It’s time once again for Harvest Monday, where we celebrate all things harvest related. The summer harvests are winding down here, I’m that’s not really a bad thing. I will miss tomatoes and eggplant the most, but we have had plenty of both this year and I can’t complain. I’m watering the fall crops of kale, collards, turnips, radishes and lettuce to keep them going until cooler weather and rain return. With any luck, we can feast on them in the months to come. We did get a little bit of rain last week, but not very much.
September harvest
tomatoes and peppers
Hot peppers are still ripening now, and I got a nice mix of the Aji types that included Sugar Rush Peach, Aji Rico, Aji Delight and Aji Dedo de Moca Yellow. We’ve had plenty of the hot ones, even if the sweet peppers have (again) been a disappointment.
hot peppers
I’ve been busy turning the hot peppers into various sauces. I made a couple using fresh green jalapenos, and the rest used fermented peppers. I got 1.5 pints of my Chili Garlic Sauce, and one each of Sugar Rush Peach and an Aji Mixed batch that including several different baccatum (Aji) peppers.
assorted hot sauces
Hot pepper Mojo is another one I’m trialing here this year, from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. The C. baccatum fruits are crunchy with a typical Aji flavor when fresh, and Johnny’s says they “dry into slightly hot, fragrant chile powder”. I have been drying the ones I’ve been getting, and hopefully they will be a good addition to my chile powder lineup. The guajillo peppers are my favorite for drying, with Aji Colorado being another tasty one when dried and ground up.
Mojo pepper
And in non-harvest news, the Downy woodpeckers have been visiting our new suet feeders lately. They seem to like them both, and other birds are occasionally feeding there too. I’ve been feeding the birds most of the summer, and they seem to be enjoying the banquet of feeds I put out for them. I enjoy watching them, so it is truly a win-win situation!
Downy woodpecker
Downy woodpecker
Harvest Monday is a day to show off your harvests, how you are saving your harvest, or how you are using your harvest. If you have a harvest you want to share, add your name and blog link to Mr Linky below. And please check out what everyone is harvesting!
I enjoy watching the birds too
Marlene Leiby asks are we allowed to ask you gardening questions on your blog?
Ask away!
Because you really like the tempest squash, I decides to try it . Did not know if it would work in Wyoming. It was a little slow starting but has really produced and is still going strong even though the temperature has got down in the 30’s. Very tasty.
I live in the southern panhandle of Texas. We had over 2 weeks over 100 degrees. I raise neck pumpkins and decided to cover them with shade cloth to try to protect them which was a terrible idea. The cloth was black plastic and where it touched the pumpkins they developed a ‘blister’ which is now starting to rot. The pumpkins are not ready to pick as I can insert my nail into the skin. My question is if I pick them now and cut out the bad part and cook them right away will they still taste like pumpkin?
I am guessing they will not taste like pumpkin until they mature. If the bad spots are small you could try cutting them out carefully and leaving the pumpkin on the vines. That’s about all I can think of to try.
I finally got a bit of rain last night, after a month with nothing. Some things I’ve just had to let go due to lack of time for watering and tending. HOpefully this winter will see some water systems go in, at least in areas that are in their fairly permanent state. Peppers are a crop that are not fond of my place; too cool in spring, too hot and dry in summer. And while I like a mild hot sauce, mild green chili and an occasional jalapeno, I’m not a big eater of hot chilies. I didn’t get any bell peppers put in this year, which I usually chop and freeze for recipes, will have to remember next year. I like some birds, but there are thousands of little sparrows here that along with the quail totally destroy summer plantings and fruit. I occasionally see a woodpecker which is fun and a few other pretty ones like cardinal and oriole. But I don’t feed them because the sparrows would just eat it all and then reproduce even worse than they already are.