Off the top of my head this morning, I have to make some notes about some keepers from the garden, and some that I will never grow again.

Tomatoes: Black Cherry and Lemon Drops will be garden staples.  They are both prolific and tasty. I knew the BC were good, but the Lemon Drops surprised me.

I will not grow Purple Calabash or Romas again.  Blech.  The Purple Calabash are just plain awful.  I have some sitting on the counter that I don’t know what to do with.  They have a sour, almost fermented flavor that is really unpleasant.  The romas taste like styrofoam.

Purple Cherokee is on my waffle list.  Mine have had a sweetness that I don’t care for.  There are enough other good tomatoes, that this one probably won’t make the list.

Aunt Ruby’s German Green is a keeper!  This ranks right up there with the Malakite tomato.  The flavor is spectacular, and the plants have put out great effort.

Hot Peppers: Aji Crystal is awesome!  It has this amazing crisp texture, and it definitely added a fruitiness to the salsa I made with it.  The heat level is up there, but it’s not the hottest I’ve grown this year.  Definitely a keeper.

I don’t think I’ll grow the Bulgarian Carrot Pepper again.  They are stunning to look at, and the flavor profile is good, but they’re tough.  It is difficult to chop them up for cooking with.  The only thing I could really see doing with them is making a fermented hot sauce, where you need to grind them up and let them sit and do their thing.   I would consider growing them if I was doing market gardening, because they are gorgeous in color and unique.  But for home use, not so much.

Greens: Arugula has to be one of the worst tasting things ever.  Escarole is close to that, though I may give the escarole another chance in some cool spring weather next year.  I’m annoyed that I bought all these seed packets for unusual greens, because most of them are simply awful.

Mizuna, though is a gem of a green.  It’s got a slight peppery-ness to it, but none of the bitterness that the other greens have.  It made a fabulous addition to sandwiches and salads, and the plants never bolted.  It’s cousin, the Ruby Streaks was also tasty, though that variety bolted once it got hot out.

And no more Salad Mix.  I must hunt down more romain varieties, because tha’s our preference.  These floppy greens are not desireable for a tossed green salad.

That’s the beginning of my list for the year.   Every time I walk out to the garden, these things roll through my head.  I decided to get them down in the notes so that I can focus my attentions elsewhere and make other discoveries.   There is still plenty chugging in from the garden!