Peppers (Part 2): Pepper Sauce

So, with many peppers around, we decided to try a new recipe. The recipe for pepper sauce, found here, only takes a few minutes. Put a handful of peppers, some peppercorns, garlic, and a pinch of salt in a jar, and cover in warm apple cider vinegar. Allow to cool, stopper, and keep in the fridge. In a few days the vinegar absorbs all the flavors and is ready for use.

We'll let you know how it turns out. Look for Peppers Part 3 for more pepper uses.

Fall Color

In the spring, my wife and I with the help of our daughters, planted 2 large river birch and a royal burgundy cherry in our backyard. These trees were mainly for summer shade and beauty, but I couldn't turn down the opportunity to show how beautiful the fall foliage colors are. The contrast between the yellow and red is quite striking. Over time, I think we'll have the best display of fall colors possible in such a small space.

Peppers (Part 1)

With the winter season taking its toll on my summer's plants, last weekend found my daughters and I gathering up our cayenne peppers. We picked a lot of red peppers, with some even starting to try on the vine. A few of the newer peppers were still green. Both can be eaten, according to online sources, though the green peppers have a milder flavor. Here are the pics of my helpers with the peppers. We got these from about 6 plants.

In part 2, I'll show you what we did with them.

Ragweed, Mums, and the Late Summer that didn't Happen

Ragweed pollen count is off the charts here, so my gardening activities are kept to a minimum.

My wife and daughters are picking tomatoes and every time we get a large batch we cut them up, boil them, run them through the food mill and cook them down with spices into tomato sauce. The sauce gets put into ziplock bags and stuck in the freezer. Of course, a little might get eaten on pasta on tomato sauce days. :-)

All the mums have arrived in green houses in the area. We bought some orange and purple ones to plant in the front flower beds. I like purple and orange for Halloween, and mums are usually in full bloom as it approaches.

The grass in my front yard is still green even without watering this year. The late summer heat and dry spell didn't hit us this year. The strange weather patterns of this summer lead to a cool, wet August. It seems to have been good for plants, but it makes it difficult to know what is doing well because of good gardening and what is doing well because of the atypical weather. It is very nice that I haven't had to worry about the trees I planted in spring. They have been well watered and are doing fine.

In the Family

It looks like the green thumb runs in the family -- second place in the plant contest.

Even More Peppers

Veggies

Veggies are really coming now. Not bad for an 8' x 12' garden.

My first tomatoes are starting to ripen.

My tomato plants have reached 6 feet in height from the ground now and the top are covered in new flowers.


Here you can see how well the horizontal tomato cages are working. The only maintenance is threaded side branches back into the mesh.


My pepper plants stand tall in front of the tomatoes. I have a couple bell pepper plants, and the rest split between banana peppers and cayenne peppers.


We picked the rest of the onions today. They seem to die earlier and get more weeds when I don't mulch with straw. Still, not a bad harvest -- some of the onions were 3" across.

Second harvest of peppers yesterday.


First harvest of peppers a couple of weeks ago.


My three helpers that help me pick veggies and pull weeds.