These are from trees on super dwarfing rootstocks, or short columnar trees, or espaliers. For many, this is their fist year bearing, so I don't expect much. I'm surprised some are so large.
The first flower seeds that I saved were damp. Then I may have left them too long in the sunroom to dry, where the temperature surpassed 100 F. So I saved more today. Today was dry so they did not need additional drying. Just put the flower heads into paper bags, and staple the top, They will be in the cool, dry pantry until I clean them up during the winter. I collected Rudbeckia that had petal markings, French Marigold, Yellow Four O'Clock, Fuchsia pink Four O'Clock, French Marigold, Blood Flower (Tropical Milkweed), African Marigold, Pink (but not white) Cleome.
I bought a few bags of bulbs to plant in the meditation garden / border.
All but one packet of daffodils are planted now. They will be nice in the Spring. In this location, it doesn't matter if I let the leaves remain after blooming. It is meant to look a little wild. So, they have a good chance to multiply and bloom in years to come.
Here is the finished hot pepper sauce. I used the food processor the peppers, after decanting about 2/3 of the brine. This hot sauce is very hot, with a generous garlic flavor and hot pepper flavor. It's basically, Sambal Oelek.
I saved the decanted brine, to use as a starter if enough additional peppers ripen. Alternatively, it could be returned to the sauerkraut to impart hot pepper flavor. Here is how the liquid looked before decanting, on top of the glass weight.
Here is how the fermentation looks. The gas bubbles are carbon dioxide, produced by the beneficial lactic acid bacteria. There was a fair amount of overflow, brine forced out of the nipples due to gas production.
I harvested all of the red hot peppers and prepped them to make hot sauce. These are a mix of ripe Jalapeños, Serranos, and mostly Cayennes.
They are so pretty.
Then add a tip with a gas escape nipple. They get fermented for a few days in the dark, then I process them and portion into jars. It's even pretty in the jars.
I saved seeds for the Rudbeckias I liked the best. During the summer, I tied a cloth strip around the stems of my favorites, to mark them.
The seed heads go into paper bags. I'll let them dry a couple of months, then clean up the seeds. I also saved seeds from French Marigolds. These are my own multigenerational saved seeds.
I cut open one of the Buttercup squashes.
Today I canned salsa. I used almost all of the remaining sauce tomatoes, all of the banana peppers, and some of the Jalapeños.
I used the USDA Canning Book recipe. It made an extra pint, so that goes into the fridge. These came out a bit too salty, because I halved the recipe and forgot to halve the salt. Still quite good and fresh tasting.
Still getting some nice harvests in October.
I made a tomato pie with some of the big tomatoes. The peppers will go for hot sauce and salsa. The Romas will go into some canned salsa. Im not convinced the apples are that good this year. Might make a pie and try to pick out the best ones to grow.
This is tne miniature peach tree that I sheltered from rains last winter. Nice peaches now!
I harvested enough to can a batch.
Then I made a batch of peach jam, too.
I was picking apples and forgot that yellow jackets infest any on the ground.
One stung over my right eye. The other on my neck. I hope no one was watching while I ran away from the apple tree. The swelling should improve in a few days,
I moved the squashes off the lawn and onto the deck where they can cure without getting wet. I also harvested the Costata romanesca squashes - the oblong big green ones. Based on year's result, they keep almost a year in a cool dry space.
I've started saving seeds of the tomato varieties that I like the most. They need to ferment a few days before drying out. These are "Ukraine Purple". I also saved from "Dwarf Golden Champion" and have a few others to save as well. Today I added "Dwarf Clare Valley Red", which is really good, big, productive.
After these ferment a few days, I rinse the seeds and lay them on a paper towel to dry out. Then they go into envelopes to store for next year.
Each day, I dig a few more plants of the late season potato variety "Elba". This is a nice producing, disease resistant variety with good flavor. It's a great time to harvest. The soil is dry, so light weight and crumbly.
These make great air fryer fries.
Now the green beans that replaced, garlic and potato beds, are starting to come into their own
Now I know I can double crop those beds.
I've been out of commission in the garden. Today I was able to get a nice harvest.
The squashes are Galeux d'Eysine and Burgess Buttercup.
