Autumn is in full swing, filled with days of ever changing, invigorating weather that increase my motivation to finish garden cleanup and outdoor projects before the colder, rainier days set in. If I had to come up with one word that describes this season, it is ABUNDANCE. So, even with the major canning projects behind us, there are still the last of the tomatoes, peppers, and tender crops to use up before the frost forces our hand.

Ripening tomatoes continue to line the window sill, used as needed in whatever I happen to making. Irresistibly gorgeous beans capture my heart , and cannot be put out of sight just yet. A basket of ripe peppers shiver out on the porch, waiting to be transformed into a final batch of fermented Sriracha -Style hot sauce...

I used a mix of hot peppers; a few Jalapeños, Serrano, Hot Portugal, and some ripened Pimiento De Padron , but mostly a new variety of pepper this year that I fell in love with. It's called Basque, a PNW selection of "Espalette" chili pepper from Uprising Seeds. Check out their offerings: http://uprisingorganics.com/

For the recipe I used, look on page 24 of their catalog! (You can find the Basque peppers on the previous page)

With the record warm summer we had, it was a particularly awesome year for heat loving crops that normally might need some extra TLC in our zone.

And the warmer-than-normal temperatures have followed us well into fall, holding off our first frost until this past week. Though it was very light here where we live, I'm anxious to get my garlic in the ground, so with no further delay, that's the next thing on my list, along with cutting down the asparagus ferns. Right after lunch, that is....

There's something about the last harvests of lettuce that make it taste so much sweeter, don't you think?