Peppers Peppers Everywhere

 I got everything done I wanted to accomplish  this weekend.  Said no gardener ever.  There's always that one more thing I could have/should have done.

One of the things on my list was to get all those tomatilloes out of the freezer and fridge and conjure up some Salsa Verde.  I made a big batch. Total 16 pints and two of those tall 1 1/2 pint jars of Salsa Verde. We both grew up eating Tex-mex and Mexican food.  Shoot if you are raised in Texas it's second nature.  I'll write up the recipe as soon as I have time.  I can see good food in my future now though!!  Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas anyone? Oh my.

I was lucky to have found enough pint jars to get this stuff done.  After scrounging around in every nook and cranny I realized that all of those cases of jars still empty are quarts. I wonder if I could find someone on Craigslist that would like to do a little trading...

 I've got so many peppers still coming on that I feel like I really need to do something besides dry them.  One of the things I had on my list was making some pepper jelly. Maybe this week.... 

Aren't these Bell Peppers pretty!!!

 The Cayenne Peppers are still going like they will never stop.  I'm picking the red ones every day and drying them for using later. 

See how the cantaloupe vines are starting to die back?  Almost finished for the year.  Check out that  plant behind it.  That is one HUGE pepper plant.  I know you can't see it but it's blooming again. All the peppers in the garden are as a matter of fact.
 

 There are some interesting peppers in the garden this year though.  My mom sent several different varieties of hot  pepper seed to Mars.  Just looking at them makes my mouth burn. 

 I'll make some jelly from those just for him this year.  I doubt it will be tolerable for me. I'll probably be afraid to even try them!   Shoot I can cry over a jalapeno, I can't imagine trying to eat one of those harbingers of death.   With so many pepper plants doing so well I've decided to start letting the Jalapeno's and Serrano's turn to red.  I'm hoping I can get enough of them at one time (which you guys who garden know can be hard to do sometimes) to make Chipoltle Powder.

Check out this pretty squash.  Carolyn, Don't Look! This is the yellow squash.  So far so good and I've been picking squash most every day for a few days now.

And not to be outdone.... The Acorn and Butternut Squash!!!

In other news...

Those of you who've been reading awhile already know that we don't watch T.V.  It's by choice just so ya know.  It wouldn't matter anyway since without sattellite TV there is no reception out here.  Our old 13" TV has been residing in the barn for the past couple of years.  We gave away the big one when we moved. For entertainment we rent dvd's from Netflix and we'll watch one movie a night on Mars' computer. Mine doesn't have a working dvd player.  (that's a whole other story)  Anyway, his dvd player finally bit the dust. So he brought the tv in from the barn and hooked up this old dvd player we've had for years to it.  Nothing.  We also have an old dvd player that he dug out. This player is old enough that of course it doesn't have a USB port in it.  I know they are pretty cheap these days so if we can wiggle the bills around come the first I'll order an external player.  Until then it's  radio for us in the evenings.  Funny how you get used to doing something every day...  part of the rythem , then all the sudden you aren't and you feel a bit "out of kilter".  Or is that just me? 

This year I've felt like I've been swallowed up whole by the garden and have been desperately trying to fight my way out.  I'm seeing the beginning of the end of the summer season and it's been a wild ride.  We've been blessed with a great garden this year. It had kept me busy and every single year I'm learning more and more.  Please understand I'm not complaining.  I'm just very happy that I was able to do it, albeit slowly, and I'm still upright!  We'll have some good food this winter.  And if I'm lyin' folks.... Then grits ain't groceries!!!

Come on Fall

Anyone else around here ready for Fall?  I think I need a couple of days off to tell you the truth.  I've been so focused on the garden and trying to get as much as possible put up before it all up and quits.  This weekend I'm going to make a big canning push.  I've got probably two 5 gallon buckets of tomatilloes that need to be turned into something yummy.  They are taking up precious room in the fridge and the freezer and there are more ripening even as we speak.  I swear this time of year another fridge would come in handy. I've never raised tomatilloes before.  They are kind of cool.  They are putting out a ton of fruit.  It's a good thing we love Salsa Verde.  I'm still trying to find some other recipes for them so if you have any suggestions please leave a comment.

The tomatoes have finally stopped producing a bucket a day. Some of the plants still look pretty good.  They'll probably start blooming again soon.  The heirloom tomatoes are finaaly making a showing.  They are sure late to the Tomato Party this year.  I've had one heck of a banner year for tomatoes for sure.  I've put up whole tomatoes, quartered, and chopped.  There's the Salsa, Rotel tomatoes, Italian tomatoes,  tomato juice and the spaghetti sauce.  I dried every single one of the skins from all those for tomato powder.  I'll be using it to make tomato paste and sauce this winter.

It's too  bad I found out so late I could have sold a bunch of tomatoes.  I'm actually thinking that next year I might be able to sell a little produce. It's not much but the money could be used for some other projects we are wanting to get done.  We need to run water down to the second garden and get it hooked up semi-permanently to the drip irrigation lines.  We need a faucet down there anyway.  It sure will be handy for watering critters.  Anyway... It's something to think about.

Can you see the squash at the bottom of the picture??  SQUASH!!!!  So far they are doing well and I've not seen ANY stinkin *&% squash bugs yet.  We finally resorted to trying a new product on the market.  It's called Eight. It's got 0.02% Permethrin   You have to be careful with it and not get it on any of the blooms.  It's not "bee friendly". We try not to use anything harmful but being careful to use as directed care this one can be used.  So we use it right around the base of the plants.  I've got a bunch ready to hit the canner tomorrow.  I'm so excited!  WE HAVE SQUASH!!!!!   Can you believe it?   lol  maybe I've finally beaten those stinking bugs.  Time will tell.

 Those little grape tomatoes there in the box are something else new I tried growing this year.  They are super sweet and delicious.  I can eat an entire container of them in one sitting if I'm not careful!  Those are another thing that will definitely go on next years list of plants. 

All the melons are about to quit on us.  I've picked three cantaloupes, the one lonely watermelon, and a small Juan Canary melon this week.  Mars doesn't really eat a lot of melons so I best get busy!  lol  There are a few more out there but the vines are starting to die off and things are starting to look a little sad.  

Another lesson I learned this gardening season is that there is NO way I'm going to plant more than one or two of the hot peppers.  They are still going crazy. They sure do love the high temperatures. I've been drying the cayenne peppers and have Serrano, hot banana and the jalapenos dried as well.  I want to plant more bell peppers next year and back down on the hot stuff.  The thing is though that they are so fun to grow.  I've got three pepper plants I started from some seed my mom sent Mars.  They are starting to produce and I have NO idea what I'm going to do with them. They are supposed to be some super duper hot peppers.   There's one called a Red Savanna Pepper.  Some sort of super habenero and another one I can't remember the name of.  They have taken so long to grow that the markers on them are all but faded to white. (Note to self- You MUST start keeping a garden journal)

I never was able to get my broccoli and cabbage started.  My fault really, I should have tried to baby it more but at the time I was covered in tomatoes.  Another lesson learned.  I have to make the time to take care of them because we just love broccoli!

I know I've not been around much here lately.  Many of you are in the same place right now. It's a busy time of year.  It's hot and there is lots to be done and to tell ya the truth I'm getting flat wore out.  I've been making a half-hearted attempt at a fall garden.  There are peas, spinach and lettuce sown. The garlic needs to go in this month and I still need to get their new home ready for them!!  Maybe I can find a spot to plant leeks too.  That would be cool.  Anyway.... That's what I've been up to for what seems like eons. Come on Fall.  I'm hot, sweaty and tired of Summer.

Another Week in the Books

It's been a long and busy start to September.  Time is spent trying to process and put up all the goodies from the garden.  The heat's still with us and I can hardly wait until it cools down some. 

I never mentioned the onions we grew this past year.  We got a good crop and I have them stored in the barn.  Not a good idea in the long run as now they are starting to go bad.  It's my own fault because what I SHOULD have done was store them in old panty hose. I don't wear them so instead of just picking some up anyway what I did was to braid them and hang them.  Since I don't want to loose them I've started drying them.  We use a lot of dried onions so it's really not a huge problem but I've learned a good lesson.  Chalk it up to the learning curve and add it to my big list.

Last week I had a doctors appointment for a procedure on my back.  More to come on that.  I might have found a doctor that can give me some relief.  He's got a plan of action and I feel pretty good about the whole thing.  Only time will tell.

The only reason that I even bring up the doctors appointment is because of the garden.  Knowing I'd probably be out of commission for a couple of days I picked all I could of the beans, peas, peppers, squash (Yep, I've actually got some squash coming ) melons and tomatoes.  On Friday after I was up and moving again and the tomatoes had gone nuts again.  I harvested two 5 gallon buckets full.  Now what in the world was I going to do with all these dang tomatoes? Saturday morning I decided I was going to try to go sit out by the road heading into town.   I spent about 4 hours out there and sold all but a few.  $60 was made.   I was amazed!  Why have I not been doing this all season? 

Oh, speaking of tomatoes.... I talked with the Rabbit Lady and we struck a deal!  She will take back my "defective" rabbit and trade me for another.  I'll also pick up two new does for two buckets of homegrown tomatoes.  She raises her rabbits in a controlled environment. The barn is cooled and well insulated.  Since the weather is still so hot I'm going to wait to pick up the 3 new does once the daytime temps are a bit cooler.  No sense in stressing them out by sticking them out under the tree here just yet.

Things are getting very interesting both here in America and around the world The next few weeks should be quite interesting. I've been keeping my ear to the ground (so to speak) about all the news around the world.  While all this drama over Syria is keeping many folks nervous about a world war there are other big things going on as well.  Ol' Bernanke is getting ready to step down and we'll have a new Fed Chairman soon.  Obamacare starts to kick in come October and we need a new budget.  Congress has about 9 days to get all that taken care of.  I'm not seeing it happen.  You might want to check your preps and fill as many "holes" as you can.  Keep an eye on things folks.  We are living in interesting times.

Rabbits Anyone?

I'm still running in high gear here but I sure am looking forward to things slowing down just a bit.  Fall is around the corner even if we did have 102 temps today.  The tomatoes have slowed down some thankfully, since the beans are starting to come in.   I've given the neighbor tons of tomatoes and peppers as well this year. I get the feeling she's tired of tomatoes too! LOL   Someone mentioned checking with the food bank in our little town to see if they could use some tomatoes.  I've taken them a couple of 5 gallon buckets of them so far. I'm DONE with canning them for the year.  I just can't stand to see them go to waste and the chickens aren't nearly impressed with them as they were at first either.

I was out feeding the rabbits today and once again I started thinking about what was supposed to be happening with them.  A little background for you guys that haven't heard my rabbit tales.  (And no talk of "that guy" either)  One of the very first things we wanted to do out here was to be able to raise rabbits to supplement some of our meat.  I've made some rookie mistakes that ended up costing me two does.  I learn from my mistakes most of the time.  (Stop calling me "Rabbit Killer" !!!)   Anyway... here it is over two years now and I haven't had a single litter (do rabbits have litters?)  Last spring I found a lady who raises rabbits on a large scale not far from here.  I bought a 5 month old doe from her.  Once she was 6-7 months old I tried to breed her with one of my bucks.  Nothing.  So I tried her with the other buck. Still no babies.  I called the woman I bought her from and she was just so sweet.  She told me to bring my girl over and she would breed her with one of her "stud stars". If, for some reason she didn't get knocked up , she would take her back and give me another doe.    I waited the 30ish days... still nothing. I tried breeding her with my buck .... nothing.   And then things around here got busy. So the whole rabbit thing kind of got put on a back burner.  And that brings us up to today.

I got to thinking how I have been feeding and watering these guys twice a day every single day for over two years and have nothing but feed bills to show for it.  I remembered what the Rabbit Lady had said last year.  So I dug around till I found her card and gave her a call.  She remembered me.  Or she remembered the weirdness of bunnies not making bunny babies.  She told me I could bring her my doe and she would trade her out for a "proven" doe.  Cool. We can do that.  Then, out of the blue, I asked her if she ever did any bartering.  Much to my delight she said yes.  Now some of you will think the next part is funny.  I asked her if they liked tomatoes and would she be interested in doing some bartering for a second doe. I just happen to have a 5 gallon bucket full of them at the moment.  She immediately said we could strike a deal.  So I'll take her some tomatoes next time I have to go into Little Big Town and we'll work out the logistics. To say I'm happy is an understatement. Get rid of some of my tomato overflow and maybe... just maybe this time we'll have some luck.  It's kind of embarrassing not to have had baby bunnies after all this time.
Just so you know, I just cringed a little when I wrote that!  I can just hear some of you laughing already!!! 

It's Wednesday Already

Tomato Hornwork

Yes I've been listening (and reading) the  news.  It matters not what I think about it.  Apparently it matters very little what 91% of Americans think about it either.  This will end badly I fear.  All the more reason to focus on the here and now.  What can I do? (besides scream obscenities)  Prep on folks, prep on.

And so dear friends that brings us back to being in the here and now.  There are a few things I CAN do around here.  I've got mostlyy gardening stuff going on in my life right now. My dehydrators are working 7 days a week. Currently there are peppers in both of them.  I'm out of propane for the canning station and it will have to wait until payday. I've been prepping the peas and beans and either freezing them or at least storing them in the bottom of the fridge for now.  I'll be back to canning soon though. Just in time too as the fridge is overflowing with fresh produce.  This is the one time of year I sure wish we had a second fridge. Hey, things could definitely be worse. 

 I called the local food bank this week.  They were thrilled to take some tomatoes! I was thrilled to get them gone!  LOL I'm so over canning tomatoes for the year. I've been keeping the neighbor supplied with tomatoes, peppers and melons. 

 Of course there are still tomatoes on the vine and the plants look pretty good so they should make it to fall.  Unless the grasshoppers and the hornworms  decimate them.  We've had one heck of a year for grasshoppers this year.  There isn't much you can do about that really.  And then the hornworms just came to the party in the past couple of days. (Cover your ears kymber) I must have killed at least a dozen of the fat green-blooded hungry bast destroyers.   I take a perverted pleasure in ripping them off the stems and crushing them under my heel. Something about the way they "squish" brings a smile to my face. They can take a plant down to nothing in no time at all.  I realized though that this year we've not had much of a problem with bugs.  Well, except those *%#$ squash bugs... but that seems to be it.  Why is it that only the insects you can't do much about seem to make themselves at home this year? 

I was going to go out and pull up those pole beans this week and plant some green peas in their place since they just weren't producing.  Well now they have decided to put on some beans.  Not many, but there are a bunch of tiny baby beans on it now.  I guess if I want to plant green peas I'll have to rig up some sort of "support" for them.  That's why I was wanting to replace the green beans with the peas.  That's the row with the "trellis" down it.  

The mystery plant has produced what turned out to be funny looking cantaloupe.  They aren't very sweet, kind of a boring flavor.  I guess I'll be looking for better seed for next year.  I can't see growing these again.  The Juan Canary melon though?   Yeah, now THAT'S a keeper.  Wonderfully sweet and juicy.  I'll sure be planting those again for years to come. (thanks zztop!!)

It's hard to believe that Summer is almost over.  For the most part we've had a wonderful season weather-wise.  And now all the sudden at the end of August we are going to creep back up into the 100's for a few days.  Go figure.  The Farmer's Almanac is predicting a colder than normal winter for most folks.  Strange year for weather isn't it?  

I want to plant some more lettuce and spinach but I'm thinking it is still a bit errr....warm yet.  My broccoli and cabbage seed didn't come up and the beans I planted in the lower garden were attacked by grasshoppers as quick as they sprouted.  That will make the third time I've planted beans there this year and can't get any of them over six inches high before they become grasshopper appetizers.  Oh well.... I wonder what they want for dessert?  

I'd try talking about something else but it seems my mind is stuck in "garden gear", which is better than having to focus on us teetering on the edge of World War III.  How's your week been so far?