Veggies!

Wow - sounds great Peter. What's in the EB's? Funny how you ended on the Trombone Zuke note.

Gram, I grew sweets about a decade ago with moderate success. This year was supposed to be better but the plants (slips) arrived a month late, who knows.....
Those somewhat green tomatoes have turned red and been eaten, last night. Now there are plenty of others getting red. The tomato season is here, hurray..
Now I'm watching my mixed color bell peppers from Park seed. I grow these every year like the 4th of July tomato.
Here is one turning purple.
Andy P

Here's my 'Miniature White' cuke started from seed:

We love the purple ones!

Here's some Tigerella tomatoes:

'Fortex' beans:

Also growing red, yellow and orange bell peppers, but at this rate, I wonder if any will get to ripen before it frosts in the fall! Same thing with the eggplant. Tamara

Still waiting for my first tomatoes! Can't wait. The cukes have been good. Anyone ever grow white eggplant? How does it compare to the regular purple in taste? How do you use it?

I love fortex beans. Mine aren't as far along as yours though zone5girl.

Victorgardener, I grew white eggplants this year and last, White Tango. The seeds were really expensive, ($10) but I really liked them a lot. I think the flavor is milder than the purple eggplant. They're also very pretty. I never grew the purple (this year I'm growing little purple ones), but I think there are more, but smaller eggplants, like the japanese eggplants. I'll post a picture in a few weeks as they're just babies now.

Thanks CTMG.

Cauliflower almost ready to be picked.

All these little yellow blossoms will be Honey Rock Cantalope soon!

I have already picked 3 this size and have maybe 3 more to go.

One of the pickeling cukes.

Burpless cukes.

We've all heard of truffle-hunting dogs. . .
I've got (drumroll). . . Zucchini Dog!!!!

Cape...LOL!!!!!!! what a great shot! Tamara

Pixie...Cauliflower looks great. Is it much trouble to grow? Can you always (or almost always) count on a crop? It is one of those things I assumed was too much bother and might be eaten up or infected by this or that before it could be harvested.

Had cauliflower soup in Belgium when I was 13 and it impressed the heck out of me. Like to put some in next year. Have you compared varieties much?

Fun shot, Cape.
Pixie, great veggies. Is that a self-blanching type of Cauliflower?
My first Blackberries to survive the birds.
Andy P

today we had our first tomato!!!! sliced on our lunch sandwiches. Last night I roasted our first asian eggplants with a sweet onion I grew at work. Peppers are bountiful. Eggplants are the best I have ever had. Zucchini could look better. Red onions (one will be in tonight's dinner) are ready to harvest. I have 120+ heads of garlic drying at work. Cucumber and greenbeans I can't imagine not having this week, but lets wait and see. I can practically smell the roasted anaheims... need to make refried beans this week. carrots are coming along. apsaragus, radishes, lettuce, arugula, spinach, pac choi are spring time memories till fall.

however at work, the brocolli got devoured by bugs, then deer.. then I left the floating row cover off the plants, started spraying the area with liquid deer fence and the broccoli is making a return.. maybe those tiny heads that form after deer eat the tops????

photo is one I took this morning looking at the underside of my fish pepper plants.. variegated leaves and hot fruit!

Where do you work?

I work at a private school for special ed students. I was blessed 8 years ago when I was given the chance to start a horticulture program. I had no gardening experience (we rented then) and no formal training other than my Biology degree. I spent a summer volunteering at a CSA and off I went. 8 summers ago we had four veggie beds, now at the school we have 23 beds most of which are around 20 feet long.

we start all the veggies except onions and garlic from seed, sell produce to staff, and play around in the kitchen.

we also do some flowers outside and house plants in my classroom.

I often wonder what happened to my summers off? well being paid to garden in the morning and cook in the afternoon can't be too much to complain about.

Andy you were right.....those were black raspberries not blackberries. The cauliflower is self blanching and I can't wait to pick it!!

Yank...my blackberries are NOT ahead of you.....they weren't blackberries!! LOL Have no idea what I was thinking!!

David_paul, Cauliflower is very easy to grow. I grow it every year along with broccoli, and very seldom do I lose any plants. Now and then it will bolt, like most any veggie.

Here's what I did with my first batch of berries. Mixed blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries and made a loaf of Wild Berry Bread. It was very good if I say so myself!!

I've been picking Blackberries for a few days now.

Vic, "Trombone note" very good. I continue to sing thier praises becuase they are the ony vining zuke I have found!

The EB's are planted with cherry tomatoes and Early Girl. I think I'll use them for peppers or Eggplant next year, so I can cover when the temp goes below 50 degrees. It happens too often in Vermont.

Pete, are you growing the Trombones up a trellis? I love Zukes, but they take up way too much room.

Celeste, you need more rings.

Victor, DH bought all those gold bands for me so I wear them. However....when DH see's how dirty the diamonds are he has a screaming fit!!

Zuccini is finally starting to grow! Planted them late, then no rain for a while. Finally have had rain just about everyday for the last week and they are showing how much they like it.

You know the 3 rings of marriage? Engagement ring. Wedding ring. Suffer-ing.

How do you prepare / eat your zukes?

I have a 4' wide trellis 6' high, I plant seed and thin to 3 plants. They fill that trellis and the zukes hang on no prob. I have about 20 4 x 4 boxes and every box has a trellis on the north side. That is why I tried this zuke. I got the seed from Cooks Garden and then from Pinetree.

Pixie, I have never and I mean NEVER been able to get a cauliflower like that, what is your secret? They must like diamonds! The only diamond I have come with a home plate!

TDGarden, the secret would not be a secret if I told you. However, I really like my DG buddies so I will share.......................................
Cow Manure!

Ahhh the old Manure trick, I should have known!!!!

Thanks, your secrect is safe with me....!)

Pixie, that mixed fruit bread looks de-licious.

It looks heavenly!

Thanks Andy....it was actually quite good.

We cross-posted pirl....thank you, wish i could share!

This message was edited Jul 22, 2007 7:58 PM

I'll keep telling myself, "A moment on the lips, forever on the hips", but thinking of your Wild Berry Bread with either butter or heavy whipped cream is a good way to go off to sleep.

"How do you prepare / eat your zukes?"
Victor, there are a million ways to prepare zukes, which is good, because there always seem to be a million zukes in the garden 'round about now. One new thing I just learned (from those helpful folks at Cooks Illustrated) is helpful for simply sauteeing zucchini slices, in olive oil or butter, so they end up nicely browned. The secret: slice your zukes in 1/4 inch rounds, and then salt them lightly (Kosher salt is best) and place them in a collander to drain for 30 minutes or so. Four medium zukes to one tablespoon of Kosher salt will serve four people. Pat dry, wiping off the salt, and viola! You have flavorful, slightly dryer zuke slices to pan fry or even to eat raw, just as they are!
Maybe everybody else already knew this trick, but I just learned it!

Thanks CCG! I should check out Cooks Illustrated more often. I do have a web membership with them! I am a cooking newbie.

Interesting news from Mainichi in Japan tonight:

"Rare cucumber with leaf growing out of it sprouts in man's garden"

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20070721p2a00m0na028000c.html

Anyone ever see this?

(not sure how long the link will last. The title pretty much explains it all)

David, I've never seen anything like that.

Victor, Ever try replacing the eggplant with zuccini for eggplant parmasan? It's good