Bell peppers are awesome but $1.00-1.50 per pepper is outrageous. They're expensive because they are input intensive and not hyper productive plants. Naturally, instead of paying for peppers, I wanted to grow my own. This led me to discover a variety of pepper from True Leaf Market, the "Sunset Italian Pepper- sweet". 

I started mine along with my other peppers (cayenne, habanero, and jalapeno)  early April. They grew quickly compared to other varieties. When I potted them up to 3”x3” pots, I sprinkled a small amount of Dr Earth’s organic fertilizer and transplanted them in late May. I used a mix of Dr Earth’s and Tru-Organics fertilizer throughout the season and each plant responded well. The peppers mature into a variety of colors. I got yellow, orange, and red peppers averaging 4-6”. The flesh of the pepper is medium thickness (in between a bell pepper and the small snack peppers) easy to deseed, and has a mild sweet flavor. The 3 plants I have produced 2-3 mature peppers per week which was easily enough to make several batches of stir fry.  If you’re interested in or currently growing bell peppers I’d recommend giving this variety a try. 

Link to TrueLeaf: 

https://www.trueleafmarket.com/products/organic-sweet-sunset-italian-pepper-mix

If you’re ready to end your dependence on seed oils you’ve come to the right place. Rendering fat at home is a simple process that can be done without specialty tools. I render both beef and pork fats (tallow and lard) at home to use in place of vegetable oil. Check out this beginners guide to rendering fats at home: 

1. Buy raw fat from your local grocery store or butcher. I purchase my fats from a local butcher in bulk. A 5 lb pack costs around $10 and will yield about half a gallon of finished product. I recommend keeping this frozen until you’re ready to use it.

2. Slice and dice! I partially thaw my fat and then use a large knife to shave small pieces off the still firm block. By reducing the size of the pieces you’ll speed up the process of melting down. Note: Fat has a low melting temp and even the heat from your hands will tend to turn a frozen block of fat into a slippery blob. Work quickly, wear gloves to keep things clean, and don’t stab yourself.

3. Cook your trimmings. I use a crockpot on low heat. Low and slow is the name of the game. It’s helpful to add a small amount of water (¼ cup) to the bottom when you first begin rendering the fat. This will help prevent scorching early on.

4. Stir and wait. Within a few hours you’ll begin to see the fat liquify. The key at this point is to monitor for any bits that are browning and scoop them out. Browning will cause your finished product to have a stronger flavor. Note: Stirring at this stage can cause the fat to boil rapidly.

   

5. Strain the remnants. When the majority of your fat has melted into a clear yellow liquid you’re getting close (a full crockpot usually takes 10-12 hrs for me). You can begin straining the solids from your fat. I use a wire strainer first then add a coffee filter or cheesecloth to remove any remaining fine particles.

   

6. Ensure all water is evaporated. I recommend straining your liquid fat into a large saucepan for this step. Keep the fat on the stove over low heat and stir frequently until no more bubbles form. Water when heated creates steam and forms bubbles. No more bubbles means no more water and you’re good to go.

   

7. Let the fat cool and package. After cooling slightly I pack my tallow and lard in pint jars and keep them in the freezer for long term storage. It should solitify at room temperate into a mild smelling white solid. Rendered fat is shelf stable but to prevent the possibility of it going rancid, sacrificing a bit of freezer space isn't that bad. I also refrigerate opened containers with the lid on to prevent any off flavors absorbing in the fridge.

   

A few things to start. There are two broad types of tomato plants, determinate and indeterminate. Determinant tomatoes grow to a certain size and then stop growing. Indeterminate tomatoes will grow continuously throughout the season (FR FR no cap). Determinant tomatoes generally should not be pruned. I select indeterminate varieties because I want to maximize production.The downside to this is they get massive. If you’re low on space, they can easily overrun other plants and crush weak support structures. We don’t play that weak tomato game out here. If you’re wanting to bump your rookie numbers, try out the following with your indeterminates:

Prune lower leaves and allow the wound to heal: Below you will see a close up of my current tomato plants. Several weeks ago they were potted up into 2”x2” pots with a potting mix and dusting of organic fertilizer. They have doubled in size, I’ve rotated them outside to harden them off (acclimate them to the sun and outdoor temp shifts), and they are ALMOST ready to go in the ground. The last thing I do before I plant is prune the lower leaves. This allows me to plant the tomatoes several inches deeper in their permanent home. In red you can see several places where I have clipped leaves. The wounds will scab over in a few days. In green you can see the hairlike fibers above the soil line. These, if planted below the soil line, will become roots. In their current pots, these plants have about 2.5” of root system below the ground. Trimming the lower shoots and planting deep will effectively double the area of the root system. Since these plants will grow continuously through the season, it's a small setback that will pay serious dividends later on.