Putting Up For the Winter

I waited all summer, literally since June, for these.

And I don't even eat eggplant!  I like the way it looks and this one is truly exquisite.  Something that purple should be fruity and amazing, not eggplant tasting.  It's pretty to look out and see a couple of them in my garden, so I have grown it before and then gave it away.  I had no idea it would be September when I was finally seeing what they'd look like.  And these actually have thorns by the top!  I've never seen an eggplant like this.

The peppers are finally coming but it has been ridiculous.  First, I couldn't get them to start and I tried several varieties, several times.  When I finally got plants, I put them in around the beginning of July and just today, I saw that there were small peppers that I could actually pick. 

I picked what I think might be a bushel of green beans.  It's really probably more like a few quarts, but it sure is a lot.  I like to freeze them for the winter and at this rate, I think I might make it through the winter with plenty of green beans this year.  There are so many more coming. 

Beans are funny around here.  The climbing beans are so slow to get going then I worry I won't have any and I plant more and then they all come in at once.  I actually have some that climbed a sunflower that is taller than the greenhouse and now the beans are at the very top and I either have to get a ladder or climb on k-ster's shoulders to reach them.  I'm not kidding.

I planted more cukes about a month ago and they have just taken off.  Without the dampness of spring the slugs are more or less hiding and the cukes are flourishing.  I think I'll get them until frost, for sure.  My original cukes pretty much done, so this is nice to see!

We went to pick apples yesterday and came home with about 70 pounds of a couple of kinds that I can't name.  I enjoyed the applesauce so much from last year, I wanted to get about 40 pounds now and then go in a few weeks and get about 40 pounds of a different variety.  We ran out in January last year, and I want to have more in the late winter.

We came home with this:

I made some applesauce and canned it, but there's more ahead.  And I still want to go back and get a different kind at the end of the month.  But I'll have to be sure to give k-ster just one bag this time so we don't end up with 100 pounds!

Again, I need some Ag Days NOW!