First Frost

The average first frost date here is October 10. It has been as late as early November and the hardest first frost I remember was right around October 10. This morning, was an early one to prepare breakfast for Son 1 who spent the night prior to setting off on a weekend adventure with friends and it was 37f (2.78 c) upon groing down to cook. When I stepped outside to wish them safe travels, there was frost in the grass. It was still early morning, but early light out.

Later, after the sun was higher, the remains of the garden were checked to see if there was any damage to the remaining produce. Though the spinach and turnip greens were lightly frosted, they seemed ok and some spinach was cut for a later meal. The peppers didn’t seem any the worse off, but a few dozen green Seranos were picked, there just isn’t enough time for them to ripen to red. A few Jalapenos and 3 bell peppers were also brought inside.

Last night, hubby said he would like some chili soon and since Friday’s are grocery market days, a pound of ground beef that didn’t need to be thawed first was purchased. Several, 4 or 5 of the Seranos were minced along with half an onion and a few cloves of garlic to add to half of the pound of beef, the other half set aside for another meal. I suppose I should have tasted it before adding anything else spicy as I knew a can of Rotel tomatoes with green chilies, and a can of beans in chili sauce were going in the pot, but foolishly, I added about a tablespoon of Mexican Chili powder too. Needless to say, it could nearly self ignite from the heat. He loved it. My tolerance for spicy has significantly diminished as I have aged and required an OTC Pepcid to tame the burn after dinner. There is about a bowlful left and it will just intensify as it sits either in the refrigerator or freezer. Glad I don’t need to eat it again.