Went out Monday and picked about about 9 or 10 quarts of sugar snap
peas. Yesterday I hulled the overripe, destringed the rest, washed,
rewashed, and spun dried the product. After that I put up 8 quarts of
peas in vacuum bags and then froze them. Also froze two gallons of Aji
Limon de Peru hot chiles. These came off the three plants that made it
from last spring until this spring. I swear this particular chile likes
colder weather than any of the others. Seems to produce more once cold
weather, or what passes for winter here in zone 9b, comes to town.

Today I need to harvest about 24 feet of swiss chard and do much the
same to it. Our freezer is almost completely full again after we tossed
the entire 15 cubic feet contents on September 26, 2005 after Rita
turned off our power for a couple of weeks.

The garden soil is just a few degrees shy of 70F and it will soon reach
that magic planting temperature. At that time the spring garden will go
into the ground. Green beans, radishes, spring crop of swiss chard (can
you tell we really like chard?), corn, tomato plants, cukes, bell
peppers, okra, eggplant, and the latest crop of hot chiles.

I bought a new 12 quart combination pot a couple of weeks ago at Bed,
Bath, and Beyond. Has the standard pasta pot inside it plus a smaller
steamer section at the top. Got it for about 50 bucks tax, title and
plates included. Was able to blanch and entire crop of sugar snap peas
and one time and, after two minutes, dump them into a sink full of ice
water until chilled through. I like this pot already but now have to
figure where to store it. Our pantry is also full. Could make some room
if I box my empty jars so reckon I'll do that job today.

This past weekend I planted a Santa Rosa plum to pollenate our Bruce
plum and vice versa and also planted an LSU variety of La Feliciana
peach. The Santa Rosa is to replace our pluot tree that was wiped out by
Rita along with the excellent Flordaglo peach also wiped out by Rita.
Wife put in four more blueberry bushes as she likes those berries. I
still have room for about a dozen thornless blackberries so will be
looking at varieties of those.

Life is good.

George