Archive for September, 2009

Okra and Lovebugs

September 25th, 2009

It’s that time of the year again

The lovebugs are jumping and it is time to pickle the last of the summer’s okra. We had a great year with this bunch, I hope to get one more week of the tasty pods (deep fried - yummy) before I send them to the compost pile to make room for our fall greens.

okra flower

Okra Flower

On the front porch — in those reusable plastic 6 plant packs — we have sown:

• Collards - Georgia

• Mustard - Florida Broad Leaf

• Spinach - Bloomsdale

• Dill - Mammoth

• Lettuce - Salad Bowl, Lolla Rossa, Red Salad Bowl, Black Seeded Simpson and Royal Oak Leaf

As soon as I yank out the black-eyed peas — the local deer are in heaven — I will sow the first of our Crimson Crisp Radishes.

our okra plants

Our Okra Plants

Recap for 2009

My 3rd spring / summer in Lower Alabama. I must say, I had higher hopes for the garden that we enjoyed the first year vs last years wilt fiasco. Not a great year, but it was not a bad year.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

We had another great year with our cucumbers. This year we went with the “straight eight” cucumber.

A wonderful salad slicer cuke, but we also used them canning our “bread and butter” and “dill” pickles. I am not 100% wild with the dills, but I must say.. My bread and butter’s rock! I plan on putting in more str8 plants next spring. I just need to find a pickler for my dills. Any thoughts?

After last years complete loss from wilt, we decided put our tomatoes into 10/25 Gallon pots. I do believe this is the right approach. Living near the coast, I have to get them started at least a month earlier. My next post will address this.

And now the ugly.. This spring I received a wonderful shipment from ChilePlants.com.

Insane exotics. I received sweet, stuffers, and hot peppers. And than I decided to bounce to the local big box hardware store and buy a jalapeño plant. Rain came and that jalapeño spread it’s fungus/brown spot to my other pepper plants. Grrr.. The only peppers to survive were the hot peppers that we grew in large pots — far away from the sweet peppers.

Cluck Old Hen

September 18th, 2009

Testing how a YouTube video looks on my blog… enjoy…

Bhut Jolokia Peppers

September 4th, 2009
Caution!

Caution!

A picture of our bhut jolokia plant (aka the ghost chile) and it’s peppers. Quite possibly the hottest thing I have ever eaten. Amazing flavor but will knock you on your rear if you are not ready for the burn.

Acording to the National Geographic News website:
In northeastern India, the peppers are smeared on fences or used in smoke bombs as a safety precaution to keep wild elephants at a distance.

Insane Chili

Insane Chile