Sept 20. Harvested sweet peppers for stuffing and hot peppers for pickling and drying.
Peppers are temperature sensitive plants. It does not take a freeze to stop production. Only the super hot Thai peppers were still blooming and producing new fruit at the end of the month.
Jalafuego - 70 days - the hottest jalapeño, registering from 4,000 to 6,000 Scoville units, is often double the size of the traditional jalapeño! Vigorous, 30-in. tall plants are highly resistant to Potato Virus and Bacterial Leaf Spot. Developed by Sakata.
King Arthur aka Fat 'N Sassy - 60 days - the large, blocky peppers developed by Petoseed are sweet, thick-walled, and ripen from green to bright red. The upright, multi-virus resistant plants set fruit well in heat with thick foliage providing excellent cover.
Melrose - 55-75 Days A superb heirloom brought to a Chicago suburb by Italian emigrants Joseph and Lucia Napolitano in 1903. Tender and sweet, thin skinned, 4" fruits, turn brilliant red and are produced very early. Flavor is good when harvested green, but becomes sweeter and more intense when allowed to mature. Great fresh, stuffed or fried.
Super Thai - 71 day - high pungency pepper that adds zest to stir fry dishes, sauces, and other foods. Vigorous plants bred by Petoseed grow 20” tall with strong stems, abundant foliage and heavy fruit set. As fruits mature they turn from green to dark red and measure 2-3” in length. Super Thai is the earliest, largest Thai pepper with resistance to tobacco mosaic.
Sept 25. Harvested celery and parsley leaves to dry for herb mix.
Wild celery, a member of the Parsley family, is native to the Mediterranean area and has been consumed by humans since as early as 4,000 B.C. People in Egypt, Rome and China used the wild plant medicinally and to cure hangovers. The Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans also used wild celery's leaves to weave victory crowns for athletes. Archaeologists discovered a celery wreath in Tutankhamen's tomb.
Nan -Ling 60 days - cutting celery is an heirloom Asian celery variety that has a sweet and delicate flavor familiar in many Chinese dishes. Known for its smaller size, Kintsai, as it’s often called, can be used for microgreens after 30 days. The fine green leaves and thin hollow stems are especially good to flavor soups and stews. Both stocks and leaves are cut at a younger, more tender stage than regular celery.
Tango - 80 days - reliable and vigorous, Tango is a great improvement over older celery varieties as it is more tolerant of less than ideal conditions. This Bejo hybrid produces dark green, thick stalks with lots of great celery flavor. Tango is less likely to become stringy and tough than older varieties.
Parsley obviously also belongs to the Parsley family. Parsley leaves were used by the ancient Greeks and Romans both as a flavoring and garnish. The leaves are used fresh or dried. Their mildly aromatic taste goes well with fish, meats, soups, sauces, and salads. Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties of parsley aid in kidney health and prevention of high blood pressure, gout, acid reflux, and bad breath.
Mitsuba An uncommon heirloom aromatic herb cultivated for Japanese cuisine that has a parsley & celery essence. Use the leaves, slender white stalks or even the roots for salads, flavoring soups, rice dishes or garnish. Use as a young seedling or harvest stalks at 6-8”. Grows best in moist shady areas during the summer heat or full sun in the cooler early and late part of the season.
