In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

Nov 12

Nov 12 In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

The past week in my garden has been about beginnings, endings and a few things that continue on. Thankfully, I have fresh limes outside my kitchen door for much of the year.

A squirt of lime brightens a veggie bowl, a Mexican-themed entree and gives an acid kick to soups. The zest and juice add a refreshing, tart flavor to foods without adding fat or calories and less salt is needed when lime becomes the flavor booster.

We gathered most of the second Dorsett Golden apple crop last week. The tree is espaliered to screen my compost bins from view. Last year I lost most of the crop to marauding opossums so as they neared harvest I covered the tree with a fine net barrier.

We ate a few apples for lunch, baked an apple crisp and then made applesauce from the remainder. The Dorsett Golden makes a very sweet and flavorful sauce.

Dorsett Golden was raised by Mrs. Dorsett in The Bahamas in the 1950s. It is one of a very small group of apple varieties that can flourish in warm climates. Like the Anna apple, it has a very low chill requirement. Read more about Dorsett Golden here.

It’s November and tangerine season is near. There’s a generous crop this year and I picked the first one yesterday.

I have a ritual for the first tangerine of the season. Next to the tree there’s a step down to the garden. That’s where I sit to eat my first tangerine. It did not disappoint—and was deliciously sweet and juicy.

Most of the ‘Red Beauty’ bell peppers weigh in at over a half pound.

This may be the last photo ready ‘Red Beauty’ pepper. The season for the remaining two on the plant may be foreshortened and I’ll decide they’ll be green bell peppers.