Monday, November 12, 2018

Harvest Monday - November 12, 2018

There's something new in the harvest basket this week and a bit more seasonable than peppers, a nice big bunch of fresh spinach. But the pepper harvests have not finished yet so half of the spinach got paired up with some sweet peppers in Roasted Peppers Stuffed With Spinach and Ricotta.

Amsterdam Prickly Seeded Spinach
The weather has not been seasonable though, it's been unusually warm and very dry (is that the new normal?) and that seems to have prompted all of the Rishad cress to start to bolt so I cut it all down. I like to use it in salads but with a bunch this big I may have to find something new to do with it, perhaps some soup.

Rishad Cress
And as I said the pepper harvests have not finished but the sweet peppers are close to and end. That's the last of the Ajvarski peppers. And not the last of the Aji Goldens.

Ajvarski and
Aji Golden
Aji Angelo has been incredibly prolific this season, almost 9 pounds including about a half pound that was harvested last January and February. The other peppers in the photo below are more modest or downright stingy producers.

Habanada, Caribbean Seasoning, Yellow Pointy
Aji Angelo
Aji Amarillo Grande, Berbere
The last of the Mehmet's and nearly the last of Gogosar, Topepo Giallo, and Odessa Market.

Mehmet's Sweet Turkish, Gogosar,
Topepo Giallo, Odessa Market
Plenty of Sugar Rush Red and Sugar Rush Peach peppers remain in the garden but Aji Marchant is finished.

Sugar Rush Red, Sugar Rush Peach
Aji Marchant
Ometepe gave up the final harvest but Ethiopian Brown is just starting.

Ometepe
Ethiopian Brown
 And there's a few Aji's that haven't produced a ripe pepper yet but they are on their way.

Not photographed this week was a very small handful of Batavia broccoli shoots and another pound plus of Pink Plume celery.

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.



15 comments:

  1. Such colorful peppers! I really like that peach one.

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    1. I really like the peach one too. It's both pretty and very tasty. A keeper!

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  2. Nice greens, and wonderful peppers!
    Have a great week!

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  3. I’d be happy with what you call a stingy pepper harvest.

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    1. I know what you mean, I would have been happy with a stingy harvest of tomatoes this year.

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  4. Aren't we ready for more seasonable weather and some rain? It is to be 80 here at the San Diego coast persisting with the Santa Anas into Tuesday. My lettuce will not like that. Enjoyed your comments on my post today. I've never thought of growing watercress. It was a favorite of my grandmother who used to gather it from the creek on her way to school (and tossing out the meat she had been given). How do you use all your peppers? Sell to a restaurant, dry, give away? Would love to see your garden up close. Among your rodents, do you have moles? I'm looking for a solution. They've recently invaded my raised beds despite screening at the bottom. Looking for a solution.

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    1. The cress I'm growing is different from watercress, it doesn't need a lot of water and it has a finer texture, but it does have that peppery flavor. Oh, all those peppers, I did get carried away this year. Most of them get preserved in some way - hot sauce, pepper flakes, pepper paste, dehydrated peppers, preserved in vinegar and oil, fermented and dehydrated, roasted and frozen. Most of the preserved peppers will keep easily for a couple of years and I've got so much put up now that next year I'll only be growing a few plants for fresh eating. So far as moles go, they are here and they burrow around in the "ornamental" parts of the landscape but they haven't gotten into the veggie garden beds. My raised beds seem to be too high for them to climb into. I don't do anything about them so I'm sorry I don't have any advice to give.

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  5. It's good to see the Aji Golden peppers producing in your garden. For that matter, it looks like the Sugar Rush Peach might be doing better for you than it did for me. I'll grow it again next year though. It's nice to see what the Sugar Red Red looks like since my plant made white round tasteless peppers. I am curious, how hot are your Aji Marchant peppers? I was thinking about trying it here next year.

    You got warm and dry, we got cold and wet. Snow is in the forecast this week, a bit unusual in November. I am not liking the new normal here but I'm trying to adapt.

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    1. Aji Golden seems to love it here. I even have a plant from last year that survived the winter and has produced a lot of good peppers. How strange that your Sugar Rush Red turned out to be such an off type. Do try again next year, it is a good one, not quite as productive as the Peach though. Aji Marchant turned out to be moderately hot, on a par with Aji Angelo, maybe a bit more spicy. I've been removing the cores and seeds to tame the heat and lacto-fermenting them to make pickled peppers. Those are really good. If you like peperoncini then you would probably like Aji Marchant.

      I would happily trade you some warm and dry for cold and wet (although I will pass on snow). We've been choking on smoke and warily eyeing the ultra dry landscape and begging the rain gods for some relief.

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  6. How about making a pesto with your Rishad cress, by the way it looks amazing and so do all your peppers - all amazing, but I am mostly intrigued by the Ethiopian Brown.

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  7. The spinach looks so fresh and delicious! And the glorious rainbow of peppers - so beautiful! I grew Aji Golden for the first time this year (thanks to Dave!) and loved it - it's definitely on my permanent grow list.

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  8. Gorgeous spinach and that's a huge basket of cress. I'm glad the pepper cage is working, your peppers look incredible.

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  9. Your pepper harvest looks so colourful with so many to choose from... amazing! We grew Aji Limon, which looks pretty similar to your golden ones. It always starts ripening last of all, and I often end up with a basket of green ones to use at the end of the season

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