(no subject)
We've been harvesting zucchini for several weeks now as well as the sweet yellow banana peppers. Here and there we've had a Purple Beauty pepper and a Lavender Lady pepper as well as the grape tomatoes. This week, though, the garden is burgeoning. We've picked over a dozen ripe or nearly ripe Romas, several Brandywines and Mortgage Lifters (both are pink heirloom-type tomatoes) as well as a lot of the purple and lavender peppers.
The eggplants are coming along nicely, (purple ones and white ones) and the Cherokee Purple tomatoes look like they will be ready in a few days (they're gorgeous!). Next year one of the squash plants will be replaced by cucumbers; as much as we like zucchini, enough is enough!
Also, I let a pumpkin vine grow from seed near the patio (where it is rapidly trying to overtake the entire yard) and there are a few small pumpkins beginning to form. Also, there is another vine near the compost pile that might be a pumpkin or it might gourds, also with tiny fruit beginning to form. The leaves are smaller, so I think it might be a gourd vine.
Here's a pic of two days worth of harvest (and this is minus the 8 zucchinis and the bag of peppers and tomatoes I brought to work.)
Early harvest.
.
So, in order not to waste anything we've taken the tomatoes and peeled them. They're cooking away right now to make Coulis de Tomates (basically a marinara sauce). Debra has parboiled the peppers and is stuffing them to be frozen for meals later on. The banana peppers and a lot of fresh basil went into a meat sauce earlier this week (already consumed.) This is the largest vegetable garden I've had in a long time and I'm really pleased with the production so far; the challenge is to use the bounty before we lose it.
Anyone have any other suggestions for ways to freeze/can these veggies? We expect quite a bit more in the coming weeks.
The eggplants are coming along nicely, (purple ones and white ones) and the Cherokee Purple tomatoes look like they will be ready in a few days (they're gorgeous!). Next year one of the squash plants will be replaced by cucumbers; as much as we like zucchini, enough is enough!
Also, I let a pumpkin vine grow from seed near the patio (where it is rapidly trying to overtake the entire yard) and there are a few small pumpkins beginning to form. Also, there is another vine near the compost pile that might be a pumpkin or it might gourds, also with tiny fruit beginning to form. The leaves are smaller, so I think it might be a gourd vine.
Here's a pic of two days worth of harvest (and this is minus the 8 zucchinis and the bag of peppers and tomatoes I brought to work.)
Early harvest.
.
So, in order not to waste anything we've taken the tomatoes and peeled them. They're cooking away right now to make Coulis de Tomates (basically a marinara sauce). Debra has parboiled the peppers and is stuffing them to be frozen for meals later on. The banana peppers and a lot of fresh basil went into a meat sauce earlier this week (already consumed.) This is the largest vegetable garden I've had in a long time and I'm really pleased with the production so far; the challenge is to use the bounty before we lose it.
Anyone have any other suggestions for ways to freeze/can these veggies? We expect quite a bit more in the coming weeks.