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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

My Top Four Garden Vegetable Picks for 2012!


I really don't like to share garden photos this time of year because the garden itself looks REALLY overgrown and wild...however, this is a sign of lots of vegetable activity and this year was a bumper year for produce.  It was the perfect gardening summer; lots of sun, hot weather and decent rain (supplemented by our rain barrels) made for all around great growing conditions.  I always try new vegetable varieties every year, and this year I found four stellar performers that will definitely be making it back to my garden next year...



These plants were chosen because of taste, ease of growing, and how much it produced.  



My first fave is the Hot Hungarian Wax Pepper (the yellow peppers pictured in the middle.)  It's a garden classic, not a new variety, but that doesn't stop this plant from putting out pepper after pepper!  It's tops in productivity and taste!  It's a medium-hot pepper, the heat is anywhere from 1,000 to 15,000 on the Scoville rating list.  We found them to be hot enough for our eating tastes; they were great in chicken fajitas, quesadillas, chilis, tacos...you get the idea.  If the heat isn't enough for you, you can certainly bump it up to jalepenos and such, but this is a great beginner hot pepper for anyone.  We froze all the ones we didn't eat.  I may possibly pickle the last of the lot as they are excellent for canning and drying as well.  Any way you dice it, this pepper is a winner.


Next on my list is the Japanese Eggplant.  Now, I've grown eggplants for over a decade.  However, mostly in the the traditional egg shape.  I like the larger eggplant for parmesan and to grill up for an eggplant panini, but to be honest, my other eggplants didn't fare to well in the garden this year.  It could have been the location, but thankfully, these two Japanese plants gave us LOTS of delicious eggplants and in a compact size we could use up faster.  So, for a quick growing, versatile variety, you may want to give this kind a try.  Try these sliced up in a stir fry for something a bit different.  This plant was a favorite.


When it comes to zucchini, I'm a bit picky.  I don't like the type of zucchini that is really watery, I prefer a dryer, meatier variety and this heirloom round zucchini is perfect.  It grows ideally to about a softball size or smaller for the best eating quality, but of course, we would inevitably miss some or not get to the garden and ended up with bowling balls.  However, if you cut out the seeds in the middle and peel the skin, this zucchini was still tops to eat.  Nice firm flesh and mild flavor made it a great squash to have on hand.  I stuffed half a dozen of these and roasted them in the oven...fabulous!  The extras, I grated, drained and froze.  AND I managed to dehydrate many more as well for mid-winter soups and stews.  These are a great zucchini to have on hand and they keep a long time in storage if they've gotten bigger.  I've stored them in the pantry for a month and was able to use them after peeling.  Try this one out...it's a Spanish heirloom variety  and I found the seeds in a local grocery store, but you can find some here.  Oh, one more bonus, these plants keep a nice bush form which makes them a space saver...perfect!


Yes, I'm on a squash kick and if you know winter squash, you'll know these are the basic butternut type.  The big difference with this one though is the fact it's a bush variety, more specifically called, "Burpee Butternut."  I have a very small garden space and bush varieties are of vital importance if I'm going to grow squash.  So, this one was perfect for us.  Relatively small plants put out many large squash with a sweet full flavor.   We got about a dozen from only a few plants.  A nice amount for us and these will be perfect diced up in our winter beef stews, pureed in soup and diced and roasted in the oven.  I love this variety and if you are looking for a space saver, this one will satisfy.  I found these seeds in our Walmart, but you can find them online here.

Well, there you have it, my top four faves!  Hope this is helpful!  If it is, pin this so you can plan for your garden next year.  I know these lovelies will be growing for us in 2013.

What were some of your top garden favorites this year?  Blessings!

Linked to these blog hops; Frugal Days, Sustainable WaysCountry Homemaker Hop , Rural Thursday , Homestead Revival Barn Hop , The Chicken Chick , Living Green Tuesdays , Backyard Farming Connection Hop , Simple Lives Thursday , Small Footprint Fridays

20 comments:

  1. Oh your photos make me long for a gigantic garden next year the drought did not allow us to reap any rewards this year but I look forward to the next year. Thank you for the tips on varieties. Awesome photos. B

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    1. So sorry to hear about the drought! We had a slight one in May and June and it killed off some of our stuff or set it back. Our rain barrels really saved the day though...I wish I had gotten bigger ones, they are so valuable to store water when it does rain. Praying for rain to come your way and the drought to be over!! Blessings!

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    1. Here's hoping they'll do better next year for you! :)

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  3. Everything looks great! The rain barrels really helped I bet. :)

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    1. Thanks Nancy. They helped out a bunch in early summer and then they're a great supplement for the times we had only a little bit of rain. My yard is so small that they are easy to use for watering without a hose, but I would use a hose for deep watering tomatoes. :D

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  4. Wow! You grow these in the suburbs? Such beautiful produce! (I'm going to tell my sister about the Hungarian Wax Pepper to see if she wants to add it to the pepper varieties in her green house. She makes pepper jelly and dries peppers as ornaments for her Charlie Brown Christmas tree in the kitchen.)

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    1. Thanks Evelyn. Our backyard is about 60 by 25 feet so we are in a tight space. But I manage to grow most of our produce in a small garden space. We also have a plot at a community garden down the road where I grow most of our squash and green beans. The soil there is not very good and it's not organic, so we try to limit what we grow. Hoping to build some raised beds and grow everything at home. The pepper jelly sounds amazing and what a great idea to make them into ornaments...especially for a Charlie Brown tree! :)

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  5. wonderful photos of I am sure, tasty treats. I do not have a vegetable garden, too much shade, but I envy those that do.

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    1. Thanks Deanna, if you lived close by, I'd be glad to share! :)

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  6. Loved the pictures, Nancy. I wish I had a green thumb too!

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    1. Kathy - thanks! If we were neighbors, I would gladly give you vegetables for awesome fresh eggs! :)

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  7. Love that round zucchini...will have to investigate it further.

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    1. It tastes great and the plants give you a nice amount of squash...not so much that it makes you resent them! :)

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  8. The colors are beautiful! I love the peppers!

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    1. Thanks! It's always great to "eat" with your eyes first! :)

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  9. These are great choices. I'm glad they grow so well for you! I'd love it if you linked up at my new sustainable living link-up, Small Footprint Fridays!

    http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/small-footprint-friday-sustainable-living-linkup-100512

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    1. Thanks Dawn, I will check it out. Thanks for reading too. :)

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  10. Hi Nancy,
    Your Garden and Vegetables look amazing! Hope you are having a great day and thanks for sharing!
    Miz Helen

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Helen! Can't wait to try that Lemon Meringue Pie...the meringue was amazing! :)

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