Abundance

 Yesterday evening was another evening spent picking produce from our garden. Production has really cranked up out there! I'm beginning to think that I may have planted too many cucumber plants. I have six and I cannot keep up. If any of my neighbors are out while I am out there they get cucumbers, and I brought some to my dad this morning. I figure I'm picking about fifteen pounds or so every three days. The pepper plants are also really producing a lot. I picked a basket full of green ones and left a few on the plants to fully ripen and turn red. The extra peppers I will be freezing. Organic peppers during the winter cost upwards of four dollars each, so I want to make sure I have plenty stocked up. Bell peppers are something we use alot of around here and are my absolute favorite veggie. My tomato plants are suffering from powdery mildew (sniff sniff) so I think the tomato production will start to dwindle soon as the plants are dying. I've been picking the tomatoes when they just start to ripen an letting them ripen in the window sill or other sunny spot in the kitchen. I know it's better to let them ripen on the vine, but every one I've let go has been rotted by the time I get to it, so this seems to work better for me. I hope I can get enough that are ripe at the same time so I can can them. Tomato sauce is something else we eat alot. It's easy and quick. I'm actually really disappointed because I had dreams of shelves lined with homemade salsa and canned tomatoes by the end of the summer. Oh well. I least I will have pickles!