ninnymary
Garden Master
Thanks, I'll have to try it. Now to find escarole in the store. I've never grown it but if I like this soup I'll plant some next year.
Is escarole easy to grow? I'm not sure I even know what it looks like.
Mary
Continuing ...
- Thread starter digitS'
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Is escarole easy to grow? I'm not sure I even know what it looks like.
Mary
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- #22
digitS'
Garden Master
@Nyboy gave a nod to Broadleaf Batavian Escarole and I have stayed with that.
It is sometimes listed as an endive but it isn't that ornamental green that is used to brighten the corner of your plate at a restaurant. Broadleaf Batavian looks like it might be a lettuce.
I find it especially easy to grow. And, I'm all for having something that wants to grow in my garden.
Steve
It is sometimes listed as an endive but it isn't that ornamental green that is used to brighten the corner of your plate at a restaurant. Broadleaf Batavian looks like it might be a lettuce.
I find it especially easy to grow. And, I'm all for having something that wants to grow in my garden.
Steve
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- #23
digitS'
Garden Master
For dinner, we had the first chard for 2017, Umaina (click).
Until a couple years ago, I had only grown chard for others, altho I'd had and enjoyed "Perpetual Spinach" and came to realize that it had to be a chard. Then with Mary's help, I tried Verde de Taglio (click). Great!
I'm not sure what I think about Umaina. This Japanese chard was larger so that was the one for first harvest and it is the first time in my garden. It's a little bitter. Maybe it will improve but now I'm curious if the Verde da Taglio will also be bitter this season ...
My Red Ace beets (chard's cousin) were super! The seed was old so they didn't come up well. I don't have very many but I don't think that they could be any sweeter. The Umaina looks good so I have hopes for it!
Steve
Until a couple years ago, I had only grown chard for others, altho I'd had and enjoyed "Perpetual Spinach" and came to realize that it had to be a chard. Then with Mary's help, I tried Verde de Taglio (click). Great!
I'm not sure what I think about Umaina. This Japanese chard was larger so that was the one for first harvest and it is the first time in my garden. It's a little bitter. Maybe it will improve but now I'm curious if the Verde da Taglio will also be bitter this season ...
My Red Ace beets (chard's cousin) were super! The seed was old so they didn't come up well. I don't have very many but I don't think that they could be any sweeter. The Umaina looks good so I have hopes for it!
Steve
Nyboy
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Mary if you can grow lettuce you can grow escarole. Another way my mother made it was in sauteed with sweet sausage. Any way you can prepare spinach can do same for escarole. Look up recipes it is a very overlooked vegetable in most non Italian households.
thistlebloom
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Mary, you should be able to grow lettuce (and escarole) year long.
Mine is just up, and I know it's technically late to grow it, but I'm trusting in our very cool nights, and the afternoon shade it will get from the apple tree.
Mine is just up, and I know it's technically late to grow it, but I'm trusting in our very cool nights, and the afternoon shade it will get from the apple tree.
ninnymary
Garden Master
Steve, does the Verde de Taglio get leafminer? I stopped growing chard because I would get it bad.
Thistle, which escarole do you grow?
Mary
Thistle, which escarole do you grow?
Mary
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- #27
digitS'
Garden Master
I sure bet it does, Mary.
That critter is only a problem now and then and often on just a few leaves. Usually, they are spinach leaves but could probably be in the beets as bad. My approach until last year was to use the beets before they had much time in the garden. I'd convinced myself that they were hardly worth keeping around late because I don't really care for mature beets.
I tried over recent years to lead DW down the beeten garden path. She didn't like beet color. Then, she learned about beets and hypothyroidism ... i guess. Inflicted them on me through last winter! Unanticipated: I may be learning to like mature beets ..! Anyway, I haven't seen any miners this year.
Steve
That critter is only a problem now and then and often on just a few leaves. Usually, they are spinach leaves but could probably be in the beets as bad. My approach until last year was to use the beets before they had much time in the garden. I'd convinced myself that they were hardly worth keeping around late because I don't really care for mature beets.
I tried over recent years to lead DW down the beeten garden path. She didn't like beet color. Then, she learned about beets and hypothyroidism ... i guess. Inflicted them on me through last winter! Unanticipated: I may be learning to like mature beets ..! Anyway, I haven't seen any miners this year.
Steve
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- #28
digitS'
Garden Master
Lots!
Of!
Snap & Snow Peas!
Steve
Of!
Snap & Snow Peas!
Steve- Thread starter
- #29
digitS'
Garden Master
Buckets of peas!
Should have picked more earlier this week. There aren't many snow peas in that 45' bed but both sowings of snap pea seed have grown vines producing at the same time, now! Yeah, the late vines are a little short.
Green Arrow shell peas are just about ready. This is something I don't care about too much: peas tend to come on all at once in this climate. It was 97°f, yesterday afternoon and supposed to be high 90's both today and tomorrow. There is no holding them back!
DW says don't shell the old snap peas and eat the seeds standing in the garden, the Green Arrow are better. She's right and I said that but explained, "not by much!"
Steve
Should have picked more earlier this week. There aren't many snow peas in that 45' bed but both sowings of snap pea seed have grown vines producing at the same time, now! Yeah, the late vines are a little short.
Green Arrow shell peas are just about ready. This is something I don't care about too much: peas tend to come on all at once in this climate. It was 97°f, yesterday afternoon and supposed to be high 90's both today and tomorrow. There is no holding them back!
DW says don't shell the old snap peas and eat the seeds standing in the garden, the Green Arrow are better. She's right and I said that but explained, "not by much!"
Steve
- Thread starter
- #30
digitS'
Garden Master
Yesterday was the first harvest of the shell peas.
Took out one Yukon Gold potato plant. I had halfway vowed not to grow that variety again after it had performed poorly for a couple of seasons. But, the spuds are in a different garden this year and it's one of DW's favorites.
Potatoes at about goose egg size - for some reason I'm never confident enough to dig new potatoes until they are larger than I prefer. Oh well. It's really time for me to begin taking out the spuds but I don't see any foliage that is dying. If the Yukons go first, they will have to do a little better than xxx large egg size but we will see. It was delightful to have the creamed peas and potatoes for dinner.
First zucchini were harvested yesterday, as well. Gorgeous things!
Steve
Took out one Yukon Gold potato plant. I had halfway vowed not to grow that variety again after it had performed poorly for a couple of seasons. But, the spuds are in a different garden this year and it's one of DW's favorites.
Potatoes at about goose egg size - for some reason I'm never confident enough to dig new potatoes until they are larger than I prefer. Oh well. It's really time for me to begin taking out the spuds but I don't see any foliage that is dying. If the Yukons go first, they will have to do a little better than xxx large egg size but we will see. It was delightful to have the creamed peas and potatoes for dinner.
First zucchini were harvested yesterday, as well. Gorgeous things!
Steve
