on a couple of baking sheets and set them in the pit to smoke and dry.  I'd have taken pictures but those rechargeable batteries I've got are garbage.  Every time I need the camera the batteries aren't charged.  Anyway..... where was I?  Oh, making chipoltle peppers!   It was pretty simple really.  I turned the peppers once about three hours into the smoking process and then let them sit until the fire went cold.  Some weren't dried yet so I set them in the dehydrator to finish drying.  That's it.  That's all you have to do to make Chipoltle peppers.  I put them in a quart jar whole and vacuum sealed them.  I've kept them whole because there are several ways to use them in cooking. If I want Chipolte Powder I'll just toss a few peppers into the little coffee grinder and whip some up! 

I finally got around to canning some of the yellow squash.  The #%$@ squash bugs have shown up in mass again.  I've been battling them but they are starting to win. I've got two plants that look as though they are on their last legs.  So I'm going to try and get enough squash canned before they win completely.  I'm also putting out some more Eight but the problem is that once they are up the plant and on the leaves they don't seem to leave until they kill the dang plant.  I've been real careful using it only on the stems and keeping it away from the blooms.  I don't want to hurt any bees.  The only other thing I know to do is just to pick off as many as I can as fast as I can.  Some folks would wonder why I keep trying to grow squash at all.  Because we love yellow squash! That and now those #$^@ have got me motivated to beat them. 

Our weather has been just about perfect so far this month. Cool nights and high temps in the 70's.  I just love it!  The tomatoes apparently love it too.  They are all putting out new growth and new blooms.  I don't really think we'll have time enough for them to fruit again before the first freeze but we'll see.  Last year we got an unusually early freeze about this time that pretty much ended the fall garden.  I'm hoping it won't happen again this year.  Not much you can do about the weather though.