with silver bells & habanero peppers, part 3

This garden post is late, mostly because I was hoping for a miraculous rebirth from some of my plants. I am finally ready to admit that this garden experiment was not the 100% success rate that I was hoping for. But! I am happy that I have taken pictures to remind me that I did make some yummy things. Including 2/3rds of a killer caprese salad.

Sadly, at some point after that picture, my tomato plants threw in the towel. I am not sure what happened - but they now look all brown and gross. There are a few buds still hanging on and every now and then I get a tomato to stick in my lunchtime salad, but for mysterious reasons, the bountiful, tomatoful August I was hoping for, will not be. 

Also, this lobelia is so dead. It's deader than Jnco jeans. I tried some plant CPR over the weekend but she's a goner. I'm mad at her too. Stupid plant. 

The other front deck flowers seem to be doing okay. I haven't had a dahlia bloom in awhile, but there is some new bright-green growth that is getting me pumped for one more bloom or two.

My lavender summer daisy had all the blossoms for a hot second which was great until I forgot to take a picture. And two of my KKP plants continue to bloom sporadically and make me smile so.big every time. When I die, I want everyone to plant lovely things to remind them of me.

My cuke plant was a total bust. Lesson learned. Thanks for this weirdo, cuke plant.

I'm giving him another day or two to grow then I am throwing him in pickle juice. 

Speaking of pickle juice! My habanero and banana peppers have done amazingly well! I cut 'em all up and threw them in these jars with this recipe for juice (or an approximation of it that didn't require a trip to the grocery store). Today I bit into one and I am so happy! They taste great and will taste even better when I put them on a pizza with pineapple and sausage. Get out of my dreams and into my belly.

Since I'm realistic about just how many more peppers I am going to get this summer, I went the fridge pickling route, using old (clean) jars and I am super happy with the result. Plus I made old things useful again.

But just a warning: you will get habanero pepper juice on your face and you will die.

My bell peppers have been MIA all summer and the strawberries haven't been around for about a month. I keep seeing buds on both plants though, so I'm remaining optimistic.

I know I probably only have a few more weeks of this experiment since everyone keeps saying its going to be an "early fall," (uh, okay, Farmer Brown, if you say so). But maybe we'll get a final victory lap with some of these guys.

Maybe? Right? Maybe? Probably?

That's the thing about this gardening crap. You have to stay so goddamned positive about it. You're taking your Horseshoe Casino money and turning it into a big gamble over life and death. 

Unless you go with basil. It's always a sure bet. I edited all these photos with Over, which was a good idea.