September has begun, so it's time for the first harvest of this year's goodness from my balcony.

The first tomatoes have already arrived at home, and what I was most looking forward to – hot peppers of various varieties. I'm a fan of spicy food, so hot peppers are always on my radar.

This year's harvest is slightly lower than last year's, but considering the number of sunny days, it's still good.

My peppers go into jars whole. I don't make any pastes or sauces, and I don't dry them; I just marinate them.

I always have onions, garlic, and carrots in my marinade. I also often add hot peppers to pickled cucumbers. They then acquire a distinctive, slightly spicy flavor, but not enough to burn.

I still have two ripening varieties of sweet peppers left. One is a classic tomato variety, and the other is a long red variety, which I like best.

Unfortunately, my white variety, which is perfect for stuffing, didn't sprout this year. Maybe next year.

The raspberry and oblong tomatoes are already starting to ripen. If the weather holds, I'll have harvested all my crops by mid-September.

In the meantime, I've made a few jars of bell peppers, a few mixed salads, such as cucumber and bell peppers, and a few jars of spicy pickled cucumbers.

I'm waiting for the next harvest and will be finishing up the balcony growing season, perhaps in just two weeks.