Other "Harvest Party" crops?

[TheWaterbug]

It seems like my Corn-U-Copia and Pick-and-Paint Pumpkin Patch Party are becoming annual events

Any suggestions for adding a 3rd annual harvest event? Criteria:

1) Kid friendly. The kids were not at all excited to attend an Asparagus-Palooza.

2) Instant gratification. I was looking forward to having a sweet potato dig, but then I find that you really should let them sit for 1-2 months to develop sweetness and flavor. I don't want people hanging out in my backyard for that long.

3) Fun. The kids will paint or carve pumpkins for hours, and the corn is usually good enough that people will take 2-3 trips down to the patch so they can eat more, take some home, etc. Corn can also be cooked in a variety of ways, which also adds to the fun.

4) Easy to grow. I'm still pretty new at this

Thanks!

[imafan26]

What about a watermelon mania

I'm sure you can think of something to do with water melons and water sports.

[TheWaterbug]

What about a watermelon mania

I thought about melons, but I've had miserable luck with them so far. In two seasons with 4 vines I've gotten 1 edible watermelon, and it was the size of a cantaloupe.

I've gotten a few cantaloupes, but they were the size of softballs.

I tried growing softballs, but they didn't germinate

I will try melons again this year, but I don't know if I'd grow enough to have a proper harvest party. If the timing is right I may just add them to the pumpkin party.

[applestar]

Do you want them to be annual crops? What about Very Berry Pick'n with cans of whipped cream, and condensed milk for the kids, nonalcoholic and alcoholic Smoothie and Margarita bars?

[imafan26]

I grow only sugar baby. It is an icebox watermelon, so it is bowling ball size. the yield is about 2 watermelons per plant.

The vines don't mind growing on top each other, they can be planted in hills. The vines are about 6 feet long.

Here the biggest problem are with them getting stung so they need to be covered as soon as they are pollinated to prevent that. They are also small enough to be trellised.

They are heavy feeders.

I can't grow standard melons because the vines take over my yard. (That was one watermelon vine.)

[imafan26]

You could also have fun with painting gourds or vegetable carving. Radishes, carrots, papaya, turnips are all good candidates for carving into flowers or animals. You can even make molecules with toothpicks and radishes.

Pumpkins are expensive for Halloween, so we turn green papayas into jack o' lanterns. They are also a whole lot softer to carve.

Some people here know how to weave hala and coconut and ti leaves into baskets, mats and hats.

Straw can be woven too. It might be fun if you can find someone from a guild to show you how.

[TheWaterbug]

Do you want them to be annual crops? What about Very Berry Pick'n with cans of whipped cream, and condensed milk for the kids, nonalcoholic and alcoholic Smoothie and Margarita bars?

Oooooh. That's a fantastic idea! My neighbors had a blackberry vine that they just couldn't get rid off. If it's still coming up I could probably take a clipping. Or is that a bad idea? Do blackberry vines always try to take over the world?

I didn't have much luck with strawberries last time I tried, but then again I had no idea what I was doing. I could try a few plants again.

I don't like blueberries much myself, but I suppose other people like them. Those don't take up too much room, do they? How long does a blueberry bush take before it fruits?

And I've been thinking forever to get a passionfruit vine growing. I know passionfruit isn't technically a berry, but then again neither are strawberries.

What else goes well with berries and berry-like fruits?

[imafan26]

What kind of fruits do you have? You can always make sorbets or smoothies. A lot of fruits are good on a grill.

What about soy beans? We just boil them in the pod, drain and add garlic salt. You do have to suck the beans out of the pod.

[sepeters]

If you like the berry idea and want lots to harvest (and have the room) you could try a mulberry "bush" (full disclosure: this bush becomes a huge tree). They do get very large but will produce lots of sweet fruit. You might need to have a few parties. They would taste good with all the other fresh berries, though they are soft and get mushy when cooked.

[LA47]

You could have a home made ice cream party and stretch any fruits you grow to use as toppings. When we were young with small kids and little money to pay for a party we would have a 'bring a dish' party. No one knew what anyone else wes bringing. It was a lot of fun as sometimes we'd end up with salads of all kinds and another was mainly desert. Generally it balance out pretty well.

[rainbowgardener]

Oh yeah. I love the ice cream party, except for it to work, you would have to have at least several ice cream makers. The old-fashioned hand crank variety would be best, because then kids will be glad to rotate through and take turns and it gives everyone more of a sense of they really made it. If you have enough fruit/berries, etc, they could be the flavor of the ice cream, not just the toppings. How about pumpkin ice cream? Other exotic flavors? I've seen recipes for kale ice cream (haven't tried it).

I looked on eBay and saw some hand cranked ice cream makers listed for around $30 - 50 (and of course some real expensive ones).

[gixxerific]

Did she just say Kale ice cream????

[ReptileAddiction]

I think your best bet would be berries. Except that most berries will not be at the same time so you might have to pick one type. Blueberries will fruit the first year but not much. As the years go by you will get a bigger and bigger harvests. If you did go down that route I would start with 10 bushes. How many people come?

[TheWaterbug]

You could have a home made ice cream party and stretch any fruits you grow to use as toppings.

I love this idea. We'd call it the Very Berry 'n Dairy Confectionary. And we'd dress someone up as the mascot, "Mary, the Very Berry 'n Dairy Confectionery Fairy."

[applestar]

Lorax -- haven't seen her in a while -- talked about avocado ice cream....

"Mary, the Very Berry 'n Dairy Confectionery Fairy."

You could give out prizes for saying her name three time fastest.

[JayPoc]

Well...I can think of one ultimate party crop, but I suppose that would only be legal in Washington State and Colorado...

[rainbowgardener]

yeah and the first criterion was:

1) Kid friendly