if you enjoy gardening without pleading and praying to fictional characters, post here...!
Some pics over the last few years...
Peppers are easy here...
(https://i.ibb.co/pK9GYWy/wine.jpg)
Purple toes and purple peppers
(https://i.ibb.co/j8V68f4/P1010023.jpg)
Grandpa Ott morning glory
(https://i.ibb.co/zJFb0gm/20190720-095535.jpg)
Seedlings
(https://i.ibb.co/NVmfnq5/20180224-102414.jpg)
Great pictures--and garden. And CA does have some excellent cabernet sauvignon!
Quote from: Mike Cl on May 07, 2022, 11:34:35 AMGreat pictures--and garden. And CA does have some excellent cabernet sauvignon!
Thank you. I bought some not too expensive cases of Cali cabernet sauvignon that I liked and basically forget about them and let them just mellow out for years. Yummm, but now they are all gone. When I visited Cali, I was blown away by the gardens.
Quote from: Cassia on May 07, 2022, 11:59:27 AMThank you. I bought some not too expensive cases of Cali cabernet sauvignon that I liked and basically forget about them and let them just mellow out for years. Yummm, but now they are all gone. When I visited Cali, I was blown away by the gardens.
Yeah, California and gardens go together; almost the entire state is a garden of one sort or another. The San Joaquin Valley is huge--goes from Redding in the north thru Bakersfield in the south--several hundred miles long. That is now in danger because of the lack of water and the increasing heat. When I first moved to Merced (right in the middle of that huge valley) 100 degree heat happened every now and again. In the last few years we have had 100 for 2/3 weeks in a row, with low's in the 70's. Our typical plants don't really like that kind of heat.
Nice. Is that you? *Waves frantically. Dad has a tiny corner in a very small garden at the summer house. Three kinds of peppers, aubergine, tomatoes, cucumber, parsely and broad beans. He makes wine too. This year I'll be all over that work as the apprentice. He makes a lot of stuff. My fave is his green olives. I dunno what's gonna happen this year, depends on the harvest. But oh my...I can eat serious amount of that stuff.
Quote from: drunkenshoe on May 09, 2022, 01:14:44 AMNice. Is that you? *Waves frantically. Dad has a tiny corner in a very small garden at the summer house. Three kinds of peppers, aubergine, tomatoes, cucumber, parsely and broad beans. He makes wine too. This year I'll be all over that work as the apprentice. He makes a lot of stuff. My fave is his green olives. I dunno what's gonna happen this year, depends on the harvest. But oh my...I can eat serious amount of that stuff.
Wow, that is so cool shoe, veg, olives and wine! Yea, that's me but I have let the hair go grey and I like it.
When I stayed in Italy in the hills near Naples, they had olive and lemon trees everywhere. That soil of the volcano is so rich.
Quote from: Cassia on May 09, 2022, 08:48:06 AMWow, that is so cool shoe, veg, olives and wine! Yea, that's me but I have let the hair go grey and I like it.
Thanks, yeah, I love it too and I need to learn all about that, lol.
That didn't look good on me. It's a mix of unbalanced black and white and it's weak. At least for now. I've dyed it to a natural kind of copper brown and cut it messy short. I liked it, so I'm sticking with it for now.
QuoteWhen I stayed in Italy in the hills near Naples, they had olive and lemon trees everywhere. That soil of the volcano is so rich.
Oh...sounds so good. I still haven't been to Italy. But I can guess the general smell. Mmmhm.
Just planted some "Love lies Bleeding" Amaranthus. How dramatic! Here is what I found about it.
It can be grown for its tart-tasting leaves. They taste mulch like spinach and indeed, both plants belong to the Amaranthaceae family. You can use them the same way as you would spinach too, either cooked or raw, in just about any recipe requires a bit of sweet-and-sour greenery. Also, you can harvest and consume the nutty-tasting seeds, produced in long cords that sometimes drip to the ground. They're extremely nutritious and rich in protein. Remove the outer shell by rubbing the seeds against a screen, then blow away the chaff. Try cooking amaranth grain for 20 to 30 minutes in 2 times the volume of boiling water. You can then use the swollen, softened seeds in patties, porridge, soups, risottos, stews and host of other recipes. You can also be sauté amaranth grains in hot oil and they'll pop like mini-popcorn, much to the delight of kids. Our great-grandmothers knew love-lies-bleeding well: it was a classic Victorian bedding plant, often seen in photos of flower beds in the late 19th and early 20th century.
(https://i.etsystatic.com/23754746/r/il/fea466/2909301190/il_1588xN.2909301190_96mk.jpg)
Random shots to an old song I wrote after binging game of thrones
Pretty excited! In the deadly-hot summer season we don't garden at all..but this year we have started loquat, pineapple and Brazilian spinach cuttings as well as mulberry, amaranth, Seminole pumpkin, luffa, and moringa seedlings.
Traditional veggies do ok here if started in the fall, yet we had a delicious sweet potato leaf and longevity spinach stir fry for lunch today. It is kinda interesting to try new foods at our age. We also ordered a soymilk/rice milk machine to make yogurt.
Every garden should have this flower:
(https://plantcaretoday.com/wp-content/uploads/nigella-flower-t1-min.jpg)
Quote from: Sorginak on June 05, 2022, 09:09:38 PMEvery garden should have this flower:
(https://plantcaretoday.com/wp-content/uploads/nigella-flower-t1-min.jpg)
I agree--what is it and does it take very hot weather??
Quote from: Mike Cl on June 05, 2022, 10:36:48 PMI agree--what is it and does it take very hot weather??
Love-in-a-Mist (https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/love-in-a-mist-nigella-damascena/)
Quote from: Sorginak on June 06, 2022, 07:54:22 AMLove-in-a-Mist (https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/love-in-a-mist-nigella-damascena/)
Going to have to try these--like the 'self seeding' aspect as well as the beautiful flowers. Thanks for the tip.
I can't keep up with using our garden herbs fresh and if you don't clip them every few days, they will bolt to seed and stop producing leaves. My solution is to dry them on the front porch (or in a super low toaster oven on a rainy day.) We crumble them up and keep them in a jar near the stove...yum!
The pumpkins are looking very happy so far....but no flowers yet, fingers crossed.
(https://i.ibb.co/hKQmnpb/20180429-164317.jpg)
Picked up a couple of of 6-ft raised beds..half off plus 20 dollar gift card !
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200803859_200803859
Have 3 of those in our garden, and they work very well. That is a great price, btw!
Quote from: Mike Cl on July 22, 2022, 02:41:56 PMHave 3 of those in our garden, and they work very well. That is a great price, btw!
Good to know. Our property can get wet, plus the soil is pretty sandy so these will allow us to build up good stuff. We compost everything. Boxes, junk mail, yard trash, Republicans, grass clippings.
Quote from: Cassia on July 22, 2022, 02:57:44 PMGood to know. Our property can get wet, plus the soil is pretty sandy so these will allow us to build up good stuff. We compost everything. Boxes, junk mail, yard trash, Republicans, grass clippings.
We do most of that stuff--but we did not think of republications. Thanks for the tip. :)
Composted republicans? I'd be afraid of turning red.
Some "pea" microgreens grow like weeds and taste sweet when chopped up and sautéed. I grow them from a big bag of dried whole peas that we also use to make pea soup. Notice how we covered up the cabinet facing with tin ceiling panels.
(https://i.ibb.co/sF1b2cM/micro.jpg)
We also used real fossils from the Green River formation to decorate the kitchen !
(https://i.ibb.co/ZH9XZLW/foss.jpg)
I killed my parsley. I ate and ate and ate but couldn't keep up with it, and the heat...I was absent for a few days. The balcony gets too much sun.
Quote from: Cassia on July 25, 2022, 09:55:42 AMWe also used real fossils from the Green River formation to decorate the kitchen !
(https://i.ibb.co/ZH9XZLW/foss.jpg)
Oh, I like that. it's beautiful. :)
Baby Mulberry, Amaranth, and longevity spinach
(https://i.ibb.co/4dfvRVb/mul.jpg)
Pumpkin patch
(https://i.ibb.co/Byn7LCZ/pimpkin.jpg)
Moringa Oleifera,,,considered a superfood...leaves are kind of a radish-lettuce flavor..and a flying concrete fish(https://i.ibb.co/fHzhnCw/moringa.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/dJ9Wzq0/mahi.jpg)
Curry plants, pineapple, and Brazilian spinach, Bamboo growing from buried cut sections, and wild stuff
(https://i.ibb.co/TcpMqNY/curry.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/zPkgrq4/bamboo.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/9byk2ny/ferns.jpg)
Maybe the most amazing veg I ever tried. Saved a bunch of cantaloupe seeds and grew them as microgreens under a light in coco coir (husk). Fresh cantaloupe aroma, lightly sweet, with slight fresh cucumber taste.
(https://www.milwaukeemicrogreens.com/wp-content/uploads/elementor/thumbs/Cantaloupe-microgreens-2020-omq6jifvqjxj3veiroeqp0g130tk55ex78omjmx1s0.jpg)
For some spectral reasons, the pros often use pink led lights and so do I. Very low wattage and they make a nice glow in the den where we grow under a fireplace mantle.
(https://cdn.vanqled.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Fitolampa-20W-VA-1.jpg)
The salad potential is limitless, lol.
This morning glory is a survivor. A few weeks ago, I went to water it and noticed a bunny had chewed its stalk in half. I took the top end and stuck it back in the soil. It worked!
(https://i.ibb.co/WH82ds9/mg.jpg)
A visitor, photo taken from the kitchen window.
(https://i.ibb.co/60Z6gx5/deer.jpg)
Ready for Fall/Winter Veggie garden seeds
(https://i.ibb.co/v4HXf92/IMG-0160.jpg)
Mulberry bush-lings
(https://i.ibb.co/rkrCcfR/IMG-0152.jpg)
Ready for Pascetti- Oregano
(https://i.ibb.co/6WmTJbd/IMG-0153.jpg)
Sweet Peppers
(https://i.ibb.co/NCCSH76/IMG-0149.jpg)
Baby Everglades cherry Tomatoes
(https://i.ibb.co/R6n2YMK/IMG-0150.jpg)
Now we do have the time
(https://i.ibb.co/tqNfBKd/IMG-0166.jpg)
My love lies bleeding
(https://i.ibb.co/NpSFBnJ/IMG-0167.jpg)
Wildflowers, milkweed for the butterflies
(https://i.ibb.co/NL1XgBv/IMG-0165.jpg)
schweet taters
(https://i.ibb.co/0C9JVNy/IMG-0155.jpg)
Painted her myself
(https://i.ibb.co/fq92kJY/IMG-0168.jpg)
A nice place to sip coffee or a little shot of bourbon.
(https://i.ibb.co/0VF2Rv8/IMG-0163.jpg)
Most keen gardeners know that many plants conduct chemical warfare (allelopathy) against their potential neighbors. The plant kingdom is just as fascinating as (us) animals. Did you know that the slimy substance surrounding tomato seeds is a germination retardant? After all, a warm moist place like the inside of a tomato would be perfect for germination. And the mother plant doesn't want that, LOL.
Quote from: Cassia on October 02, 2022, 09:23:25 PMMost keen gardeners know that many plants conduct chemical warfare (allelopathy) against their potential neighbors. The plant kingdom is just as fascinating as (us) animals. Did you know that the slimy substance surrounding tomato seeds is a germination retardant? After all, a warm moist place like the inside of a tomato would be perfect for germination. And the mother plant doesn't want that, LOL.
I quite agree--plants are much more interesting than I had thought. I was blown away when I learned that the trees giraffe's feed on send chemical signals to neighboring trees which then exude a chemical that giraffe's don't like. And that mushrooms (are they really plants????) send signals along their huge underground networks that keep the forest healther. Apparently the plant kingdom is much more 'intelligent' and feeling than we had imagined.
Quote from: Mike Cl on October 03, 2022, 10:05:55 AMAnd that mushrooms (are they really plants????)
I think mushrooms are fungi, which is a separate kingdom from that of plants.
They are fungi which is why they get invited to all the best parties.
Walking in the garden with my nephew. There was this extra big Marconi pepper I had been eyeing, waiting for it to turn full red. Next thing I hear is "CHOMP, mmmm, want a bite?" LOL. The peppers, they got beat-up in the hurricane, but that stress triggered them to set fruit early.
I got some carrots, onions, beets, and lettuce seed started this week. I see some tomatoes and an avocado tree sprouted from our compost pile. I love those little surprises. Fresh rosemary, thyme, basils, oregano, and dill all bringing joy to 'la cucina'.
We had a "warm salad" for lunch. It is kinda cool today, like 60 Deg. Picked some sweet peppers, fresh dill, Malabar spinach and purple basil from the garden. Sautéed some onions with the pepper and spinach in garlic infused olive oil and then poured it over romaine and sprinkled a bit of balsamic vinegar. A few chopped walnuts and wow, glad I made a big bowl of it. One benefit of hurricanes (LOL) is it seems to have blown the insects away. I see very little insect pressure so far and I don't use any insecticides.
One of the best benefits of gardening is being able to grow and eat things that simply are not otherwise available. Malabar spinach grows like weeds down here:
(https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.zQtCzM0W4Kj6AdLtp5k4ywHaHa?pid=ImgDet&rs=1)
You tasted better than you looked, you Italian sweet Marconi.
(https://i.ibb.co/sKFrTgw/IMG-0190.jpg)
The current weather/climate in my area is crazy. I have two myers lemon trees that don't quite know what to do. One tree has buds that usually happen in the spring, but no lemons. The other has both, buds and lemons. The large (30 ft) regular lemon has both buds and probably 100 lemons on it. The Iris is sprouting. A couple of roses just put out a new batch of buds with a couple of flowers. It's like the plants are confused--they don't know if it's winter or spring. It just occurred to me that maybe the current growing zone is in the process of changing for good--have to look into it. If that is the case, then a large part of CA will be impacted and not for the good.
Quote from: Mike Cl on December 08, 2022, 12:35:33 PMThe current weather/climate in my area is crazy. I have two myers lemon trees that don't quite know what to do. One tree has buds that usually happen in the spring, but no lemons. The other has both, buds and lemons. The large (30 ft) regular lemon has both buds and probably 100 lemons on it. The Iris is sprouting. A couple of roses just put out a new batch of buds with a couple of flowers. It's like the plants are confused--they don't know if it's winter or spring. It just occurred to me that maybe the current growing zone is in the process of changing for good--have to look into it. If that is the case, then a large part of CA will be impacted and not for the good.
Yep, our spring/early summer plants like tomatoes and peppers that usually suffer by now are thriving and giving us a 2nd round, but the winter garden looks like a bust so far. Carrots and radish and lettuce look sad. In fact, I decided to just start over and replant in January. The birds are confused too. A bunch of species got here early after an unusual dip in the mercury but now they are gone. All our citrus has the killer disease now, so we just harvested the last orange we will ever get unless they find a solution for Florida. All the grooves are shutting down.
With a big freeze hitting us down south, I ran out into the garden to salvage anything I could. I give you the world's smallest pumpkin🎃. It was hidden in a patch of brown grass. We are gonna cook it nevertheless. We dragged some tomatoes and peppers that were in pots into the barn. Not sure they will make it, but if they do it will be a nice head start for next year.
(https://i.ibb.co/YpyDL6t/IMG-0192.jpg)
It is about equal to the peak of Fall (up-North) this far south right now. The leaves have fallen with nights in the 50s/60s and days in the low 70s. Look how that swamp bay tree has engulfed that concrete tiki. I should paint that ting all colourful mon.
(https://i.ibb.co/K5TnhhW/IMG-0199.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/RS1TFvT/IMG-0220.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/3NsjCrk/IMG-0197.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/WPPTzPW/IMG-0205.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/hB1f2th/IMG-0218.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/TMW0tLM/IMG-0196.jpg)
Harvesting from garden is a daily thing right now. To kick up a salad, I scissor-off from a bed of young greens (started from "basic salad mix" seeds ordered from https://www.trueleafmarket.com/, love that site) and they grow right back! The cherry tomatoes are a little pop of tartness (pop-tarts?).
(https://i.ibb.co/ZJrkKWD/IMG-0230.jpg)
Every day I go out its a surprise to see what the gardens have for us. One of the local etsy seed-sellers threw in a free pack of mystery tomato seeds. Well, they turned out to be a delicious golden/yellow variety and a tart green type as well. And they just keep supplying. The little red currants are our native Everglades variety. The mother of all tomatoes, pretty much. Ratty-looking tangle dripping with red jewels. Every day we have at least a ripe dozen, so we work them into all sorts of dishes. I expect to sample some new-to-us "black cherry" tomatoes next month. There are thousands of types of tomatoes so that keeps it interesting. They seem to really like our home-brewed kitchen compost. Making compost keeps the racoons out of the trash bins as well.
Today we are cooking up a batch of red cow peas. They are so tasty when garden fresh and they are 'nitrogen fixers' that prepare the bed for Fall plantings. Unfortunately, traditional salad greens are done, too hot now, but I will once again try Seminole pumpkins this summer, hoping the deer don't get them again, LOL.
(https://i.ibb.co/KrsxvsX/IMG-0274.jpg)
(https://www.southernexposure.com/media/products/width-400/peas-southern-big-red-ripper-0c71f65ebab5dad2bbdb8a532390e894.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/Byn7LCZ/pimpkin.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/QkJTSXz/harvest.jpg)
Cassia, have you tried Seyval Blanc?
Quote from: Gawdzilla Sama on May 11, 2023, 10:51:35 AMCassia, have you tried Seyval Blanc?
Maybe in a wine glass :0). I have yet to try to grow any grapes.
Getting ready to put mine "down" for the summer. Tried growing brussel sprouts this year, was going good till we got hammered by a hail storm two weeks ago, cleared everything right to the ground. So too late to replant in central fl. Now it's time to Solarize the gardens and start looking for next years soil amendments, last year production was not great and his years was worse, so being in mostly sand, I have to add lots of amendments every two years to get some soils eventually that will sustain itself. Broccoli went gangbuster this year and green bean always produce well but some other veggies struggle.
Quote from: aitm on May 12, 2023, 10:46:53 AMGetting ready to put mine "down" for the summer. Tried growing brussel sprouts this year, was going good till we got hammered by a hail storm two weeks ago, cleared everything right to the ground. So too late to replant in central fl. Now it's time to Solarize the gardens and start looking for next years soil amendments, last year production was not great and his years was worse, so being in mostly sand, I have to add lots of amendments every two years to get some soils eventually that will sustain itself. Broccoli went gangbuster this year and green bean always produce well but some other veggies struggle.
Yeah, Florida is a beach. We had some sort of small-scale, algae-related fish-kill in the swamp that adjoins our pond in the rain season last year. We buried some of those poor things in our raised beds, so I think that really made for good cool weather veggies. Gonna try cabbage, radish, and brussels sprouts this fall besides the usual cool weather lettuce, onions, carrots.....
Every veggie "left over" is doomed to my compost pile, leaves and dead weeds and smaller sticks as well. Anything to add nutrients to the damn sand. To those of you new to gardening don't put any "according to the experts" non-vegetative material such as scrap Meats or dairy products as they tend to chase away worms, all almighty compost makers. I have no worms and may try adding some, but the yearly "solarizing" which is nothing more than covering the gardens with plastic to heat up the soils to kill bugs and weed seeds may also drive out the good bugs and worms. Florida has, well, where I live, shity soils for veggie growing, but I'm still learning, and by the time I die, I may, know what I am doing.
Quote from: aitm on May 12, 2023, 06:41:17 PMEvery veggie "left over" is doomed to my compost pile, leaves and dead weeds and smaller sticks as well. Anything to add nutrients to the damn sand. To those of you new to gardening don't put any "according to the experts" non-vegetative material such as scrap Meats or dairy products as they tend to chase away worms, all almighty compost makers. I have no worms and may try adding some, but the yearly "solarizing" which is nothing more than covering the gardens with plastic to heat up the soils to kill bugs and weed seeds may also drive out the good bugs and worms. Florida has, well, where I live, shity soils for veggie growing, but I'm still learning, and by the time I die, I may, know what I am doing.
You are so right. It is a very scientific, fascinating endeavor, gardening. I gave up on the traditional up-north type veggie plot. I only plant berry trees, bananas, pineapples and citrus direct in the ground where it is high. All the veg are in raised beds or those large fabric pots filled with compost, sand and some of the black swamp muck we are lucky to have out back in the dense maple woods under the carpet of leaves and needles. After that I top-off with yard trash like wood chips, leaves, grass, straw or more compost. After a season or two it goes back in the compost pile that gets smoking hot to kill the baddies. I also use pond water sometimes. We really hate buying dirt, but I admit a few times sometimes we get lazy and got a big bail of peat moss to help fill a bed.
The nice thing about fabric pots is they have handles and we can drag them into the barn for a hurricane, flood or a freeze night. It helps that we have a green compact tractor/loader and its flatbed trailer.
Gonna grab the camera more often for my morning coffee in the garden. I gladly let the wildlife share in the bounty.
(https://i.ibb.co/2M5FnbG/350941359-2598613933636803-5614643721083579055-n.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/Th7crYn/349989128-6191655064251151-8836488925372017877-n.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/jwbvz9m/350823361-827422455442924-7080225828241259895-n.jpg)
Geez, this is a typical daily tomato haul. I have been using pond water. Plants have all toppled over and I just let them go a-vining, LOL.
(https://i.ibb.co/16ZSSLr/IMG-0293.jpg)
Well, the NADApeno hybrids were ready to sample. Sweet with barely discernable spice. How about some Zero-alarm chili?
Since they are hybrids, I am curious what would grow from their seed. Probably come out hot. I may give it a go just to see. (https://i.ibb.co/wS3Kyq6/IMG-0297.jpg)
Quote from: Cassia on May 11, 2023, 12:56:23 PMMaybe in a wine glass :0). I have yet to try to grow any grapes.
Quote from: Cassia on May 11, 2023, 12:56:23 PMMaybe in a wine glass :0). I have yet to try to grow any grapes.
I'm an ardent red oenophile but the seyval is ... lovely.
I threw a few okra seeds from a supermarket okra into a planter. Little did I know they were GIANT OKRA, lol. Every three days I have harvested 3 or 4 fruits off these bad boys.
(https://i.ibb.co/Hqf1FyS/IMG-0303.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/zG6bPW9/IMG-0302.jpg)
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Planted a few super-mini tomatoes in tiny pots. Be nice if they work out.
(https://i.ibb.co/KwyX7Nv/IMG-0305.jpg)
Watch yer step!
(https://i.ibb.co/z6sk3vs/IMG-0316.jpg)
We are going bananas with some Dwarf Cavendish from Etsy
(https://i.ibb.co/r3pKwFn/IMG-0306.jpg)
So cool. There is a wave of people in Florida doing market gardens in their yards. This guy does very well, like 5K a week in-season. He puts the garden to sleep in Summer with a carpet of sweet tater and black-eyed peas.
Usually, I pretty much give up on the garden in the dead of Summer. This year I still have small daily harvests from various heat-hardy varieties, plus I counted four softball-sized Seminole Pumpkins, fingers crossed.
We fixed up an old flatbed trailer and with a tarp and a rope we stopped by the recycle center for a full yard of composted soil for some new winter beds. $25 is fair but Bobby laughed and said compared to Home Depot, it's dirt cheap.
(https://i.ibb.co/qBdmYWK/IMG-0332.jpg)
Seminole pumpkins
(https://i.ibb.co/bPxWbY1/IMG-0340.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/1QyyGD3/IMG-0341.jpg)
Our DIY Water cart
(https://i.ibb.co/WnCWz9M/IMG-0339.jpg)
Quote from: Cassia on September 03, 2023, 08:42:41 AMSeminole pumpkins
(https://i.ibb.co/bPxWbY1/IMG-0340.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/1QyyGD3/IMG-0341.jpg)
Our DIY Water cart
(https://i.ibb.co/WnCWz9M/IMG-0339.jpg)
What a memory shaker that pump is!!! As a kid at my grandparents little farm I remember that type of pump next to the kitchen sink. Had to prime it to get it to work, so there was a little glass next to the pump that had to have water in it--that was the first job; fill that glass just after the pump became useable. I hadn't thought of that in ages!!!
Quote from: Mike Cl on September 03, 2023, 08:59:44 AMWhat a memory shaker that pump is!!! As a kid at my grandparents little farm I remember that type of pump next to the kitchen sink. Had to prime it to get it to work, so there was a little glass next to the pump that had to have water in it--that was the first job; fill that glass just after the pump became useable. I hadn't thought of that in ages!!!
Very nostalgic and really a great piece of engineering. So much fun to use. We could hook up a hose the outlet and plumb the garden. The pond water is so full of nutrients.
I harvested these pumpkins a tad early, however they look pretty cute while curing and they sure taste a lot better than those fake ones. These ones are not overly sweet, so I was thinking pumpkin ravioli or maybe fettuccini with a mild pumpkin cream sauce.
(https://i.ibb.co/SVHrgr0/pmpkin.jpg)
I noticed that caterpillars ate one pumpkin vine down to nothing but there was a beautiful green pumpkin still hanging from it. I did a little research and found that you can consider a green pumpkin like a summer squash or zucchini. We sliced it up and steamed it and then hit it up with some butter and sautéed onions. Deeeeelicious and good to know, since the bug pressure peaks in September you may lose a vine or two. I sprayed the other vine leaves with dish-soapy water and they seem like they are still fine.
Last of the pumpkins, hoping for lemons, some banana pepper and some patio mini tomatoes.
(https://i.ibb.co/682prm9/IMG-3703.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/W3GcjQq/IMG-0369.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/dBK08Fn/IMG-0357.jpg)
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