Peppers are back for Harvest Monday this week. The sweet pepper harvests are starting to wind down after these harvests although they are still quite a way from being finished. This year I'm lacto-fermenting a lot of peppers after experimenting with the process late in the season last year when I found that I LOVE what fermenting does to peppers. I made a couple of batches of fermented sweet pepper paste last year and really wished that I had a lot more of the stuff so this year I'm devoting a large portion of the harvests to the process. One thing that I figured out this year is that the thickest fleshed peppers make the best paste because thin fleshed peppers have a higher ratio of skin to flesh which makes for a less smooth paste. I also like to ferment the peppers that I dehydrate and grind into flakes, like Aji Angelo, Aji Amarillo, Aji Golden, and Ethiopian Brown. And then I also ferment the peppers that I turn into hot sauce, the newest addition to the hot sauce line-up being Sugar Rush Peach and before that a green Jalapeno sauce.
My newest experiment in progress is with that basketful of Long Sweet Turkish peppers shown below, I cut them in half and removed the seeds and am fermenting them for a week and then I will dehydrate them. I also have one batch of them that I sun-dried and another batch that I dehydrated. Those plants were really prolific.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByPn8r-ixjORr7EXN6LtgLWUnTxoDfYwjCr9X1wdcGACv8JFWerRiPrF2XBEnynWZECBjrazPhXTi3RzeAGCb4aINQP_CaiNsE1hJbOKtANGCihWQszpsMTanhe1JzBLbR3Mzrw9KNHA/s400/P1040608.jpg) |
Long Turkish Sweet |
I made a batch of fermented pepper paste with previous harvests of Gogosar peppers so some of these were used in a baked stuffed pepper dish and then I seeded, sliced, and dehydrated the rest of them.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzGiRN0CL9jOQf7F1Ne0fDx9XRAgRxRqeNI4ZkPOnTcqapUeAtvoieaB6iA4s7fayPNx81JltOYX0Mba29Fb6Zofs-i8eJDYx2oP3bGj_qlvPLl5Z4aaztXqgHKtvNK2CoBKqsGmRn7o/s400/P1040609.jpg) |
Gogosar |
These Topepo Giallo peppers got the same treatment as the Gogosar peppers, stuffed or dehydrated. My latest stuffing for the peppers was a mix of eggplant, cheese, tomato, and breadcrumbs seasoned with parsley, oregano, capers, and anchovies. Big Yum! I'll have to write up the recipe on my recipe blog because it was a mashup of a couple of recipes and it was definitely good enough to make again.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPN0JvwH-9LGhKm0FEKgV6fZpIkY-IFNruDSX-us_nie5hT0-p6Pv5WBE2t5JKF_xr9sM9_X_iPevJnh2J-m-a6AtTtp5E3rmk-T2ki3OaBPIs9pcYIHXj2-6GFbjr-35KqC9Lu6zRDA/s400/P1040611.jpg) |
Topepo Giallo |
Odessa Market is very sweet and crisp and is my favorite variety for snacking on fresh and that has been the fate for most of the crop this year.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhsmookGYSyMWnz1wBtEa6meulYKefT1LKD8U7B9d_r4GrDZlCN3se3OzSg6wdiB6YeQ_OsdmwGe3NttjAso99RSenvdka4GPe5C_nxCeH_uiOT8IB0MCyACn4w_cjOLHXZ19NdYL4Wc/s400/P1040610.jpg) |
Odessa Market |
This is the second harvest of Aleppo peppers and I think I'm going to try fermenting them before drying them. The first round got sun-dried and ground into flakes. Oh my, are they delicious. They have a sweet and fruity flavor and are not too spicy since I removed the seeds and cores before drying them.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZByELjJiqB8ye5QiONO43p931NMmyxdwo6c3pEA6ruR9K952cjf0eXzcrvlCllRwsQx8MQN87NQOn-pvv9E6wyF_Df9n94fFldfHw0U73IzwV-Ki15fhqPSaY2Eju27EIZdyz24_THjw/s400/P1040612.jpg) |
Aleppo |
The Urfa Biber plants have not been as prolific as the Aleppo plants, here's my second harvest of them. The previous harvest was quite nice though and I got enough to fill an 8-ounce jar with sun-dried ground flakes.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOtp4nNOoS6DXwMHa6IsJqodT6oseh96YCuOKSNZWcKuzILCJodMc3eLzk90HUOkyMmp7FWrp0DLX6Dh7sQLs1r9c-57ZFy8ZTAY96fx-_56B6pWi2WPF2g-Njz2W3EIsYTax7aeLFE4/s400/P1040617.jpg) |
Urfa Biber |
You can see that I seeded the peppers before drying them so the flakes are only mildly spicy. These too have a wonderful sweet and fruity flavor. They won't last long.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVavcsG4qaCYJHx8lviRwVbpmmkNEQWaIWGDEMaqtxn9FM2hBqkoVNuFIXtbrr8mJgU12nuq6NchkPmF1MPliar3qvLOt92m6rR2mPya2EJeyCcx40WBP8-Xu_5RJ5672CnNLIiSfzlk/s400/P1040631.jpg) |
Urfa Biber |
I've used most of the Mehmet's Sweet Turkish peppers as a frying/roasting pepper. Most of the time I roast them in the oven in a cast iron skillet but the latest dish I used them in was a saute with some Castandel beans with some tomato paste and fermented pepper paste and capers, garlic, and parsley.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhppgTXxC2_nBusOHRQyGx9mW4kLQoqwkw3Ho1SBDb4z-kisbkMpQ-JQQsf3vsS9vNr66SmSsXxblZxotVrcXiSjqsbs0Zp4XMjRB-sCs5FGkZsiilysenaaIsfs-1tQOUvnGYqnW2cX7c/s400/P1040613.jpg) |
Mehmet's Sweet Turkish |
Turkish Pimentos look quite a bit like Odessa Market but they have tougher skins and aren't as sweet but have a nice flavor. I made one small batch of fermented paste with them which is when I figured out that the thicker and juicier peppers are better suited for turning into paste. The pimento paste is tasty but I like the smoother results from thicker fleshed peppers. I've been dehydrating the rest and will use them to make paprika powder.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoN9HIFbVPRbt65KoKtWLyv1gGDJ1GtZ72VTja_0Mb1ttbGGLnDBpxrwlsB1rdr47fZKeyNmsdhQlz5zeUoF3gexrtQ_-xxstgZxgW82I-nA_Qcl62uXvrRl3motdxehrnICLUBLBTa4/s400/P1040614.jpg) |
Turkish Pimento |
Florina is a big juicy thick fleshed pepper that is perfect for roasting. I used a big bunch of these to make a few jars of
preserved sweet peppers and then turned another couple of pounds into a batch of fermented pepper paste, they're perfect for that too.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYWJmdEFdQDgTDGeRAElgUqZ3tIQv2iJbzI6q3xN0qNM0lIjLnda73mHzboZJw9yzAk0YHXscY-NI-xqr5tx0YaJPKrM5EBDzvYOiD40C9FWt4e3RLFpffIPEM5cYHY-y_9d2S3S4KNw/s400/P1040616.jpg) |
Florina |
Spicy and not. Yellow Pointy is a hot
chinense habanero cousin. Caribbean Seasoning and Habanada are in the same family but are totally sweet. Last year I found that Habanada makes great fermented pepper flakes. I think that the Caribbean Seasoning peppers might also make great fermented flakes but they are very shy producers so I'll probably end up using all of them fresh.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHReXGUzkEPLtTYRn5u6hRZSM1GadOEz1v9ZQODAOqzzlOvaAeozJqOsEu7CNGmSM5_nIdMKPrA9PnT4ldeeYIqjOGHqBbxZOFoHeFtpXojNi3OFYzN3oOyqDprDplN8W0GIGF8XE5g0U/s400/P1040615.jpg) |
Yellow Pointy Caribbean Seasoning, Habanada |
Last year I dehydrated my pepper pastes on parchment lined baking sheets but this year I switched to unlined Pyrex baking dishes with good results. You can see how much the pureed peppers reduce down to make a paste. This photo was taken when the paste was about 90% dehydrated.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXQOXP54HIFuaauh-c_1JNCuDx6k0AJAi_bY-m1SrY4MCWC35GWOnRLGVY1SFOuCrfb_KVaUUNArN4D0RyVq6lXB7H7CTlpmniGp18cK2JNCUsjzo-ZdSbbduRx7bCPvnTlyd0wyipNE/s400/P1040635.jpg) |
Fermented Ajvarski Paste |
OK, enough of the peppers for this week. The Castandel beans were in high gear this week and I harvested 2 baskets of beans like this, actually the second harvest was even bigger than this one. We've been eating a lot of beans but not enough to get through the lot so I'll have to do some blanching and freezing. There aren't a lot of beans left on the bushes and the plants are now pretty heavily infested with spider mites so I'll have to cut them down soon.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCgpGnoX-obgfvn-yC2LsTqkDZpwHBNx7h0ZeRv2MFdtW7qIgY_ZkmY2-OfXMEgYKSPP0BOoRm8fnuPhcBEipNZdN4vGo0f5UBOfsD63WRnhkWFeGGsHfproaCKGbC6HlGpV3jHNsS9Q/s400/P1040618.jpg) |
Castandel Beans |
The fennel has been quite happy this fall. These are 2 more bulbs from the spring sown plants and I need to cut some of the summer sown bulbs because they've suddenly got to be quite large. And the Pink Plume celery is super happy also. That's well over a pound of trimmed stalks and I could easily cut twice that amount again and the plants would still be quite lush looking.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnxqrB3SMtC9s0COopqqkGVVSi6dRQn_LXp7pPqXZzeFNviVoixjQIvmY8yVn9GKflWq550uKhyphenhyphen6xBkTDqVdbnDK99vvzGJD5W2SFRvPyRVn3MFjzqyTI_cm4rRilJB60-ML_8VQ9tCsU/s400/P1040619.jpg) |
Orion Fennel Pink Plume Celery |
The carrots that I'm thinning out are getting to be a respectable size, that was about a pound of carrots after trimming off the tops.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbJhOHmTnY64r9f5Zao_rhQIdqWKkyt2K8b5tRKDS9PXgPm0MNM5uusOMa5AHmGzEqpI8K7UmGniqo7gIdZJ3KnwhAwX1dDFsZ-7OVyi_djOL3CEOx0ZlYTnKCczv3HgR8OV_hzQSO6k/s400/P1040621.jpg) |
Short Stuff Carrots |
And finally, the bees love the saffron blossoms and this one got stuck outside late and spent the night clinging to one of the plants. Click on the photo for a larger view and you can see that the bee is dusted with a nice load of pollen. After the sun finally came out and the bee warmed up she flew off.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwPyA2PnJ1GUkh106aeUfQdt0Obsn9c3V3tlwHQVD-UZNlnUvzXUTFj9qj4jbCO-N8juTIMbYtH3BFehXpTbGqayL42Kvb3NTySTnutYwnuprvFS8gG-Oz10bdZYgdSaK7gmTj5YXISM/s400/P1040625.jpg) |
Sleepy Bee and Saffron |
Harvest Monday is hosted by Dave on his blog
Our Happy Acres, head on over there to see what other garden bloggers have been harvesting lately.