Gardening: My Tomatoe and Pepper Progress

[Oldskewl]

If you end up with green tomatoes at the end of the season make some green tomato relish. It is great on crackers and cheddar or hot dogs or burgers or what ever else you can think of. I used to go to the SCCA races in Summit Point, WV and a lady used to bring canning jars of this stuff. Goes great with BEER!

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/pickled-green-tomato-relish

 

[VApatriot]

I noticed a few other people here are growing eggplants. Ours are doing really well and this year we wanted to try something new with them. We found the recipe below for eggplant sandwiches they were really good and are pretty easy to make.

Here's the recipe:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9qmPVlc1uA[/ame]

 

[passedpawn]

The whiteflies are getting worse and some of my plants are starting to suffer. Yellow spots, blackened leaves, leaves dropping, smaller fruit.

The telltale sign is white powdery stuff on the bottoms of the leaves, with black oily deposits in it. Apparently these deposits are sweet, which attracts ants (I've wondered why I've seen so many ants climing around the plants). Control of whiteflies is not simple, aparently. I've been using Neem Oil, but that isn't doing the trick. I'm going to grab something else from HD today.

More info. I think these are mostly a southern concern (FL).
http://www.lawnpestcontrolservices.com/whitefly-florida/

 

[Staestc]

The whiteflies are getting worse and some of my plants are starting to suffer. Yellow spots, blackened leaves, leaves dropping, smaller fruit.

The telltale sign is white powdery stuff on the bottoms of the leaves, with black oily deposits in it. Apparently these deposits are sweet, which attracts ants (I've wondered why I've seen so many ants climing around the plants). Control of whiteflies is not simple, aparently. I've been using Neem Oil, but that isn't doing the trick. I'm going to grab something else from HD today.

More info. I think these are mostly a southern concern (FL).
http://www.lawnpestcontrolservices.com/whitefly-florida/

OMG! I'm glad I haven't had to deal with that here!

 

[passedpawn]

I got some stuff called Organocide and sprayed the plants (mostly the underside of the leaves). This product from HD smells like fish; in fact, it's made from fish oils and sesame oil. We'll see what happens. The flies are easy to spot. In the top picture above, the whitefles are the 6 or 7 white things on the right side of the leaf, along the spine.

 

[Oldskewl]

The whiteflies are getting worse and some of my plants are starting to suffer. Yellow spots, blackened leaves, leaves dropping, smaller fruit.

The telltale sign is white powdery stuff on the bottoms of the leaves, with black oily deposits in it. Apparently these deposits are sweet, which attracts ants (I've wondered why I've seen so many ants climing around the plants). Control of whiteflies is not simple, aparently. I've been using Neem Oil, but that isn't doing the trick. I'm going to grab something else from HD today.

More info. I think these are mostly a southern concern (FL).
http://www.lawnpestcontrolservices.com/whitefly-florida/

Wow! They don't mess around. They about cover the whole leaf. Good luck!

I just got finished canning 12 pints of fresh salsa. Everything was out of my garden except for the cilantro and a few seasonings. I was in Alaska when I should have planted the cilantro to harvest for salsa.

 

[passedpawn]

Those aren't my pics, but I do have some leaves that are almost that bad.

BTW, they only do that on the bottoms of the leaf. So, you might not even know they are there until you really start investigating.

 

[Littletimmy]

@#!$%$# Whiteflies. The #1 problem in our annual poinsettia crop at the school greenhouse. We have tried everything to control them but are limited by restrictions on what chemicals can be used to "try" and minimize the damage. Systemics like imaclopyrid work ok, but most whitefly populations have developed resistance over time. Contact insecticides only work if you spray all the time and completely cover the leaves to kill the adults. Controlling the eggs and larvae is the long term issue. We use yellow stick traps to monitor and scout the greenhouse every 2-3 days. If we find an infected plant, out it goes!! This seems to help with large population outbreaks.

 

[Littletimmy]

BrewinB
Sent ya a pm, the source of the "mild" habs was probably not Calloways....

 

[brewerJase]

Cherry tomatoes are coming in like crazy. Seem to be getting a pint or two everyday. Good thing I eat them like popcorn

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[Oldskewl]

Nice sized jalapenos! Not sure what I am doing wrong but my jalapenos never get much bigger than my thumb. I have some recipes for grilled stuffed Jalapenos. Even have 2 of the racks, but my peppers are too small to mess with.

 

[Homercidal]

Nice sized jalapenos! Not sure what I am doing wrong but my jalapenos never get much bigger than my thumb. I have some recipes for grilled stuffed Jalapenos. Even have 2 of the racks, but my peppers are too small to mess with.

All of mine were about thumb sized too. I think I crowded them with the tomatoes and maybe they were too shaded, or maybe the wrong variety.

I haven't tried them, but they probably taste just fine.

 

[Staestc]

Nice sized jalapenos! Not sure what I am doing wrong but my jalapenos never get much bigger than my thumb. I have some recipes for grilled stuffed Jalapenos. Even have 2 of the racks, but my peppers are too small to mess with.

My jalapeños have been little this year too. Tasty, but little. Just wanted you to know you are not alone!

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I don't have any pictures but I grow heirloom Brandywine tomatoes, its been so wet and hot here this year I had a huge crop, about 50 softball size tomatoes the first picking then the Japanese beetles came through and stole a bunch of second generation blooms so now that their gone and still raining Im getting a third picking, about half as much this time but not complaining I had to make a ton of sauce and freeze it this time, usually I go through them too fast and wish there were more, not this year lol

 

[applescrap]

I got the little white flies now to wth. All kinds of weird stuff this year ...blight, bugs, and cats? Garden is still producing don't know if I want to go spray some more poison on the Flies. Took some pictures but then my wife said that her and her boss had already rated the garden so got some good produce considering they already been through there. Won't grow brussel sprouts or broccoli next year. They are huge massive plants that don't produce anything. Would rather have more eggplant or poblanos or jalapenos or lettuce or spinach. That is a picture of the 3-gallon tomato plant. It must be Bush variety and has done pretty well really. I think a pool full of these wouldn't hurt

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[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I grow lettuce and spinach, "watch the lettuce like a hawk, it can get away from you", onions, green beens, broccoli, yellow squash, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, green peppers. I probably forgot something but it will come to me after another brew, watch out for white moths, they lay eggs that eat and destroy your greenery leaves

Edit: Ive had blight many times but sometimes what people perceive as blight is really a deficiency in the soil from the crop using too much

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

My hops (first year) aren't going to give me anything to brew with this year, but they have given some really great growth over my patio. Tomato plants gave us three tomatoes.

View attachment 1472306618704.jpg

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I forgot to mention, one night I was outside helping the hops find the twine when a hippie walked by and said, "Whoa, nice plants, maaan."

I don't think he knew they were hops haha

 

[Staestc]

My hops (first year) aren't going to give me anything to brew with this year, but they have given some really great growth over my patio. Tomato plants gave us three tomatoes.

I've gotta grow some hops next year!

 

[passedpawn]

Attempting to smoke the cayennes. If I can get them to dry out properly at low temps in my smoker, I'll use the food processor to turn them into red chili flakes. If this is successful, I'll probably do a bunch more (I've got a frige full).

 

[passedpawn]

O cool, a "smoking cayenne pepper video". Hmmm. What's wrong with people.

 

[Littletimmy]

Candidates for the "Darwin" award? I LIKE your method of smoking cayennes much better! Is that an Brinkman R2 BBQ? Brings back memories.....

 

[passedpawn]

Haha. They get my vote.

That's a Weber Smokey Mountain. I use it almost every weekend. Jerkey and fish just came off it.

Heading out with the sweet wife to see a band an the local country club. Good times. Hope the smoking goes well without me. I left it at about 150F with some mesquite chunks.

 

[BrewinBromanite]

What a freaking moron! Haha, don't really feel bad for him at all. Kind of (sort of) reminds me of of my cousin when he was about 13 do a line of pixie sticks. Heh - that was funny to watch, and also light a fart on fire and burned his @ss gasket. Kids - don't do that!

 

[BrewinBromanite]

Haha. They get my vote.

That's a Weber Smokey Mountain. I use it almost every weekend. Jerkey and fish just came off it.

Heading out with the sweet wife to see a band an the local country club. Good times. Hope the smoking goes well without me. I left it at about 150F with some mesquite chunks.

I usually like to get a nice whiff of whatever is smoking. I'd be a little wary with chilies going in there...

 

[StonesBally]

Just picked a nice bunch of red jalapeños, I'm planning on smoking them similar to those cayennnes, but cold smoked. Then I'm going to dry them. This year has been a lesson in all kinds of peppers for, lots of new varieties to me, some mexican, and some eastern European paprika types from Poland and Austria.

 

[Oldskewl]

Wow, what an idiot! That has to hurt like hell. I know when I dehydrate hot peppers in my house it make your throat burn. Wife makes me do it in the garage now.

 

[applescrap]

Attempting to smoke the cayennes. If I can get them to dry out properly at low temps in my smoker, I'll use the food processor to turn them into red chili flakes. If this is successful, I'll probably do a bunch more (I've got a frige full).

I love it! Want.

Tee, hee that video is funny. Member of the sriracha case. Town said when they made the sauce it was blowing everybody away. They almost went under I think.

 

[passedpawn]

Smoking went perfectly. I finished smoking them today. I'd guess, due to randomness of the smoke, that it took about 10 hours to fully dry them. I kept the heat really low (one out of 9 holes open on the bottom of the weber smokey mountain, just barely cracked at the top). I didn't measure temps, but I've smoked like this before and it's between 125 and 150F. They were all perfectly dry. Not charred. It really didn't take much stirring, though every few hours I'd toss them around with the tongs.

I put them into the food processor for about 20 seconds, then strained to get some powder and some flakes, as pictured below. Man o man, if you don't like sneezing and having severe nasal drip, wear a mask and/or do it outside.

The resulting powder is hotter than they chili powder and the cayenne powder in my spice drawer. The flakes are quit a bit spicier than your standard red chili flakes.

 

[passedpawn]

Due to the success illustrated above, I've dumped the mother load of cayennes into the smoker. It's about 5 times what I had in there before. Woot!

 

[Littletimmy]

Time to try some jalapenos to make chipotle pepper. I'm thinking a "bowl of red" is in your future.... I'm waiting for cooler weather!

 

[BrewinBromanite]

Due to the success illustrated above, I've dumped the mother load of cayennes into the smoker. It's about 5 times what I had in there before. Woot!

Nice! I'm inspired. What did you smoke with?

 

[passedpawn]

Nice! I'm inspired. What did you smoke with?

Mesquite chunks.

I might go ahead and do the same with habaneros. I've never heard of hab powder or flakes, but I've got a ton of them, so why not.

 

[Staestc]

Look just awesome pawn!!

 

[passedpawn]

Look just awesome pawn!!

I know! I'm pretty stoked.

 

[BrewinBromanite]

Smoked Hab powder and/or flakes... Sounds like you are already going there, but sounds awesome for all sorts of recipes!

 

[Littletimmy]

Pendry's in DFW has habanero flakes and chipotle, but why buy when you can "hand-craft." Outstanding!

 

[Oldskewl]

Smoking went perfectly. I finished smoking them today. I'd guess, due to randomness of the smoke, that it took about 10 hours to fully dry them. I kept the heat really low (one out of 9 holes open on the bottom of the weber smokey mountain, just barely cracked at the top). I didn't measure temps, but I've smoked like this before and it's between 125 and 150F. They were all perfectly dry. Not charred. It really didn't take much stirring, though every few hours I'd toss them around with the tongs.

I put them into the food processor for about 20 seconds, then strained to get some powder and some flakes, as pictured below. Man o man, if you don't like sneezing and having severe nasal drip, wear a mask and/or do it outside.

The resulting powder is hotter than they chili powder and the cayenne powder in my spice drawer. The flakes are quit a bit spicier than your standard red chili flakes.

Glad to hear they turned out good. I have always either used a dehydrator or layer them on the counter in a single layer for a month or so. Mine have always tried out hotter than the stuff you buy in the store. I need to do this with some jalapeños this year.

 

[Oldskewl]

Sorry I forgot to take pics. I canned 6 quarts of tomatoes today since my San Marzanos are all ripening at once. Had a good quanity of yellow tomatoes and early girls too.

Also made some cheese stuffed Hungarian wax peppers. Cream cheese, Greek yogurt, mozzarella, garlic, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Turned out great! I forgot to buy sausage at the store yesterday so went with the cheese version.

 

[jsguitar]

That looks awesome Passedpawn!

You inspired me to smoke a hodgepodge of peppers that I had today. Nothing as pretty as yours though. I also dried a bunch of cherry tomatoes. It's been a pretty busy day. I appreciate all of the inspiration this forum provides!