Early Fall Harvest

Northern California (at least the SF area) has a weird growing season compared to the rest of the nation. Summers are cold, September and October are hot, and we can have gardens all winter. Basically, as with politics and everything else, we make our own rules. But enough talk. I'm on the verge of yanking up my summer garden and putting in plants for winter. Thus I'm eating up everything left out there:

I had great success with Japanese eggplant and cucumbers...limited success with tomatoes, cherry or otherwise. What's in this colander was everything I got this summer. Believe me, I am going to savor every last bite, so help me. My mom & sister came over for lunch and we broiled slices of those little eggplants to go in roast chicken gyros. YUM.

And then there are my jalapeno plants. This was kind of an experiment because I've never successfully grown peppers before. These plants LOVE my new place--I can't pick the peppers fast enough.

My theory? These plants (and the eggplants too) really benefited from being planted with my new favorite thing ever, African blue basil. Unlike other basils, it's an annual, so you leave the blue blossoms on instead of furiously pinching them off. Flavor wise, it's a little sharper than the Italian sweet basil most are used to. It's closer in flavor to a spicy Thai basil. But best of all, honeybees go bananas for the flowers on this plant--every time I went out to the garden it was a bee party, I swear. And if honeybees come for the basil, maybe they'll stay for a taste of everything else and pollinate my whole garden.


So, what do you do with the jalapeno plant that keeps on giving? Um, what don't you do! Apparently jalapeno goes with everything.

Salsa fresca.
Mexican rice.
Whole beans.
Scrambled egg with goat cheese.
Asian-style sauteed eggplant.
Veggie chili.
Tortilla soup.
Give them away to fellow spicy food enthusiasts.
Have your dad throw them on the grill. Or shoot, grill 'em yourself. I just happen to have a dad who loves hot food and grilling things.