Stinking Frost

The frost is coming at the normal time this year, but it feels way too early and I'm not happy about it.  It's not that I mind the cold mornings, although I do.  It's not that I mind wearing a jacket in the middle of the day, although I do.  It's not even that I mind having to light a fire in the morning; I love that!

The problem with frost is that it makes work for us!  The peppers were hit lightly by frost last night and they can't take another one.  We either let them die or we save them to ripen under cover.  We opted for the latter.  After pulling the whole plants, we hung them in the garage to let the peppers redden up. These will become our chili powder for the year.

My husband and several of my children love hot peppers.  The jalapenos don't have to ripen, so we just emptied off the plants.  This basket full of peppers was off only six plants, and that's after a sizable harvest already. You don't need many jalapeno plants to get a lot of jalapenos.