Today's harvest

[pepperhead212]

Just remember that the seeds for lemongrass are for a different species, and smaller, than the ones in SE Asian markets. And anywhere they sell plants, they are, more than likely, from seed, not a rooted stalk, which doesn't really look good, at first!

And here's that lemongrass 5 days before I harvested it. And a photo of the huge sage and rosemary plants, that didn't look like much, behind the lemongrass.
4 lemongrass clusters, next to a large sage and rosemary plants. Ready to be harvested soon, 10-25 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Sage, 4 ft across, and rosemary, almost 4 ft tall, that were dwarfed by that lemongrass! 10-30 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[blissful]

I actually grow it more as an ornamental plant on my patio in a pot. It fills out like an ornamental grass does but with dual purpose ( you can eat it ). It definitely outgrows its pot in no time. I dont use it much, so Im not sure why I keep growing it.

And I also do a pretty good job of killing house plants.

I do have a pepper plant that has just finished its 3rd season. Ill try to over winter it for a 4th season.

Mr bliss is going to overwinter 3 peppers and a tomato this winter, his first time. I already know I'm not good at keeping indoor plants unless they are seed started in feb-march.
He has no idea what he is up against with our very dry winters.


I'm a great indoor winter planter killer.


Can you share any knowledge on the overwintering that I can pass on, to mr bliss. I don't even know if he has ever kept any plant over winter here. Even with years and years of experience we don't know a darn thing with overwintering.

 

[larry_stewart]

Mr bliss is going to overwinter 3 peppers and a tomato this winter, his first time. I already know I'm not good at keeping indoor plants unless they are seed started in feb-march.
He has no idea what he is up against with our very dry winters.


I'm a great indoor winter planter killer.


Can you share any knowledge on the overwintering that I can pass on, to mr bliss. I don't even know if he has ever kept any plant over winter here. Even with years and years of experience we don't know a darn thing with overwintering.

Ill see if I can find the YouTube video I learned it from. I always forget from year to year what I did. What I can say is that the video says by overwintering the pepper , it gives its a head start, and will get fruit quicker. I have not experienced that . Although the plant starts out larger, the flowering and fruiting all happen at the same time ( for the most part). At this point, ive kinda grown attached to the plant so I dont want to intentionally kill it. But if it wasnt producing on to the compost pile it would have gone.

Mine has been in a pot for 4 years. I remember having to do a lot of heavy pruning. But I was planning on looking for that video this weekend anyway, as its about that time to bring it inside.

 

[larry_stewart]

This is the video I watched and followed last year ( I think I watched another one in previous years, but pretty much followed the same method)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x09X87UCZTI&list=FLrzL8D9ys-dLoT4zX7CCoBg&index=66

Not sure if its the best way to do it, but it Worked for me.

 

[taxlady]

Dave, what do you do with the lemon grass greens? Any recipe I have seen that uses lemon grass (admittedly not that many), it only called for the stalks, smashed.

 

[pepperhead212]

MTL, The only thing I use the greens for, as far as food goes (some garden uses for it), is actually something to drink - what I call Lemongrassaide. I put in the blender about 2 c roughly chopped up greens, 4 c water, and 1/3 c sugar, or less sugar and some stevia, usually. Blend on high for about a minute, then strain through a fine strainer, and serve over ice. It is absolutely delicious when served with Asian foods where lemongrass is the norm, but it's good on its own, as well. Everyone who has tried it loved it, and the only thing they didn't like was that they couldn't make it at home! It's ok made with several stalks of lemongrass, too, but not quite the same - the greens have an even more intense flavor. However, you will almost never see greens called for, since all you will find in stores is stalks, which you will have to trim a lot off of, since it is fairly dry.

The stalks I use for all that Thai and other SE Asian food I make. I don't make it as much as I used to - the reason I still have some from 4 years ago! I used to grow 3 plants yearly, when a friend who loved Thai as much as I do still lived up here.

Larry I don't have a place cool enough to overwinter peppers, either too warm, or too cold. I know someone who does that, but doesn't really get any earlier peppers than the early peppers I start, in late February, and the output is definitely not as high, though I will say that it saves him the trouble of starting them, and replanting a couple of times! Which is why I only do this with later producers.

 

[blissful]

Thanks Larry! mr bliss will see it and I hope he doesn't want me to keep it alive.
I'm no good at it in winter.


Pepper, I loved the greens and lemon grass smoothie you described but I wouldn't add the stevia or sugar, I'd add some fruit, apples/bananas/berries/something sweet. I wouldn't strain it, or maybe I would if it were raw greens, you are talking raw? I usually eat my greens cooked.



I know greens raw are very good for us.

 

[pepperhead212]

blissful, You would probably want to strain this - think about those fibers in the grass.

 

[blissful]

Pepper what are you implying I should think about the fibers in the grass.
90% of americans don't get enough fiber.
I get 2 x the fiber most get, so I'm not sure what you are saying.
And yes I've done the raw greens smoothies and gotten too much fiber to be comfortable.

So then I cut back on how much greens to fruit I put in the smoothies.

 

[pepperhead212]

blissful, I'm talking about those sharp fibers, and sort of like very small splinters, if not handled carefully. Even ground up in the VM, there are long fibers that strain out, though most do break down, and pass through the strainer.

 

[blissful]

I don't actually think of greens having sharp splinter like fibers.
Lemon grass..well, maybe but if just using the inner fibers, not those either.


Let me think on it 'til tomorrow, it seems like they are like most fiber. I'm comfortable with it as it is.....

 

[Just Cooking]

Haven't been in the field for a few days but this is what I'm dealing with. Corn had wind damage when it was small then grew back like this. The combine is missing a lot because of the way it's bent. Some of the soy beans are very dusty this year. That is my wife in the tractor.

Sorry to see that you had crop damage. That must be a yearly concern.

Ross

 

[pepperhead212]

Peppers, peppers, and more peppers! But then, I guess you knew that...

I harvested all the rest of my peppers today, since the temps are going down, and rain is coming tomorrow. I pulled all the greens, except for the smaller ones, and I'll have to sample them, to see if they are worth freezing or drying.

The Meteors - sort of a Thai type pepper - didn't produce until very late in the season, so this is all I'm getting from 2 plants. I wouldn't recommend them, for this reason.
Over 4 cups of Meteor peppers, almost all that was harvested this year, 11-1 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Those Death Spirals are definitely the most productive super-hot, or any habanero, that I have ever grown. If I was in an area with a longer season, I would have had even more of these green ones turning ripe! Not as hot as the Reaper - more like the Bhut Jalokia and Trinidad scorpions - but much more productive, and my friend's plant grew taller than me (78")! All these are just one plant.
Overflowing 6 qt bowl, with the 185 Death Spirals from the last harvest. Didn't even pick the small ones! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

One of the many branches of the Death Spiral, showing the many peppers still growing. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The Paper Lantern was also very productive, and the first habanero to ripen. Not as hot as described in the catalog, but around 200k, and the flavor wasn't as intensely habanero - that sweet, fruity/floral aroma the best of them have so much of. It tastes more like the Scotch Bonnet, the one time I grew it, which was also about this heat, and this is good in Caribbean dishes calling for that, where the hotter and stronger habaneros can overpower it.
Final harvest from a Paper Lantern Habanero plant, just one branch, showing all of the peppers! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

75 final harvest Paper Lanterns, full size, but mostly green. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The Thunder Mountain is just a weird, curly, decorative cayenne type pepper, only 20-30k, mostly decorative. But I got a lot of them, from 3 plants, by the end of the season.

And the last of the 2 Big Chili Numex and 2 Superchilis, harvested from all season.
Last few Numex harvested 10-31, Big Chili best producer. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Final harvest from 2 Superchili plants, first to harvest, and always good to the end. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[GotGarlic]

It's getting chilly outside, so DH keeps bringing in green tomatoes to ripen inside. I'm going to make a batch of pickled green tomatoes to see how I like them.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

When I had a garden ages ago, I would uproot the tomatoes plants, shake off the soil, and hang them upside down in the garage. They would keep ripening slowly. Once it got down to freezing, they'd come off the vine and into the house. I could stretch the tomato season a couple of weeks before I had to ripen them off the vine.

And as I type this I started to remember... you don't have a garage, do you?

 

[GotGarlic]

When I had a garden ages ago, I would uproot the tomatoes plants, shake off the soil, and hang them upside down in the garage. They would keep ripening slowly. Once it got down to freezing, they'd come off the vine and into the house. I could stretch the tomato season a couple of weeks before I had to ripen them off the vine.

And as I type this I started to remember... you don't have a garage, do you?

Nope, no garage with this century-plus old house. We do have a shed, but it's not as handy. There are still a *lot* more outside on the plants. We'll leave them out there till frost is in the forecast.

 

[larry_stewart]

I ate up the last of my ripened tomatoes yesterday , so As of today, my tomato season is over. I did pick what was left of the peppers, pruned my 3 year old pepper plant down and will bring it in to see if it makes it to a 4th year.

 

[larry_stewart]

Although I haven't harvested it yet, One of my Saffron Crocus just blossomed ( wasnt there yesterday ). Im very excited!

 

[dragnlaw]

Wow Larry, just Wow!

Yesterday I planted five varieties of garlic, a total of 78 cloves. I'm not too sure on some of the cloves as they felt a little soft and I rather think they dried out a bit.
We will see come the springtime.
After that I pulled the rest of the bean bushes and also the peppers. This picture shows what was left on the stocks.
The peppers were all of the red varieties but didn't quite make it. Not too worried about the jalapenos and the round red sweet peppers but the long red sweet peppers I'm not sure just how edible they are, probably okay but still...

As for the green beans, I am not too sure just what to do with this humongous pile. I think I will split some open and see if the peas inside are good for next year? I have no idea what to look for as I have never done that before. Anybody have any advice for me?

 

[GotGarlic]

Wow Larry, just Wow!

Yesterday I planted five varieties of garlic, a total of 78 cloves. I'm not too sure on some of the cloves as they felt a little soft and I rather think they dried out a bit.
We will see come the springtime.
After that I pulled the rest of the bean bushes and also the peppers. This picture shows what was left on the stocks.
The peppers were all of the red varieties but didn't quite make it. Not too worried about the jalapenos and the round red sweet peppers but the long red sweet peppers I'm not sure just how edible they are, probably okay but still...

As for the green beans, I am not too sure just what to do with this humongous pile. I think I will split some open and see if the peas inside are good for next year? I have no idea what to look for as I have never done that before. Anybody have any advice for me?
View attachment 49709

Green hot peppers are edible, they're just not ripe yet, like bell peppers. You can put them aside and they'll ripen on their own.