Two weeks ago I was convinced we were going to see our earliest frost ever. Old Man Winter was knocking at the door, ready to take away the garden. Something must have distracted him, because we’ve had a couple weeks of good warm weather, and the garden shows it.

We’ve started picking pumpkins and squash. This is turning out to be a great year for both. I’m really anxious to pick the two giant pumpkins and get them weighed, especially now that the Utah State Fair is going. But I’m happy to have a few extra weeks for them to mature before we have to pick them. I’ll be sure to post some photos when we do.

The Habanero Peppers have started turning orange, but I’m still trying to find creative ways to use them. I took a few to work last week and three different people ate one with much less whimpering and crying than I expected. That gave me the courage to try eating one myself. Later, as I finished my slow sipping of about a half-gallon of milk, I remembered that those guys at my work *love* hot things. When we get lunch at the Thai place, they usually ask for their dishes as “very hot” and “8 stars”. I should have known better. But the flavor was really sweet, until the fire knocked me down.

I was determined to find a way to use them that normal people could enjoy. Today I found one: Habanero Peach Salsa. It really tastes great, and it has, the way I describe it, an after burner. It’s really quite enjoyable.

Of course, Habaneros are not the only thing we have in abundance. So today we made Tomatillo Salsa, Tomato Salsa, and Jalapeno Cheddar Bread to go along with the Habanero Peach Salsa. Charmaine is having a few of her co-workers over for a party, so we hope they like it.