What to do with all that peppers???

This year is a bit strange. Spring was really cool, the weather didn't heat up until later June, no wonder a local weatherman called it Junurary. But finally, tomatoes are turninig and peppers are ripening and gardens are filled with all sorts of vegetables. After I did all I can with the peppers-eating, selling and giving away, time to thinking about canning them. After talking to a lot of people in our local Farmer's Market, here are a few recipes I am going to try:

JALAPENO PEPPER PICKLES 1 (Mexican Style):
Pickled jalapeno peppers
Veggies: Jalapeno peppers, carrots (I grew them too :) ) and onions. Brine: 2 C. white vinegar, 2 C. water, 1/2 C. kosher salt, 2 T. sugar and 2 T. vegetable oil, add a pinch of dried Mexican oregano ( not the same a...s regular oregano, you can buy them at the Mexican spice rack). Place all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Pack veggies in cleaned canning jars, and pour hot liquid in jars. Seal and let cool. Place in refrigerator. Keep for up to a month. You can also seal it with water bath like you would with regular pickled.

JALAPENO PEPPER PICKLES 2:

Wash peppers and drain. Pack peppers tightly in jars for every cup of vinegar used: 1/4 c. olive oil 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. pickling spice

Heat mixture to boiling. Pour over peppers so they are well covered. Seal jars and process 10 minutes in hot water bath. Note: It takes about 2 cups of mixture per quart.

Mini Hooper (TM)

09-07 Intensive Gardening Brings Beneficial Critters

Since I planted my garden a lot denser this year (even more so than I usually do), I am seeing a lot of the little frogs that have been missing from my garden for a long time. Bumble bees and honey bees are buzzing around collecting pollens from the veggie flowers. I also see quite a few lady beetles. And pests such as cucumber beetles, flea beetles are reduced significantly.
Earlier in the season, I had a flee beetle infestation, causing me to remove all my Gai Lan (Chinese broccoli) prematurely. I have always been a proponent of intensive gardening. What happened in my garden this time around made me a even firmer believer. I think planting every thing closer together not only choked out the weeds, it also brought back the frogs, lady beetles and the bees as well. The returning of the beneficial insects are a big help. I hope they will stay for next season.

Helpful Tools for the Garden

Vegetable gardening can be intensive. Helpful tools in the garden can make a huge difference. After years of practice, I have discovered some of the tools that set my mind at ease going into every gardening season. Here is the list of my favs:
(1) The Minihooper: This is a neat little device that will allow you to plant your garden earlier in the spring and extend it later in the fall. The minihoop house (by New Dimension Seed) sets up directly in your vegetable garden, protect your vegetable starts from frost. How many times have you guessed when the last spring frost is??? and that is not an easy task!
(2) A "D" ring hoe. This is by far the best hoe I have ever purchased (and believe me I have purchased a LOT!). I like this hoe from a mechanical engineer's perspective: it allows you to use the least amount of force to archive the best result. Buy one that is well constructed so the screws don't fall out on you. I carry it with me whenever I go into the garden, especially when the veggies are still small. Kilis the weeds before they take over.
(3) A Garden Seeder (from Midwest Products, available from www.newdimensionseed.com/tools). This is is a device no serious gardener should go without. If you plant a large garden like I do, this can give your garden a professional look and draw admirers from miles away... The seeder comes with different disks for sowing different seeds. You will get perfect spaced straight rows that not only is good looking, but produce tons of veggies. It is ideal for market gardeners!

07-28-08 Tomato Care

It is the end of July, tomatoes are still all green. Several factors to consider when growing tomatoes (1) selecting early varieties to grow. And plant several different varieties. Most tomatoes don't mature until August. One exception is the Dwarf Red Bell Cherry Tomato (From NewDimensionSeed)
which can be harvested in later June. It grows 12" tall and loaded with tomatoes. (2) Start them the right time (3)If there are too many side branches, bury the extras in the ground so that they can generate additional root structures to support the plant. (4) remove the bottom leaves to promote good air circulations, preventing disease from forming. Then wait patiently for the tomatoes to turn red...