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I put all the scraps in the garden for the butterflies and birds. Yesterday I sat under the shade tree and watched the butterflies for a while. There are lots of large orange butterflies, lots of large black butterflies with blue color around the edge of their wings. I see a lot of big yellow butterflies and 2 types of small butterflies yellow color and white color. Butterflies are a bit funny I try to get close enough to take a good picture they all turn and look at me, if I get too close they all fly away. I try to sneak up on them, soon as they all turn to look at me I stop. I tried to walk around in a circle keeping my distance all the butterflies turn and keep there eyes on me as I walk around trying to get behind them. LOL. If I take 1 step closer they all fly away then return soon as I walk away. LOL. Butterflies are pretty smart. Butterflies love all fruit I try to put it in the garden with the fruit side up for them to eat.applestar wrote:Looks so yummy! My little watermelons and melons are going to be sad comparison, but I enjoy yours vicariously.
What are you doing with all the scraps? Are you putting them out in the garden paths then tilling them in like you mentioned before? With all the sugars and organic matter, those will add tons of fertility to the soil. Potassium too for sure. I wonder what else?
Are you using the watermelon rind at all? Pickled or sautéed, soups/stews ... or I've even read about juicing them for antioxidant called citruline.
...I've been putting my small(er) contributions to the vermicomposter (worms love melons and squash) and the enclosed compost bin...
We have frozen several zip lock bags of water melon. After freezing it I removed 1 bag a few days later to see how it did. It took 5 hours for frozen melon to thaw enough to be eaten. We were both worried melon would be a blob of mush after it thawed. Freezing fruit is an old wine makers trick to make juice run out on its own when it thaws. applestar, you asked what is the name of the cantaloupe I planted, I found the tag in the garden today, APHRODITE melons.applestar wrote:Are you freezing any to eat later? When my kids were little, I bought a melon baller tool and dipped the melon balls in simple syrup then froze them individually on cookie sheet, then freezer bagged them. My kids loved to eat them as snack. I also made "adult" versions soaked in something... I can't remember what.
The frozen melons are also good for making smoothies.
A few years ago I got 28 watermelons from 3 plants. This year I did not keep very good count about 20 watermelons up to now and 9 more in the garden from 4 plants. Cantaloupe did very well too, I started with 4 plants 1 plant died they produced a lot of melons about 18 melons. At 1 time we were getting 1 ripe melon every day that is too many melons too soon. I had to give a lot of melons away. I think it would be best to plant 1 melon plant about every 3 weeks for a total of 3 to 4 plants so you don't get so many ripe melons so close together. At first 1 ripe melon every other day was nice but after eating 8 melons 1 melon a week was all we wanted.Taiji wrote:Looks like a great well thought out layout. I suppose I would do well to pay more attention to layout. My method is mostly, let's see, put that here last year, this year I'll put it over there...
Those are some prime melons. About how many would you say you get from one plant?
applestar that is funny, I use to do that when the kids were little they were fussy about some foods like carrots. We always had garden vegetables on the table the kids were use to having vegetables and liked them but certain vegetables they did not like very much. The kids did not like meat loaf so we made it into hamburger shapes they would eat them on a Bun like a hamburger and never complain just because it was a different shape. LOL. The kids never complained about hamburgers so we chopped up carrots and other things to mix into the hamburger and they ate them. The kids loved Chili so after chili was finished put some of the juice in the blender with a few vegetables puree the vegetables then pour it back into the Chili the kids ate it right up. LOL. Zucchini is good in cake, cookies, muffins, pancakes, corn bread, and other things. Green beans turn pancakes & waffles green but it can't be seen if you add Chocolate. We learned to make sweet potato casserole and carrot casserole with brown sugar the kids ate it up they loved it. You can add a lot of vegetables to sweet potato casserole as long as you don't change the color very much kid eat it. The kids always liked vegetable soup too.applestar wrote:Nice! Since you willingly eat your vegetables, I guess you won't need to do this, but I make chocolate muffins and sneak in shredded zucchini, green beans, etc.....Baked goods are also good with a bit of lavender flowers in them, though they are obvious. My DD's will comment that I put lavender in there "again" but *still* enjoy them. I think of them like treasured bites. But too much can be too intense so be careful if you try.