Something Different

[digitS']

When I started growing a vegetable garden, I didn't really know about the unusual beyond what Mom wanted. Time went on, Organic Gardening© helped, gardener advice ...

There are some things that I grow that are uncommon. Maybe not species but the variety is uncommon. How about for you -- maybe, something that isn't hard to find but not as a veggie ready-to-eat in the produce aisle??

Here's an example. Just cutting up some cucumbers for the fridge and lunch later. We have moved on from American slicer Talladega, mostly because its early and its productiveness has gotten ahead of us. On to Lemon cucumbers and a White. Lemons are later and unusual in that I don't see them in the stores. Learning curve was that they should be harvested at the first sign of yellow - otherwise they are seedy.

I wish that I could identify the white. It wasn't a hybrid and saving seeds was possible. The seed lasts for a long time so growing it here at home and away from the other cukes in the distant garden provided for seed without the chance of crossing. What I like about it is that it is available late and the later ones don't develop tough seed right away. That's something I like about Beit Alpha cucumbers. I've watched those become more & more common over the years. The seed catalogs have more varieties of that type. But, the Muncher has also gotten away from us . Cucumbers, Good for Lunch!

Steve

 

[meadow]

High Mowing had a white cucumber in 2017 that is open pollinated:

Silver Slicer: 52 days. Prolific, creamy white cucumber with crisp texture and delicious flavor. This thin skinned, refined heirloom from the breeders at Cornell University produces stunning, white fruits with thin skin that never gets bitter. Field resistance to powdery mildew allows for marketable harvest well into the fall. With a buttery texture that is never watery, this is a variety often favored over many of its green skinned competitors. A portion of the sales of this variety is paid to the breeder.
Male and female flowers; Excellent flavor; 5-6" fruit; High Resistance: Powdery Mildew

Looks like they still carry it and the photo might help you know if it could possibly be your White cucumber.

 

[ducks4you]

Sorry, I'm still in MS re different varieties of vegetables.
I troll the threads here to learn more, and am satisfied for now to do so.

 

[digitS']

Is that Mad Scientist , @ducks4you - MS?

@meadow , I saw those Silver Slicers recently. They look good . Ours might have been White Wonder and they look like that shape - quite commonly available.

I went back and looked at a company that I have bought from but not for years, thinking that maybe this was where they came from. Pine Tree link (BTW: I haven't been ordering from them, not because of any problems but because Pine Tree was very much small garden oriented and their seed packet size reflected that. I should go back now that my garden is smaller .) Poona Kheera may well be the one. That "russet brown" description is NOT when I harvest them for eating. Notice that it is at the young stage when they have cut up the cuke for a picture. These will also change to yellow and that's when I move on to another.

Poona Kheera? Seems familiar but any reason that I might have forgotten that name after a one-shot deal? Shucks, I had to look up the spelling of "Beit Alpha." Let's see, i before e ......... didn't help .

Steve

 

[ducks4you]

...may....BE?!?!?

 

[Zeedman]

"Something different" could almost sum up my garden; I love to experiment, and explore new things. There are so many different vegetables out there that there literally is not enough time, or enough land, to explore them all.

Although I grow cucumbers (mostly burpless Oriental types) I don't make pickles from them. Gherkins - true gherkins, Cucumis anguria - have been my pickler of choice. Weird looking, with their soft "thorns"... but they don't don't get soft in the middle like cucumbers, and stay very firm & crunchy when pickled. The widely-offered West India gherkin is OK, but the cultivar Liso Calcutta is less spiny, and slower to develop seeds. I've been gradually selecting for fewer spines, with some success... a few of the last generation were completely spineless.

No gherkins this year, but trialed a new variety of white bitter melon & a new luffa, both of which did well. There is a lot of culinary exploration associated with each of those. This was probably my final harvest for the year:

 

[meadow]

That Poona Kheera has some great reviews!

I'm not certain that any of the varieties we grow are particularly uncommon, but I do love to explore options and compare flavors! I figure that, if I'm going to grow it, it ought to be something that we really enjoy.

I suppose (like many here) I'm so used to exploring varietal descriptions that I've become familiar with the unfamiliar?

pssst... @ducks4you... once you get started with different varieties, there's no going back! Growing a fabulous variety is so exciting and brings so much pleasure!

 

[digitS']

@ducks4you 's Cherokee Purple tomatoes wouldn't be considered mainstream. I'm sure that they are in Craig LeHoullier's book on Epic Tomatoes . After all, Craig was the person who introduced them to the wider world after receiving seed from a home gardener LINK.

I cannot make all decisions for what is in the garden by myself. DW needs to be happy with what is coming home. Several crops that I would feel quite comfortable while ranging far and wide, she likes in a "mild" flavor. If you think about it, soopermarket produce aisles are filled with varieties that are inoffensive, ubiquitous in availability, ... bland. .

Lot's of bean interest here on TEG. I have waited patiently for years for DW to venture away from Jade green beans. They certainly are productive but this is the first year for me not to grow Rattlesnake beans. She does like them fairly well as dry beans but a bowl of bean soup in this home is usually just for me. A pole bean, Rattlesnake takes up little space. I wish it had a longer season of production but it doesn't do badly and has that double purpose. It isn't especially unique and must be available at most any garden center. Perhaps I should experiment with more varieties and will consider that for the 2023 garden .

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

@digitS' that is similar to here except it is even more restricted in that Mom won't even try some things at all just because she's not familiar with them. i did finally get her to try some Adzuki beans and she liked them, but she doesn't like lentils (to me they're very similar so i don't get it).

i just do what i can and try a few things here or there and hope she'll eat some of it, but on the whole i don't want to plant a lot of things that both of us won't eat.

i am glad she she does like most beans (except lentils and chick peas - never tried fava beans) and peas and pea pods are always welcome here. fresh pea shoots are my next thing to try some spring for her as she will eat spinach greens and pea shoots are even better IMO.

 

[meadow]

@digitS' that is similar to here except it is even more restricted in that Mom won't even try some things at all just because she's not familiar with them. i did finally get her to try some Adzuki beans and she liked them, but she doesn't like lentils (to me they're very similar so i don't get it).

i just do what i can and try a few things here or there and hope she'll eat some of it, but on the whole i don't want to plant a lot of things that both of us won't eat.

i am glad she she does like most beans (except lentils and chick peas - never tried fava beans) and peas and pea pods are always welcome here. fresh pea shoots are my next thing to try some spring for her as she will eat spinach greens and pea shoots are even better IMO.

Does she like sweets?

First thing I'm making with my Adzuki beans (when I grow them, lol) is Taiyaki. I don't have the mold, but who cares! Yum!!

Random Taiyaki Recipe with Pictures of Recognizable Finished Product (although I'd cut way way down on the sugar)