Jalapeno Salt ~ Dehydrator

Garden season brings us fresh jalapenos, and we use them for so many recipes, canning recipes, salsas, etc.  

In anticipation for summer garden goodies. . .

I had a few fresh jalapenos leftover from a recent meal.  Store bought of course.

I dehydrated those fresh jalapenos per the temperature guide that comes with my dehydrator.  Many people today have dehydrator settings on their actual kitchen stove, or even their air fryer.  I have an actual dehydrator.  I do like my smaller one, now that we are cooking for two.  I am able to dehydrate, using either 1 up to 5 trays at a time, so it's super adjustable.

Once the jalapenos were dry, I ground them in a coffee grinder (specifically used only for such foods/herbs).

I then mixed it equally with salt (and ran all of the mixture in the coffee mill/grinder), and I stored it in an airtight (or re-purposed spice jar) jar.  I used fine pink Himalayan salt for ours.  You can do your measurements however you like.  Don't forget to label her jar.

Use the jalapeno salt on just about anything you'd like to use it on.  I'm thinking this would be good on popcorn too.

We do use a lot of frozen (sliced) jalapenos in recipes all year long, and we use "fire powder" as well, but this combines the two for an easy addition to any meal. 

Jalapenos contain capsaicin, which is said to give you a metabolism boost, as well as provide healthy nutrients etc.

Now, when I cook, and my husband says "it needs jalapenos" which he says almost daily, he can add it quickly.  He can also use our fire powder (a dehydrated mix of mixed hot peppers at the end of the garden season, with no salt).

To read about our "fire powder" see this post:  HERE.

Jalapeno Salt ~ Dehydrator  ©  April 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Garden Begginings of July

 July 1st was fantastic weather here.  I was literally in the garden the entire day.

I came in about dinner time, to start making breakfast for the next day.  I was at my limit of energy, so it was a big batch of scrambled eggs, with some Canadian bacon and blueberry sausages.  There may be pancakes later this week.  There may be radish hashbrowns depending on if they are ready soon (planted late this year).

Kitchen time is so much better, now that I have a new kitchen faucet. It's had problems with water pressure, and getting hot water (build up most likely) for awhile now, and the hose recently broke.  

We are heating up this week now.  We are to be back to the 90's today.

Our peach tree.  Despite it looking half dead (as it has the last few years), it's still hanging on.  The apple trees are full of apples again.  Tree baffles are on the to-do list.  We plan on making our own, but every year we forget due to other projects.  I'm hoping we can get supplies this week.

Potatoes were hilled.

Canteloupe blossoms are on.

Harvested:

Jalapenos are on, and the Garden Salsa hot peppers are about ready, but the tomatoes are far behind (and a lot less than last year).

Boiled eggs from the chickens, and made egg salad with a bunching onion from the herb garden.

By the way, if you are out of mayo, or do not have eggs to make homemade mayo, Greek plain yogurt works for egg salad.  It's not my favorite, but it works, and adds more protein.

Planted:

I planted (late) 9 "fooled you" hot peppers, and have more to plant.  Since the rabbits got all but one of the tomatoes in the other garden, we have room to add them.  I am planting them, because my husband bought them by mistake, thinking he was buying another hot pepper.  I planted them next to our hottest peppers, so we'll see if they will fool us or not.  They are a mild pepper.

I also planted a lot of marigold seeds just before the last rainfall.  We'll see if they come up. 

The mystery berry is indeed wineberry.  They are tiny.  

Sort of hard to see in that photo, but what the rabbits left of the green beans.  We are working on rigging some sort of "fence" to keep them out, but I am weeding like crazy first.  It's a hot mess after all that rain, but everything else is looking good.

Gophers are a struggle around here.  They were the ones eating down the hot peppers early in the season.  They are much different than rabbits in behavior.  If one is outside, they take off running, as soon as they hear the slightest sound.  Rabbits on the other hand, will just sit there and keep eating, as if I'm no threat at all.  As if they are saying, "hey lady, thanks for the delicious food."   Life in the country.  City folks are having gardening issues with them too.

A fence is the only answer, and I think we were "lucky" all these past years.  However, the rabbits ate some of my flowers this year too.  First time for that in all the years living here.

The squash bugs are here much earlier this year, so I have taken care of that, as I saw eggs on the pie pumpkin leaves the other day, and a few actual bugs under one zucchini plant.

The lack of rain has brought in ants. We live in an old farm house.   Again, I have soaked cotton balls in a 50/50 mix of borax and sugar (made into a paste with water.  I place the soaked cotton balls onto a small piece of waxed paper to keep it from sticking to the counter top.  The next day, there are no ants.

Solution for flies getting inside the house.  I was told that a mix of peppermint essential oil and clove on a cotton ball/round, and swipping the areas of the window will keep them out.  So far, it's worked like a charm for us.

Garden Begginings of July  © July 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Weather Heats Up ~ Hot Peppers ~ Eggs ~ Boiled Eggs

 It is tough getting the day started this week.  The cooler weather, just screams "sit, sip and enjoy the morning while you can" and then I delay the day ha ha ha!  It's worth it, as we are heating up now to the 80's again.  

I picked all of the hot peppers that were on the plants.  I don't think we'll get  anything more, as this could be the very last warm fall week we have this season.  There were zero Anaheim  peppers, two baby hot banana, no serrano, and just these jalapenos.  Not enough to can hot pepper jelly this year.  I could buy extra from a farm stand, but I decided not this year.  I will freeze these remaining jalapenos, and keep a few for cooking this week and next.

If you read yesterday's post, I forgot to pack my husband's breakfast for the day (2-day's prep in photo).  I decided to use up some of the smaller eggs, from the newer laying hens, and scramble them.  I added them to his breakfast (and mine).

I put some of the larger eggs in the fridge a few weeks back, and got those out to boil.  There are people who raise layers, and still do not think they can boil their own eggs.  You can, but you have to let them sit a week or two (in the fridge) before boiling, or they will not peel for you.  Also, I put the saved eggs out on the counter to come to room temperature before boiling them.  I do not add anything to the water.  If you want a boiled egg, and only have fresh eggs, you can poach your egg for the same taste.

I add enough water to cover the eggs about 1 inch before I set the pot to boil.

They boiled up perfectly, and I used some for egg salad, and save some for slicing on sandwiched or for snacking.  I sometimes like a few boiled eggs for a quick breakfast.  The chickens are earning their keep.

Hot Peppers, Garden Updates, and other Tidbits ~ Released from Kitchen Captivity

 

I've gotten most of the jalapenos sliced and frozen for the winter/spring season.  I used a few to make another batch of fresh salsa as well.  There are a few more hot peppers to pick yet.

I canned one batch of hot pepper relish, using up the hot banana peppers, two bell peppers and some jalapenos.  I am not getting enough hot banana peppers to make it twice.  I'm okay with that.

We are still enjoying our slicer tomatoes for meals like tacos, breakfast side dish, topped on burgers, or in other meals.  

I will do a re-check on our hot pepper jelly, but I honestly don't feel I will get enough hot peppers over all to can any this season.  The evenings are dipping to the 40's here, so unless we heat up again, the plants won't last much longer. 

We never did get any fall planting done.  Life can throw a wrench in your plans once in a while.

We hope to get back to the chicken coop this week, during evenings.  It's on the top of the list right now.  The floor in the old coop is about to give way.  I had to crawl inside to fetch an egg, that one of the littles laid on the floor of the coop.  The floor is not in good shape right now.

My husband has been battling ear pain, but twice at the doctor, they said they see nothing wrong with him.  The ear pain is slowing down projects, so I am praying it gets better, or he'll have to go get x-rays or something.  He has ear drops, but he cannot sleep well, and days at work are rough with ear pain.

It's a freeing, and exhilarating moment, when you wash, dry and put away the "big pots."  It's even more freeing, when you can put the canner pot back in storage (even if it's for a weeks or months).  I have felt like I have been released from kitchen captivity!!   

New Recipe ~ Heat Index ~ Jalapenos

 

I made the black bean salad suggested, and ended up adding one more jalapeno (with seeds) to it for some flavor (a small one).  Pretty good.  I got to try out my new tool too.  It's for removing the hair off the corn without damaging any corn.

As for the recipe, it makes way too much for us.  We will be eating it for breakfast burritos, nachos, daily snack, etc.  Goodness it makes a lot.  

The heat last week was almost unbearable, and yesterday we hit a high 98 degree heat index.  It's been extremely humid as well.

I took the day off from tomatoes and picked jalapenos.  One batch of Cowboy Candy was made.  It's a good time to save seeds ha ha!  That's a lot of slicing.  I brought in about 4#.

What I call garden dump breakfast.  I made a casserole.  The squash is completely done, but I have not pulled the plants yet.  It's too hot out there.  The bees have cross pollinated the plants and the yellow squash is now producing half yellow and half zucchini.  I will get them yanked, but we are enjoying a few last yellow squash.

I'm moving rather slow this morning.  I tripped and fell over a suit case we had not put away. I'm always good at putting it away right after we get back, but not this last time.  I've been so busy, I have been too tired at the end of the day to get that job done.

Good gravy I am sore.  Maybe it's a sign I need to pack up and take a trip, and ignore all  the tomatoes I brought in.

Speaking of travel, I have a prayer request.  I typically post these on Monday's Happy Homemaker post, but we have a very close friend (Aaron) to my husband that will be driving over several states to see is daughter right now.  He and she, could use prayers.  His adult daughter is in ICU with an unexplained brain bleed, and they are unable to do surgery right now.  Her name is Cheyenne.  

Broken Waste Funnel ~ BBQ Sauce ~ Bell Peppers ~ Tidbits

Here is a photo of the waste funnel that goes to my food strainer/sauce maker.  There are 3 plastic tabs that secure it onto the metal strainer.  One tab broke off.  It has happened before, and I have talked to my husband about upgrading to a metal food strainer.  I have now figured out how I broke it off too.  If you are not careful when you slide the  the piece on, that is the splash guard/strainer, it will brake those tabs off.

The white tray that drains it off into your pot is what I am talking about.  Now my gasket has gone bad that is inside the metal stand part of it, and where you insert the handle to hand crank it.  Juice from the tomatoes now seeps out, so when I crank I have to wrap a towel around the base.  I could not replace the funnel for a year, as it was out of stock, and now the gaskets are out of stock.  With the amount of paste tomatoes we grow, and the amount of sauce making I do, I think an all metal food strainer/sauce maker is going to the top of our wish list.

I am making it work for the season.  I have to hold the funnel, so that the waste does not fall into the sauce pot.

BBQ sauce was canned  (day 7 of "sauce" canning).  We have been super blessed with paste tomatoes this year, but it is exhausting, and heats up the house.  I have been running a dehumidifier this year, to help with the humidity created from the sauce reducing all day.

I have finally caught up with bell peppers, and we are thankful for all that we are getting this year.  Most of the peppers went into the freezer, but we are still enjoying them with our meals.  I made more breakfast stuffed bell peppers and gave some to one of the kids.  They are so good.

Some of the produce we grow is needed ingredients for recipes I can too.  I have a growing list of new items to grow next year, crossing my fingers we get raised beds built.  I did not grow greens, due to the busy spring (husband had crazy work hours), so I have to find local greens and have a day of putting them up for winter.  

Update on the potluck . . . we ended up taking watermelon.  What happened?  Well, we went to Wal-mart to find me some summer slacks to wear to it, and because they renovated and moved everything around, it took us forever to shop and we were late to the gathering.

There were so many high carb sides served, so we ate at home afterwards.  They had lots of chips and dips, pasta sides, creamed corn (starch that we limit), and lots and lots of sweet desserts (so I'm glad we too the fruit).

As for the "slacks" I came home with 3 pairs, and ended up wearing a pair I had in the closet.  Not one of the ones I brought home fit well.  I am tall, and now losing some inches off of me, so it's been hard to find the right fit.  Anyway, I have to return them all now.  At least the return station is in the same place in the store (ha ha!).  

Oh, also, we ran all over tarnation to look for a farmstand with cherry tomatoes.  Not one had them.  I'm planting about 3-4 of those plants next year.