You wouldn’t think I’d still be finding new blooms in the garden at this point in the year but, in fact, I am. The stonecrop is just coming into bloom, much to the delight of our little bee friends. I just put the stonecrop in last summer and it’s doing very nicely indeed. Beginning to climb up the railing but with no buds as of yet is the moonflower vine. Some years I get blooms and some years we get an early frost and I get nothing. It’s been quite a cool summer this year so the race is one. Not pictured is my sweet autumn clematis which has also yet to bloom but at the moment if I tried to take his picture all you’d see would be honeysuckle.

The best bargain at the farmer’s market yesterday was bell peppers 4/$1. I also found some delicious bagels, and some delicious cranberry lime sauce in addition to the usual fruits and vegetables.  Appalachian Naturals doesn’t make it to our little farmer’s market often so I hope I catch her  again because I’d really like to snag some of that horseradish dip for steaks.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup rice
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can beef broth
salt and pepper to taste
4 bell peppers, seeded with tops reserved

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Cook the onion in a bit of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until soft. Add the garlic and cook a further 60 seconds, while stirring, until fragrant. Add the meat and continue to cook another ten minutes or until meat is just cooked through. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the green peppers, and remove from heat, stirring to mix thoroughly. Spoon mixture into each of the four peppers, replacing tops. Assemble peppers in a casserole dish, pour about 1/2 cup water in the bottom of the dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes or until rice is tender.