Thursday, July 31, 2008

The garden is laying down

...just for the next few weeks. It's soooooo hot out that everything but the okra seems to be asking for a nap. The heat here is sweltering and oppressive. No real rain for almost three weeks now and the hum of the cicadas entices us all to go into hibernation.

But despite that I picked two more butternut squash (11 and 12 from one vine!), tons of small tomatoes, loads of peppers, some cukes, the last of the carrots, and some dill that pleaded with me to end its suffering.

On a whim I made pickled peppers last night. Easy pleasey.

1 Quart of Fridge Pickled Peppers

  • Wash about 20 medium sized Hungarian Wax peppers and 2 cayenne. Slice into rings and shake off excess seeds.
  • Boil up 1 qt of water, 1 cup of vinegar, and 2 tbsp kosher salt
  • Push peppers into quart mason jar
  • Add 1/4 tsp dill seed and 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • Pour hot brine over peppers and let cool.
  • Refrigerate. They'll be good almost immediately but better next week. They'll last 3 months or so.
Yippee!!

3 comments:

Tara said...

Since we're at the new place, I have no proper garden yet. The plants I do have are all in pots, and are mostly in a state of suspended animation. I'm very anxious to put in some garden beds for the nice mild autumn I know we'll have, but the thought of going outside to dig makes me want to curl up in a fetal position and suck my thumb.

I got some avocados - I'll be trying that soup tomorrow!

Meryl said...

I know what you mean, ordinarily this is the part of the summer where I kind of give up. This summer has been so weird for us though--an unseasonably cold and rainy June and now more rain and chill for the end of July--that things are actually just getting started.

Bee said...

Ohhhh, thanks for the recipe for the pickled peppers. I might have to give that a whirl!

Sorry that it is so hot there. I wish I could send you some mild weather. =)