This week the garden was generous!
1lb 6oz bell peppers
9oz hot peppers
1lb 9 oz tomatillos
The peppers were abundant as were the tomatillos once again. The Everglades keeps pumping out tiny currant tomatoes, too. I gathered about a pint worth this week! So i promptly ripped out one of the plants. Actually I'm not nearly so cruel. It had gone yellow and while it was still productive it was definitely suffering, and I needed the pot. A note for future reference or anyone thinking about planting these - pots are a REALLY good way to grow them! The drop a ton of fruit.
I realized when I typed the title that this is AUGUST now, not July. So there are a few things different about this years garden. I haven't planted the winter squash out yet. Usually it's already planted out. WHAT? That's right I already harvested a few Lakota squash. I meant for my fall garden. I'm holding back. I'm trying to wait it out and see what happens. The shadows are much longer already and I know that is part of the reason I have problems getting my pumpkins in by Halloween. Our heat is completely ridiculous. The sunlight is super intense, but it is short. I need to rethink my squash and a trellis may be the best answer in order to give the plant maximum exposure to the light. I'm just afraid to put it against the fence. What if one of those beauties grows between the trellis and the fence? It will be all deformed and how exactly would I harvest it?
This week also brought one other harvest. Something new for me. Rice Peas. They are a type of Cowpea.
I did not weigh them because as you can see they are tiny and this was just a harvest of a couple beans. Just to see what was hiding in there. They look a lot like miniature Black Eyed Peas, don't seem to be a crowder type and the bushes themselves? Healthy as horses. Supposed to be a bush type with some 4-6' vines, but uh I got news for the people that wrote that... I think these could easily reach 8'+ and next year I'll need to be better prepared for giving them something to climb on. They do indeed make a beautiful bush but the vines are aggressive and well, I am definitely adding them into my 'I want to grow again' list. It looks like production is just getting ramped up, and as tiny as the beans are it will take a lot to make a dish. The stupid stink bugs are extremely attracted to the pods so I'm still searching for was to ward them off.
Oh! And my little cucumber I got. I'll be taking the next out of the garden tonight or tomorrow for my salad. I'm so happy. The pickle jars are starting to get empty, too. So we are certainly in need and these are right on time!
'Till next time!
Barbie~
Nice harvest - you don't see many tomatillos in Australia - perhaps I should give them a try though.
ReplyDeleteHow do you use the Tomatillos, Barb? 99.9% of the recipes you see are for salsa! I've used them in a pork and black bean stew, but to be honest, tomatos would have been better...
ReplyDeleteMark - you are right mostly people use them to make Salsa Verde- I love this salsa. Generally I char my tomatillos before using them, but if raw I also like to use thme in fresh fruit salads, especially when it is mango season or pineapples are fresh. They have a citrusy zing that tomatoes lack but otherwise can be used in place of tomatoes as well. In soouthwestern soups they especially pop like White chicken chilis, etc. Unfortunately in Florida right about now my tomatoes have stopped producing and I won't see more slicers until the ones I just sowed are producing in 2-3 months. The tomatillos are my go-between.
ReplyDeleteHad to google those Everglades tomatoes - very cute. I tried the rice cowpeas this year...no luck...like most everything else. :(
ReplyDeleteThose rice peas are so cute. I'm a dried bean lover and though technically not a bean, they are close enough for me. Though I can't grow cowpeas up here. We just don't have the heat for it. Well in usual years we don't have the heat for it.
ReplyDeletenice harvest. Those look like some good healthy peas.
ReplyDeleteWow!!! That is a lot of tomatillos! Feel free to send some my way! ;)
ReplyDeleteGreat looking harvest this week!
Also, to respond to:
"What if one of those beauties grows between the trellis and the fence? It will be all deformed and how exactly would I harvest it?"
You could be like those people that grow square watermelons. It would be novel, to post. :)
Nice harvest of peppers and tomatillos! What do you do with all those peppers?
ReplyDeleteOh I thought I visited a new blog. The first thing that usually greet me to your blog was your okra bloom photos.Nice harvest.
ReplyDeleteDaphne- Our days are much shorter so I guess it’s a tradeoff. You are growing green beans and tomatoes that I can’t touch for another 6 weeks. If I had more space for a bumper crop I’d send you some to try for dinner. I can’t wait to have enough for a side dish!
ReplyDeleteShawn Ann- Thanks. I hope they produce as well as I think they will.
Ben- A criss crossed squash. :-) I think that might be cute.
RG- 1 bell went into spaghetti sauce, 1 bell and 3 hots with an onion into black beans and rice and the rest of the hots will be chopped and frozen for chili’s, sauces, and salsa! YUM! Oh, the red cayennes will finish drying to be ground for hot pepper flakes. I’ll post on that again. I usually make it in October.
MKG- I hope you liked the change. I always worry when I mess with it, but i love switching it up a little. :-D I just can't help myself.
Great harvest! I know what you mean about those Tomatillos; who would have thought they'd be so easy and plentiful!
ReplyDeleteGreat harvest! We're still waiting on our tomatilloes. What will you make with them?
ReplyDeletePickles, pickles! I hope you get all the cucumbers your heart desires.
ReplyDeleteYour "Rice Peas" look suspiciously like the field peas (aka cowpeas) I'm growing called "Running Conch". They're supposed to be on 3-4 foot vines but in my garden 6-7 feet is more like it :)
ReplyDelete