Gardening: My Tomatoe and Pepper Progress

[z-bob]

We had our first hard freeze last night. I picked about a half a bushel of jalapenos yesterday; most of them huge. And about the same amount of Roma tomatoes. All this is off of just a couple of plants. I thought I was keeping up with the tomatoes but obviously not. Not sure what to do with them all; I've been freezing tomatoes and the freezer is full. (we won't talk about the 50 or more pounds of squash I picked after the first frost a week ago) I have enough jars of salsa already from last year. Think I will take the peppers and tomatoes to church tomorrow and give away to anyone who wants some -- not many ppl will take me up on it, but that's their loss, and I will get rid of a few. I did give a big bag of jalapenos to my Sudanese neighbors.

I made ketchup with 3 pounds of the green tomatoes. It turned out okay but not as good as the green ketchup I made with tomatillos; that tastes almost like Hunt's or Heinz ketchup. The tomatillos also had a higher yield; they must have more pectin or are not quite as watery.

I wonder how it would work to slice the jalapenos and pickle them like bread-n-butter pickles? I did that with some of the small squash and they turned out really good.

 

[passedpawn]

Expecting a frost this Saturday so harvested the remaining peppers yesterday, bells, jalapenos, Anaheims , and habaneros. Ended up canning most of the Anaheims. I have two jars of red jalapenos and Anaheims fermenting to make a little hot sauce (just one pictured). First time trying both the canned peppers and hot sauce.
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If you hot-pack thoses peppers, you'll get a lot more in a jar (more peppers, less water). Hot pack just means you cook them a bit before packing them into the jars for the canning. Might work just to steam them, anything to soften them up. I don't can my jalapenos (I have a TON this year) because I like to pickle them, and that doesn't require canning to be shelf-stable due to the vinegar / low pH.

 

[passedpawn]

We had our first hard freeze last night. I picked about a half a bushel of jalapenos yesterday; most of them huge. And about the same amount of Roma tomatoes. All this is off of just a couple of plants. I thought I was keeping up with the tomatoes but obviously not. Not sure what to do with them all; I've been freezing tomatoes and the freezer is full. (we won't talk about the 50 or more pounds of squash I picked after the first frost a week ago) I have enough jars of salsa already from last year. Think I will take the peppers and tomatoes to church tomorrow and give away to anyone who wants some -- not many ppl will take me up on it, but that's their loss, and I will get rid of a few. I did give a big bag of jalapenos to my Sudanese neighbors.

I made ketchup with 3 pounds of the green tomatoes. It turned out okay but not as good as the green ketchup I made with tomatillos; that tastes almost like Hunt's or Heinz ketchup. The tomatillos also had a higher yield; they must have more pectin or are not quite as watery.

I wonder how it would work to slice the jalapenos and pickle them like bread-n-butter pickles? I did that with some of the small squash and they turned out really good.

I slice the jalapenos fill quart mason jars, then 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water. I also add a dash of salt. I have SO many jars just like this. Man I love japs, eat them all the time.

For the tomatoes, just puree them in a food processor then can them. If you don't have a pressure canner then you can just use a hot water bath, but look into exactly what the entails. It's important that the pH is low enough for that I think. I highly suggest boiling them down a bit before canning - tomatoes are watery when pureed.

 

[passedpawn]

Planted my garlic today, anyone else growing some? Mainly softnecks this year, last year it was mainly hardnecks

I keep thinking about (when somebody, you?, keeps mentioning it). I do like garlic. However, if I produced a ton of it I don't think I could find a good use for it.

 

[z-bob]

I slice the jalapenos fill quart mason jars, then 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water. I also add a dash of salt. I have SO many jars just like this. Man I love japs, eat them all the time.

For the tomatoes, just puree them in a food processor then can them. If you don't have a pressure canner then you can just use a hot water bath, but look into exactly what the entails. It's important that the pH is low enough for that I think. I highly suggest boiling them down a bit before canning - tomatoes are watery when pureed.

Thanks. Yes, I know about pH and all that stuff. And I have several pressure canners in different sizes. I used to be an expert (with no credentials) but I'm way out of practice. Boiling them down a bit or salting and straining off some of the watery juice is a good idea.

I have a really good (and tested) salsa recipe if you want it. But I have too many jars already from last year (and a few from the year before that)

 

[passedpawn]

Thanks. Yes, I know about pH and all that stuff. And I have several pressure canners in different sizes. I used to be an expert (with no credentials) but I'm way out of practice. Boiling them down a bit or salting and straining off some of the watery juice is a good idea.

I have a really good (and tested) salsa recipe if you want it. But I have too many jars already from last year (and a few from the year before that)

Yes, get me that recipe! Thanks.

 

[z-bob]

Yes, get me that recipe! Thanks.

Here ya go. (I may have posted it here before but not sure) It also works with tomatillos

Chile Salsa
(from USDA bulletin 539) yield: 6 to 8 pints

5 pounds tomatoes
2 pounds chile peppers
1 pound onions, chopped
1 cup vinegar (5%)
3 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper

Roast and peel peppers if they have tough skins (not necessary for jalapeños or serranos), remove seeds and stems, chop. Scald and peel tomatoes; chop. Combine all ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Ladle into pint jars, leave 1/2 inch headspace. Adjust lids and process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Notes: I generally use jalapeños, seeds and all, and I find that ½ cup bottled lemon juice plus ½ cup white vinegar tastes better than using all vinegar or all bottled lemon juice. (You can't use fresh lemon juice unless you really overdo it, then it doesn't taste right. The bottled stuff is standardized for acidity)

 

[bwible]

Planted my garlic today, anyone else growing some? Mainly softnecks this year, last year it was mainly hardnecks

My wife planted both hardneck and softneck last year. First time. I think its the softneck I really like - taste and smell unlike anything we buy at the store. She’ll be putting them in again this year.

 

[bwible]

I keep thinking about (when somebody, you?, keeps mentioning it). I do like garlic. However, if I produced a ton of it I don't think I could find a good use for it.

https://cafedelites.com/creamy-garlic-scallops/

 

[Deadalus]

Planted my garlic today, anyone else growing some? Mainly softnecks this year, last year it was mainly hardnecks

I'll be planting some this week, all hardnecks (I like the scapes). I saved about 12 bulbs from last year's crop.

 

[Deadalus]

If you hot-pack thoses peppers, you'll get a lot more in a jar (more peppers, less water). Hot pack just means you cook them a bit before packing them into the jars for the canning. Might work just to steam them, anything to soften them up. I don't can my jalapenos (I have a TON this year) because I like to pickle them, and that doesn't require canning to be shelf-stable due to the vinegar / low pH.

Those were pickled but I was thinking that too about hot packing when I saw them floating like that Recipe didn't mention it and it was the first time I have ever canned peppers. You don't water bath can your pickled jalapeños at all? How long do they last?

 

[passedpawn]

Those were pickled but I was thinking that too about hot packing when I saw them floating like that Recipe didn't mention it and it was the first time I have ever canned peppers. You don't water bath can your pickled jalapeños at all? How long do they last?

Not sure - probably forever. I don't hot pack. Don't wash peppers. I don't even heat up the brine. Don't even measure anything. Jamb as many sliced peppers as you can into the jar, fill 1/3 vinegar, kitchen sink water to the brim, lid. I've got a least 10, maybe 20 quart jars like this right now.

They probably won't float if you boil the peppers first (and thereby remove all oxygen). I'm just a little lazy to bother.

 

[passedpawn]

I've got more jalapenos than I can eat in the next season, so I'm letting them grow till red. Do any of you let your jalapenos go red? I just put a dozen of them in a jar. All red!

 

[Deadalus]

I've got more jalapenos than I can eat in the next season, so I'm letting them grow till red. Do any of you let your jalapenos go red? I just put a dozen of them in a jar. All red!

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That was my intent in growing them this year, red jalapeños are what Sriracha is made out of. I had to pick them before frost but a good number of them still turned red afterwards. Next time I will yank the whole plant and hang it inside like can be done with tomatoes. I fermented what I had to make some of my own Sriracha. It did include some red Anaheims and a few habaneros. Unfortunately I lost one jar to mold. Came out a little chunkier than Sriracha and slightly hotter. My first time fermenting (both containers).

 

[passedpawn]

That was my intent in growing them this year, red jalapeños are what Sriracha is made out of. I had to pick them before frost but a good number of them still turned red afterwards. Next time I will yank the whole plant and hang it inside like can be done with tomatoes. I fermented what I had to make some of my own Sriracha. It did include some red Anaheims and a few habaneros. Unfortunately I lost one jar to mold. Came out a little chunkier than Sriracha and slightly hotter. My first time fermenting (both containers).

Recipe? I've attempted a siracha clone a few times, unsuccessfully. Never occurred to me to use jalapenos.

 

[Deadalus]

Recipe? I've attempted a siracha clone a few times, unsuccessfully. Never occurred to me to use jalapenos.

https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/...ot-sauces/homemade-sriracha-hot-sauce-recipe/
The recipe is a little loose with liquid suggestions (more or less vinegar, more or less brine). I didn't keep a strict count of how long I fermented the peppers other than it was at least 10 days and as long as about 3 weeks. I ran the peppers through a food processor both before fermenting and after fermenting and the recipe additions. They would not get smooth though. I only had just enough rice vinegar and I ran out of brine. Maybe a blender would have been better. I didn't end up straining it either as suggested, seemed like I might lose a lot of material. I food processed the hell out of too! I had the speed setting turned all the way up for minutes. I'm nowhere near a hot sauce connoisseur though, mainly just Sriracha and low heat sauces. I am fermenting all my habaneros now though. I had pretty good fortune in that a lot of them turned orange off the vine. I am going to make something out of them but I don't know yet for my brothers.

 

[Hanglow]

I made some hotsauce yesterday.

1kg of fermented chilli mash, with 3%salt by weight.
4 weeks fermentation
Juiced, came to 700ml straight chili juice.
Added 300ml vinegar, 1 level tsp msg and xantham gum to thicken a bit.

Bottled 1l of it or so. Should be shelf stable with that amount of vinegar. Quite like tabasco in flavour and heat.

Dehydrating the remains of the mash at the moment. It's a mix of green and red chillis, so quite odd looking. But should make some killer chilli flakes/powder.

 

[Deadalus]

I made some hotsauce yesterday.

1kg of fermented chilli mash, with 3%salt by weight.
4 weeks fermentation
Juiced, came to 700ml straight chili juice.
Added 300ml vinegar, 1 level tsp msg and xantham gum to thicken a bit.

Bottled 1l of it or so. Should be shelf stable with that amount of vinegar. Quite like tabasco in flavour and heat.

Dehydrating the remains of the mash at the moment. It's a mix of green and red chillis, so quite odd looking. But should make some killer chilli flakes/powder.
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Aha the juicer! That's something I didn't think of! I have one. Also like the idea of dehydrating the mash. I have one of those too. I don't have a grinder yet. I do have a mortar and pestle. Let us know how you process the dried mash.

 

[Hanglow]

I have a spice grinder as I tend to buy whole spices and am too lazy to use a mortar and pestle, although I just checked and it's very brittle after 24hours in the dehydrator already. I might just pack it into a jar as is and then grind when I need powder. Tangy salty chilli flakes could be good too.

Could also of course juice before fermenting so you have normal, unsalted chilli flakes, then just ferment the juice

 

[McMullan]

I put dried bird's eye chillies in our spice grinder once. Thought I'd have a go at making my own chilli powder. Boom! Had to cordon off the kitchen for the rest of the day. I was able to open my eyes the following day, though.

 

[passedpawn]

https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/...ot-sauces/homemade-sriracha-hot-sauce-recipe/
The recipe is a little loose with liquid suggestions (more or less vinegar, more or less brine). I didn't keep a strict count of how long I fermented the peppers other than it was at least 10 days and as long as about 3 weeks. I ran the peppers through a food processor both before fermenting and after fermenting and the recipe additions. They would not get smooth though. I only had just enough rice vinegar and I ran out of brine. Maybe a blender would have been better. I didn't end up straining it either as suggested, seemed like I might lose a lot of material. I food processed the hell out of too! I had the speed setting turned all the way up for minutes. I'm nowhere near a hot sauce connoisseur though, mainly just Sriracha and low heat sauces. I am fermenting all my habaneros now though. I had pretty good fortune in that a lot of them turned orange off the vine. I am going to make something out of them but I don't know yet for my brothers.
View attachment 784517

If you heat the peppers before straining, you'll easily get all of the goodness through the strainer easily. I use a pressure cooker and just get it up to pressure for 5 minutes. I heat the peppers after running them through the food processor, to macerate them.

I've also tried to push them through the strainer without heating, even after puree'ing them as much as possible in the food processor. I left a LOT of meat still in the strainer.

I even cook them this way after fermenting. It makes straining for hot sauce SO much easier. BTW, I use a standard rubber spatula to push through a strainer.

 

[suzeQ]

I put dried bird's eye chillies in our spice grinder once. Thought I'd have a go at making my own chilli powder. Boom! Had to cordon off the kitchen for the rest of the day. I was able to open my eyes the following day, though.

Lol! So sorry but that made my day. Also good to know.

 

[passedpawn]

Chili pepper flakes. Smoked in traeger for 12 hours @ 165°F, then food processor for 15 seconds-ish. Strainer to separate the flakes from the powder.

Delish. Where's the pizza?

 

[bleme]

Do any of you let your jalapenos go red? I just put a dozen of them in a jar. All red!

I pick about 90% of my jalapenos red. I think they have a lot better flavor.

 

[Dog House Brew]

I pick about 90% of my jalapenos red. I think they have a lot better flavor.

Me too, picking my very last ones tomorrow. Heading into the 20’s next week. Bye bye fall, hello winter.

 

[mbg]

Need some help with making tomato sauce.

Been canning whole tomatoes for years. Last year I purchased a strainer and boiled down the tomatoes to can sauce. When I went to use the sauce it has a bitter or acidic taste. Man, I have lots invested in 20 quarts of the sauce. Is there a way to save them? How do I prevent this in the future?

Thanks
Mike

 

[Deadalus]

Need some help with making tomato sauce.

Been canning whole tomatoes for years. Last year I purchased a strainer and boiled down the tomatoes to can sauce. When I went to use the sauce it has a bitter or acidic taste. Man, I have lots invested in 20 quarts of the sauce. Is there a way to save them? How do I prevent this in the future?

Thanks
Mike

In the future, look for a well rated marinara recipe. I have one I use and like. One thing about it that I think makes for a good sauce is the addition of carrots, which lend a sweetness to it.

A little bit of sugar might take the edge off the bitterness.

 

[Hanglow]

Started another hot sauce, 500g of assorted chili's, couple of carrots, half an apple, 4 cloves of garlic, squeeze of lime juice and 3.5%salt

 

[passedpawn]

My peppers are still giving joy, but the white flies have moved in and that is usually the beginning of the end of the plants. I have a new cure for this, will give it a shot in the morning. I've tried all the normal remedies to no avail.

I pulled a bunch of red jalapenos off my plants in the last couple of weeks. Made some sriracha sauce. I meant to ferment it, but because I'm the dumbest of azzes, I added vinegar and thus there will be no fermentation. My jalepenos are VERY hot, so I attempted to tame it a bit with some red peppers (also from my plants). It's still damned hot. Too hot really.

After straining, I added enough xantham gum to give it the proper thickness. Definitely sticks to the chip.

 

[passedpawn]

Germinated the new plants: habeneros and jalapenos. Not sure I'll need these if I can save the plants I have growing now. But those white flies usually win the battle.

 

[Hanglow]

Still getting the occasional pepper from the unheated greenhouse. Had two frosts so far but they've been protected by the glass I guess. Also went down the coast and got a car full of seaweed for the allotment. Half in the compost pile, half spread around my winter leeks and purple sprouting broccoli for some slow release feed.

 

[bleme]

4 more plants left to pull out and I’ll be ready to plant for next year. I’m thinking I’ll ferment all the red peppers together, then use all the green and yellow peppers in a cooked sauce.

 

[Deadalus]

4 more plants left to pull out and I’ll be ready to plant for next year. I’m thinking I’ll ferment all the red peppers together, then use all the green and yellow peppers in a cooked sauce.

Hmmmm Visalia, my grandmother lived in Visalia. Nope, nothing growing here in WV. I eased off the selective pressure on the slugs and they chewed up the brassicas I had planted under the low tunnel. The cold snap last week put us down to -8F but a couple of 60° days just recently now have me thinking about next season!

 

[GreenEnvy22]

My plants have all been pulled since early November. But my greenhouse plants are still producing. I keep it at 15C so far. It's built against the house and has a basement window open to it with a fan to pull in warm house air. It also has an electric space heater on an inkbird. I probably won't try to keep it at 15C all winter due to heating costs, but it's been a mild winter here in Niagara so far.
Battling aphids again though, so everything is covered in diamataceous earth, and i set off a fogger inside last week (house window closed for the day). Those seem to be helping. In the summer I had some praying mantis I hatched and they did well, but disappeared in fall.
In addition to peppers in buckets, we have our fig trees, a couple tomatoes, then some leafy plants in a hydroponic setup.

 

[z-bob]

I found a bag of frozen fresh red peppers in the bottom of my freezer from at least 10 years ago. They were from an accidental cross between a common jalapeno and an unknown Chinense pepper -- probably a mild one like Trinidad Perfume because I think that's all my brother grew that year. These peppers volunteered the next year. They look like small misshapen jalapenos and are fiery hot. Any chance the seeds would still be viable? It's a frostfree freezer, which does not bode well, but the peppers were frozen whole and in a ziplock freezer bag; they look to still be in pretty good shape. I'll plant a bunch of the seeds in February to see if anything happens. Since they would be F2 hybrids it could yield a lot of different interesting variations.

 

[bleme]

The green and yellow peppers sure made a pretty mash!

 

[NeilMac]

Mine are on the way.

Yellow Cayenne
Bulgarian Carrot
Kung Pao

\

 

[Hanglow]

I started most of my seeds on this day a year ago. Will probably start this weekend I think

 

[passedpawn]

Still getting lots of produce off my cayennes and jalapenos, but I'm thinking about cutting them down and restarting. They got hammered by the white flies this fall, and some cool weather, and the leaves on some of the plants have a yellow color that isn't good.

Thoughts? I'm debating between

1. cutting them down low and letting them grow back strong
2. pull them completely and get some new plants in there.

I have started a bunch of new plants from seed and they are ready to go in the ground.

 

[Hanglow]

Two of five plants I overwintered kicking off and seedlings under light. Broad beans have just germinated, rhubarb is just starting and chives and garlic are growing. I'm itching to sow more, but will wait for another couple of weeks when we have 10 hours of light and increasing fast.