The Avant-Garde'n Vegetables

[Phaedra]

Nothing too special, but I randomly picked some strong seedlings from my microgreens and want to see what kinds of veggies they will become.

 

[digitS']

Well, l have something to share in media that may inspire.

Completely unexpected, and beginning while I was in another part of the house, a PBS show came on, it wasn't quite for me because I am not really a CHILIHEAD.

It was a hour-long special. I don't know when it will be repeated but I see that part or whole – it is on YouTube.

Steve, who has decided that he can and should plant some Stevia again, just for another chance to develop a relationship beyond the commercial

 

[ducks4you]

TM has always said the flogging will continue until morale improves.

This Employee finally woke up after napping most of the evening and realizes that HE [TE] should go back to sleep, but will poke at a project for another hour or two before napping before 1st breakfast.

Realy this whole thread is just here for my amusement and social enjoyment and appreciation. I have nothing gardening to say about tomatoes except we (not ME, TE, or TM but Mom who is really the boss here) will be growing the same sort of tomatoes as usual. that's all. while i can pine for the fyords and want to grow a few of something different that won't happen. i get away with a few hot peppers and a ton of beans. i'm happy with those.

as we say keep it simple.

i hope my odd humor doesn't rock the boat too much this late. while i'm awake though i should be using these brain cells to figure out this puzzle i'm in the middle of...

Whatever you are taking, send some MY way!!!

 

[flowerbug]

Whatever you are taking, send some MY way!!!

we have a wild sense of humor here and it continues almost constantly. it fits the thread title pretty well most of the time. off-the-wall, odd, quirky...

already this morning i was buzzing Mom's hair and we already were riffing on names to call the disaster (well i liked it) from last time (it was a Fade on the sides but she wanted the top left long so i just let it be as it was). so i called it "The Waterfall" this morning. she said it was a bowl cut, but i know what those are...

i did not give her "The Waterfall" again. it was just a trim around the edges because she hates having hair on her ears and neck. left the top completely alone including the back so it was just a very slight Fade...

 

[Zeedman]

@flowerbug , methinks that we took the title of this thread way to literally. Derailments happen; but only here do people jump on even as the train goes off the tracks - which is part of what makes this forum feel like family. I blame my present mood on Seasonal Affective Derangement. 🤣

But back to vegetables... It never ceases to amaze me that no matter how long we garden, there are still untraveled roads left to explore. I've reached the point where I will (mostly) stand pat with the beans, tomatoes, and peppers that I already grow, and the few exchanges that have yet to be trialed.

Last year's success with peanuts - and how well adapted the transplants were to artificial light - has me craving to try more. But there has been so much interest in the Argentinian White Valencia (from @Eleanor ) that nearly all of last year's crop is already gone. I'll have to regrow it again to replenish my stock, and in larger numbers. So new peanut trials will have to wait until 2025... which gives me time to hunt down some of the less-common varieties.

Hyacinth beans are an unexplored avenue, mostly because until recently, they were poorly adapted to Northern latitudes. But with the acquisition of several day-neutral varieties last year, I hope to experiment more with seed saving & their culinary uses this year. There are several new yardlong beans too (including some new bush varieties) that I hope to trial.

Edible gourds are popular in Asia, but little known here. Those are fun to trial especially since there are so many unusual varieties & they are well adapted to trellising. I'm hooked on luffa, for both the sponges (which have proven to be surprisingly durable) and for their edible immature fruits; so will be trying more of those. AND I only now broke open the fig-leaf gourd given to me at the Michigan seed swap in 2021 (!!!) and am debating whether I have room to trial it. I've seen their vines engulf entire trees in California. Hopefully this cultivar is day neutral (unlike most seed in circulation). The young "melons" (which resemble cantaloupe in shape & size) make a wonderful 'shark fin soup'... and as mentioned, they have CRAZY storage life.

The fun is that in experimenting with vegetables grown more commonly elsewhere, I am challenged to learn more about the foods & cultures that accompany them.

 

[digitS']

It never ceases to amaze me that ~ what has been grown commonly by gardeners elsewhere in the World have become available to us in such a good supply!

"No matter how long we garden, there are still untraveled roads."

Imagine "off roads" where hunters & gatherers hunt and gather. What are in those forests, plains, wetlands, rivers and lakes? Those people had and have bountiful knowledge. It was imperative that they did and do, yet. And, we are these people's descendants and some of the proof of their knowledge, skills and industry.

Steve, who first and only once, grew peanuts out in the sticks in the mid-70's. they are likely to have been nothing special and from Shumways, which was an independent seed company at that time. the plants grew and looked good, produced something that mostly looked like a peanut but had very few seeds to sample .

Edited to add: And, What is Old, is New Again.