Who has been enjoying what from their garden?

[Jim Franklin]

I have one Topsy Turvey tomatoe plant that is flourishing but without any tomatoes yet. Also have a watermelon seedling planted but it has not produced yet. They did get a late start, however.

[Gina Stevenson]

Forgot I had one, but now it would be too late to start tomatoes, methinks. Yeah, months ago, when it was still cold, bo't one for Ma (ma's day). She wanted nothing to do with it, so figured I'd use it ... but then it got stashed & forgotten. Ooooh, some tomatoes ripened on the vine would be soooo good. Wish I'd remembered it.

[Kevin Rector]

My garden has "gone by". We had a pretty lousy year. Some herbs did ok, and we got some tomatoes and cucumbers. But it was a disproportionately disappointing harvest compared to the amount of work that went into it. Some of the tomato plants are still alive so I might lay them down and see if they re-root and start over for the end of the summer.

Imma have to plant fall crops now.

[Diane Likens]

Roma tomatoes are all harvested, chopped & frozen. Yellow corn is also in the freezer (106 individual ears). Right now we're getting green peppers, green beans, slicing tomatoes, okra and watermelon. Lima beans will be ready shortly. Broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and rutabagas are started in their pots and will go into the ground in a few weeks. Oh -- and this year Joe planted "indian corn". We're hoping to get our own popcorn from the garden. We'll see how that works out.

Oh! The cukes -- they're all pickled now. We really enjoyed some cuke salads earlier.

[Marsha Lynn]

We're having a very dry summer after a very wet spring. The beans and cucumbers aren't doing too well. The early corn did a lot better than the late corn. But we are being blessed with tomatoes off our four plants -- the Early Girls were early and are still producing a tomato every few days; the Better Boys are starting to come on strong; there's a huge beefsteak out there that's just about ripe; and the super-sweet cherry tomatoes are starting to rev up for what will hopefully be a long season.

For "Sunday dinner" today, we had barbecued hamburgers with fresh tomatoes on them, a small dish of green beans, and some locally-grown peaches (sliced with sugar) and watermelon. Yum, yum. That's good eating!

[Larry Parsons]

We have been eating out of our garden I should say my wife garden I'm not allow in it. Just kidding Garden is her thing and does a good Job. We had strawberry for a while. Our blackberry are still riping but we have froze a lot. we had some rasberry My wife bought a Gun for her garden but I think she going to take back crows are neveraround when you are around Ha.
Thanks
Larry

[Marissa Lynn Coblentz]

We've had a dry, hot summer, but the peppers seem to be thriving well in the heat. We've had a few green peppers and a LOT of jalapeno peppers. I also have some red chile peppers that are ripe, but I'm not sure exactly what to do with them now that I actually have them. The tomatoes seem to be struggling. I'm not sure if we're going to get any or not. I'm definitely going to plant more than just tomatoes and peppers next year!

[John Kennedy]

Last summer we raised beautiful tomatoes - they were a real hit with the rats. This time around we planted them in pots, and built a chicken wire enclosure around each one. The tomatoes have been fantastic.

[Marissa Lynn Coblentz]

We enjoyed peach cream pie made with fresh peaches this weekend and also a "summer squash salad" made with summer squash, fresh tomato, fresh corn on the cob (cut off the cob), and green pepper. This was all not from my garden--purchased at the KC River Market--but it came from someone's garden!

[Marsha Lynn]

We enjoyed peach cream pie made with fresh peaches this weekend and also a "summer squash salad" made with summer squash, fresh tomato, fresh corn on the cob (cut off the cob), and green pepper. This was all not from my garden--purchased at the KC River Market--but it came from someone's garden!

You like pie? You should come see us in mid-October when we plan to feast on "an abundance of pie". You can even contribute a pie or two if you'd like.

[David Graham]

At the moment our garden is pretty dormant (winter here)..... but in the warmer months we grow Chokos, Beans, Silverbeat, Shallots, Tomatoes, Pumpkin, Rocket, Water Cress, Potatoes, etc.....

[Marg Shurtliff]

At the moment our garden is pretty dormant (winter here)..... but in the warmer months we grow Chokos, Beans, Silverbeat, Shallots, Tomatoes, Pumpkin, Rocket, Water Cress, Potatoes, etc.....

David , please explain chokos , silverbeat , rocket . Thanks .

[David Graham]

Chokos are a vine fruit with a similar size and shape as a pear; green in colour on the outside but inside they are an opaque light grey/green colour. They have a fairly bland and "neutral taste" which means that they can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. After boiling, the texture is firm but soft and many people marinate them in a sweet sauce and serve them with ice cream as you would pears.

Silver beat is Spinach (I think), while Rocket is a plant which grows into a small green bush where the leaves are eaten in a salad and have a mild mustard taste.

[Susan Unger]

I don't have a garden, and my mother only grew flowers this year so I don't have much to add. But we do have a local Farmer's Market. From there I've enjoyed Peaches, Watermelon, Strawberries. My parents also love the tomatoes and blackberries.

[Gina Stevenson]

Well, no garden here. But an uncle bro't over some very nice tomatoes, cukes, garlic bulbs, potatoes, peppers. So, I reverted to my tomatoes-for-breakfast thing from years ago ... couldn't wait until lunch for something so nice & juicy & sweet tasting. Yum!

Took the tiniest potatoes, cut in half, used olive oil, garlic, herbs & roasted them that way. Oh, were they good! The bigger ones will now go into potato salad, I think.

[Meghan Schoonover]

Let's see, picked green/purple bush beans a few times and they're blossoming again, the popcorn is tasseling right now, I've had strawberries and raspberries and blueberries, some carrots, cukes, onions, herbs of all sorts, beets, sweet and hot peppers, swiss chard. Still coming are summer and winter squash, and sunflower seeds.

[Gina Stevenson]

Meghan, you're making me hungry! Sounds so good.

[Dana Grant]

What are people getting from their gardens, you asked? Well....cacti???? LOL

It costs more to water here than it does to just buy the produce from a farmer's market -- yeah, it's pretty barren in the farm department at this house!!!!

(However, with Ebony, we do have fertilizer........LOL)

Just thought I'd chime in here -- everyone's posts sound so yummy!!!

Dana

[Gina Stevenson]

Oops! Have to be careful of those buttons below posts. Went to click on the "laughing" button, and accidentally hit the one next to it. Got a message about not being allowed to send infractions to moderators. Phew! Almost "reported" Dana's funny fertilizer post ... of course, had it posted, someone could cancel it, I'm sure!

[Julie Reed]

Our area has been in a drought for a few years, but this year we have had a good amount of rain and everything is growing. Right now we are getting quite a bit of zuchini and tomatoes. We've also had some cantalope and pumpkins volunteer, which has been a nice surprise.

[Gina Stevenson]

Another batch of tomatoes and taters this afternoon from the relatives. Cool! Such good tomatoes! (taters are, too) This time there was an afghan to fix in exchange, but that's quite all right.

[Marsha Lynn]

Here's a photo of my most successful food harvest this summer. My daughter is having sunflowers at her wedding in two weeks. I thought maybe I could have some in bloom, but the dry summer ended the season too early. However, we do have plenty of seeds to eat. These came from just two blossoms.

There will be sunflower seeds at each setting for the reception -- some chocolate-covered -- and my older daughter suggested I could contribute to that project. However, I had to point out that what I have are all individually packaged, whereas what has been purchased are without packaging. Unwrapping the ones I grew would be quite a project!

[Susan Unger]

Here's a photo of my most successful food harvest this summer. My daughter is having sunflowers at her wedding in two weeks. I thought maybe I could have some in bloom, but the dry summer ended the season too early. However, we do have plenty of seeds to eat. These came from just two blossoms.

There will be sunflower seeds at each setting for the reception -- some chocolate-covered -- and my older daughter suggested I could contribute to that project. However, I had to point out that what I have are all individually packaged, whereas what has been purchased are without packaging. Unwrapping the ones I grew would be quite a project!

I'm impressed with y'all's creativity.

[Kevin Rector]

In regards to the question, "Who has been enjoying what from their garden?" I have to say that grasshoppers have been enjoying/killing my fall lettuce. But I fixed them. I made a solution of 1 tsp cooking oil, 1 tsp dish soap, 3 crush garlic cloves, and 1 quart of water. After you spray that on the lettuce, the grasshoppers will leave them alone, and if they don't get run off from the garlic smell the oil/soap mixture will kill them.

[Gina Stevenson]

These came from just two blossoms.

Wow! All those from just two!? Cool, Marsha. As for shucking those sunflower seeds to have them readily edible ... the wedding would be over and you'd still be shuckin' 'em!

[Jim Franklin]

Just noticed I have an itty bitty watermelon. How long will it take to mature?


Sounds like Kevin has been reading Heloise.

[Diane Likens]

We've finally gotten some really good okra. Now the broccoli and cauliflower are starting to look really healthy as are the winter squashes (which I don't like at all). Rutabagas are looking good, too. I'm looking forward to the fall crop.

[Kevin Rector]

Just noticed I have an itty bitty watermelon. How long will it take to mature?


Sounds like Kevin has been reading Heloise.

I have no idea who Heloise is...

[Susan Unger]

I have no idea who Heloise is...

"Hints from Heloise" is a newspaper column with handy little household hints.

[Marsha Lynn]

Does it have to come from a cultivated garden?

I have been gathering a surprise black walnut harvest this fall from a tree without a lot of history of producing much.

This morning I hauled a bucket of black walnut hulls, which are not at all good for the compost pile, back to the place in the woods where we really prefer a path to growth. Look what I found! A slightly flat soccer ball and a softball growing in the wild! I remember learning about puffball mushrooms back in junior high "conservation" class and are aware that they are edible, as confirmed by both my mushroom book and the internet, but I'm still reluctant to try any mushroom other than the morels that I know are such a treat around here.

Would you try it? If so, how would you fix it? My husband and daughter won't touch either the mushrooms or the black walnuts so I'm in this alone.

Marsha

PS: The tennis ball is for scale. Such "treats" are not found in the wild and have been confirmed as destructible but not edible by our puppy.

[Kevin Rector]

Can I come chop down your Walnut tree and haul it home on a trailer?

[Marsha Lynn]

Can I come chop down your Walnut tree and haul it home on a trailer?

Kevin, I advise you to find a good adult Sunday School class using the WordAction series this Sunday and spend a little extra time on the 10th commandment. I don't suppose cutting down my beautiful tree counts as murder, but surely wanting to take it home with you after you kill it counts for something.

So what would you do with a trailer load of walnut wood?

Marsha

(OK, maybe it's more straggly than beautiful but it is a member of the elite front guard on the yard side of the woods and, thus, more a member of the family than the common no-name middle-of-the-woods trees. Maybe there's a walnut out among the rank and file trees you can haul off next time you're in Indiana.)

[Marsha Lynn]

Would you try it? If so, how would you fix it? My husband and daughter won't touch either the mushrooms or the black walnuts so I'm in this alone.

Well, since none of you spoke up to stop me, I sliced off some mushroom, fried it in butter, and sampled it. This is just to let you know that if you never hear from me again, it was the mushroom and you probably shouldn't ever try one. Meanwhile, though, it tastes good and I'm tempted to have a little more. The texture when sliced and fried puts me in mind of French toast.

Maybe I should wait a while before having any more to make sure it settles well. I think I've read that mushrooms should always be consumed in small quantities. At the rate I'm going, if I have a daily sample, I think I have a three-month supply in these two mushrooms. Too bad they won't stay good that long. I really need someone to share my bounty.

Marsha

[Kevin Rector]

Kevin, I advise you to find a good adult Sunday School class using the WordAction series this Sunday and spend a little extra time on the 10th commandment. I don't suppose cutting down my beautiful tree counts as murder, but surely wanting to take it home with you after you kill it counts for something.

So what would you do with a trailer load of walnut wood?

Marsha

(OK, maybe it's more straggly than beautiful but it is a member of the elite front guard on the yard side of the woods and, thus, more a member of the family than the common no-name middle-of-the-woods trees. Maybe there's a walnut out among the rank and file trees you can haul off next time you're in Indiana.)

Well, you're tree might not be worth cutting down now that I see it... but walnut is just about the best wood that America makes for woodworking.

[Marissa Lynn Coblentz]

I really need someone to share my bounty.

Pick me! I'll eat your mushrooms!

[Gina Stevenson]

Well, since none of you spoke up to stop me, I sliced off some mushroom, fried it in butter, and sampled it. This is just to let you know that if you never hear from me again, it was the mushroom and you probably shouldn't ever try one. Meanwhile, though, it tastes good and I'm tempted to have a little more. The texture when sliced and fried puts me in mind of French toast.

Didn't know we could trust anything that looks like that, found in the back yard. Looks like something I've found a time or two here [usually tinier, smaller ones]. Figured it just wasn't safe so dumped it/them when found. Hmmm ... hope we heard from you again, Marsha!

~~ a mushroom LOVER ~~

[Kevin Rector]

I harvested a nice big cantaloupe from the garden yesterday. It was especially nice because it was from a plant that was a volunteer. I've never planted cantaloupe so a bird must have dropped a seed in the garden or something. It was a vigorous plant that produced 5 good cantaloupes. Since it was a volunteer, I'm assuming that it wasn't a hybrid and so I've saved the seeds for next year.

Upon tasting it my boy Zeb said, "mmm, that's good cantaloupe. Much better than the store."

[Bill Morrison]

BAD year......I only got tomatoes planted and they did not do well! (Maybe I shouldn't buy the cheap ones next year)
I usually enjoy my 9 foot sunflowers......this is Kansas after all.

BILL