Oh, gardening, how I’ve missed you…
September 11, 2009 at 4:02 pm | In Aurora peppers, Gardening, Peanut, Planting | Leave a CommentI’ve started another garden! Woot! Due to space constraints and my compromise with my husband not to take over the entire patio, I’m only planning one Aurora pepper, one Everglades Cherry tomato, and one Marglobe tomato. The two tomato seedlings are just a tad too young to transplant, but I just transplanted this beaut:
I almost lost this little guy in the transplant process. My yogurt container didn’t want to let go. I don’t remember that being a problem last time around and I’m concerned about the same thing happening when I transplant the tomatoes. We’ll see soon.
And, just because I haven’t shared any Peanut pictures lately:
Because sometimes she just gets too tired and doesn’t make it all the way under the couch (which is one of her favorite naptime spots).
I’m on a rollercoaster…
January 28, 2009 at 3:56 pm | In Aurora peppers, Pole beans, South Florida living, Tomatoes | 1 Comment…that will probably last for a good few months. We’ve officially started hunting for Our First Home. I know this isn’t news to anyone who already owns a home, but one day I’m cool as a cucumber and the next I’m freaked out. We’ll be looking at lots and lots and lots of houses in the coming months. I have a feeling I’m going to have to promise my husband I won’t cry in despair every time we walk into a less than stellar house. So far, so good. 
My garden is doing so-so. Two of my bean plants mysteriously shriveled up and died, and instead of trying to salvage them, I decided to focus all my bean-nurturing efforts on the remaining two plants. I’ve also decided to give up on my tomatillo and regular tomato plants. I think I need a better spot to grow those two in. My cherry tomato plant is still a champ, though. My peppers are doing well, too. Yay!
Overdue post
December 22, 2008 at 1:54 pm | In Aurora peppers, Gardening, Purple tomatillos, Tomatoes | Leave a CommentLook at my garden:
The Everglades cherry tomato has officially taken over the entire balcony:
There are lots of cherry tomatoes, and I’m so excited because I thought I was doomed in that department:
I thought I was even more doomed in the purple tomatillo department, but look what I saw today:
Could it be? Is that a tomatillo? I have no idea, but I do know it looks different and much larger than the other things on the plant and two of them just popped out of nowhere. I was about to give up on the ‘ole purple tomatillo, but I have renewed faith now.
I have officially lost faith in my Marglobe tomato (the full-size one). It’s beyond pitiful, and I’m pretty sure it’s dead. I won’t share a picture of that sad sack. Since the cherry tomato plant is thriving so much, I have planted another seed to replace the Marglobe.
And to close this post, a pic of my still-thriving, favorite Aurora pepper plant:
Nine little beans and three peppers!
November 10, 2008 at 9:00 am | In Aurora peppers, Pole beans | Leave a Comment
Photo update
November 5, 2008 at 9:41 am | In Aurora peppers, Gardening, Herbs, Lettuce, Pole beans, Purple tomatillos, Tomatoes | Leave a CommentMy garden is doing well. No mildew or other icky things going on at the moment. I have lots of flowers on my tomatillo plant and four or five teeny tomatillos. I’m keeping my fingers crossed they turn into actual, usable tomatillos. Both my tomato plants have flower buds starting. I have lots of bean flowers, but no beans yet. There are several Aurora pepper flowers and two peppers already. I started some mesclun mix in a shallow pot last week. It’s growing well, but no true leaves yet. I trimmed back my mint significantly to make way for the new growth that is faring much better than the old stuff. I also have a new addition: An aloe plant from a friend’s garden!
My setup is, from right to left: Marglobe tomato, Purple tomatillo, four purple-podded pole beans, Aurora pepper, Everglades cherry tomato, lettuce, mint, aloe
Seedling update and post-op Peanut
August 15, 2008 at 2:21 pm | In Aurora peppers, Peanut, Planting, Purple tomatillos | 1 CommentMy Aurora pepper and purple tomatillo seedlings are growing quite nicely. The seeds sprouted within just a couple of days, and the second set of true leaves are sprouting:
Peanut had surgery a few weeks ago to remove a mass on her bladder. Everything went well and she’s on the mend, but it’s taking awhile. She has to wear a collar and she looks a little something like this (I couldn’t resist):
Aurora pepper rub
August 15, 2008 at 2:14 pm | In Aurora peppers, Recipes | Leave a CommentI made a dry rub out of my remaining Aurora peppers. Here’s what they looked like pre-recipe:
And post-recipe:
Overall, the rub isn’t what I expected. It tastes good, but it’s more salty and garlicky than Aurora peppery. I was hoping for something with a little more kick. If I make this again, I’ll cut back on the salt and garlic and add a couple more peppers. This makes a ton of rub–about 2 cups.
1/4 cup oregano
Olive oil
5 Aurora peppers
5 garlic cloves
1 1/4 cups salt
Dry roast the oregano in skillet for 1 to 2 minutes until just browned. Stir or shake pan often to prevent burning. Transfer oregano to bowl and let cool completely. Grind fine in food processor or spice/coffee grinder.
Cut peppers in half and remove seeds. Heat oil in skillet. Add peppers and turn until both sides are slightly browned and peppers are puffy. This only takes about 1 minute. Transfer to paper towels; dab off excess oil and let cool until dry and crispy. Grind peppers in food processor or spice/coffee grinder until fine.
Grind garlic in food processor; add oregano, peppers, and salt. Grind until salt-like consistency. If mixture seems wet, spread in thin layer in baking pan and bake in 150 degree (or cooler, if possible) oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Store in airtight container. Regrind desired amount just before use if rub becomes clumpy.
There’s good news, and then there’s bad news
August 4, 2008 at 7:57 am | In Aurora peppers, Garden problems, Pole beans | 1 CommentI harvested my first Aurora on Saturday, and it was fabulous. I made salsa, and while it would have been far better with my own garden tomatoes, it was quite yummy with the Aurora. I was slightly scared just before I tried the pepper. I had never had an Aurora before; I was worried I wouldn’t care for it. I was wrong, though! It’s fairly hot, at least by my standards, but the flavor comes through so well. I can’t wait to harvest more. Here’s my first one:
And here’s what the plant looks like today:
While I don’t have any new beans to report, there are a good number of pretty purple flowers and the plants themselves are going crazy:
Now, for the bad news:
This is the underside of a bell pepper leaf. I’m pretty sure it’s mildew, and I’m not surprised. It’s very humid and we have noticed it seems a little more humid on our screened-in balcony than just outside in the open. I’m not going to do much now; I’m replanting my garden in three weeks or so, anyway. I do have a few blossoms on this plant, so I’ll see how those turn out. I noticed a bit of mildew on my Aurora plant, which is right next to this bell pepper. I’ll remove those leaves and perhaps move the Aurora. I think I need to back off of the watering just a touch with these two pepper plants; they’re currently located on the side of the balcony that doesn’t get quite as much sun as the tomatoes and I’ve noticed the water doesn’t drain as well.
Garden news
July 29, 2008 at 9:46 am | In Aurora peppers, Pole beans, Purple tomatillos, Tomatoes | Leave a CommentI harvested another bean and a cherry tomato today:
I also started an experiment. I planted some seeds in yogurt containers that I hope to transplant. I will plant seeds in containers at the appropriate Florida planting time in a few weeks, and compare how those seedlings do with the seedlings starting now. I have one purple tomatillo and one Aurora pepper:
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