So in the last week I've been starting my peppers and tomatoes in Jiffy Pellets which are basically compacted peat used to germinate your seeds indoors. Just add water, and watch them grow - kind of like Sea Monkeys but faster!
Jiffy Pellets in two sizes, dry and compact and then expanded with water.
Jiffy Pellets in the tray...
...and with the lid on.
So I started my peppers a week ago - Costa Rican Sweet, Habanero, Poblano (Ancho), Hungarian Wax, and Sweet Banana. Last year I had tons and tons of Hungarian Wax and Banana peppers, but I wanted to add more variety this year, hence the others which all came from Burpee. Costa Ricans are listed as large and great for grilling, Habanero are for HOT sauces and dishes, and Poblanos are for stuffing.
You might ask, "Why no jalapenos since you live in Texas??" Well, I had such a bumper crop a couple of years ago that I'm still using those which I dehydrated and then pulverized into a powder in the blender - a little of that goes a long way!
Red, orange, and yellow Wax and Banana peppers from last year's garden. I canned tomatoes in a hot water bath, but the peppers I just packed in straight white vinegar and stored in the fridge with no heat processing. They've been delicious all winter - in fact, I think I like them even better once they've marinated, plus the hot vinegar that results is great for flavoring all kinds of dishes!
For tomato varieties this year, I'm trying Black Truffle Hybrid (a hybrid of the heirloom variety Black Truffle), Sun Gold Hybrid (a yellow cherry tomato), Jubilee (yellow medium), and Roma (a reliable producer for this area). The Black Truffle and Sun Gold are new for me this year (from Burpee). I grew the Jubilee last year, and the yellow color jazzes up any dish! I also grow the Roma every year as it gets enough size for slicing but is not so big as to have problems with cracking.
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