pepper relish

Our tomatoes are finally beginning to ripen. The San Marzano plum tomatoes have been hit with blossom end rot. Just as begin to ripen the bottom end becomes brown and eventually turns black and rotten. From what I’ve read the only treatment for that is calcium chloride. The problem results from a lack of calcium in the soil or the plants not being able to assimilate what is there. I will have to look into this further. I don’t want to lose my plum tomatoes!

The peppers are prolific as mentioned. Here’s a photo of our pepper patch…just the Hungarian peppers that is.

I was finally able to find a good price on onions by the 10 lb. bag and so I was able to make a large amount of hot pepper relish. In fact I ended up with 20 pints! Even though the only veggies in this relish are hot peppers and onions, it’s not really “hot”, but rather tangy and sweet with just a hint of heat. We love it on burgers or other grilled meats. I think it would work nicely if one were to use it as a replacement for sweet relish in potato salad, too.

The recipe is simple…

50 Hungarian hot banana peppers

about 6 lb. onions

Remove tops and cut peppers in half, remove seeds. Skin the onions and cut into wedges. Chop veggies up and place in large glass, stainless steel or enamel pan. Using a meat grinder or food processor makes the job easier and quicker. Cover fresh veggies with boiling water and let set for 5 minutes. You can repeat this process two more times to reduce hotness of peppers, but I’ve never had to. Drain veggies and place in a cook pan, again either stainless steel or enamel.

Add:

8 cups sugar

3 pints cider vinegar

6 T. salt

Bring to a boil and cook 20 minutes then pour into hot sterile pint jars. Wipe rims and seal tightly. Process in boiling water bath for 15-20 minutes. Makes about 10 pints.

If you try it, hope you enjoy as much as we do!

Well, we got to Chillicothe to see the outdoor drama Tecumseh! last Tuesday night. What a treat that was! The actors put a lot of heart and soul into bringing this historical drama to life and do a fantastic job. One horse however did try to steal the show making the crowd giggle in an otherwise serious performance. Nothing dramatic, just some whinnying and head nodding, but funny none the less. It was quite realistic with the live horses, an actual pond and real explosions from the guns and cannon. The scenes played out had, in reality taken place in and near the very area we were in. That realization gives one a moment’s pause. I have to admit that in the end, I was just a wee bit teary eyed over the death of Tecumseh and the loss of life suffered at the hands of the white man, especially after Tecumseh had spent ten years traveling from tribe to tribe to unite the tribes as one that they could maintain their right to live on and care for the land, remaining true to their heritage.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to have seen this show and despite it being three hours long, it was never in the least bit boring. I would highly recommend it. However, I wouldn’t advise taking small children/babies to this as the gunfire and cannon fire is very loud, plus three hours is a long time for little ones even with a twenty minute intermission. A 4-6 year old would probably be entertained, but any younger I’d recommend getting a sitter for. Just my two cents.