It was slim pickings in the garden last week, but I did add a couple new varieties to the harvest basket. The photo shows the first harvest of Aji Angelo peppers (top) and the first Puerto Rico No Burn peppers (the small red ones in the center), plus more Espelette and Suave Orange peppers.
The Aji Angelo peppers were harvested from a plant that was in the garden last year. This variety is a mild baccatum pepper. The plant has been very resilient, surviving a couple of frosts in the open garden last winter and then a rather brutal transfer to a pot in the spring and irregular watering and feeding over the summer. Last year I preserved them by cutting them in half and removing the cores and then I slow roasted them in a 200F oven until they were crisp. The roasted (toasted?) peppers are excellent ground or flaked. Last week I made a batch of my eggplant bruschetta topping and crumbled a couple of the remaining dry peppers from last year into it. They added a nice sweet pepper flavor and pretty little flecks of red, but no heat. I haven't gotten around to preserving the latest harvest of these peppers, but will probably slow toast them as well.
The Puerto Rico No Burn peppers are a sweet cousin of habanero peppers. Unfortunately, the plants didn't like the cool summer weather that we had this year and set only tiny little pods, although a number of them have a surprising number of seeds. I suspect that even in optimal weather that the peppers will be small. These peppers are going into a batch of pickled peppers.
I preserved the Suave Orange peppers using the 200F slow toast method and you wouldn't believe how incredible they smelled as they were roasting.
Other than the peppers, the only other vegetable that I harvested was a bunch of Lacinato kale.
Here's the harvest totals for the past week:
Lacinato kale - 14 oz.
Aji Angelo peppers - 9.25 oz.
Espelette peppers - 12.25 oz.
Puerto Rico No Burn peppers - 2.75 oz.
Suave Orange peppers - 1.75 oz.
The total for the week was - 2 lb., 8 oz.
The total for the year is - 653 lb., 1.5 oz.
Harvest Monday is hosted by Daphne on her blog Daphne's Dandelions, head on over there to see what other garden bloggers have been growing lately.
I can't believe you're still getting peppers. They look beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThat is a lovely colorful harvest.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is a stunning display of peppers!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful pepper picture!
ReplyDeleteI love the way you always arrange your veggies so artistically for the pics!
ReplyDeleteAlways love your photos- and this is no exception. Your peppers look so summery and warm. Mine aren't turning red any more, but then again patience is not my strong suit.
ReplyDeleteAnother beautiful display of peppers! I think your Espelette's have done better than mine, but maybe your slightly milder summer climate is more like the climate where they originate in south-western France than our fierce heat. And I'm surprised they're still ripening, although I did pick one ripe Espelette today. We're eating all the other peppers green now.
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful picture! I just love it!!!
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Charlotta
Thomas, the baccatum and chinense peppers do tend to ripen late and last year I harvested peppers until the first week of December. First frost came on the night of December 7-8.
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chaiselongue, I'm quite pleased with the Espelette peppers. My 2 potted plants have yielded over 3 pounds of peppers so far, and there's more green ones on the plants. If we continue to get warm weather (79F/26C today!) or at least if the frost holds off for a few more weeks I'll get more.
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keewee, Fred, Shawn Ann, foodgardenkitchen, Barbie, Madame C.... thanks so much!
What a pack of pretty peppers! (trying say that fast several times!)
ReplyDeleteThe roasted/toasted peppers crumbled up sound like a great addition to a whole variety of possible items. Yum!
Great peppers!
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle! Guess what I got in the mail yesterday? Fava beans!!! I am so excited... and will be posting about them come spring time, when I will be paying great attention to their growth - my new babies!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pepper platter. I'm sure those roasted ones were delicious.
Thanks for the favas!!! Watch for Calabaza squash seeds coming your way soon.
-Mary
I really like how you slow roast your peppers, I will have to remember that for next year.
ReplyDeleteYou always have the most beautiful and interesting peppers. I'm very sad to not have anymore peppers. All I have are the picked variety now.
ReplyDeleteThe peppers are beautifully arranged. I did something like that a few years ago with my "first harvest" of the year and I had the picture enlarged and it hangs on the wall in our kitchen. Yours is a great one for enlarging and framing. Very nice!
ReplyDeleteWhere do you find all these intriguing pepper varieties? I love peppers, and had good success this past year, so I'm hoping to expand my plantings this upcoming season. And of course, beautifully photographed as always.
ReplyDeleteAli