The Last Hurrah!

Wow.  It's been a month since I last posted.  Incredible.  But, as you gardeners know, late summer is a busy, busy time.  Throw in a couple of baseball games and a hockey scrimmage, and time flies, as they say.

Anyway, I was getting a little worried about the garden.  Rain has been pretty scarce since June.  We're 3.52 inches below normal for the summer.  And my electric bill reflects that!  We get our water from a well.  But, as per God's plan, the garden has been bountiful here at the end.

This was the tomato harvest two Saturday's ago.  I now have 18 quarts of tomatoes in the freezer.  Yes, I said freezer.

I just pop the tomatoes in simmering water until the peel softens.  I then peel them, quarter them and pack them into a plastic freezer container, quart size.  Way easier and doesn't heat up the kitchen like traditional canning.  We'll be enjoying them in lots of soups and casseroles this winter.

This past weekend, I wandered into the garden to check on the peppers.  Holy cow!  After several trips back and forth to the kitchen, my mind was reeling.  The pepper plants outdid themselves.

Two dozen bell peppers, three dozen banana peppers, enough cayenne and habaneros for hot sauce.  And last, but definitely not least, jalapenos that nearly fill a five gallon bucket!  That's a lot of chopping.  But it's worth it to have the fresh flavors in the middle of a cold winter.

Ah, yes.  For those of you wanting to know how the hubby's ghost pepper venture is faring...they are doing quite well.  Who knew they could grow in the northern climes.

And here is his first attempt at making a sauce with them.  Lots of onion and garlic with the peppers.  He was quite upset with me when I wouldn't let him use my good food processor and he had to make this outside on the patio. I didn't want to have to air the house out for a week before it was livable again!