Hello Cuties, a lady from my quilting group text me to see if I wanted to put up okra and bell pepper. So we wore our mask and went and got them. Marty already had them picked waiting for us. I wanted to show you and let you guess how many bell peppers there are here, all different sizes. This is after Caleb and Ashley each took what they wanted. I got 7 quart bags of Marty’s okra and 2 bags of ours. Our garden was pitiful this year so thank goodness for generous friends.
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I too have a haul of peppers to freeze. It was a wonderful year for them. I plan on making some pepper jelly with some of them too!
20088Oh Toogie! I love fried okra--deep fried or skillet. And the best in the world is to chop green tomatoes , mix with the corn meal breaded okra, and fry until softened and just a crisp on the bottom. Some fry w/onion, but grn tomato is my favorite--I could eat every day!
10173Wow, what a haul - you are lucky! I love green bell pepper - I remember being a little girl and my Mom giving me a little slice of bell pepper with a sprinkle of salt on it - she knew me well - I would eat anything with a sprinkle of salt on it - lol. Now the work starts putting all this up!! Hugs, Laura
1 comment
by toogie
26 Aug 2020
We got it put up, finally. I didn't finish until about 9:30 last night. Some of the grands like it raw too.
96283Lucky you! My DH has grown a garden and we have had lots of okra! It's so delicious battered in corn meal and fried along with tomatoes and corn bread. Man I'm drooling thinking about it. I fix that about 2-3 nights per week during growing season. I can never get enough!
1 comment
by toogie
26 Aug 2020
I love it with cornbread & pinto beans! I can never cook enough for my sister Sheila when she comes. She feels about Okra like Nora does about fresh corn.
158718I'm with Judy, we call them Capsicums down here in Australia. I've never had Okra and when I just looked it up don't think I ever will. Your haul is wonderful and you are so great to be able to store them all in the freezer. Love Chris
5 comments
by toogie
26 Aug 2020
Lol- I had to laugh at you about the okra. When I was a child and momma was cutting the okra up they couldn’t understand how I’d want to eat it raw. I don’t care for it raw anymore but do love it fried and also just smothered down.
by asterixsew
26 Aug 2020
Toogie I am interested in the just smothered down. What exactly does it mean or how do you do it? Thanks
by toogie
26 Aug 2020
Smothered down is easy. Start with shortening and I put my frozen okra right in. When it cooks thaw I season with salt& black pepper. Cook like this until it cooks down, stirring often so it doesn’t stick and burn. I like it just like this as a side dish but I also add white onions or onions, corn tomatoes and just cook down low. It will take a while and stir often but so good!🥰
by asterixsew
26 Aug 2020
Thanks Toogie and the next question is please what are corn tomatoes. Your description of smothering down sounds like slowly frying. Sounds delicious. Your comments below on passion fruit. Like it on a pavlova / merangue or in thick plain yoghurt. Very tasty
by toogie
26 Aug 2020
Corn and tomatoes, it was supposed to be a comma somewhere-lol- I am on IPhone and sometimes it wants to think for me!🤔🙄😩
234507Nice haul.The bottom photo looks like what is known here as capsicums,which have been up to $7.99 a kilo over the last few months.Red capsicums were down to $3.99 yesterday.
It is winter here but we have given away hundreds of passionfruit .The 2 vines have been yesterday ,they went wild climbing up anything in the way.
1 comment
by toogie
26 Aug 2020
I’ve never eaten passion fruit and it says they are tart. I don’t like anything tarty, never did. The kids are always offering me twangy or sour tasing things because they get a laugh when I make a sour face.😉😂
25212I don’t think anyone tried to guess but if I counted correctly I had 108 bell pepper! It may have been as much as 150 because Caleb and Ashley both took some before I counted what was left. I wouldn’t have had to cut up so much if I had seen a text from my other daughter Marsha. It was only when we finished I read her response to me. I had offered her some peppers before we started cutting and I didn’t hear my phone go off to read her text, “yes, I’ll take some!” Well now she will be happy, they are already done!😃
109780You scored well. Enjoy. Hugs
1 comment
by toogie
25 Aug 2020
We just got through, whew! I came out with 7 quart bags of chopped bell pepper and 7 quart bags of okra, from the vegetables that Martha & Marty gave us. I use a lot more okra than peppers but was happy to get anything.
52686God's bounty shared, that's what my son n law has been doing sharing with the entire community. Veggies and now watermelons and cantaloupes. I love fried okra and every time I take a large platter of it to church dinner it's one of the first things that disappears. Glad you have sharers near you Toogie. Bell peppers I use in lots of different things I cook. Especially love stuffed Bells. Congratulations on your bounty!
1 comment
by toogie
25 Aug 2020
I know your son-in-law made a lot this year. I also know you will get some of his harvest and that makes me happy. We both, you and I, like our vegetables. Wish I had a good cantaloupe or watermelon, sounds good. Eat enough for me!😉😂
145791Wowzer! That is a lot more than I have. What do you do with the bell pepper? I was thinking saute'd with garlic, onion and tomato and then place in jars and a hot water bath?
3 comments
by graceandham
25 Aug 2020
I was thinking if I would blanch it before cutting into slices and dice b4 freezing?
by toogie
25 Aug 2020
We are freezing them. We just wash them good, drain and then start cutting up. Freeze in freezer bags and then just take out what you need each time you cook. I admit this is more than I need but I try my best to save any kind of food. I think of all the hungry staving people that would be so grateful so don’t waste food.
by rescuer
25 Aug 2020
Blanch it. Cut it to the desired size. Use freezer paper on a cookie or pizza sheet and spread them out without crowding them and set level in the freezer until frozen. Then, put the frozen (not stuck together) pieces into freezer bags. It is easier to use and they'll last longer too.
173695I would call that a great harvest! Peppers for me and you keep the Okra.
1 comment
by toogie
25 Aug 2020
Marty always has a great garden. So glad when they remember us😃 He said he made the prettiest tomatoes this year, not a blemish. Gave away tomatoes by the bushel to 2 other ladies from our group. I like to put tomatoes in jars. I use them in soups, chili, etc and niece says her hubby eats hers straight from the jar.
18140Great harvest. I never have liked okra, but those green peppers. WOW
1 comment
by toogie
25 Aug 2020
Oh Angie, something must be wrong with you😉😂lol- just kidding you know I love you!❤️ I don’t care for boiled okra. I love purple hull peas and I like smothered okra but my traveling niece likes to put small pods of okra on top her peas right before they finish cooking to boil the okra. Too slimy for me. I like okra, tomatoes and corn cooked together too. My grandson Cameron loves it in vegetable soup. One day I had cooked shrimp, fried and in a gravy. He asked if I had cooked a vegetable soup too because he’d rather have that😳😂
109774Yummy! I hope you still have room in your freezer for these goodies. I would have a blast dehydrating these goodies and using them in sauces, soups and stews.
1 comment
by toogie
25 Aug 2020
You got it Karen, so good in lots of dishes. Yes, I still have room in my freezers. I just hope we don’t lose power.
169064I too am thinking like Sarah. But I have to admit that I buy frozen peppers and put them is stews etc. Toogie have fun prepping this pile of peppers
1 comment
by toogie
25 Aug 2020
It’s always good to just go to the freezer instead of the store. Hubby and I are still cutting up bell pepper but I’m taking a break. I cut by myself at one point this afternoon and my neck, shoulders are burning. So far we have 5 quart freezer bags stuffed with chopped (by hand) bell pepper. I tried once When I was cooking, to put them in the electric chopper. Not good. They got foamy and didn’t chop well either, so it’s slow by hand, but better.
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