Prik-E-gnu

Say it. Say it loud, say it fast, say it slow, say it soft. That was fun, I know I enjoyed it.

Prik-E-gnu isn't a common talked about pepper, go ahead, you can go search for it, you won't get too many hits back.

It's a small pepper, the pods growing upside down, they are bright red and only grow 1-3 inches in length. But these little suckers give you quite the punch. They are a Thia blistering pepper, and earn that title easily. Early this summer, while this peppers were still green, Good neighbor tried one out. He loves the hot, yet his ears teared up with the spice the was generated by these unripened tidbits.

So what is the point in growing this blistering pepper, for starters it's great fun watching your macho friends cry when they bite into them, that'll teach 'em. Another is that this is all the pepper you'll need for anything that requires some spice. Harvesting this compact plant at different times of ripening will give you your mild, to medium, to hot! all off one plant that produces hundreds of small peppers. I dry mine and grind into a powder to add to my thai foods, Mexican, Creole or just 'cuz.

The pepper

Treat your pepper in the same manner as your tomatoes.

Peppers are perennials if you live in all year warm climates.

6 pepper plants does our family of 5 just fine.

Some of my harvested peppers {and carrots} from last year

Pressure canning: No Frills Winter Cucumber Soup

What to do with all those cucumbers, and you don't need any more pickles? But how can you ever have enough pickles!?! I had to do something so I went the way of cucumber soup. It was difficult to find a winter recipe, most are chilled or mint, things for the summer. Yet I did manage to stumble upon one recipe that was suited for winter.

Peel 2 medium sized cucumbers and sliced. {Those are the things that look like banana slices in the picture} 1 Medium onion, halved and then sliced. {I have plenty of onion}

4 tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley {mine was frozen} or you can use 2 tablespoons of the dried stuff. This recipe calls for 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, but I am canning, so I use canning salt. 1/2 teaspoon fresh dill {mine was frozen} or 1/4 of the dried stuff. 2 tablespoons corn oil, 2
tablespoons cornstarch, 2 cups milk and pepper to taste. Saute the first six ingredients until the vegetables are translucent. {I think my cucumber slices might have been too thick, as they started to brown before becoming see through} In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch, then stir over a medium heat until thickened. {here is where your soup will not look too appetizing. Ignore it} Slowly add the milk and stir until creamy. The soup is bland so feel free to salt and pepper until it suits your taste. Ladle into canning jars, and process at 10lbs for 20 minutes {for pints, it make 3 pints} or serve hot.














Here's what it looks like before processing.





























I had gone to the Farmers Market last weekend and bought a pound of ground short horn beef from the Meng Family Farm. {They do not have a website, but the link will take you to the vendor page for the farm market} I have never had their beef before. I paired it up with some of my garden veggies {cherry tomatoes and peppers} and made some tacos.
















I also made some carrot muffins, but I will tell you about that later.

It was in the 70'sf {21c}yesterday, and rainy. Felt much better than the 105f {40c} we had the day before. I picked some ready veggies and weeded a bit. Other than that, we hung out a enjoyed the weather. {I might regret that later}