What are You Eating from the Garden?

[ducks4you]

OH, pitted frozen tart cherries and made a pie on Sunday. Ran out of energy after I made the crust, so I tutored eldest DD to complete the recipe.
MAN, it's a rich pie!!
Btw, I used to thicken with corn starch, but then I found that if it heats up too long it's thickening ability falls apart.
Now, I used pectin.

 

[Branching Out]

@branching up, give me your indoor growing dill instructions. I am TRYING to get herbs going inside this winter, but I have never grown dill outside, so I am, truly a newbie,

Sure thing Ducky. Lately I have been placing the seeds under a damp cloth for 5-7 days so they can hydrate-- just until they look like they are ready to sprout. Then I firm some moist potting mix into a 4" pot, tamp it down, sprinkle the seeds on top, and finish by barely covering the seeds with a little more soil. Then I put the pot under grow lights, and it doesn't take long before some green appears on the surface. I trimmed this dill about 10 days ago, and now it is ready to trim again. Sometimes I use dill as a treat for our pet rabbit; she loves dill.

I use the same approach with cilantro, only it takes a lot longer to germinate.

 

[ducks4you]

 

[Branching Out]

The mustard greens that I sowed on September 22nd are sizing up nicely; I was able to harvest a bowl full, as well as some Purple Sprouting Broccoli (you can eat the leaves of the PSB, as well as the florets). The greens were destined for a stir fry, to jazz up our chow mein noodles for supper.

 

[digitS']

How would compare the flavor of the two, @Branching Out ?

What about the Purple Sprouting Broccoli to other brassicas?

The leaves to the buds ...? Educate us, Please.

Steve

 

[Branching Out]

How would compare the flavor of the two, @Branching Out ?

What about the Purple Sprouting Broccoli to other brassicas?

The leaves to the buds ...? Educate us, Please.

Steve

The Purple Sprouting Broccoli is tender and delicious, perhaps because it is grown during the cold months; that seems to sweeten the taste of brassicas. I will sometimes nibble a floret when I am out in the garden, and I tried one of the leaves the other day when I was harvesting and it was very tender too. Flavour wise the PSB is like other green summer broccolis-- but the beauty of the little purple florets is particularly stunning in a winter garden. And they seem to be exceptionally cold-hardy. We have placed massive nursery pots over the plants for protection, and I am quite certain they will weather our current deep freeze.

The mixed mesclun mustard greens are mild tasting as far as mustard goes. If picked young they would be right at home with lettuce in a green salad, and in a stir fry their flavour is very subtle and pleasant. They meld nicely with any other vegetables, and cook up in a pan in just a minute or two (you need a lot though, as they shrink up when you cook them). If I had sown a few rows weekly beginning in early September I suspect I would have lots and lots to harvest during the autumn and early winter. That will definitely be something to shoot for this year. And it will be interesting to see if my mustard plants come through this -13C(9F) cold snap; we tented them with a tarp for a bit of protection. I often refer to Pam Dawling's notes re: winter-kill temperatures for cold-hardy vegetables, https://www.sustainablemarketfarmin...l-temperatures-of-cold-hardy-vegetables-2021/

And on the plant breeding front I see what may be a Red Komatsuna cross developing in one of the seedlings, with a few very dark purple low-growing leaves shown peeking out from under the magenta foliage towards the top right of the photo. It could be fun to grow that one out for seed, to see what the next generation might yield.

 

[digitS']

"Red" Komatsuna – I didn't know of that variety choice. If you like Komatsuna, you may like Senposai, they are very similar/related.

I think that Winter hardiness may have to do with the conditions in which the crops are grown. Those conditions would include growing season weather. Several of the plants noted on the website have survived colder temperatures in my garden. That doesn't mean that I have made much of an effort to learn about this hardiness. The home veggie garden is very protected from wind by 2 garages, the greenhouse and a board fence. It is small and most of what I have grown has been on other people's property. That meant that I felt compelled to leave bare ground at the end of the growing season.

An example of where I see differences with the listing is with pak choi. Noting that they Winter-Kill at 25°f has not been my experience. Our Winters usually have some sub-zero F weather. If there are a number of plants - some may die. Others survive but bolt to seed as soon as the weather warms. We may still use the stalks for meals but, usually do not. BTW, the Maruba Santoh, Mizuna, Tokyo Bekana, and Tyfon Holland greens were things that I grew elsewhere and didn't leave them for Winter. Collards has certainly survived our recent Winters.

Interesting that Walla Walla onions are listed. I tried starting that variety 2 different years in late August, because I had read that is when onion farmers start their plants in the Walla Walla Valley. The first year, a good number of those onions bolted with warm weather rather than growing bulbs. The 2nd year, 100% of them bolted!

I should also say that I have not kept track of snow depth and plant survival.

Steve

 

[Phaedra]

The very last two pumpkins - I glazed them together with carrots

 

[ducks4you]

Haven't processed my pumpkins yet. One small purchased pie pumpkin was starting to rot on the top, so I threw it out in the back yard for the critters to eat. DH has been eating apples, and leaving the cores next to his tv seat for me to dispose of. I have chosen to throw the cores out for the birds, instead of giving them to the horses. I need at least 3 or somebody feels left out.
Do you glaze with brown sugar and butter?

 

[Phaedra]

Do you glaze with brown sugar and butter?

Yes, and a few drop of apple vinegar - they are so delicious.

I should have harvested more last year, if those voles didn't murder the plants from chewing their stems.
I would like to grow those delicious kabocha squash at different locations this year for risk diversification.