jubilado
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Re: What are you eating from your 2019 garden?

I'm eating the last of the nispera, the oranges are nearly done, lemons and avocados continue to produce, and the nectarines are just about ready. A shop in Orgiva gives me two euros a kilo for avocados, an excellent price as they sell for under four euros, but I failed to thin mine out and most are rather small.
I noticed a sudden burst of quince fruiting this morning, and hope not to make the same mistake.

There's a public footpath - a nature walk - which goes through the middle of my garden, and yesterday I was looking over the balcony and spotted a friend from the village, with her daughter who teaches me Spanish every week, and her husband who I'd not previously met. I went down to have a chat, and it transpired that they had bought what was supposed to be a feijoa tree over the 'net, and were not sure it was as advertised. Could they have a look at my feijoa and compare?
We went down to the lowest accessible terrace, where my two trees are, and it was obvious that they had something similar but not the same. My Spanish is poor but I think they have something from the guavo family?

There are suckers growing from the base of one tree, and they asked if, when winter comes, they could try to propagate some.
Of course I agreed, but I'm also wondering if it would be better to take clones now, while everything is growing?
Any advice would be welcome ...

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rainbowgardener
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Sweet corn! (Silver Queen) Tons of tomatoes. One plant, beefmaster, is consistently producing three quarter pound tomatoes. Peaches! Harvested a bucket of peaches today. Some were not fully ripe and I put them in a paper bag with an apple to ripen up. The longer I leave them on the tree, the more likely birds or bugs will get them.

Pulled the beans and planted more. Second planting of corn is tasseling and third planting is just sprouting . Okra is sprouting . Broccoli, chard, and kale are still producing. Harvested the rest of the fall planted onions. Spring planted onions are coming along. Hot peppers are producing and I picked the first couple bell peppers.

Love summer in the garden!

pepperhead212
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I ate my first tomato yesterday! Still getting greens, and starting to get full sized green peppers, eggplants, and all sorts of herbs.

gumbo2176
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pepperhead212 wrote:I ate my first tomato yesterday! Still getting greens, and starting to get full sized green peppers, eggplants, and all sorts of herbs.
And I pulled all my tomato plants earlier today. I had several tomatoes that were ripening but split open due to heavy rains last week and even though I had about 20 green tomatoes, the vines were fading fast and I didn't think they'd last long enough to see the green ones ripen. So, It looks like some fried green tomatoes, okra, squash and eggplant are going to be on the menu in a couple days.

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applestar
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A 18 blueberries protected from birds by snapping clear clamshell containers over the fruit clusters. Starting to clear out last of the peas (Sugar Sprint) from the patio SIP’s.

Also pruned a bunch of fig side branches, so harvested the leaves and toaster oven reheated some leftover chicken wrapped in fig leaves then aluminum foil. Imparted complex aroma during steaming. May try not using the aluminum foil next time and see if sort of Smokey flavor will also develop as the leaves scorch....

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TomatoNut95
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Congrats on your first tomato, @Pepperhead! What kind?

Sorry you had to pull up your tomatoes, @Gumbo! :( What varieties do you plant? I think ones with thin skins are more prone to splitting.

My pepper plants are working! My sweet banana, Cal.Wonder bells, and Big Bertha have little ones on them! :-()

gumbo2176
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TomatoNut95 wrote:
Sorry you had to pull up your tomatoes, @Gumbo! :( What varieties do you plant? I think ones with thin skins are more prone to splitting.

My pepper plants are working! My sweet banana, Cal.Wonder bells, and Big Bertha have little ones on them! :-()

I only planted 2 kinds this year, Better Boy which are large slicing tomatoes and Roma. Most of the time I'd also plant cherry tomatoes but didn't this year.

I still have a dozen or so pepper plants from mild bell peppers to ghost peppers, 2 types eggplant with Ichiban and the larger purple globe type, okra and 2 varieties of cucumbers, one for pickling and one for slicing. I picked a 2 gallon bucket of edamame quality soy beans this past Saturday and still have about 1/3 more plants to pick that were planted a couple weeks after the first batch.

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TomatoNut95
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Perhaps if you were to switch tomato varieties to ones that don't split so much. My mystery tomato split BAD! My beefsteak did a little but not as bad. My Bradley and Ketchup tomato did not split at all. My white cherry is just now working. My Oxheart is not producing at all. Dutchman is trying. Garden Peach is coming along. Cosmis Eclipse fruits are being a slowpoke and a runt.

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applestar
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Elderflower/Strawberry juice punch made from 2nd water extraction of elderflowers after making elderflower syrup from the first extraction, frozen dead ripe wild strawberries from the spring harvest, home made vanilla sugar, clover honey, lemon juice, whole plant nasturtium tincture (last season), sea salt, cinnamon — all liquified smooth in the blender. YUM

gumbo2176
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Between what I harvested about 2 weeks ago and this past weekend, I have put up 9 qt. bags of edamame quality soybeans in the freezer after blanching them in salted water. I didn't plant as many seeds this year as last year and had to replant part of a row due to some of the seeds not sprouting----probably rotted in the ground due to the soil staying too wet with rainfall at the time.

I did leave about 15 plants in the ground to let go to seed and that should give me enough to plant next spring or possibly in the next 6 weeks or so for a fall crop.

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PraticalGardener
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Wando peas, fresh out of the pea pod! :mrgreen:

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TomatoNut95
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Yesterday I was 'volunteered' to go pick over overgrown rows of zipper cream peas in the company of a mutt that kept sitting in the pea rows in my way, and a VERY talkative 5 year old. I sweated up a storm, but thankfully I had a bottle of water to pour on my head.

When I came home to see my own garden, I picked two Black Cherry tomatoes, one of which didn't make it into the house. My cherries split bad after that last rain.

I have been picking a nice handful of tomatoes off my Beefsteak, Blue Beauty and Ketchup. Some are still ripening in the windowsill, the rest are sliced, ready for sandwiches.

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TomatoNut95
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This morning I did a little 'grocery shopping'! :-() Bells, a curly Q Sweet Banana, a Nadapeno Jalapeno, two incorrectly colored Cosmic Eclipse tomatoes and a Black Cherry!
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imafan26
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Beets and rosemary harvested for roasted vegetables. Green onions harvested for fried cauliflower rice. 2 cucumbers for lunch.

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kayjay
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Quite a bit behind where I'd normally be because of our lousy rainy spring here in Ontario. I picked some basil leaves a few weeks ago to make a Caprise salad, and finally had something more significant yesterday.
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I'm about to make a cheddar jalapeno omelet for brunch, and we'll be having spiralized zucchini with pesto and chicken for dinner. 8)

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TomatoNut95
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Beautiful basil, @kayjay! I had to pull mine up because stupid grasshoppers were eating it.

Ahhhhh... cheddar jalapemo omlet! Thanks for making my mouth water! :)

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applestar
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I made sun tea — 8 teabags in 1/2 gallon jar, plus a few slices of my ginger and my turmeric. Sweetened slightly with honey and vanilla sugar. So yummy. I tried it iced with (1) lime juice and (2) rice milk. I kind of like the rice milk / "chai" style better for evening and lime juice style was really refreshing in the daytime.

imafan26
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Green onions. I put it in fried rice. Tomatoes and upo. My sister made chicken with upo and tomatoes.

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applestar
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Finished the sun tea so I started some infused water with the abundant harvest :D

Image

- slices of cucumber (found use for that overgrown cucumber with inedible seeds — watery and spongy but sweeter so perfect for this), organic lime, and those black little round things are elderberries. Added 1/2 tsp sea salt to 1/2 gallon jar of filtered water.
— tasted some after just one hour and it’s really good! Added a slice of ginger and a slice of turmeric with ice cubes. Tempted to put ginger slices in the infusion mix, but that might turn some of the family off, so I’ll just put in individual servings for now.

- diced ripened in the kitchen tomatoes and some of today’s split Coyote and Champagne cherries and antho (probably Helsing Junction Blue) + cutting celery and lemon balm and just 3-4 slices of turmeric in a quart size carafe. Added 1/2 tsp of organic cane sugar to this one.
— haven’t tasted it yet :wink:
__ after infusing for 3 hrs __ hm, maybe a tad too much celery? I forgot that cutting celery is more intense than regular grocery store celery — the strong celery aroma rush in with the air I’m breathing -before even tasting anything- as I’m taking sips, but the flavor on the tongue is tomato, with that crystalline sugar dancing around the edges without being actually sweet. I’m glad I didn’t add sea salt as the celery and the tomato seem to be supplying enough hints of salt. I’m not sure if I’m tasting the turmeric or maybe I am, but the citrusy notes must be coming from lemon balm. This is very good, too, if you like tomatoes. :D
Last edited by applestar on Thu Aug 15, 2019 3:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Added tomato-celery infused water tasting report.

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applestar
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This morning — the cucumber-lime infused water is taking on a slightly bitter note. I don’t mind it, but I know this will turn off my family. I think from the lime pith and rinds. I may have to use peeled lime slices with pith removed, and then float some shaved lime peel, or device a way to pull out the lime slices before bitterness sets in....

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digitS'
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I suppose that it wasn't all that sensational for me to have noticed ..

. how heavy the kitchen trash was as I carried it out this morning ..

. from all the gnawed-on cobs from the sweet corn patch.

:wink: Steve

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applestar
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Corn cobs and shucked husks are great for re-activating the compost pile. Unfortunately my corn never grows that well, but there is a road-side stand that sells delicious picked fresh corn near here and DH buys 2 dozen at a time. Conventionalky-grown, so not as trust-worthy as my own garden trimmings and debris, but I do go ahead and put the corn scraps in the compost pile.

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applestar
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We are enjoying the ripened to perfection “sauce tomatoes” — Cow’s Tit and what I believe are Canestrino della Garfagnana. 3-5 days after harvesting on the kitchen counter, they turned as red as they were going to get, and the just-picked “green” taste (that had been present in the fruits that had to be eaten right away due to splitting) has mellowed to straight up blast of sweet front-end flavor with building rich umami, and lingering tangy acid. Combined with my Shimofuri F6 determinates which are also “floaters” — tomato fruits separate into fruits that float in a bucket of water and fruits that sink. (Cow’s Tit and Canestrino della Garfagnana(?) -which are paste and stuffing varieties- float as expected.... Actually, Cow’s Tit is as dry as can be, but Canestrino della Garfagnana(?) is juicy and meaty enough to eat sliced in a sandwich — DH had some with his hamburgers the other night.)

Shimofuri F6 that don’t immediately get sunken spots within 3-5 days develop rich umami and, while not in same class as the other two, are more juicy and add to the liquid volume.

I cut out the stem end and pithy core as needed, and then roughly cut up the bigger fruits, put them in a pot sprinkled with sea salt, and just enough EVOO and water to keep from scorching. Heated to simmering with lid on, mashed with potato masher, and then just straight forward strained through fine strainer for tomato juice/broth (no more mashing or pressing/squeezing). I heated this juice/broth up with some rice milk, pats of butter and a glug of EVOO, and sprigs of fresh oregano and basil, freshly ground black peppers... added some cooked brown sweet rice and white rice, then poured over cheese of choice for nice “cream” of tomato soup. I had mine with extra cooked rice and Hatch/Cheddar cheese, DH had his with Wisconsin Cheddar curds, and DD had hers with extra cooked rice and mostly Cheddar Curds + a surprise chunk of Hatch Cheddar. :D

I reserved the remaining hot pulp, skin, and seeds by pouring into a hot quart jar and sealing with canning lid and seal, cooled until the lid pinged and then put in the refrigerator. 3 days later, I opened the jar — the lid was vacuumed shut but openable by hand so not a super tight seal, and taking inspiration from Gary350’s enchilada sauce recipe, added chopped onions, garlic, green Doux Long d’Antibes (sweet pepper), pale green Aji Dulce Amarillo (seasoning/sweet habanero ripens yellow) as well as green and red DK Snacker and ivory colored/“green” Pale Rider (these are test trials of no-heat jalapeño), honey, sea salt, lime juice, garden harvested and dried oregano, cumin, coriander, my own chili powder and hot pepper paprika, plus a bit of commercial Hot sauce (Red Hot) to deepen the flavors. Fitted the Oster blender rubber gasket and blade assembly onto the regular mouth quart jar and puréed the lot. Poured the puréed contents in a pot and heated to boiling with lid on, tasted and added a little more lime juice, sea salt, and some of my hot pepper jelly.

I’m not sure what you would call this sauce — maybe closest to taco sauce or something between taco sauce and salsa? Whatever it is, it’s very good and neither DH nor DD think anything more needs to be added or adjusted.

I’ve rinsed out the quart jar with hot water and filled with the sauce from the pot, and then re-“sealed” with the lid to keep in the fridge for now. If necessary, I’ll re- heat one more time and then distribute in smaller jars and hot-water bath at least before storing in the fridge. (the recipe is too random/doubtful this will keep in the room temp. pantry).

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rainbowgardener
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Yesterday's harvest was tomatoes, peppers (bell and hot), rhubarb (re your earlier question about fruits -- rhubarb is not a fruit, but is treated like one and I am still harvesting it), okra and lots of herbs. I made pesto and purple basil jelly, dried lavender and mint. I made strawberry rhubarb pie filling and froze it and the pesto. Did stir fry veggies with all the other stuff in it. The pie filling is because I promised to make a pie for our Pies for Peace event on International Day of Peace (Sept 21). I have the (store bought) strawberries and rhubarb now, so I decided to make the filling up in advance.

Corn is a total loss this year. I pulled up the plants from the third planting and composted them. They were barely making cobs and only long after the tassels. They were affected by our long stretch of heat and drought. Even though I watered almost every day, every time I came out, the leaves were all rolled up lengthwise and plants looking pathetic. And as someone else suggested, all that watering may have flushed out nutrients that corn as a heavy feeder needs. And I'm thinking these beds that I have gardened intensively for four seasons may be getting a bit depleted. I add compost and mulch regularly but nothing else and that may not be enough at this point.

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applestar
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Fall is coming, so this will be your opportunity to bury some HOT stuff that needs the months to breakdown and neutralize — horse and chicken manure, etc.

Do you eat shellfish and seafood? ...my compost pile got a boost from some crab remains recently...

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digitS'
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I had cabbage for lunch but that is a leafy green that sometimes has serious aphid problems in my garden. Mostly, it has been okay in 2019.

A new edible: Ornamental Amaranth.

Yep. I did some checking. It's both edible and ornamental. I was given the seed but you can find it at Adaptive Seeds - probably, the Oeschberg variety, altho those don't look quite right for what I have in that online catalog.

What I have tried in recent years in quests for summer greens has been tiny plants from Kitazawa. I was hoping to get more per seed.

Well, these Oeschberg Amaranth plants grow to be huge things and the leaves can still be harvested, if you like the pronounced flavor. Tried again by making a second sowing ... harvested the tiny plants and ... they are tender and mild :)!

Anyway, I'm back to tiny plants and don't want them to grow to their full size :wink:. They very much remind me of baby beets. Well, I like that!

Steve

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rainbowgardener
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@applestar. Nope, no fish, shellfish, seafood.

Chicken manure goes in the compost pile every day. Do you think for fertility, it would be better to put some of it directly in the garden beds? In the compost pile, it gets mixed with bunches of other stuff-- the bedding straw, lots of pulled weeds, garden scraps, kitchen scraps, etc.

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applestar
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I don’t know what the specific difference might be since you’ll be using the compost later in the beds, but maybe some of the nitrogen/nutrients will be bound into the soil foodweb and become bioavailable later? Was wondering maybe you could even devise a “chicken tractor/playpen” to put over the bed you’ll be growing corn next year, after they are finished for the season, and let the ladies stay in there for a short time and scratch around and eat any greens/weeds/bugs/grubs left in the bed.

You would also be able to grow legume winter covercrop/green manure since it doesn’t freeze. My only option is vetch. Though I do also try to grow peas/broadbeans in the fall and early spring.

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applestar
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Persimmons! :> DH is a skeptic, but the two DD’s and I each have been eating 3 per day practically every day. So sweet and yummy that they satisfy our sweet tooth... but as DD1 has said, you just can’t stop after the first one. :()



...and figs and melons (not great, but good), cucumbers, Myoga, tomatoes...

PaulF
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Picked apples from a ten year old tree. Most years there have been two or three apples and those have been taken by deer before they ripen. This year I did a spray program since the tree was finally loaded with fruit and fenced the tree in so the deer would stay away. I am not even sure what the variety is since I bought the tree mostly for decorative purposes. The apples are sweet and crunchy, not pretty but very nice tasting. In the past couple of years I have planted six more apple trees and several pears to go along with peaches and apricots. We even have what is supposed be a crabapple giving us a bunch of full sized apples. Must have been a very good year for apples. Hope I live long enough to begin getting lots of fruit.

imafan26
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Tomatoes, bell peppers, green onions. I do have meyer lemons, persian limes, and calamondin. I have bilimbi too, but that I will give away to my friends and then I will head the tree back again for the year. I have to do this a couple of times a year. Bilimbi grows 10 feet a year. I only keep the tree for the shade it provides in summer. I don't like the sour fruit with a common name of pickle fruit. My friends are from P.I. and Cambodia and they like sour things.

imafan26
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Chinese amaranth is called en choi, or chinese spinach. It can be green or have red veins. It is a spinach substitute that can tolerate warmer weather than regular spinach. It is used in soups and stir fries. Koreans make namul with amaranth. Like most tropical spinach substitutes, you want to avoid over cooking it, but the flavor is mild and is not as slimy as malabar spinach. It is similar to Swiss chard.

Spiny amaranth, is a cousin that is a common weed here. The young shoots and leaves can be made into namul (Korea).

It is a tough weed to kill and it is roundup ready, so eat the weeds!

https://phoebescafe.com/korean-spicy-ama ... een-salad/
https://www.elementaltherapy.org/uploads ... r_feet.pdf
https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/ ... ricolourem

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Gary350
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corn, onions, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, garlic, peppers, pickles,

imafan26
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Green onions. Amazingly, the charger tomatoes are still around. I did not expect a determinate tomato to last 6 months. There are a few more flowers that are still coming out. I also have been harvesting the green onions for omelettes, and pork tofu. They are becoming hekka onions so they have to be cooked. Chili peppers, Persian limes, Meyer lemons, and calamondin are all ripe now. I have picked some calamondin and bilimbi and given them away. I have also picked and used some of the bell pepper with the green onion in fried rice. I have also picked some eggplant, but I haven't used them yet. I can also eat one brown turkey fig, if I can get to it before the birds do.



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