End of Summer Assessment

We had a wonderful gumbo tonight. This is the fourth big batch of okra I've cut this summer. There's at least one more to go. This was not only my best ever summer for eggplant. It was also a record year for okra. The pepper crop is excellent, both bells and chilis. It's probably my second best ever year for peppers. I bought six habanero plants, but they either died or were mislabeled. I have tons of Anaheims, yellow banana, Tabasco, jalapenos and poblanos, but there are no habaneros anywhere. Too bad. I'll have to buy them this year. You never need more than one at a time. They are so hot! But their flavor is incredibly fruity and delicious.

As I've said before this was supposed to be my best squash year ever, but three weeks away in July gave the squash bugs too much of an opportunity. The zucchini and yellow squash were plentiful until late July. Then they were overwhelmed by the bugs. I have grown three beautiful varieties, the muscat de provence, a giant pink banana squash and Long Island cheese pumpkins (one of my favorite squashes). I may or may not have some black futsu squash. The plants are far away from the main garden, and the squash bugs have only recently found them. The race is on. Can I kill bugs fast enough to give the squash time to mature before the bugs eat them all up. i was looking forward to growing legendary marina de Chioggia squash, but the plants were all eaten. Maybe next year.

My cucumber crop has been ok, and the lettuce has been spectacular. I have several new crops coming. I will start cutting new lettuce next week. This was first year for beets. I must plant twice as many next year. They're so wonderful.

My tomatoes have been good, but they are almost finished. The extreme heat has been too much for them. The tomatoes that I grew in the earthboxes did much better than the ones in the garden. Here's a tomato recipe from my friend Barbara.

Tomato Pie
1 1/2 cup Bisquick
3/8 cup milk
7 ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced in medium thick slices
tablespoon chopped chives
tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
cup grated cheese - cheddar or SWiss are good choices
1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise - DON'T use Miracle Whip. It just isn't mayonnaise

Stir milk into Bisquick with a fork and form a ball. Roll out as thin as possible and put in a deep dish 9 inch pie pan. Trim edge evenly. Mix herbs and seasonings. Put in a layer of tomatoes. Sprinkle with herbs and seasonings. Alternate layers of tomatoes and herb mixture. Blend together cheese and mayonnaise. Spread on top of the tomatoes. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. This is good hot or cold.