Gardening: My Tomatoe and Pepper Progress

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
@Oldskewl do you have a dehydrator? I've been dehydrating all my excess. They keep fine for over a year in the cupboard then.

IMG_20220819_161337042_HDR.jpg
 
Yeah they rehydrate fine for things like sauces as they will go quite soft . You can also add them straight to stews, stocks, soups etc and they will rehydrate. Or add a bit of hot water to them then drain and add oil, herbs, balsamic etc like those store bought sundried tomatoes in oil. I'm trying right now to see if they will rehydrate in oil overnight

If you dehydrate them to crispness then you can grind them to powder and use them in rubs etc
 
I was out of town for a month, and when I left the squash vines were just about to start blooming. Wife didn't pick it while I was gone. I just picked a couple of ten-pounders (literally) that were trapped growing through the chain link fence between my yard and the neighbors'. I think they're probably still good but not sure what to do with them. Probably shred and freeze them, that's what I do when folks give me overgrown zucchinis. There are a few more giants out there amongst the weeds, I might leave them to ripen like butternut squash. (these are "tromboncino" summer squash. Yes, the name means what it sounds like)

When do you pick butternut squash, anyway? If you leave them too long does the vine stop producing, like cucumbers when a few turn yellow?
 
Peppers FINALLY starting to ripen fully. After a little reading, I maybe should have pulled the first peppers on the bell plants. It's suggested that the plants put more resources into growing that first fruit. I do have a couple of really large peppers as first fruits on several plants. That second yellowish pepper started out as a pale green, then pale yellow, and is now showing some orange. I think it is a flavor burst variety that was in the mixed bell pepper pack I had as most of the fruits are three lobed. I also have two purple bell pepper plants producing. Jalapenos have one starting to blush and a number with corking but the habs are still green. Nighttime temps have dropped into the low to mid 60s but next week will drop into the mid 50s.
1662731782857.jpeg

1662731970420.jpeg
1662731845880.jpeg
 
I was out of town for a month, and when I left the squash vines were just about to start blooming. Wife didn't pick it while I was gone. I just picked a couple of ten-pounders (literally) that were trapped growing through the chain link fence between my yard and the neighbors'. I think they're probably still good but not sure what to do with them. Probably shred and freeze them, that's what I do when folks give me overgrown zucchinis. There are a few more giants out there amongst the weeds, I might leave them to ripen like butternut squash. (these are "tromboncino" summer squash. Yes, the name means what it sounds like)

When do you pick butternut squash, anyway? If you leave them too long does the vine stop producing, like cucumbers when a few turn yellow?
I've only grown butternut squash twice, this year and last. I was harvesting when they stopped growing and turned tan. This article had a good amount of info on them.
 
I've only grown butternut squash twice, this year and last. I was harvesting when they stopped growing and turned tan. This article had a good amount of info on them.
These squash have a good bit of variability in color, some are light green and some are dark, and seem to taste the best when picked about 12 to 14 inches long. The big but not huge ones still cooked and tasted like summer squash. The seeds were not even hard yet. I've shredded a bunch and put bags of it in the freezer to use this winter.
I've eaten most of one of those ten pounders. I started at the stem end and would cut a chunk off and peel and cube it. It was pale green and cooked like a slightly-watery butternut squash. When I got to the bulb on the end where the seeds are, I cut it in half lengthwise (and put one half in the fridge in a gallon ziplock bag) and scraped the seeds out, peeled it, cut into cubes, and sort of stirfried it in a wok with some vegetable oil until they got soft. They absorbed very little of the oil. It tasted like acorn squash.
 
Costoluto Fiorentino. They make a great sauce but are a bit late for my latitude. Did better for me both in yield and taste than san marzanos though
I thought those might be Costolutos but the ones I have growing this year were a lot uglier in form. I had a number of these as volunteers from last season that I used to fill in for some early losses. The ugliest ones seemed like they were failures of two tomatoes to spit. They aren't very resistant to leaf septoria but were my best producers this year as they grow pretty fast. About half actually bounced back after a pretty long wet spell and extensive infection. I have a volunteer San Marzano too from last year and it produced slowly but slightly better than last year.
1663271254898.jpeg
 
smoked another two trays of mixed chillis last night on the kettle grill, they are currently continuing to dehydrate in the garage and the smell is quite intense.
 
Woo-hoo I finally have some peppers ripening. Several nice bells going to be stuffed later for dinner. Still producing a few tomatoes but most of the vines have kicked the bucket.
 

Attachments

  • 20220921_112149.jpg
    20220921_112149.jpg
    1.1 MB · Views: 0
I'm experimenting with some late fruit.
DSC_0555.JPG

Spicy fried green tomatoes with fried egg, chips and beans for Sunday breakfast tomorrow. Autumn's arrived here so too cool for ripening outside now. Got a box in the basement 🤞

My oregano and basil are still doing fine in the kitchen, though, despite daylight waning.
DSC_0556.JPG

I'll put them under a grow lamp in the basement soon, to keep the pasta and pizza sauces going over winter. Room to repot larger in the basement, too, but I think the roots are probably binding by now and they won't last.
 
Yeah I planted my winter salads into the greenhouse where the toms were. Outside chillis are looking poorly now apart from the locotos which are still fine and flowering. I'm going to overwinter about 6 of the ones that were grown inside, no need to cut them back for another few weeks though.

Still getting the occasional courgette and have loads of root veggies and brassicas that can stay out till I need them.
 
We've had a couple of light freezes here. The squash are dead and I pulled them up yesterday, the tomatoes look awful but are still alive. The bishop's hat peppers still look fine, the jalapenos are a little rough but okay.

I made 2 batches of tomatillo ketchup this year; first time I've tried that and it turned out really good -- tastes about like Heinz or Hunt's but with a little heat to it because I added one habanero pepper to each batch. I might make one more using green tomatoes instead of tomatillos just to see how that works. (not sure what I'm going to do with 6 or 7 pints of green ketchup)
 
We just brought in the last of our tomatoes. My wife is making sauce today. She has one of those Pampered Chef cooking blenders. When I first saw that thing I had doubts. But I have to say it works as advertised.

We grew mostly Roma tomatoes this year and she made a point that she wanted the determinate variety, not indeterminate. Great choice, these were some of the best plants we grew.

Our bell peppers did well this year and she’s reading how to cut them back and dig them up and bring them in and try to save them for next year.

She grew garlic this year that I swear tastes better than any I ever had. And she just got more to put in when the time comes this year.

She started 2 baby fig trees this year and she’ll have to be doing something with those too.
 
Last edited:
What do I do with all these?

View attachment 782779

Are those poblanos? (yum) Either slit them down one side, or cut off the cap but try to leave the shoulder. Remove the seeds, but it doesn't matter if you miss a few. Stuff with a mixture of cooked rice, cheese, and a little onion. (I like a mixture of Velveeta and extra sharp white cheddar.) Add some spices or minced jalapeno if you want. Bake until the peppers soften and the cheese is melted. It's kinda like a chile relleno without all the grease.

I often steam the peppers first, then stuff with cheese and rice after they cool just enough to handle, then finish in the microwave.
 
Last edited:
What do I do with all these?

View attachment 782779



i agree they look like serving vesels like bell peppers...i tried refrencing poblanos in the USDA nutrient db...and i got 'mole poblano' so maybe?


edit: crazy idea, ice cream cones with home made ice cream with some spices in it to go with the flavor...maybe allspice vanilla?
 
Last edited:
Grew some Dragon's Tongue beans. I'm not a huge fan of green/wax beans but these are pretty good. Only shame is that the color is lost when they're cooked.


View attachment 782804

Needs some clit in the boil. A few butterfly pea flowers. Here's how my bowl of white rice turned out after adding some. Start with just water and the leaves, it'll be blue. Add drops of lemon juice (for the acid) until you get to purple.

1664923967490.png
 
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.
1665065077750.jpeg

1665065104732.jpeg

1665065137739.jpeg
 
Planted my garlic today, anyone else growing some? Mainly softnecks this year, last year it was mainly hardnecks
 
Back
Top