Fish Pepper, An Heirloom Pepper

This one is ready to eat.

Some like it hot...  I am one of those who like a little heat in their food.  However, I do not like to be in pain- you can have too much of a good thing.  I do love Tabasco peppers in vinegar to sprinkle on my greens or my peas and I wanted to make my own when I figured out how easy it is to preserve peppers and herbs in vinegars.

I had read an article about fish peppers, a pepper native to the Caribbean and common in fish dishes of that area.  A gentleman up North had been growing them with seed that came from his grandfather.  The peppers are pretty and can come multicolored.  So, when placing my seed order this year I decided to give these a try.  I am so glad I did!  They germinated easily and grew great.  Because I don't eat a lot of hot peppers and only one of my kids likes spicy food, I planted only four plants in my garden. Four was plenty, these plants really produce!

A Fish Pepper plant loaded up with peppers.

Each pepper is only about 2 inches long, not very big.  However, they pack a lot into that little package.  These peppers are hot, but with a deep warmth and sweetness.  Even my kids who don't like things too hot have commented that this was a different kind of heat and they liked it.  It took only two peppers with seeds removed to warm up a pound of pinto beans cooked in the crock-pot.  I am hooked on these little beauties.
I have decided to use these in vinegar in place of the Tabasco peppers and see how it goes.  I find it hard to believe that this wouldn't taste good considering how great a flavor these peppers posses.

 To save the seeds, wait to pick until they turn red and shrivel up just a bit.  Then you can split them open and save the seeds.  Allow the seeds to dry completely- I usually put them in a small bowl on the window sill.  Then store them in a cool dry place until ready to plant next spring.  Being an Heirloom variety, you can save these seeds and get the same wonderful peppers next summer.

Like most peppers, as it matures it will turn red and orange.

I ordered my seeds from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.  This link will take you to the page with information about the Fish Pepper:  http://www.southernexposure.com/fish-pepper-hot-05-g-p-922.html
Try some in your garden next year, you will be glad you did!

Peeps Are On The Way!

One of our favorite activities around our little farm is incubating eggs.  It is absolutely amazing to watch the little babies peck at the shell and finally pop out.  So, tonight we set 18 eggs in the incubator and in just 21 days we will have a fresh batch of chicks.

Last spring my mom, sisters and I went in together and bought our own incubator.  Being the good teachers that they are, they do the "egg to chick" projects in their classrooms.  My mom and sister, Windy, teach elementary age kids who simple enjoy learning the basics and watching the eggs crack open.  Sunny, my sister, teaches high school and they go way more in depth even predicting the genetic combinations that will occur based on the breeds of chickens.  Because of when Sunny's project is due, she will be the first this year to use the new 'bator,  I borrowed one from the extension office so I could get going on my eggs.

The eggs in the 'bator right now are from my mixed flock.  But come Monday, I will have 25 Ameracauna
chicks arriving via the US postal service.  Due to heavy losses this summer, I needed to boost my flock numbers up.  I love the Ameracauna- also called Easter Eggers because their eggs are colored ranging from blue, green to pink.  These ladies are really good layers and very colorful birds.  I love getting that call from the post office at about 6 am.  It is a great way to start the day.  The first chicks we ever ordered were Easter Eggers.  I can't wait!

One of our Easter Egger Chicks all grown up!

How can you not love something so cute?!

Compost Tea

Compost Tea

For blooms like this, all you need is compost tea. It makes great vegetables, too!

If I had to pick one thing that was essential for a good garden, aside from the soil, it would be compost tea.  Compost tea is a liquid fertilizer, mild insect repellent, and a mild fungicide.  The ease of application and production makes this potion hard to beat.

Everyone should have a compost pile going somewhere on their property.  Even if it is just a pile back in the corner that you add to when the leaves fall, you bag the lawn clippings, or you have veggie scraps from the kitchen.  If you would like more information on composting, see the gardening category at the side.  Down at the bottom of this pile will be finished or almost finished compost.  To make the compost tea, you simply take some of this finished compost and soak it in water. Then you pour off the water in a container, discard the old compost into the garden and you have compost tea.  That is the basic process and it is that simple.

To be more specific, I use a 55 gallon drum, these can be found at feed stores, on craigslist or from folks selling them on the side of the road.  In the bottom of the drum I dump about 3 inches of almost finished compost.  Almost finished means that there is still larger pieces of leaves and hay, but a lot of brown crumbly stuff also.  Then the drum is filled with water and the lid is put on.  Once this sits for two weeks, the tea is done.  This is the basic recipe for compost tea and it will work great.

To enhance the power of the tea, there are a few simple additions I like to put in the drum when I fill it with water.  First, I add a bag of Epsom Salts.  The salt adds trace minerals that are essential for good plant health and blooms.  Next, is a can of beer.  The beer feeds the microorganisms that are doing the work of breaking down the compost and making the nutrients usable for plants.  The more microbs, the more work gets done, the more beneficial to plants the tea will be.  Molasses is also good for feeding the microbs. There are many other things that can be added, such as alfalfa meal, fish meal, bone meal and those are all good, but not essential.  Basically, there is no wrong way to make the tea, so tinker around with it and find what works well for you and your plants.  If you google compost tea, you can find some really complicated recipes and “rules” that must be followed, however, I have been using the above recipe for  several years with great results.  Complicated is not necessarily better.

Once the tea is made it can be applied in several different ways.  You can simply dip it out of the drum with a bucket and pour it on or use a watering can.  My favorite way is to strain the tea through a screen- an actual window screen works fine- and put it in a pump sprayer.  Eight ounces of tea will dilute into 1 gallon of water.  Please remember to dilute the tea, concentrated tea right out of the drum can burn new growth and seedlings.  The 1 gallon sprayer I use is just right for the job.  It is not too heavy to carry and it holds enough to do my flower beds and nursery stock for one week. The fine mist that lands on the leaves is excellent for the plants.

As you can see, one batch of tea in a drum will last the average gardener all growing season.  All that the tea costs you is what it cost to fill the drum with water.  Compare the cost of the tea with a liquid fertilizer you would buy at a garden store and you will see that the effort to make your own really pays off.

Busy Day

Today was a busy day and a very good one.  Sierra and I planted lettuce and cleaned up the raised beds.  I love the way the beds look when all of the dead plants are pulled up and cleaned out. 

Once they were clean we planted lettuce.  So, in about 2 weeks we will be able to start harvesting baby greens.  Given that I spend about $5.00/week on lettuce and salad mix, a $1.10 pkg of lettuce seed goes a long way in helping to ease the grocery bill.  Not to mention the fact that all our home-grown veggies are organic and much better for us.  Sierra is great help in the garden, while I cleaned she planted.  It is interesting to see what is coming back after such a cruel summer.  The pole beans are putting on new leaves and carrots are popping their tops up through the soil.  It seems some Zinnias dropped their seeds into one of the beds because some little Zinnia plants have popped up.  I don't know if the pole beans will have enough time to put on beans before the first freeze, but I will leave them alone and find out.

Several herbs have earned my respect having hung on through this summer.  Not only are they showing themselves to be heat tolerant, but drought tolerant as well.  The basil has made a huge comeback after this great rain we have gotten.  I had given it up, certain that it was a causality of 2011 history making summer, but it is doing great.  Salad Burnett and Parsley have also comeback from death's door.  Sage was one that never gave up.  Comphrey and Echineacea died back, but have put back out from the roots.

After gardening and breeding the American Blue rabbits, it was time to get cleaned up for Savannah's big night.  She was awarded the Gold Star Award which is a big deal in the world of 4H.  One members who show great achievement and leadership are awarded the Gold Star.  She is very proud of herself and we are proud of her.  Tonight was the D4 4H Banquet that honored all gold star recipients and Adult Leader of the Year recipients.  It is a dressy affair and we had a good time getting all gussied up.  The dinner was very nice and the company was great.  Tony and I sat with our good fiends, Tammy and Mike Lenamond- whose daughter Rebecca also received the Gold Star Award.

Now it is time to call it a day.  Tomorrow we deliver a 100 gallon, 17ft tall live oak tree.  This is the largest we have ever handled- should be interesting.  Never a dull moment on the farm.