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.

Checking In

I've been feeling an urgency to get things lined out and double checked.  I'm not sure if it's because of the state of the Nation or just a natural instinct to get ready for the coming months.  Either way I've been staying busy around here.  With the internet throttled almost to a halt, I've pretty much taken a break from it for awhile.  It's frustrating. And honestly? I just don't need that frustration right now.  I'd like to post some pictures but trying to upload them to blogger takes more time than I've got.  I'll be back to my old "surfing" self soon and until then I'll do what I can to post here more regularly.

I picked up the new rabbits last week.    I brought home  one proven doe and one 10 month old.  I also got a younger one.  I hope I've made the right decision.  Now to see if we can finally get some rabbit things going. The Rabbit Lady assured me that if I had any problems that she would gladly breed them to one of her bucks. 

The garden is still producing some.  All the peppers are still blooming and producing.  Next year I'll scale back on the hot peppers.  Mars can only eat so many and the neighbors, (who love peppers) can't keep up either!  I've got some seriously hot habernero type peppers. Unfortunately the markers faded and I'm not sure of all the names. I'm going to dry some of them specifically for a hot pepper seasoning powder.  It should be good!  I think the tomatoes are just about done but I could be wrong.  They are starting to bloom again and the lower nighttime temps have been good for them.  We'll see how it goes.  The yellow squash is still doing well.  I saw a couple of those $#*@ squash bugs the other day and thoroughly enjoyed offing them.  Mars put out some more Eight around the bottom of the plants and so far it still seems to be working.  A couple of months ago when he planted the squash he also planted some butternut squash and what he thought was another type of squash.  Turns out it was pumpkin seed!  I'm really excited about that.  I've never grown pumpkin before!!!

 Lessons learned this year were huge ones.  One thing I absolutely MUST do is to keep a garden journal.  I try to get things all marked but have been seriously lacking in journaling what's going on.  Mars came up with what I thought was an excellent idea.  He's going to build me a box. (Think mailbox) I'll keep my notebook and pens out there.  I'm pretty sure if I had some place convenient to keep them, rather than trying to remember everything I did once I get in the house in the evening, I just might have better luck with keeping a garden log.  We'll see though, right?  hehehe

We've got our first cold spell of the season this weekend. I figure once the rain clears up later today it should be pretty nice. Highs are supposed to be in the 70's tomorrow. Lows in the 40's means it's time to start thinking about digging out the long sleeve shirts again. 

I think I'm going into blogger buddy withdrawals.  I've not been able to read much of anyone's blogs and I think I miss that as much as anything. This is such a neat time of the year and I feel like I'm missing all the good stuff!  No worries, I'll try to catch up as I can, I'll just have to forgo the comments for awhile.

Odds and Ends

Things have slowed down some in the garden.  There are tons of things that need to be done but nothing is really pressing right now. We are enjoying the weather and I proclaimed it a putter around day. So many little things I need to get done that sometimes things get lost in the shuffle. I'm just not as organized as I want to be, which might be a good thing since then I'd probably get all OCD. Thank goodness I'm a list maker.

I'm still getting tons of cayenne peppers. I've been drying them as they ripen and probably have at least 4 quart jars full. That sounds like a lot (even to me) but once they are ground to cayenne powder it won't be. 

 I had a couple of  ripe yellow bell peppers and a couple of red ones that found their way into the dehydrater too.  They will add some color and yummy peppers to soups or stews (or whatever) this winter.  I've got all sorts of regular bells dried as well.  Some are cut lengthwise and long, some are diced and some are done in bite size pieces.  I make up all sorts of one dish meals and I love having them on hand.

I was reading somewhere, (I'm sorry I don't remember exactly where)  about saving your vegetable "scraps" and dehydrating them to make vegetable powder.  I have a gallon baggie I keep in the freezer and just add the scraps as I go.  When the bag's full I'll dump it onto the trays and dehydrate it.  Once it's dry I put it in a jar and vacuum seal it for using later. I know you can go ahead and grind it at this point but I'll just grind it as I go.  That way I'm not running the risk of the powder caking up and becoming a vegetable rock! 

I've got one of the dehydrators full and running.  Cayenne, red green and yellow bell peppers and a whole baggie of veggie "scraps" will be ready by tomorrow!  Lately if the dryer isn't running I start feeling like somethings wrong. I can almost always find something that needs to be dehydrated.

I've got almost a quart baggie of jalapeno's that have turned red.  Once we get a few more the plan is to smoke them on the grill.  Once that's done I'll dry them and grind them into Chipotle powder.  Pretty neat huh?  Much of the stuff I'm doing now is helping to add a variety to our diets in the coming months.

I want to thank Sandy from over at Oklahoma Transient for sending me some of her cool pepper seeds.  And guess what else she sent!  Bluebonnet seeds!  I'm hoping they'll grow here and right now is about the time of year to plant them for next year.  Sandy, thank you so much.  Bluebonnets are special to me.  It's a Texas thing I suppose.  I owe you an email girl. (and some seeds)  Ya'll go check out her cool giveaway.  It's a good one!

Oh, I almost forgot!  I know I told you that we've been without our nightly movie for a few days now.  Very different kind of a rythem to things makes it interesting. I've been able to do a little reading.  I've got a crochet project going as well as a project "on the needles".
 I went to town again with a bunch of tomatoes, squash, grape tomatoes, green bell peppers and a variety of hot peppers.  I'm amazed!  All I came home with were three buckets ( think cool whip container) of tomatoes,  Folks around here really do like their tomatoes!  From what I understand many folks didn't have a good tomato crop.  I think it might have been that really late freeze we had.  Shoot, we were out there covering those babies every night and taking the covers back off once it warmed up in the mornings.  Anyway....  I made enough money to order a new DVD player.  We should be back to the Netflix by the first of of next week.  YAY!!! I really do miss our nightly movies, especially now since once again WildBlue Sucks has slowed our internet speed to slower than dial-up. *sigh*  It will probably take a couple of weeks to get to the level they'll speed us back up.  Geesh I miss high speed cable connections.   I've never had anything other than a cable connection to the interwebs until we moved out here.  Call me spoiled but it has been one of the hardest personal challenges to have such a limited internet service.  After 2 1/2 years you would think I could get used Sorry for the lack of pictures but trying to get them to load is pure torture.





 

Dehydrating Instructions For Vegetables

I found a good starting place for those of you who want to learn to dehydrate veggies.  Please note that dehydrators and methods for dehydrating vary. Vegetables may be dehydrated at temperatures starting at 100 degrees ranging up to 140 degrees. The higher the temperature the shorter the dehydration time. Also, with higher temperatures it is possible to cause case hardening of the vegetable. Case hardening occurs when the exterior of the vegetable dries too rapidly creating a seal that retains moisture in the center. When this occurs the food will spoil from the inside out. 

ARTICHOKES
Instructions for Dehydrating Artichokes:
1. Wash the vegetables
2. Remove the outer leaves.
3. Cut the artichoke hearts into quarters.
4. Steam blanch the vegetables for 4 minutes, then drain well.
5. Dehydrate artichokes at 100 degrees (F) for 18 hours, or until brittle.
6. Store dried artichokes in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)  
Use your dried artichoke hearts marinated (for salads, antipasto platters, topping on pizzas, casseroled) or in dips.
To rehydrate: soak in boiling water for about 15 minutes, adding a little lemon juice to help keep the color. 

ASPARAGUS
Instructions for Dehydrating Asparagus:
1. Wash the vegetables
2. Remove any tough ends.
3. Steam blanch for 3 minutes. Drain.
4. Dehydrate asparagus at 100 degrees (F) for 35 hours or until dry and brittle (to avoid them molding in storage).
5. Store dried asparagus in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
Dried asparagus is best used in soups, casseroles, or dishes that require mashed asparagus.
To rehydrate, soak in hot water for 30 minutes and drain.  Stalks will likely remain a little tough.   

GREEN BEANS
Instructions for Dehydrating Green Beans:
1. Wash the vegetables
2. Snip off ends and cut into 1” pieces.
3. Steam blanch for 4 minutes, then soak in iced water for 4 minutes.
4. Drain the vegetables.
5. Place green beans on a cookie sheet in a single layer and freeze for 45 minutes.
6. Dehydrate green beans at 100 degrees (F) for about 30 hours or until crisp.
7. Store dried green beans in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
Dried green beans are best served in hot main dishes like stews, soups, casseroles. You can add dried green beans directly to soups and stews… just add a little extra liquid to the recipe.
To rehydrate, soak in cold water for 2 hours, or in hot water for 1 hour.  

BEETS
Instructions for Dehydrating Beets:
1. Wash the vegetables.
2. Remove tops.
3. Cut beets in half.
4. Steam the vegetables until tender (about 20 minutes).
5. Peel and cut into ½” slices (or shred).
6. Then dehydrate the beets (slices) at 100 degrees (F) for about 12 hours or until brittle. Dehydrate shredded beets for approx. 10 hours.
7. Store dried beets in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
Dried beets can be ground in your food processor and use for color or flavoring.
To rehydrate, soak in cold water for 1 hour and drain, or soak overnight in the fridge and drain.  

BROCCOLI
Instructions for Dehydrating Broccoli:
1. Wash the vegetables
2. Peel the tough skin from the stalks.
3. Separate the florets from the stalks.
4. Cut the stalks into ½” diagonal slices and cut the florets into uniform pieces.
5. dehydrate broccoli at 100 degrees for about 18 hours or until brittle.
6. Store dried broccoli in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration) Rehydrated broccoli is best used in soups and casseroles.
To rehydrate, soak in hot water for 30 minutes or steam for 15 minutes (until tender).  For fresher looking broccoli, soak in cold water for 5 minutes before cooking.   

BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Instructions for Dehydrating Brussels Sprouts:
1. Wash the vegetables
2. Remove tough outer leaves.
3. Cut sprouts in half.
4. Steam blanch the vegetables for 3 minutes and drain.
5. Dehydrate Brussels sprouts at 100 degrees for 12 hours or until brittle.
6. Store dried Brussels sprouts in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
To rehydrate, soak in hot water with a little lemon juice for about 30 minutes. Drain before using.

CABBAGE (RED OR GREEN)
Instructions for Dehydrating Cabbage:
1. Wash the cabbage heads and trim away the outer leaves.
2. Remove the core
3. Shred/grate the cabbage head.
4. Steam blanch vegetables for 2 minutes. (Optional)
5. Dehydrate cabbage at 100 degrees (F) for 18 hours or until crisp.
6. Store dried cabbage in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
Dried cabbage can be added directly to soups or stews without re-hydrating.   Note:  Red cabbage loses some of its color when re-hydrated.
To rehydrate, soak in cold water with a little lemon juice for 30 minutes and drain. 

CARROTS
Instructions for Dehydrating Carrots:
1. Wash the carrots and trim off the tops.
2. Cut into ¼” slices (or shred).
3. Dehydrate carrots at 100 degrees for about 16 hours (for slices) or 12 hours for shredded carrots (until brittle).
4. Store dried carrots in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration) Dried carrots can be added directly to stews and soups without re-hydrating.
To rehydrate, soak in cold water for 30 minutes and drain.
 NOTE- Carrots that have been blanched for 3 minutes will keep their color better.

CELERY
Instructions for Dehydrating Celery:
1. Trim away leaves and ends
2. Wash celery stalks and cut into ½” pieces.
3. Soak vegetables for 5 minutes in 6 cups of cold water/1 tbsp baking soda (helps preserve the color).
4. Blanch for 2 minutes and drain.
5. Dehydrate celery at 100 degrees (F) for about 18 hours or until crisp.
6. Store dried celery in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
No need to rehydrate for use in soups or stews.  Make celery flakes by processing dried celery in a blender or food processor.  For celery salt, mix ground dried celery with equal parts of salt.  
To rehydrate, soak in hot water for 1 hour, drain.  

CHARD
Instructions for Dehydrating Chard:
1. Wash chard well
2. Remove stems.
3. Dehydrate chard at 100 degrees (F) for 10 hours or until brittle.
4. Store dried chard in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
 To rehydrate, soak in hot water with a little lemon juice for 15 minutes, drain well.

CORN
Instructions for Dehydrating Corn:
1. Shuck ears and remove silk.
2. Steam blanch ears for 4 minutes, then drain.
3. Cut kernels from ears.
4. Dry kernels at 100 degrees (F) for 18 hours or until crisp.
5. Store dried corn in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
Dried corn works well in casseroles, creamed corn, stews, chowders, soups.  You can even make your own cornmeal, by using a food mill or grinder to grind the dried kernels.
To rehydrate, soak in hot water for about 30 minutes and drain.  
 NOTE- Blanching corn for 3 minutes will help retain the color better.

Cucumber
Instructions for Dehydrating Cucumber:
1. Wash and trim ends.
2. Cut cucumber into 1/4" slices
3. Dehydrate cucumber at 130 degrees (F) for about 8 hours or until slices are rigid.
4. Store dried cucumber in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
To rehydrate, soak in cold water overnight in fridge.

EGGPLANT
Instructions for Dehydrating Eggplant:
1. Wash eggplant
2. Cut the vegetable into ½” slices.
3. Dehydrate eggplant at 100 degrees (F) for about 20 hours or until leathery.
4. Store dried eggplant in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
Dried eggplant works well in casseroles.
To rehydrate, soak in hot water for about 30 minutes and drain.  


GARLIC CLOVES
Instructions for Dehydrating Garlic Cloves:
1. Use firm cloves without bruises.
2. Peel cloves and cut in half.
3. Remove the sprout in the middle.
4. Dehydrate garlic cloves at 100 degrees (F) for about 6 hours or until crisp.
5. Store dried garlic in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
To make garlic powder, grind the dried garlic in a blender or seed grinder.  For garlic salt, mix ground dried garlic with 4 parts salt.
To rehydrate, soak in cold water for about 3 hours in the fridge and drain.  

LEEKS
Instructions for Dehydrating Leeks:
1. Remove the tough top and outer leaves.
2. Wash the vegetables in cold water.
3. Cut the stalks in half, lengthwise.
4. Slice crossways into ¼” slices
5. Dehydrate leeks at 100 degrees (F) for 18 hours or until crisp.
6. Store dried leeks in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
No need to rehydrate if using in soups or stews.
To rehydrate, soak in hot water for 30 minutes and drain.  

MUSHROOMS
Instructions for Dehydrating Mushrooms:
1. Rinse mushrooms quickly. If they become slippery blot dry with a paper towel.
2. Trim mushrooms and cut into ¼” slices.
3. Dehydrate mushrooms at 100 degrees (F) for 18 hours or until crisp.
4. Store dried mushrooms in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
No need to rehydrate if using in soups or stews.
To rehydrate, soak in cold water for 30 minutes and drain.

OKRA
Instructions for Dehydrating Okra:
1. Select vegetables with tender, firm pods.
2. Trim the ends and wash.
3. Cut okra into 1/4" slices.
4. Dehydrate okra at 100 degrees (F). (until crisp)
5. Store dried okra in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
Dried okra is good for using as a thickener in soups or gumbos.
 NOTE- You can re-hydrate okra and fry it as you would fresh okra.

ONION
NOTE:  Dehydrating onions makes the house smell very strongly of onions.  You may consider dehydrating them outside or in a less used space.
Instructions for Dehydrating Onion:
1. Remove outer layer/skin.
2. Dice onion or else cut into ¼” slices.
3. Dehydrate onion at 100 degrees (F) for 20 hours or until brittle.
4. Store dried onion in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
No need to rehydrate if using in soups or stews.  Make onion flakes and onion powder by grinding in a food mill or blender.  For onion salt, mix onion powder with even parts salt.
To rehydrate, soak in hot water for 15 minutes and drain.  

PARSNIPS
Instructions for Dehydrating Parsnips:
1. Wash and peel (optional) parsnips
2. Slice vegetables into ¼” slices (or shred).
3. Steam blanch for 4 minutes and drain.
4. Dehydrate parsnips at 100 degrees (F) for about 16 hours or until brittle.  Dehydrate shredded parsnips for 10/12 hours.
5. Store dried parsnips in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
Try eating re-hydrated parsnips mashed like you would mashed potatoes!
To rehydrate, soak in hot water for 1 hour, drain. 

PEAS
Instructions for Dehydrating Peas:
1. Remove peas from the pods.
2. Steam blanch vegetables for 3 minutes and drain.
3. Dehydrate peas at 100 degrees (F) for 12 hours or until brittle.
4. Store dried peas in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
No need to rehydrate if using in soups.
To rehydrate dried peas, soak in hot water for 30 minutes and drain. 

PEPPERS
Instructions for Dehydrating Peppers:
1. Wash peppers and remove core.
2. Dice or cut vegetables into 1/4" slices.
3. Dehydrate pepper at 100 degrees (F) for 24 hours or until brittle.
4. Store dried peppers in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)No need to rehydrate if using in soups.
For a little crunch in your salad, try adding dried bell pepper pieces.
To rehydrate dried peppers, soak in hot water for 20 minutes and drain. 

POTATO
 Instructions for Dehydrating Potatoes:
1. Scrub, peel (optional) and rinse potatoes.
2. Dice, grate or cut into ¼” slices.
3. Soak vegetables in ascorbic acid or lemon juice solution for 5 minutes and drain.  (to prevent discoloration. If you don't pre-treat potatoes, they will turn black)
4. Blanch or steam potatoes for 3-5 minutes.
4. Dehydrate potatoes at 100 degrees for 8 hours or until crisp.
5. Store dried potatoes in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration) 
To rehydrate, soak in cold water for 30 minutes, drain and pat dry. 

SPINACH
Instructions for Dehydrating Spinach
1. Wash spinach well
2. Remove stems.
3. Dehydrate spinach at 100 degrees (F) for 10 hours or until brittle.
4. Store dried spinach in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
To rehydrate, soak in hot water with a little lemon juice for 15 minutes, drain well.

TOMATILLOS
Instructions for Dehydrating Tomatillos:
1. Remove papery husk and wash tomatillos. Remove stems.
2. Cut in half.
3. Dehydrate tomatillos at 100 degrees (F) until leathery (can take a couple of days, depending upon size).
4. Store dried tomatillos in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
These make a delicious, sweet snack, if dehydrated once the fruit has ripened. Use rehydrated in salsas.
To rehydrate, soak for 15 to 30 minutes in hot water and drain.

TOMATOES
Instructions for Dehydrating Tomatoes:
1. Wash tomatoes and remove stems.
2. Cut into ½” slices. If smaller tomatoes (like cherry or small plum tomatoes), then you can cut them in half.)
3. Remove seeds (optional).
4. Dehydrate tomatoes at 100 degrees (F) until crisp (slices – take 24 hours (avg) and halved plums take about 3 days).
5. Store dried tomatoes in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
Use in stews, sauces or marinades.
To rehydrate, soak for 15 to 30 minutes in cold water. 

ZUCCHINI
Instructions for Dehydrating Zucchini:
1. Wash zucchini
2. Trim and cut into ¼ “ slices (or grate).
3. Dry zucchini at 100 degrees (F) for 12 hours or until brittle.
4. Store dried zucchini in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool dark location. (Light can cause discoloration)
Grated zucchini works well in bakery like zucchini bread.  Slices work well in casseroles, or use seasoned dried chips as snacks. 
To rehydrate, soak in hot water for 30 minutes and rain.

Originally adapted from http://www.howtogardenadvice.com/harvesting/how_to_dehydrate_dry_vegetables.html and amended with additional information.

Would I Do It All Over Again?

When all is said and done here I've got to say that all in all we've had a pretty successful garden this spring. The biggest fail?  My beans. They just didn't produce well this year. I'll have to do the unspeakable and actually buy some over the winter I suppose.  It happens.  We've already got new plans for next years beans.

I'm just now starting to get the hang of this whole gardening thing.  It reminds me time and time again that those of you who have those seeds tucked away for an emergency don't have much of a chance in a SHTF situation.  I'm not saying that I do either, but I've got a much better shot at it than the "uninitiated". And lets be honest here, the fact that we've got the drip line irrigation is a huge factor in our success.

And speaking of gardening ...  Call me crazy but I want to get out there  in the garden to trim up and cut back the tomatoes.  There's a bunch of dead stuff on them and I want to try and get them healthy enough to make tomatoes for fall.  YES you read that right! I'm going to try for some Fall tomatoes. Since I've found there's a market for them around here it seems I'm not as tired of tomatoes as I thought I was!  With the cool front bringing us some lows at night cool enough to set fruit I'm hoping to get another round of tomatoes.  We'll see how that goes. I've been putting it off for almost a week now.  As soon as it dries out I'll get started on it.

I planted a little over half a row of Dixie Peas this year.  We both really love the flavor and even the texture of these peas/beans.  The thing is that they've got smallish pods with 3-4 peas in them that tend to grow toward the bottom of the compact plant.  They are kind of hard for me to pick at just the right time to get fresh ones.  They will/do dry on the vine.  That's fine by me but they have to be watched because once they dry you only have a small window of opportunity to pick them before they split their shells and the dry beans will fall to the ground.  All in all they're a pain in the a$$ but dang they are good!  I'm still pondering growing them again next year.

 The squash is still doing well.  I hold my breath and cross my fingers that the %$#& squash bugs don't show up.  I'd really love to be able to can some.  I know, I know.  Folks say you shouldn't can squash.  I say why not?  We don't mind if it gets soft during the canning process, it's still yummy! 

The grasshoppers won't allow new beans to get started.  It seems they think that bean sprouts are pretty tasty.  We've replanted them three times so far.  I don't know how much longer we have before it just gets to cold but once the garden dries up some, I'll stick some more in the ground. I've also got to get my garlic planted soon.  At least around here I've got a pretty good size window of opportunity to plant it.  It's on my "list".

Sue, from over at The Little Acre That Could asked if I would do  all this over again next year.  Absolutely!  As much as I fuss I just love doing this. (mostly) I really do love it.  It's a different way of life and I'm trying to embrace every last bit of it. This place is something I've dreamed about having for years and years.  Of course I didn't know we would end up in Oklahoma but I've grown ok with that! lol I honestly believe that we were meant to be here on this little piece of land.  Besides, it sure beats living in a R.V. park smack up next to the freeway! It's quiet and I get to dig in the dirt and there is close to NO traffic out here.  I can even see the stars at night. What's not to love about that?