A Kaleidoscope of Cultivars
Tools, Tips, Tricks, & Recipes
I'll be slowly updating this with random notes that don't fit anywhere else! This is especially geared towards the tools I use; I don't have a lot of space to store materials right now, which I'm sure is a problem plenty of other people have.
If I link to anything on this page, it's not sponsored, just an example of something I found useful.
Collapsible Tools
A lot of collapsible tools can be annoying to use, but I have no idea what I'd be doing without my collapsible hoe. The handle separates into three pieces via screws, and the head is attached with a removable nut and bolt. I think the nut/bolt setup really helps make it more sturdy than something with a more snap-together approach.
"Sriracha"
An adapted "sriracha" recipe I made to use jalapenos. The result is a deliciously fresh-tasting hot sauce.
Careful!
This recipe involves canning (sort of). If you screw up canning, you can end up growing botulinum, which will produce a fatal toxin. There are many resources (I suggest the University of Georgia Extension) that you can use to learn more about canning safely. Please read these, procede with caution, and don't trust me to tell you everything you need to know.
That said, here's a rough recipe adapated from here. Jalapeno peppers blended very small, covered in brine, and allowed to ferment for a week.
Almost fill a jar with small-chopped jalapenos (I use a blender, and don't remove the seeds). You can also add chopped garlic. For a 1-quart jar, add 3 tablespoons salt, 1-2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 cup rice vinegar, then fill with water until covered. This is very important! The liquid must be covering the vegetables or you risk growing mold.
Cover and place in a temperature-controlled location out of direct sunlight. Leave for about a week. It should bubble slightly and change color to bright green. If it grows mold, you might need more salt or need to make sure that the brine is covering the peppers.
If you follow proper canning protocol and have a sufficiently acidic solution, fermenting should make a shelf-stable liquid, but I always move this to the fridge after it's done fermenting. It's less risky.
Modular Tomato Cages
After a miserable year scavenging sticks, I found tomato cages which have seperable poles. Each vertical pole is in approximately 2-foot sections, with sections fitting together via a connector. Horizontal crossbars have several spots where they can snap onto the poles.
More frequently you'll find "collapsible" cages which consist of 3-4 flat sides that can be folded and unfolded. Those are still pretty big and clumsy for what I need. Hold out for this tent-pole-like setup got me tomato cages which I can pack down into a single - small! - tote bag. I also really like the modular design, which lets me make the cages exactly as big or small as I want them to be.
Harvesting
It's usually best to harvest earlier than you think! If I want fully ripened peppers, I usually just pick them as soon as they start turning colors; for tomatoes, I let them get between half- and three-fourths-ripened before harvesting, depending on how worried I am about wildlife. When doing this, it usually helps to make sure you include some of the stem to keep the ripening process going.
All ripening vegetables are vulnerable to wildlife, and the birds and other critters will probably decide that that tomato looks nice and juicy juuuuuuust before your delicate human digestive system agrees. It's devestating to decide you'll pick a lovely big tomato tomorrow and then come out the next day to find it chewed in half! More importantly if you have an enclosed garden, it's helpful to keep an eye on the weather; tomatoes in particular take up a lot of water, so if it rains as they're almost ripe they'll tend to grow too quickly, split their skin, and be less flavorful and more watery. Gather your tomatoes before a storm, even if they're not quite ready.
There's lots of tricks to help vegetables finish ripening more consistently, which mostly involve ensuring that various chemicals are around. "Inside a paper bag with other vegetables" usually doesn't hurt, at minimum.