My 2014 Garden

My 2014 garden

 

            I know some of you may think it is a bit early, but this is the time when my family starts planning what we will grow in the garden for the year. The soil in our yard is what my husband refers to as a sand bed and he is accurate when he says that.  It is because of this that we have to do things a bit different when it comes to growing vegetables, we have to grow our vegetables in containers. 

            Last year we planted bell peppers in containers and some of them got up to seven inches long and just as big around.  They were the perfect stuffing size.  We even sold some of them at the local farmers market. 

            One year I bought a pack of seeds that was called carnival mix.  When the plants started growing I had no idea what color pepper I was going to end up with.  We ended up with yellow, red, purple, and of course green.  My husband tried every color we produced and he definitely had his favorite color as far as which one he preferred eating on a salad or a pizza. 

            Personally, I don’t like bell peppers, but I do love to watch them grow.  I’ll see that small little flower bud and the next thing you know there is a pepper.  The pepper starts to grow and then it starts to change color.   That is when I get excited, because I know it won’t be long before I can start packing them and see just how many I am going to end up with.

             The thing is, peppers are just about the easiest vegetable to put away in the freezer.  All you do is wash them take out the seeds, cut them to the size you want and them simply put them in the freezer, no blanching required.  You don’t have to wait until you have a bushel, you can pack one a day or wait until you have more, and it is simply up to you. 

            Last year I washed and cored about one dozen or more, of my larger peppers and left them whole when I put them in the freezer.  Several times during the winter months I cooked my family stuffed peppers and I can honestly say I think my husband was happy about that.  He loves to eat vegetables, especially home grown vegetables that he has grown in his own garden.

            This year we will have some bell peppers in containers and more than likely some tomato plants as well.  If the bell peppers do as good this year as they did last year I just might try my hand at selling them at the farmers market, alongside my in-laws.  Who knows I might even try and sell some of the purple basil I am planning to try my hand at growing this year, that and whatever else pops up in the garden.

            Dawn Simmons was born and reared in the South and had never ventured far from Chesterfield County, where she was born.  You can reach her at DawnMSimmons@ymail.com or check out her Facebook page Handmade and Homegrown or the Facebook page Simmons Racing and Hot Rods.