Today's harvest

[GotGarlic]

A couple of recent harvests: cucumbers and English peas (about a quart are in the freezer). I also have several okra pods in the freezer, waiting till the day we have enough to make a dish (we only have three plants).

 

[larry_stewart]

A couple of recent harvests: cucumbers and English peas (about a quart are in the freezer). I also have several okra pods in the freezer, waiting till the day we have enough to make a dish (we only have three plants). View attachment 35301View attachment 35302

Love peas.
I eat them right out of the garden.
Rarely do I get enough at once to do anything with, and honestly, I prefer them raw, right out of the pod.

I have issues with okra also. I rarely pick a bunch at once, no matter how many plants I have. Its always sporadic. I have begun cutting and freezing them so they are ready to go when I need the. Also, my wife loves them raw, so I think she's part of the problem. Probably sneaking out and snacking on a bunch when I'm not home.

 

[pepperhead212]

Sugar snap peas I do this with all the time. The first year I grew them I ate every one of them out in the garden!

Last today, I harvested two bok choys, just beginning to bolt. I separated the greens and stems; the greens I used tonight in the sambar, and the stems I'll cut up another night for a stir-fry.
Greens from 2 bok choy plants 6-24, used in sambar by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Bok choy stems from 2 plants 6-24 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[powerplantop]

Love peas.
I eat them right out of the garden.
Rarely do I get enough at once to do anything with, and honestly, I prefer them raw, right out of the pod.

I have issues with okra also. I rarely pick a bunch at once, no matter how many plants I have. Its always sporadic. I have begun cutting and freezing them so they are ready to go when I need the. Also, my wife loves them raw, so I think she's part of the problem. Probably sneaking out and snacking on a bunch when I'm not home.

Okra plants loves hot weather.

 

[bbqcoder]

Which varieties of okra do you grow? I grew Clemson Spineless last year. The flowers are very pretty. I think my problem is that I forget to pick them when they're small. Is that true for all okra? Supposedly you want them the size of your thumb or they're too woody.

I must say that I'm further behind in my gardening this year. Partly due to the weather and partly due to the construction of a new fence. At my house, I have 18 4x10 beds. Usually they're all full by now. I think 5 of the beds still need to be planted. It's a bit hard to still work full time and have all of this gardening to do. I still have ~15 years more til retirement.

 

[larry_stewart]

Because of my inconsistencies, I now grow a dwarf variety ( Baby Bubba). in large pots. I still get the same quantity, and they take up less space ( and dont shade anything else).
These plants only get about 2 feet high.

 

[pepperhead212]

Emerald has been a favorite of mine for many years, because it can grow to 6" or a little more, yet not get fibrous. Almost every other variety got fibrous at around 4", and some I'd have to pick twice a day, or they'd be overgrown! Also, most grow just a single stalk, while Emerald branches out, as does a new variety I'm growing this year - Little Lucy. This is the red one that I harvested a few from already, and I let a couple get over 5", and there was no fiber at all when I cut those pods. I can always tell when they are overgrown, when slicing them!

 

[GA Home Cook]

My tomatoes are wide open Rutgers and Celebrity this year. I use Clemson Spineless Okra and it is producing like crazy. Purple hull peas are about ready to pick, Silver Queen corn will be ready in about 2 weeks, Yellow Squash and Zukes are being given to anyone that wants it, first picking of Blue Lake Green beans was Sunday. Good year for our garden.

 

[pepperhead212]

The tomatoes are really starting to ripen - seems every time I look, there's another kind with at least one starting. Sunset Falls, Sunsugar, Jasper, Pink Champagne, Black Opal, Green Lime Salad, and Beefy Boy, so far.
Tomatoes starting to ripen up! On 6-23 only 2 types, but by 6-27, six types are starting. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[bbqcoder]

Very nice tomatoes. My parents miss NJ tomatoes as they feel that in FL, the tomatoes are terrible.

 

[pepperhead212]

Nothing like Jersey tomatoes, BBQ! But tomatoes can be grown down in FL - they just need to be grown in two seasons, and the first one is ending about now, due to the heat! And of course, store bought tomatoes are probably shipped in - commercial farms probably don't deal with tomatoes much down there.

Even up here it's gotten harder to grow tomatoes, due to the increased heat in the summers. Some larger producers, like Redpack, have moved out of Jersey, N to NY, and other cooler places. I just keep trying new varieties, to find ones that are more heat resistant.

 

[larry_stewart]

I remember when I lived in Philly, I used to shop at the Italian Market every weekend. There was this one vender fro Jersey who used to sell tomatoes. She used to brag about her tomatoes , but man, if you touched them before buying them , she'd chew your head off lol. The tomatoes were good, but she was an angry person. I loved the Italian market. It had so much personality there.

 

[pepperhead212]

Back in the 80s, and early 90s, I used to buy most of my produce at the Italian market, as that was back when supermarkets were smaller, and really didn't have much, and the large produce markets hadn't opened around here. Also got most of my spices at a bulk tea and spice place. Then, of course, there were those cheese shops, which sometimes I had to skip, as I always got more than I needed.

Later, the SE Asian markets opened nearby, on Washington Ave, and I'd still go over at least once a month, but when a huge Asian market opened on this side of the river, friends and I stopped going over. It had changed a lot anyway, with most of the vendors gone, and I can get all of the stuff elsewhere, but I do miss the cheese shops.

 

[larry_stewart]

Later, the SE Asian markets opened nearby, on Washington Ave, and I'd still go over at least once a month, but when a huge Asian market opened on this side of the river, friends and I stopped going over. It had changed a lot anyway, with most of the vendors gone, and I can get all of the stuff elsewhere, but I do miss the cheese shops.

What I have noticed , over time, is the significant amount of Asian grocers on Washington Closer to Broad street, and the Italian market has a heavier Hispanic flare to it than I remember, which is not a bad thing, just different than the early 90's when I lived in Philly.

Actually heading back to Philly for the next few days, so Ill be sure to get some pretzels.

 

[pepperhead212]

I definitely noticed more hispanics on 9th st, and would occasionally get some unusual ingredients for Mexican cooking.

I used to get a bag of 50 pretzels, on some of my trips over there! Not all for me, however - I took orders. And that's another thing they have opened up all over, while I used to only get them over there. The one I used to get them from was on the N side of Washington, between 8th and 7th, or 7th and 6th (been a long time!), and I'd have to hurry through the market, because they had a certain amount they rolled out every day (I think they started at 4 am), and that was it! I'd know I missed out when I'd see that metal door rolled down in front.

 

[larry_stewart]

I got ( and get ) mine from Center City Pretzels, South side somewhere around 8th
I usually get 100, give 50 away to friends and family, probably eat close to 10 on the way home to NY, then freeze the rest. Toast them wrapped in foil. Not as good as fresh, but a close second.

Parking used to be easier at the Italian market too back in the day. Now I double park and waiting the car for my wife to pick up the pretzels.

 

[caseydog]

Nothing like Jersey tomatoes, BBQ! But tomatoes can be grown down in FL - they just need to be grown in two seasons, and the first one is ending about now, due to the heat! And of course, store bought tomatoes are probably shipped in - commercial farms probably don't deal with tomatoes much down there.

Even up here it's gotten harder to grow tomatoes, due to the increased heat in the summers. Some larger producers, like Redpack, have moved out of Jersey, N to NY, and other cooler places. I just keep trying new varieties, to find ones that are more heat resistant.

I have to agree, although all fresh, vine ripened toamtoes are way better that what you get at the supermarket.

My dad has a brown thumb. He can kill just about anything. But, back in Glassboro, we had a vegetable garden, and the tomatoes were awesome.

My sister grows wonderful tomatoes in Houston. She gets two seasons from her garden. She has already had her first harvest.

I get two seasons from my pepper plants. I am harvesting now, and then the heat will get too high. It is 84F right now, at midnight. The plants will flower, but won't set fruit this time of summer. But, in September and October, I will get the best tasting, and hottest peppers of the year.

CD

 

[caseydog]

What I have noticed , over time, is the significant amount of Asian grocers on Washington Closer to Broad street, and the Italian market has a heavier Hispanic flare to it than I remember, which is not a bad thing, just different than the early 90's when I lived in Philly.

Actually heading back to Philly for the next few days, so Ill be sure to get some pretzels.

Down here, you know where to buy produce by watching where the Mexicans shop. Fresh produce is a major staple in the Mexican/American diet. Fiesta Supermercados always have a huge selection of good produce here in Texas.

My parents live two miles from a Fiesta, but never shop there unless I am in town. The meat department kinda' sucks, but the produce and cheeses are amazing. For most of the employees, English is their second language, and my parents have some issues with that. Unless you are mowing their yard for 20-bucks a week, you should speak English.

CD

 

[pepperhead212]

I got my first Neon eggplant today, plus some more Ichiban, for about 1 1/2 lbs, for a dish tonight. I also harvested the first bottle gourd, which could have grown more (I've grown some to nearly 30", w/o getting seedy), but I have 3 more growing, so I want the energy to channel to those.
First bottle gourd, 6-29, just under 12 inches, 28.7 oz. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

First Neon eggplant, plus 3 more Ichiban, 6-29 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Also another tomato variety ripening (Sprite), and a hint of ripening on Superchilis, which are always my first to ripen. Some of the misome is starting to bolt, so I harvested that, but amazingly, not a hint of bolting on the senposai or komatsuna. Usually, heat waves like I'm going through now trigger most greens, and sometimes I don't get one until late July. Oh well...the reason I've always said that I'm glad I'm not a farmer. I can't control the weather.

 

[larry_stewart]

Im still envious of the few weeks you got on me. Looking good !
Things are right around the corner for me.
Im away for a few days, but with the rain we just had yesterday, along with the hight heat that followed , Im anticipating coming home to a bunch of stuff.
The male and female flowers finally coordinated so looks like ill have a few squash.
I ate a small ( baby) cuke before I left, just cause it was there staring at me and I couldn't resist ( also knew iit would probably be over ripe when I got home).
Looking forward. to my first batch of pickles.
I have a small ichiban eggplant that may be of size when I get back too, and the other eggplants starting to thrive. They look kinda funny, cause the lower half of the eggplant looks like it had better days , but since the warmer weather kicked in, all the new growth looks very healthy making the plant look kinda funky.