In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

Peppers continue to be the garden stars in mid-October. They are in their prime even as I transition to the winter garden. I’ve topped the plants to force the lower fruit to mature rather produce new peppers.

I’ve begun to pick a few green peppers for stuffing, though my preference is to let them mature to the sweet red stage. Cauliflower waits in the wings. Most of the peppers weigh in at about half a pound each. The two above are just shy of a pound together. They are crisp, juicy and full of flavor.

I opted to let the tomatoes continue through last week. Though the harvest was meager and undersized, they’re a pleasant addition to salads. I generally don’t buy tomatoes so I stretch the season as long as I can. The raised bed is now ready for broccoli which I’ll plant this week.

These are the first two ‘Dorsett Golden’ apples from the second crop this season. The first was in May which seems far too early for apples. But if it means I get a second crop in October, I’ll adapt. The tree is espaliered and screens my compost bins from view.

This round of guavas nears the end, thankfully. Another batch to process and then we’ll likely be done for a few months.

The ‘Hot Cocoa’ rose has a final fling in the October garden. See my earlier post Simple Pleasures for more photos and memorable descriptions of this stellar rose.

See what other gardeners are bringing in from their gardens at Harvest Monday, hosted by Our Happy Acres.