Branching Out's Seeds and Sprouts

[Branching Out]

i use the yellow flower heads when making pickles, but i also like eating them at that stage too. yes, many bugs love those flowers. i get them all cut off before they can drop seeds all over the place as they'll easily do so.

You eat the dill flowers?? Do you add them to salads, or just munch on them as is?

 

[flowerbug]

You eat the dill flowers?? Do you add them to salads, or just munch on them as is?

i eat them right off the plant, i'll eat them in any salad, i'll eat them cooked or pickled. they're very strong and i love the flavor of dill. i actually like them more than i like the dill pickles.

the hardest part is making sure all the bugs are gone or not there to begin with when picking. we've had some off and on issue with small caterpillars getting in some of the flower heads. that's one of the reasons why i largely stopped doing many quarts of dill pickles as it was a lot of work to inspect each flower cluster on a flower head to make sure it wasn't carrying a tiny caterpillar. the other reason for not doing so many dill pickles was that my brother couldn't eat them any more and we're only a sometimes user of them so having five to ten cases of them on hand was a huge waste of valuable space in the pantry (aka front closet).

 

[Branching Out]

i eat them right off the plant, i'll eat them in any salad, i'll eat them cooked or pickled. they're very strong and i love the flavor of dill. i actually like them more than i like the dill pickles.

the hardest part is making sure all the bugs are gone or not there to begin with when picking. we've had some off and on issue with small caterpillars getting in some of the flower heads. that's one of the reasons why i largely stopped doing many quarts of dill pickles as it was a lot of work to inspect each flower cluster on a flower head to make sure it wasn't carrying a tiny caterpillar. the other reason for not doing so many dill pickles was that my brother couldn't eat them any more and we're only a sometimes user of them so having five to ten cases of them on hand was a huge waste of valuable space in the pantry (aka front closet).

Very interesting flowerbug. Who would have thought that you could eat dill flowers right off the plant? I will have to try that. I know my pet bunny LOVES them. And in terms of getting the bugs out of home grown produce, my mom sometimes fills a bowl with salted water and does a brief soak with vegetables that may have bugs in them; it seems to work quite well, and may be worth trying. One of the items on my list of 'things to improve on' is to have a rolling harvest of dill and cilantro. In our garden it always seems to be either boom or bust with those two-- and the dill is never around in sufficient quantities when the cucumbers are ready for pickling!

 

[Branching Out]

In early March I attended my first ever seed swap, and received a pocket full of Painted Mountain Corn seeds. As an experiment in cold-hardiness I started them indoors around March 10th, and planted them out with row cover the last week of March. They were able to produce a few ears for me, and apparently a few for the critters in the area as well. Today I harvested them to deter further visits from four-legged pests, and I am quite taken by the beautiful hues of lavender, purple, and deep dark red. I plan on saving most of them for seed and will perhaps try to grind just the smallest amount in to flour; I am very curious to see how it tastes.

 

[heirloomgal]

Very interesting flowerbug. Who would have thought that you could eat dill flowers right off the plant? I will have to try that. I know my pet bunny LOVES them. And in terms of getting the bugs out of home grown produce, my mom sometimes fills a bowl with salted water and does a brief soak with vegetables that may have bugs in them; it seems to work quite well, and may be worth trying. One of the items on my list of 'things to improve on' is to have a rolling harvest of dill and cilantro. In our garden it always seems to be either boom or bust with those two-- and the dill is never around in sufficient quantities when the cucumbers are ready for pickling!

I have an Indian cookbook with a recipe that uses a few developing seedheads of coriander, at the stage of little green beads and near non-existent feathery leaves. I though to myself, can that be right? Use it while it's going to seed? I tried it and it was delicious, both taste and texture. It was almost better than the full green leaf stage.

 

[SPedigrees]

I have an Indian cookbook with a recipe that uses a few developing seedheads of coriander, at the stage of little green beads and near non-existent feathery leaves. I though to myself, can that be right? Use it while it's going to seed? I tried it and it was delicious, both taste and texture. It was almost better than the full green leaf stage.

Not sure about "going to seed" but coriander seeds are one of my go-to ingredients for pickles of all varieties.

 

[digitS']

He should replace that spectrum starburst @flowerbug avatar with a dill and bug picture, don't you think?

I like the fragrance of dill but this household's yearly pickle consumption amounts to about 3 small jars of diced dills. Most of them go in mayonnaise for an easy tartar sauce with white fish.

Cilantro is eaten throughout the growing season and Winter. Yes, it is difficult to have it late. This photo is from this morning:


These cilantro plants will find a home soon in the second planting of sweetcorn. The stalks beyond the first several to the South have proven to provide sufficient shade for the cilantro.

Steve

 

[Branching Out]

I have an Indian cookbook with a recipe that uses a few developing seedheads of coriander, at the stage of little green beads and near non-existent feathery leaves. I though to myself, can that be right? Use it while it's going to seed? I tried it and it was delicious, both taste and texture. It was almost better than the full green leaf stage.

I have never heard of using green seed pods either, but I have a bunch at that stage right now so I may give it a try!

 

[flowerbug]

... One of the items on my list of 'things to improve on' is to have a rolling harvest of dill and cilantro. In our garden it always seems to be either boom or bust with those two-- and the dill is never around in sufficient quantities when the cucumbers are ready for pickling!

succession planting is very much possible with all the seeds they can produce. however, to prevent being taken over completely you'd have to be very disciplined in removing the plants and flowers before they can drop seeds because from what i've experienced they will easily take over.

 

[Branching Out]

succession planting is very much possible with all the seeds they can produce. however, to prevent being taken over completely you'd have to be very disciplined in removing the plants and flowers before they can drop seeds because from what i've experienced they will easily take over.

So true flowerbug-- the cilantro in particular can become rather weedy if left to its own devices. Dill is not an issue for us, as whatever plants the bunny doesn't eat are easy to pull; I cut them up, and just leave on the ground as mulch.

A couple of days ago I was madly harvesting plants for seed in advance of rain showers, and when I checked on my chick peas I discovered that the rats had done far more damage than I had thought. See all of those spent shells in the photo, lying on the ground next to my snapdragon? The vermin ate all but a handful of the pods, which is annoying. Many pods were still hanging on the vine, but had been slit open and were empty. I will have to find a strategic location for the garbanzo beans next year. And good thing I didn't eat all of last year's harvest yet, because it looks like I may need to save those chick peas for seed.