Beans not getting soft?If you cook beans from scratch (dried beans), you may have noticed that they sometimes don't get soft no matter how long you cook them. There are a couple reasons that beans might not be getting soft: Old beans may not get soft, so use fresh beans. Why? As dried beans age, moisture evaporates, giving pectin time to age and harden the skin, which results in beans that refuse to get fully soft. Beans can remain hard if acidic ingredients are added before they get soft. Tomatoes, vinega...
Pinto Beans Recipe - a simple classic!EASY PINTO BEANS RECIPE: Enjoy homemade pinto beans with this classic and simple recipe: Soak beans overnight. Rinse. Add beans to pot. Add water. Add salt, add a whole onion (or dice it up) and a head of garlic. Bring to boil, then bring down to simmer. When they get soft, taste and add more salt if desired. This usually takes about 2-3 hours. Once the beans are cooked and soft, you can add any other ingredients to spice it up! Optional additions and variations: Chile de Arbol, destemmed...
Companion Plants for Tomatoes and PeppersThere are a lot of great companion plants that you can pair with tomatoes and peppers in the garden. If you have a small space, companion planting other vegetables and herbs is a great way to get more harvest out of your garden! Can you plant peppers and tomatoes together? While it is said you should plant them apart because they do share pests and diseases and can compete for the same nutrients, often times gardeners just don't have much room in a home garden so we plant peppers and to...
NEW SEEDS FOR 2025WE HAVE NEW SEEDS ARRIVING! We are excited to announce the addition of new seeds to our mid-season lineup.New seeds now available: Gypsy Sweet Pepper This super fast growing sweet pepper has a fantastic sweet flavor and is never bitter like a bell pepper can be. The plants produce an unbelievable amount of fruit all season that you can enjoy early at the yellow-green stage or wait until they fully ripen to orange-red. Sun Gold F1 TomatoThese bright golden orange tomatoes have a sweet, juicy,...
Vegetable Container GardeningVegetable Container Gardening:The best seeds to grow Even if you don't have a lot of space, vegetable container gardening is possible so you can have your own homegrown veggies and herbs. Starting Seeds for Vegetable Container Gardens: You can start many seeds in a sunny window, or get some inexpensive led or flourescent grow lights and start seeds under the lights to get them growing strong for transplanting into their final containers or pots come spring. The cost of starting your cont...
White Green Chile RecipeHere's a great white chile recipe that uses the amazing flavors of roasted green chile from the garden! During harvest season, we also throw in a few apples if we have an abundance of them, it's a nice way to use up some apples, thickens and adds a hint of sweetness to the chile. White Green Chile Recipe: • 3-4 Cups of white beans, cooked (canned or cooked fresh) • 1 Cup cooked, chopped chicken • 3 cups chicken stock (or bone broth/vegetable broth) • 2 diced potatoes • 1-2+ App...
No-Peel Canned Salsa with Apples!We have an apple tree, and this year it was loaded with fruit! While we like apple pie, we like salsa better, so we just made the No-Peel version of this Canned Salsa Recipe, below, and we added a few peeled & cored homegrown apples to the batch, for a bit of sweetness. It's spicy and delicious! We simply peeled and cored the four apples and threw them into the food processor along with the tomatoes and chiles. We had some sample tastes before canning, it was delish! We can't wait...
Edible Ornamental PeppersEdible Ornamental Peppers These NuMex Easter peppers are absolutely gorgeous in pastel! We'll be making room for these in the garden every year from here on out. They look stunning in containers! Did you know that ornamental peppers are edible? Yes, ornamental peppers like these Easter Peppers are edible! They make great hot pepper flakes when dried after fully mature, or thrown anytime into salsa to kick up the heat. You can also use them to make fermented hot sauce recipes. Many of ...
Harvest vegetables at the right timeKnowing when to harvest vegetables will help you get the best quality vegetables from your garden. Many gardeners allow produce to pass their prime when vegetables are less tender and more fibrous. Below is a guideline to help you determine the best time to harvest vegetables. Pepper and tomatoes are listed first with the Get Real Vegetables information below that. Peppers (bell and chile) can be harvested in three stages. Mature green: Pepper is firm and fully sized. The fruit color is...
Summer Succotash with Peaches & Cream CornSuccotash is a celebration of all the vibrant vegetables coming into season. It is an American dish created where the Three Sisters of corn, beans, and squash are native. Although succotash is mainly composed of vegetables, it is not unusual for bacon to be added for flavor. Succotash knows no limits when it comes to substitutions. The cherry tomatoes have a nice fresh flavor, but when ripe red tomatoes are at their peak, dice and add them for a rich flavor. Early season jalapeños can be us...
Spicy Pickles RecipeGrow and make your own spicy pickles! Here's a couple recipes: Spicy Refrigerator Dill Pickle Recipe » Jalapeno Pickles Recipe » Spicy pickles are one of the easiest ways to preserve your cucumber harvest for year-round enjoyment. You can make spears or slices so you can use them on sandwiches, burgers, or just as a snack anytime. Of course, we think spicy pickles are the best, and we like to experiment with using different chiles to flavor them. Try adding Hatch Chiles for a Ne...
Succession PlantingIt is smart to succession plant seeds for lettuce, radishes, beets, carrots, cucumbers, nasturtium, green onions, and peas all season long to keep the harvests coming. Our Little Gem Lettuce is a Chef's favorite! A cross between butterhead and romaine, Little Gem has the unique trait of having romaine’s crunch with the sweetness and small size of a butterhead. It grows 8" high producing a sweet and compact heart that is the perfect size for interplanting with your other veggies! We r...
Gardening Questions?Do you have local gardening questions? When do I start my tomatoes in my area? What veggie seeds can I direct sow, and when are the best times? What is the best time to start seeds indoors? Should I direct sow beans, or start them indoors in my area? Depending on your area, the answer may be different! You can always ask your own state’s cooperative extension service to answer questions on when to start vegetable seeds and what types of veggies grow best in your area. These local expert...
Pepper Plant CompanionsWondering what to plant with your chile peppers to help them thrive? Flowers, chives, carrots, radishes, squash, basil, parsley, dill, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, cucumbers, eggplant, and onions all do well when grown in close proximity to peppers. But don't plant them too close that they will shade your pepper plants: Squash and cucumbers, for example, need ample space so we plant them at least 3-4' away from our pepper patch. You can also use trellises for your cucumbers to grow th...
Vegan Stuffed PeppersVegan Stuffed Peppers Here is a Vegan Stuffed Peppers Recipe below, including lots of delicious variations and ideas for making the best vegan stuffed peppers. These are some great vegan stuffed pepper recipe ideas if you are vegetarian or vegan, or if you have dairy allergies. You can stuff any pepper, although some of our favorite pepper stuffers are Jalapeños, the Mini Orange Bell Pepper, Red Cherry Hot peppers, Pimento Peppers, the large Beaver Dam Pepper. Of course, all of our hatch chi...
How to Prune Pepper Plants for Maximum YieldHow to Prune Pepper Plants for Maximum YieldWhen growing peppers from seed, you want to make sure you get the maximum yield from your plants. There are many theories on how to prune peppers for the highest yield. We've tried multiple ways of pruning such as topping pepper plants, but we haven't found that topped plants have necessarily produced more peppers than their un-topped counterparts. In fact, in short seasons, it seemed to just put off the harvest a little longer as the plants...
Green Chile Shepherd's Pie RecipeGreen Chile Shepherd's Pie Recipe If you love green chile, then you have to try out this amazing Green Chile Shepherd's Pie Recipe – it is a New Mexican twist on the the classic Irish dish. Who doesn't like a little spice?! INGREDIENTS 4 large potatoes, diced 1 stick of butter (or 1/2 cup of olive oil) 1 onion, chopped 2 cups mixed vegetables (diced carrots, peas, corn) 1 cup of roasted Green Chile (peeled, de-seeded, and chopped) 1 1/2 lbs ground round beef, chicken or pork (...
Harissa Recipe - with Homegrown Hatch ChilesHarissa is a spice mix used in Tunisian cuisine, and can be used on everything from vegetables to soups to rice or couscous. This Harissa recipe uses the famous New Mexican Red Hatch Chiles, which are roasted and peeled to make this delicious spice. 3 fresh* or frozen Hatch Red Chiles (any variety of red chile will do!) 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp coriander seeds 3 tbsp olive oil 1 red onion, chopped 2 tsp tomato paste 6 cloves garlic, chopped 6 hot red chiles, (use super hot peppers like Caro...
Orange Pepper Seeds - An Orange Habanero with no Heat!Grow Orange pepper seeds for some delightful color in your recipes! We have lots of different orange peppers to choose from – ranging from hot to sweet. Looking for a sweet orange pepper? Our Habanada is a sweet habanero pepper with crisp, thin skin and great exotic, floral flavor – all the great parts of a hot Habanero but without even a hint of heat.The Habanada has all the great flavor and the aroma of a hot Orange Habanero, but without any capsaicin to burn your tongue. These are great...
Hottest Pepper 2019Did you know that the Hottest Pepper in 2018 and 2019 is the Carolina Reaper?While there have been rumors of a Dragon's Breath Pepper and a Pepper X that are trying to be contenders for the being the Hottest Pepper in the World... in 2019, the Guinness World Record is still held by the Carolina Reaper. The Dragon's Breath Pepper is not yet a stable strain, at least in our experience. We have been growing out several pods and seeds with varied, un-satisfactory results. The last set of ...
Beans not getting soft?
If you cook beans from scratch (dried beans), you may have noticed that they sometimes don't get soft no matter how long you cook them. There are a couple reasons that beans might not be getting soft: Old beans may not get soft, so use fresh beans. Why? As dried beans age, moisture evaporates, giving pectin time to age and harden the skin, which results in beans that refuse to get fully soft. Beans can remain hard if acidic ingredients are added before they get soft. Tomatoes, vinega...
Pinto Beans Recipe - a simple classic!
EASY PINTO BEANS RECIPE: Enjoy homemade pinto beans with this classic and simple recipe: Soak beans overnight. Rinse. Add beans to pot. Add water. Add salt, add a whole onion (or dice it up) and a head of garlic. Bring to boil, then bring down to simmer. When they get soft, taste and add more salt if desired. This usually takes about 2-3 hours. Once the beans are cooked and soft, you can add any other ingredients to spice it up! Optional additions and variations: Chile de Arbol, destemmed...
Companion Plants for Tomatoes and Peppers
There are a lot of great companion plants that you can pair with tomatoes and peppers in the garden. If you have a small space, companion planting other vegetables and herbs is a great way to get more harvest out of your garden! Can you plant peppers and tomatoes together? While it is said you should plant them apart because they do share pests and diseases and can compete for the same nutrients, often times gardeners just don't have much room in a home garden so we plant peppers and to...
NEW SEEDS FOR 2025
WE HAVE NEW SEEDS ARRIVING! We are excited to announce the addition of new seeds to our mid-season lineup.New seeds now available: Gypsy Sweet Pepper This super fast growing sweet pepper has a fantastic sweet flavor and is never bitter like a bell pepper can be. The plants produce an unbelievable amount of fruit all season that you can enjoy early at the yellow-green stage or wait until they fully ripen to orange-red. Sun Gold F1 TomatoThese bright golden orange tomatoes have a sweet, juicy,...
Vegetable Container Gardening
Vegetable Container Gardening:The best seeds to grow Even if you don't have a lot of space, vegetable container gardening is possible so you can have your own homegrown veggies and herbs. Starting Seeds for Vegetable Container Gardens: You can start many seeds in a sunny window, or get some inexpensive led or flourescent grow lights and start seeds under the lights to get them growing strong for transplanting into their final containers or pots come spring. The cost of starting your cont...
White Green Chile Recipe
Here's a great white chile recipe that uses the amazing flavors of roasted green chile from the garden! During harvest season, we also throw in a few apples if we have an abundance of them, it's a nice way to use up some apples, thickens and adds a hint of sweetness to the chile. White Green Chile Recipe: • 3-4 Cups of white beans, cooked (canned or cooked fresh) • 1 Cup cooked, chopped chicken • 3 cups chicken stock (or bone broth/vegetable broth) • 2 diced potatoes • 1-2+ App...
No-Peel Canned Salsa with Apples!
We have an apple tree, and this year it was loaded with fruit! While we like apple pie, we like salsa better, so we just made the No-Peel version of this Canned Salsa Recipe, below, and we added a few peeled & cored homegrown apples to the batch, for a bit of sweetness. It's spicy and delicious! We simply peeled and cored the four apples and threw them into the food processor along with the tomatoes and chiles. We had some sample tastes before canning, it was delish! We can't wait...
Edible Ornamental Peppers
Edible Ornamental Peppers These NuMex Easter peppers are absolutely gorgeous in pastel! We'll be making room for these in the garden every year from here on out. They look stunning in containers! Did you know that ornamental peppers are edible? Yes, ornamental peppers like these Easter Peppers are edible! They make great hot pepper flakes when dried after fully mature, or thrown anytime into salsa to kick up the heat. You can also use them to make fermented hot sauce recipes. Many of ...
Harvest vegetables at the right time
Knowing when to harvest vegetables will help you get the best quality vegetables from your garden. Many gardeners allow produce to pass their prime when vegetables are less tender and more fibrous. Below is a guideline to help you determine the best time to harvest vegetables. Pepper and tomatoes are listed first with the Get Real Vegetables information below that. Peppers (bell and chile) can be harvested in three stages. Mature green: Pepper is firm and fully sized. The fruit color is...
Summer Succotash with Peaches & Cream Corn
Succotash is a celebration of all the vibrant vegetables coming into season. It is an American dish created where the Three Sisters of corn, beans, and squash are native. Although succotash is mainly composed of vegetables, it is not unusual for bacon to be added for flavor. Succotash knows no limits when it comes to substitutions. The cherry tomatoes have a nice fresh flavor, but when ripe red tomatoes are at their peak, dice and add them for a rich flavor. Early season jalapeños can be us...
Spicy Pickles Recipe
Grow and make your own spicy pickles! Here's a couple recipes: Spicy Refrigerator Dill Pickle Recipe » Jalapeno Pickles Recipe » Spicy pickles are one of the easiest ways to preserve your cucumber harvest for year-round enjoyment. You can make spears or slices so you can use them on sandwiches, burgers, or just as a snack anytime. Of course, we think spicy pickles are the best, and we like to experiment with using different chiles to flavor them. Try adding Hatch Chiles for a Ne...
Succession Planting
It is smart to succession plant seeds for lettuce, radishes, beets, carrots, cucumbers, nasturtium, green onions, and peas all season long to keep the harvests coming. Our Little Gem Lettuce is a Chef's favorite! A cross between butterhead and romaine, Little Gem has the unique trait of having romaine’s crunch with the sweetness and small size of a butterhead. It grows 8" high producing a sweet and compact heart that is the perfect size for interplanting with your other veggies! We r...
Gardening Questions?
Do you have local gardening questions? When do I start my tomatoes in my area? What veggie seeds can I direct sow, and when are the best times? What is the best time to start seeds indoors? Should I direct sow beans, or start them indoors in my area? Depending on your area, the answer may be different! You can always ask your own state’s cooperative extension service to answer questions on when to start vegetable seeds and what types of veggies grow best in your area. These local expert...
Pepper Plant Companions
Wondering what to plant with your chile peppers to help them thrive? Flowers, chives, carrots, radishes, squash, basil, parsley, dill, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, cucumbers, eggplant, and onions all do well when grown in close proximity to peppers. But don't plant them too close that they will shade your pepper plants: Squash and cucumbers, for example, need ample space so we plant them at least 3-4' away from our pepper patch. You can also use trellises for your cucumbers to grow th...
Vegan Stuffed Peppers
Vegan Stuffed Peppers Here is a Vegan Stuffed Peppers Recipe below, including lots of delicious variations and ideas for making the best vegan stuffed peppers. These are some great vegan stuffed pepper recipe ideas if you are vegetarian or vegan, or if you have dairy allergies. You can stuff any pepper, although some of our favorite pepper stuffers are Jalapeños, the Mini Orange Bell Pepper, Red Cherry Hot peppers, Pimento Peppers, the large Beaver Dam Pepper. Of course, all of our hatch chi...
How to Prune Pepper Plants for Maximum Yield
How to Prune Pepper Plants for Maximum YieldWhen growing peppers from seed, you want to make sure you get the maximum yield from your plants. There are many theories on how to prune peppers for the highest yield. We've tried multiple ways of pruning such as topping pepper plants, but we haven't found that topped plants have necessarily produced more peppers than their un-topped counterparts. In fact, in short seasons, it seemed to just put off the harvest a little longer as the plants...
Green Chile Shepherd's Pie Recipe
Green Chile Shepherd's Pie Recipe If you love green chile, then you have to try out this amazing Green Chile Shepherd's Pie Recipe – it is a New Mexican twist on the the classic Irish dish. Who doesn't like a little spice?! INGREDIENTS 4 large potatoes, diced 1 stick of butter (or 1/2 cup of olive oil) 1 onion, chopped 2 cups mixed vegetables (diced carrots, peas, corn) 1 cup of roasted Green Chile (peeled, de-seeded, and chopped) 1 1/2 lbs ground round beef, chicken or pork (...
Harissa Recipe - with Homegrown Hatch Chiles
Harissa is a spice mix used in Tunisian cuisine, and can be used on everything from vegetables to soups to rice or couscous. This Harissa recipe uses the famous New Mexican Red Hatch Chiles, which are roasted and peeled to make this delicious spice. 3 fresh* or frozen Hatch Red Chiles (any variety of red chile will do!) 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp coriander seeds 3 tbsp olive oil 1 red onion, chopped 2 tsp tomato paste 6 cloves garlic, chopped 6 hot red chiles, (use super hot peppers like Caro...
Orange Pepper Seeds - An Orange Habanero with no Heat!
Grow Orange pepper seeds for some delightful color in your recipes! We have lots of different orange peppers to choose from – ranging from hot to sweet. Looking for a sweet orange pepper? Our Habanada is a sweet habanero pepper with crisp, thin skin and great exotic, floral flavor – all the great parts of a hot Habanero but without even a hint of heat.The Habanada has all the great flavor and the aroma of a hot Orange Habanero, but without any capsaicin to burn your tongue. These are great...
Hottest Pepper 2019
Did you know that the Hottest Pepper in 2018 and 2019 is the Carolina Reaper?While there have been rumors of a Dragon's Breath Pepper and a Pepper X that are trying to be contenders for the being the Hottest Pepper in the World... in 2019, the Guinness World Record is still held by the Carolina Reaper. The Dragon's Breath Pepper is not yet a stable strain, at least in our experience. We have been growing out several pods and seeds with varied, un-satisfactory results. The last set of ...
