

We harvest dozens of tomatoes from each plant in our Alabama test garden, where the harvest season lasts two full months and the growing conditions are very good. Compared to other beefsteak types, Big Beef is early and will set fruit reliably even in cool, wet weather. The fruit is borne on vigorous, indeterminate vines from summer until frost. The large fruit has old-time tomato flavor and the vines are resistant to many of the problems that can discourage gardeners. Finally in 1994 those wishes came true with Big Beef. Some gardeners also let the seeds drop to make new plants.Fall is a great time to grow cilantro in mild climates, as the plants are frost tolerant and love the cool weather in fall, winter, and early spring.Organic varieties are only available at retailers.įor years gardeners wanted a large, beefsteak-type tomato that was delicious, early to bear, and highly disease resistant. You can grind the seeds or use them whole. After it blooms, harvest the seeds-they are what you buy in spice jars as coriander, another common ingredient in Asian cooking. Cilantro grows tall and blooms at the end of its life, usually after the weather gets hot. It is a fast-growing annual except in milder climates where it will overwinter. Young leaves have the best flavor, so be sure to harvest often. It grows in a rosette of stemmy leaves that are ready to harvest shortly after planting. Sometimes called Chinese parsley, its distinctive aroma and flavor is also part of Caribbean and Asian foods, lending flavor to recaito, salsas, curries, salads, chutneys, herbed butters, and meat marinades.Cilantro looks like flat leaf Italian parsley, but the leaves are thinner. The leaves have an instantly recognizable fragrance that fills a room when you cut them. If you like the aromatic flavor of salsa served in Mexican restaurants, you'll like cilantro. Jalapeño became the first pepper in space when a bag full of pods accompanied astronauts on the shuttle Columbia in November 1982! Organic varieties are only available at retailers. Use jalapeño on nachos or in salsa, or smoke the mature red ones over mesquite chips to make your own chipotle sauce. The compact plants grow well in containers.

Widely adapted, jalapeño plants yield a bountiful harvest in dry or humid, hot or cool climates. If peppers grow fast, get plenty of water, and are harvested soon, they may be milder than peppers that stay on the plant a long time, or that develop slowly and under stressful conditions. Often, the heat of the peppers will vary, even those from the same plant.
#Appetizer often served with mint chutney skin#
The skin may show a netting pattern as fruit ages, but it does not affect flavor. Jalapeño produces 3-inch, thick-walled, moderately hot pods with deep green color that matures to a bright red. Named for the town of Jalapa, Mexico, this is the most popular chile pepper in the United States. Recipe by Sarah Ward, creator of the blog of the dirt Fresh and green mint leafs in the garden in summer day. Let us teach you the best way to grow your own mint. Mint will grow vigorously when planted in the ground, but it also grows very well in containers. It complements a large variety of fresh herbs, fruits, and vegetables, and is a wonderful plant to have on hand.

Spearmint is sweeter than peppermint and is very good when used in addition to other herbs or flavors. There are many varieties of mint, and while all of them are essentially "minty" in the same way, each one has a unique flavor quality.

Mint Chutney! Featured Ingredient: Spearmint Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use.(If you prefer mild chutney, leave the chili out altogether.) If you aren't sure how spicy you want your chutney to be, start with a small piece of green chili, process for 30 seconds, taste, and go from there.Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until finely chopped and smooth (about 2 minutes).It would also make a wonderful addition to plain hummus, either mixed in or spread on top to serve at a party. We tested this recipe served over sauteed cauliflower that we'd seasoned with a store-bought Indian spice blend, and were delighted with the results. Mint chutney is often used as a condiment for Indian cuisine, served alongside spices to flavor entrees and top freshly baked naan.
