What's Growing in the Garden
- Thread starter trc65
- Start date
For the ones you are fermenting, why dry them first?
Not drying those. That's for grinding into a spice. Edited. Re-read and I see what Frank was talking about. Guess I need to start proofreading before posting 
Last edited:
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #2,064
@Eric Rorabaugh
I've done hot sauce fermented and with vinegar. I'll look up a couple recipes for regular (vinegar) and post them later. For fermented I salt at 3-4% of total weight of whatever you put into the jar.
If the peppers have enough juice by themselves, you might be able to just salt them without any added water as long as you have something to weigh them down good. It's easier (and more forgiving to use a small amount of water to make sure everything remains submerged.
If you don't have any airlocks or fermentation weights, check out "The Easy Fermenter" kits. They have weights and airlock lids that don't require the traditional bubbler air locks. Fit on wide mouth jars. I also use half gallon jars with traditional bubbler air locks and glass weights.
There is a FB group "Fermented Hot sauce Society". It is a private group, but only have to answer a couple questions to join. Some of those guys do some crazy stuff, but there is a lot of info there.
I've done hot sauce fermented and with vinegar. I'll look up a couple recipes for regular (vinegar) and post them later. For fermented I salt at 3-4% of total weight of whatever you put into the jar.
If the peppers have enough juice by themselves, you might be able to just salt them without any added water as long as you have something to weigh them down good. It's easier (and more forgiving to use a small amount of water to make sure everything remains submerged.
If you don't have any airlocks or fermentation weights, check out "The Easy Fermenter" kits. They have weights and airlock lids that don't require the traditional bubbler air locks. Fit on wide mouth jars. I also use half gallon jars with traditional bubbler air locks and glass weights.
There is a FB group "Fermented Hot sauce Society". It is a private group, but only have to answer a couple questions to join. Some of those guys do some crazy stuff, but there is a lot of info there.
Thank you! I have some 1/2 gallon jars too. I'll look into the kit.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #2,066
Here is a base recipe for hot sauce. Use any blend of peppers you like, but liquid should be 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water.
1.5 c chopped habanero
1.5 c chopped cayenne
2 tsp salt
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1.5 tsp onion powder
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar
Simmer all ingredients for ~20 minutes and blend smooth. Add a 50:50 mix of water:vinegar as needed for desired consistency. In each pint jar I add 4 whole cloves and 4 allspice to give it just a hint of a Caribbean sauce. HWB for 20 min.
IMO, the peppers with garlic and onion is a good base for a straight vinegar sauce. The cloves and allspice compliment the habanero well without being overpowering.
Going to look and see if I can access any of my BIL's files, he has made dozens of different sauces with all different types of peppers/fruit and veggies.
1.5 c chopped habanero
1.5 c chopped cayenne
2 tsp salt
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1.5 tsp onion powder
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar
Simmer all ingredients for ~20 minutes and blend smooth. Add a 50:50 mix of water:vinegar as needed for desired consistency. In each pint jar I add 4 whole cloves and 4 allspice to give it just a hint of a Caribbean sauce. HWB for 20 min.
IMO, the peppers with garlic and onion is a good base for a straight vinegar sauce. The cloves and allspice compliment the habanero well without being overpowering.
Going to look and see if I can access any of my BIL's files, he has made dozens of different sauces with all different types of peppers/fruit and veggies.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #2,067
Try this site out. BIL uses a lot of his recipes, and there is a section on fermenting as well.
peppergeek.com
Pepper Recipes - From Garden To Kitchen Table - Pepper Geek
Try one of our many recipes using fresh peppers from the garden. We love growing peppers, but we love cooking and eating them just as much!
peppergeek.com
Pole beans are still going strong. I picked another 3 gallons today. They really seem to like the cool weather we've been having and the heavy rains prior to that didn't hurt either. But, we've got a frost expected tomorrow night and I have a lot of beans on the vine not quite ready to pick.
Can beans survive a light/moderate frost? Next week looks like great growing conditions. Can they be covered with a plastic tarp for one night or should I just pick everything tomorrow and call it quits?
Can beans survive a light/moderate frost? Next week looks like great growing conditions. Can they be covered with a plastic tarp for one night or should I just pick everything tomorrow and call it quits?
As I recall, you can cover with a cloth sheet or tented plastic as long as you get it covered early evening. The temperature inside the tent will be a bit warmer. If you allow the cover to touch the plants, they will frost.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #2,070
I always use sheets. As Frank mentioned, plastic really needs to be tented above the foliage to prevent contact frost. Another thing that can help is to water them good as early as is convenient tomorrow. Water will hold temperature well and can help prevent frost. If you don't have extra sheets around, use the tarp, it may be heavy enough that it will hold the temp better, and it might be even better if it will give you complete coverage.
Oh, and to really answer your first question, beans won't resist a light frost.
We are going to get a freeze tomorrow, so I'll be picking lots of tomatoes and peppers. Still have cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, but those I'll just water in the morning and they should be fine, I hope.
Oh, and to really answer your first question, beans won't resist a light frost.
We are going to get a freeze tomorrow, so I'll be picking lots of tomatoes and peppers. Still have cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, but those I'll just water in the morning and they should be fine, I hope.
Nothing now that the hurricane went through 
Banana Peppers were starting to look good
Banana Peppers were starting to look good
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #2,072
This is the last of the warm season garden. Will ferment a batch of mixed peppers and smoke/dry/grind the rest for more chipotle powder. The tomatoes will all be quartered and dried.
If any ripe (red jalapenos), I'd highly recommend fermenting them. Quite tasty.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #2,074
Yep, quite a few. The fermented mix will be mostly jalapeno, but will include some of all types. I always include jalapeno in fermented peppers as their thick flesh supports better fermentation. Sometimes with thin walled peppers it's hard to get good fermentation started without using a lot of brine/salt.
Left to right, Gochujang, Habanero, Calabrian, Jalapeno and Cayenne.
Know what you mean with the thin walls. A few years ago, after a several years of fermenting and wood aging Tabasco peppers, I got a hankering for some Texas Bird Peppers, so one of my sisters sent me some seeds. Grew a few plants and had maybe a gallon. Decided to ferment them and there was nothing left but skin and seeds. A couple of weeks ago, traveled back to Texas for Dad's 90th birthday, and sister gave me a pint of the Texas Bird Peppers (chile pequin) and this year I am pickling them. Actually will only use the pickling juice as a sprinkle on greens. tasty! There is a story circulating in my home town how Lil Mikey tricked his sisters into chewing on some chile pequins - saying they were like candy! They are probably between a jalapeno and a habanero for hotness. Don't believe everything you might hear!
I had a decent fall garden going here in Florida but hurricane Milton had other plans.
We had snow flurries today. Vehicles were frozen shut this morning. Yep, fall has arrived.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #2,078
We are about a week early for this freeze, but that's OK, means I can stop picking raspberries....
I went and picked everything I could from my garden yesterday. Rethought my plan about covering everything up (another of my silly ideas ). The small beans I'll blanch, freeze and bag to use for stir fry and such. Ought to be a quick cook being small. The remaining 3-4 gallons will be canned. Thought I was done for the year. I did cover one pepper plant with a bucket to try to get them to mature.
NOOOO!!!! Get out there and pick them raspberries and send them to me. As they say, the only easy day was yesterday so suck it up and get out there with your pail.