Finally.....ajvar!
Yes, the ajvarski peppers grew. And grew. The eggplant did too. I found that I really like the Vittoria variety better than the globe type I usually grow, the Vittoria is prolific and is ripe sooner. So, I picked peppers and eggplant and they went into the oven to roast, along with a couple of heads of my homegrown garlic:

To be continued since I can only post one picture on a new thread.....
Annie
Comments (11)
- 8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
Annjie! I'm so glad to see you back! Missed your posts.
Lovely peppers. Lovely ajvar. Never heard of it till now but it looks interesting :)
- 8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
Who the he!! is Annjie?
Ajvar never lasts more than a day at my house. My alter ego and I would fight to the death for it. Pointless, because there'd be no winners..
Annie, I haven't made Ajvar this summer, I've been busy making pesto, but, I've been reinspired.
.
Sol
- 8 years ago
Annie - I haven't been happy with the Carmen sweet red bulls horn peppers that I have grown the last couple years. They haven't been very productive and sometimes don't ripen evenly. I'm putting Ajvarski on my 2019 seed list. Looks like Baker Creek has a monopoly on the seed.
- 8 years ago
Oh, I'm jealous. Someone sent me ajvarski seeds last year, but they never germinated. I think it's just too hot down here, even in the winter.
- 8 years ago
These are my favorite pepper. I roast them. It can take a month or two for the seeds to sprout. Need a lot of heat. I plant in August and sometimes my peppers will sprout in January! I also try Marconi, which do fairly well.
annie1992
Original Author8 years agoWintercat, thanks for the welcome back, even if I did have to change my name. (grin) I did change it back, LOL.
Sol, come on over, I'll share. I also have to do something with basil, I have two huge plants in front of the house, mocking me every time I go out the front door...
Jack, I'd be glad to send seeds to you, and to bragu too. It's an open pollinated type, so it should be easy enough to harvest seeds from one of the mature peppers. I also have some Sugar Rush Peach, the things are a hedge, about 4 feet tall and loaded, I've never seen anything so prolific. They seem slow to ripen, but if they do, I'll keep those seeds too. It's been a weird year, Michigan isn't exactly known for growing peppers, but this year they've loved the abnormally hot and dry weather.
Writersblock, I'll probably never be able to grow them again, but I'm sure enjoying them while I have them. It's been a weird year, Michigan isn't exactly known for growing peppers, but this year they've loved the abnormally hot and dry weather.
Sonni, I tried Marconi last year and it didn't do well here, I should have planted it this year, I think. I've gotten so many Ajvarski that I'm thinking of dehydrating some and making my own paprika, something I've never considered.
Bragu, just email me your address, and you too, Jack. I'm annie 1992 at yahoo dot com.
Annie
- 8 years ago
Same here Annie. I gave up on any peppers getting so few for years, especially the sweets, but had minor success last year by starting seeds early....late January. So slow to germinate and very slow to size up it was not much seed starting realestate. With the unusual heat this summer I have a pepper hedge row. Shrubbery. Privacy fence! Massive. Just now starting to fill out. Great weather for all peppers!
Ajvar is a good combination of flavors. I use the recipe from Food52 but I also can't use the broiler. Too powerful so I bake. Recipe HERE. About the same but I use much more garlic. And can't ever remember the correct pronunciation....'AY-var'.
Another good one is Nduja, 'en-DOO-ya'. It is an Italian spreadable sausage but I have a vegetarian recipe that is really just Ajvar. (it has caramelized onion and mushroom instead of the pork. I just make all three while I have the ingredients out and chopped. Make the pork last using the same ingredients. (only eggplant in the ajvar). I just freeze in 1/2 pints. No casings, just freeze the mix and thaw/saute later.
So much produce now I'm spreading out the chores having an early harvest this year. Heat wave broke a bit but still hot mid day. Cool 65 early mornings.
I pick my tomatoes at color break if a thunderstorm is predicted to prevent cracking. They ripen just fine on the counter out of the direct sun and on trays downstairs. Freeze slices, freeze cherries whole, and roasting/smoking on weekends.
Still having to oven roast twice a week to keep up since it is easy and just a 2hour roasting. One cup flat packs for the freezer for winter salsas and soups, etc. ....I usually do all this in September-October.

annie1992Original Author