It has been a very long winter!

I can't remember ever wanting winter to be over as much as I have this year. The snow came early, a lot of it came, and it is still with us! I am sick of winter. I am ready to be out in the garden!

Since that is not a possibility for a couple more months, I will console myself with starting my seeds indoors.

The last couple of years I have had a problem with some of my warmer weather seeds germinating in my cold basement. I decided to invest in a heating pad for some of my seeds. If it works, I may buy another one next year.

Starting my seeds in egg cartons last year worked so well that I decided to do the same this year. I just love getting one more use out of thing that I can't recycle (my recycling company does not take any egg cartons). When the seedlings get a little bigger I will transplant them into bigger pots. I used Eggland's Best cartons and poked a hole in the bottom before filling with dirt.

And here are some of the egg cartons filled with dirt. I cut some of them into 2 sections if I wanted to plant 6 of something instead of 12.

I wrote on Popsicle sticks to mark my plants.

After everything was planted, I watered them well and covered them with plastic. I will remove the plastic once the seeds sprout. I lowered the lights down to just above the plants.

I planted Roma and Golden Rave Tomatoes, Sugar Baby Watermelon, Assorted Sweet Bell Peppers, Hot Peppers, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, and Cabbage.

Growing Peppers

Peppers are another favorite at our house. We like both bell and hot peppers. I don’t care so much for the green peppers, I prefer them to get ripe and turn a rainbow of colors. We all like raw bell pepper slices to munch on and in our salad – red, yellow and orange are Andy’s favorites. I use bell peppers in my wonderful spaghetti sauce, in the relish I can, sautéed in dishes and stir fries. I don’t think I ever met a bell pepper I didn’t like. I use hot peppers in salsa, hot pepper jam, I dry them and then use the dried peppers to make enchilada sauce and they give a little extra kick to my famous chicken chili.

Peppers are hot weather plants and they cannot tolerate the cold at all. They are always the last plants that I transplant outside. You will need to either start your plants indoors or buy plants from the nursery. I always start mine indoors the weekend after St. Patrick’s Day every year. Just like with tomatoes you will need to harden your plants off before planting them outside. Just put them outside for a few hours every day to get them used to the real world conditions out of doors – leaving them out a little longer every day.

Peppers need a lot of sun so plant them where they will get the most sun in your garden. Peppers need even watering – they will wilt easily if allowed to dry out or rot if the soil isn’t draining well and too wet. But other than that they are really pretty carefree. If you like really hot peppers, let the soil dry out completely before watering – not enough to wilt the plant, but enough to stress it lightly – that will cause it to produce hotter peppers.

There are a lot of varieties of peppers to choose from. I usually plant 8 to 10 bell pepper plants in varying colors – I like a rainbow on my table and 4 to 6 hot peppers. I prefer the Anaheim type pepper to the hotter Jalapeño. I will get some jalapeños from my CSA and that will be enough for any recipes I have that call for them.

Peppers can be harvested whenever they reach the size and color you prefer. The immature peppers are green and they turn colors as they ripen.

Bell peppers are a good source of vitamin C, beta-carotene, vitamin K, thiamine, folic acid, and vitamin B6. Red peppers (or other colors of ripe peppers) have significantly higher levels of nutrients than green peppers. Red bell peppers also contain lycopene, a carotene that offers protection against cancer and heart disease. Hot peppers contain capsaicin, which help to cleanse the blood and stimulate circulation as well as reducing our risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. They also stimulate gastric secretions and help digestion.

Pictures of my garden Wednesday, April 23, 2008

The tomato plants are looking very healthy in the basement.


The pepper plants are not looking so good. Most of them are not up.


The cabbage and brocolli look great - the cauliflower and brussells sprouts not so good.


I have this pile of grape vines on the patio table from the fall. What was I thinking? Did I really think I could use them to weave a basket or something? I think they need to go in the compost....


The snow shovels are still by the back door - I think we can safely put them away now.......at least I hope so.


Lilac buds will soon be fragrant flowers! I can't wait - I love lilacs in the spring.


Lillies will soon be up.


The rhubarb is awakening also.


The onions I planted on Sunday.


Andy's garlic project.


Kind of blurry - but some of Andy's garlic A (the old stuff) is actually coming up.


My next big project - I have started digging these shrubs out. I don't like the bushes in the front of the house and the rocks. I want a nice flower bed with mulch.

Gardening is so good for the soul

I know I have mentioned it before but I think it is worth mentioning again - gardening is so good for the soul. I was feeling very betrayed and angry this morning and now after an hour in the garden I feel so much better. I am able to put it all in perspective and realize that just because people on the internet are not always who they seem - it doesn't matter - it isn't real life. And it was good motivation to get out there and get the tomato plants pulled up and the cages put away for the winter. Even though we have only had a couple of light frosts - it is November and time to put the garden to bed for the winter. It is incredible to me that the tomato plants were still alive and I never even covered them. I still have hot peppers alive too. The hot peppers are next on my list and then the only things still growing are brussells sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower - which all love the cool weather.

Cooking with dried chilis from your garden

As gardening winds down for the season, it's time to start cooking with the produce we have preserved. Many people only use fresh chilis because they aren't sure how to work with dried chilis. I took pictures as I made an enchilada sauce this weekend.



First you want to wash the dried chilis to remove any dust that may have settled on them, break the tops off and remove the seeds. Make sure you wear rubber gloves while you are doing this. Then place in a pot and cover with water with several cloves of garlic. How much water to use depends on the heat of your chilis and how hot you want the finished sauce. If you have really hot chilis - use more water for a milder sauce and less for a really hot sauce. If your chilis are not as hot, use less water - you really need to experiment to find the right taste since tastes vary so much. I have a young child in the household so I make a more mild sauce. My chilis were pretty hot and I used 12 chilis and 4 quarts of water. Bring to a boil.


When it comes to a boil, cover and turn off. Allow to sit and steep for several hours.


The next step is another one that varies by how hot you want the finished product. I am going for a very mild sauce so I use a slotted spoon and remove the chilis and garlic from the water and I'm left with a milder chili sauce. Before I had a child in the household I made a hotter sauce by putting on rubber gloves and putting my hands into the water (make sure it has cooled!) and squishing the chilis to remove lots of hot goodness into the water. You can also use a blender or a food processor. The way I do it provides a very mild sauce.


At this point, freeze the extra chili water that you aren't going to use right away. I prefer to freeze in glass - if you do, make sure you leave enough headroom - they will expand and you don't want the jars to break.


To make red sauce - melt lard or shortening in a skillet.


Add a couple of tablespoons of flour to the lard (I used gf flour since we are a gluten free household).


Stir like you would if you were making a brown gravy.


Add the chili water and whisk until smooth and cook until thick.

You can use the sauce now for enchiladas or tamales or anything that calls for a red chili sauce.

When I'm making enchiladas I stir (fake) sour cream (we're also dairy free) into the sauce before pouring it over the enchiladas.


Here is my son's plate with a finished enchilada on it. They were super yummy even if they were mild.

To make enchiladas - just soften corn tortillas in hot oil. Fill with your choice of filling (I used shredded chicken, onions and fake cheese) and roll up. Place in pan and spoon enchilada sauce over them. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes or until heated through.

After the Storm

We have finally started getting some rain in MN - unfortunately it has been accompanied by some severe storms. The garden survived pretty well. In the back yard, my son's climber is pretty beaten up - this may be time to decide that he has outgrown it and take it down..... The only other thing amiss in the back yard was a missing top to one of my composters - found it 3 yards down!





The hot peppers look a little wind blown but nothing looks snapped off so I think they will bounce back.


The only sign in the front yard is this overturned flower pot - which is not mine. I'm not sure how far it has come. I'll leave it for the time being and I'm sure the owner will find it.

My damage was nothing. Many residents of the Twin Cities are without power this morning and lots of trees are down. The storm actually bumped the bridge news from the top spot on the Minneapolis Star Tribune website this morning. The bridge collapse will continue to be top news for some time, but it is time to start reporting other things in the top spot from time to time....not to down play that tragedy, but life goes on.

In My Garden Saturday 7/14/07

I thinned out some carrots and dug some new potatoes. I roasted them for dinner with a few onions from the garden - they were yummy. I just tossed a little olive oil on them and a little salt and pepper and roasted them in the oven at 350 degrees for an hour. YUM!


The two remaining hot pepper plants are getting lots of peppers on them.


The cauliflower is starting to form heads.


Andy's sunflowers are starting to form heads also - Andy can't wait for his flowers to bloom!

In My Garden Wednesday June 27,2007

I took some pictures yesterday but didn't get around to posting them - so here are Wednesday's pictures on a Thursday.


This hot pepper plant looks like a goner. I saw him looking like this yesterday and thought it was just wilt from the heat, but I watered him and he did not bounce back. I lost several to the hail so I only have 2 more hot peppers if this one doesn't make it.


One of the other two surviving hot pepper plants


The coneflowers are starting to bloom and look pretty


The basil is starting to go to seed. Time to pinch back the ends or harvest some.


The oregano is looking healthy

Roasted Hot Pepper Soup

I spent the weekend taking care of my hot peppers that I picked a week ago before they spoiled. I roasted some and froze them. I roast peppers in the oven - preheat to 450 degrees and then lay them out on a roasting pan and turn frequently until they blister. I cut little slits in the peppers first to let steam escape. When they are all nicely blistered, I remove them from the oven and place them in a zip lock baggie and close them up and let them cool. Once they are cool, pull the tops off and get the seeds out (the seed have most of the heat) and you should be able to peel them easily. Remember to use rubber gloves when handling peppers (and don't touch your eyes!).

I made this soup from some of my roasted peppers. It packs a kick - so watch out, but it was creamy and every so tasty!

Kathi’s Roasted Hot Pepper Soup
4 mild roasted hot peppers (use less if they are hot – or substitute a couple of bell peppers)
2 medium onions – diced or sliced
8 diced potatoes
4 cups milk (or milk substitute – I used Dari Free)
4 cups chicken broth
4 tablespoons margarine (or butter), divided
Seasonings to taste
Parmesan cheese or cheese substitute (I used a sub)

Sauté onions in 2 tablespoons of margarine until translucent.
Add milk, chicken broth, and the rest of the margarine and heat over medium heat until close to boiling.
Add potatoes and peppers and cook until potatoes are tender.
Using a hand held blender (or carefully transfer liquid small portion at a time to a blender – but be careful with hot stuff in a blender), blend until everything is creamy.
Add salt and pepper to taste and adjust thickness by adding more stock or milk if needed.
Add the parmesan cheese.

Hot Pepper Jam

The picture does not do justice to this jam. It is really a very pretty red and green color. It is hot - it is great as an appetizer with cream cheese. Just spread a little cream cheese on a cracker and them put a little of this on top of the cream cheese - looks very pretty and tastes great!

To make this, I diced up 4 cups of hot peppers. I used 2 cups of red and 2 cups of green. You can make all green or all red if you prefer. You can use any peppers you want to control the heat - you can also make part of them bell peppers. I used the Garden Salsa variety of peppers that I grew in my garden - they are a medium heat. Put in large pot and add 1/2 cup of distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup of water. Measure out 3 cups of sugar in a separate bowl. Take 1/4 cup of that sugar and mix with one packet of Lower Sugar/No Sugar required Sure-Jell pectin and then mix in pot with peppers. Bring to a full rolling boil (one that cannot be stirred down - keeps boiling even when you are stirring) and then add the remaining sugar. Bring mixture back to a full rolling boil and boil and stir 1 minute. Put into jars and process in a hot water bath for 5 minutes. Makes 5 cups.

Yummy - enjoy!

Peppers and Pumpkins

With snow predicted for tomorrow (Wednesday) in Minnesota, I thought I'd better get some more of my garden picked. Here is last night's harvest of peppers and pumpkins. I guess tonight I'd better pick all the green tomatoes or they'll be gone.

Hot Chili Peppers

The chili peppers are turning red.

Hot Peppers

Hot Peppers. They have a lot of heat this year.

Hot Chili Pepper

Hot Chili Pepper