What are you growing and cooking?

[Troyrissa]

Just today I went out to thin the mulch on my garlic. All survived the winter and have leaves sticking out! This is the first crop I’ve ever planted. My sister in law is advising me. I plan to plant sweet peppers, cucumbers, lettuce and strawberries but I need to get going with my indoor seeds. It will be cold here a while longer.

 

[DeniseM]

You need to order strawberry starts asap - not a seed crop. You can buy the bare root starts for a fraction of the cost of single plants.

 

[Troyrissa]

You need to order strawberry starts asap - not a seed crop. You can buy the bare root starts for a fraction of the cost of single plants.

I was researching that just yesterday as I didn’t really see many strawberry seeds out there. There are strawberry plants I found but you think the bare root starts are better? Will I get any fruit this year?

 

[DeniseM]

You will get fruit this year if you plant them early enough. Strawberry plants cost 10-20 x as much as bare root starts where I live. You can plant them after your last frost date, which you can google.

Here are some examples:

Strawberry Plants For Sale | Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co.

Gurney's strawberry plants are the perfect addition to your garden. Browse our selection of everbearing, junebearing, and other varieties for delicious strawberries.

www.gurneys.com

Choose your climate zone on the left side of the page to see the best options for your climate.

Last year I ordered ever-bearing, but after going through the growing season with them, I realized the sent me June bearing But they were in the ground and doing well, so I am working with it. I plan to freeze a lot of strawberries this year. Here in warm northern CA, I already have lots of blooms and fruit on last year's plants.

You can get more than one season out of strawberry plants, and they will send out runners and start new plants forever, under good conditions. So, I don't think I will ever have to buy more starts. I have two, 3 x 4 ft. raised beds, and I planted about 5-6 extra bare root starts in each one last spring, and they spread and completely filled the beds.

If you have slugs or snails, do some research about organic prevention, because they love strawberries. I put regular (non-organic) snail bait outside the raised beds, and organic snail bait, in the raised beds.

 

[Marsbar]

I have two very understanding house plants, a philodendron and wandering Jew. I was given a Christmas Cactus that sits in the dark and is so far surviving neglect.

Thanks for the tips. No matter how hardy and how much I have followed instructions on how to care for either houseplants or garden plants, they all die on me. It's demoralizing!

 

[davidvel]

Marijuana and brownies.

 

[geekette]

Thanks for the tips. No matter how hardy and how much I have followed instructions on how to care for either houseplants or garden plants, they all die on me. It's demoralizing!

Yeah, it can be absolutely demoralizing! It’s pretty much same as everything else: Determine the needs, fill the needs.

 

[geekette]

I am attempting to propagate roses, Venus Flytrap and a succulent.

The next succulent clip I’ll put in perlite, the others are in good soil in pots. My aloe disappeared in Helene so I’m asking around for a start but haven’t located one yet. I could buy another but it’s more fun to try from one little leg.

I’m treading carefully with Venus as she is rather particular and I believe I missed the dormant window. She’s supposed to be native to Carolinas but can’t handle below 40F so I don’t think she’ll ever survive outside in mountains. I really want the pest control inside anyway. It’s fun to watch the very slow demise of a daddy long legs as leg after leg gets trapped. Low bar for entertainment here…

Meanwhile, another cold snap coming so seedlings are getting repotted to larger pots as they all have to come inside vs into the ground (bigger pain to try to keep them covered outdoors in harsh wind). Hopefully they will be quite big and strong when they finally get their ground homes.

Meanwhile, working some ground, digging and disposing of dandelions, throwing some wildflower seeds around. Birds will eat a lot of them but will presumably poop some out. I’m excited that sunflowers are peeking up, I envision a lovely patch of them along my ridge with big bonus if I can see them when I first turn onto our street down below. All of the sunflower seeds are recovered from various varieties I’ve grown the past few years so could be interesting mix.

 

[geekette]

Marijuana and brownies.

Apparently there used to be a cannabis crop uphill from me, but now it’s available in most every gas station or vape shop and unfortunately many around have turned to meth. I think I probably prune my brownie crop too much, never seem to take off to abundance.

 

[slip]

I did some planting today, all seeds. My tomatoes are still coming in nicely. We harvested a few dozen already and there are another couple dozen tomatoes and buds still there.

I started some Summer Squash, Cherry Tomatoes, Roma Tomatoes, more Basil, Green Peppers, Green Beans and Jalapeño Peppers. We'll see what starts. I still have plenty of pockets left but I'll wait a bit and see what happens.

 

[Pennytx]

Amazing

 

[slip]

While cleaning up the house a little, I found my Parsley seeds so I planted those today. Lol

We have storms coming through and we're even getting some thunder. I finally got around to cleaning and organizing the lanai closet. I was finally able to get some things out of the living room. Seems like we have so much more room now.

Anyway, we can enjoy sitting out on the lanai again. Easter dinner may be out of the Lanai this year.

 

[amycurl]

For those of you having a holiday meal this weekend, what are you cooking? I'm excited to host my mother and three of her friends, so there will be seven of us on Sunday. I've got *beautiful* purple sweet potatoes from our CSA and am planning on cooking them for a bit in the crockpot with the ham, and then mashing them, with some of that flavorful sauce. And then some great, fresh sugar snap peas from the market and broccoli slaw with a homemade lemon poppyseed dressing (my fav way to use up broccoli stems, lol!) My mom is making corn pudding. So: protein, one yellow/orange/purple veg, one starchy veg, one warm green veg, and one cold green veg. I think the plates will look very pretty!

 

[slip]

Enjoying the cleaned lanai with a Beer and a Turkey Sandwich with fresh Tomatoes. Still raining too. Here's the road a half mile east of WaveCrest. I haven't seen that dip ever fill. I had to take a screen shot since it was a video I can't share.

 

[slip]

For those of you having a holiday meal this weekend, what are you cooking? I'm excited to host my mother and three of her friends, so there will be seven of us on Sunday. I've got *beautiful* purple sweet potatoes from our CSA and am planning on cooking them for a bit in the crockpot with the ham, and then mashing them, with some of that flavorful sauce. And then some great, fresh sugar snap peas from the market and broccoli slaw with a homemade lemon poppyseed dressing (my fav way to use up broccoli stems, lol!) My mom is making corn pudding. So: protein, one yellow/orange/purple veg, one starchy veg, one warm green veg, and one cold green veg. I think the plates will look very pretty!

We bought a Five pound canned Ham on sale and we're making biscuits and local grown Squash. We always make Scalloped Potatoes and Ham with the leftovers. Along with Ham and Cheese Omelets and Ham Sandwiches. Plus now we'll enjoy it in the lanai.

 

[amycurl]

I love leftover ham--ham sandwiches, ham and cheesy scrambled eggs, and ham in macaroni and cheese. And I'll use my hambone to make bean soup. I hope I have *some* leftovers (most of the attendees are little older ladies, so I don't think they are ham gobblers, LOL!)

 

[rickandcindy23]

We had snow all day yesterday and snow flurries again today. Not a crazy storm for the Denver area, but it sure isn't going to go well with an Easter egg hunt in our yard for the grandkids. It will not melt tomorrow. Monday will be back in the 70's. Go figure. We leave for San Antonio on Monday, so we will be wearing shorts to the airport.

Leftover ham will go directly into the freezer, if we can find a spot.

Making ham, hash brown casserole, creamed corn (little kids love our homemade creamed corn), a veggie tray, gluten-free cornbread, cheesecake and ice cream for dessert. The only thing with gluten will be the cheesecake, and our granddaughter with celiac won't eat cheesecake, so no biggie.

Of course we will have chips and dip for the kids who love that stuff. Our little Olivia will push a chair up to the counter to eat chips and dip. Any kind of sauce is her favorite. She got a shirt in New Orleans that says, "I put ketchup on my ketchup."

She also eats everything her mama eats, including sushi and lobster. She is three. She'll probably grow out of it.

 

[DancingWaters]

We had snow all day yesterday and snow flurries again today. Not a crazy storm for the Denver area, but it sure isn't going to go well with an Easter egg hunt in our yard for the grandkids. It will not melt tomorrow. Monday will be back in the 70's. Go figure. We leave for San Antonio on Monday, so we will be wearing shorts to the airport.

Leftover ham will go directly into the freezer, if we can find a spot.

Making ham, hash brown casserole, creamed corn (little kids love our homemade creamed corn), a veggie tray, gluten-free cornbread, cheesecake and ice cream for dessert. The only thing with gluten will be the cheesecake, and our granddaughter with celiac won't eat cheesecake, so no biggie.

Of course we will have chips and dip for the kids who love that stuff. Our little Olivia will push a chair up to the counter to eat chips and dip. Any kind of sauce is her favorite. She got a shirt in New Orleans that says, "I put ketchup on my ketchup."

She also eats everything her mama eats, including sushi and lobster. She is three. She'll probably grow out of it.

I don’t have any ham eaters so I made 2 Large pans of lasagne, 40 wings, rolls, green beans, broccoli, pickled red beets and eggs
plus 3 different desserts!

 

[Panina]

Life has settled a little and I finally planted a container garden in my screened patio. Parsley, dill. chives, scallions, basil and cilantro, all doing good very quickly. Blackberries, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and beans growing, will we will see if we get anything. Outside , the pineapples, lemons and mangoes are thriving. Last year we had zero due to the early hot weather.

 

[DeniseM]

Yeah, herbs are just weeds that taste good - and they grow like weeds! When I have extra, I freeze them or dry them for winter cooking.

 

[amycurl]

My rosemary in a medium-sized pot on the porch made it through the winter (sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.) The mint, in a really large pot at the base of the porch stairs, has come back nicely from overwintering. The farmer's market is having their plant sale this Sunday; that's where I'll pick up (and then plant) my peppers and basil and other porch plants for the season.

My CSA farmer grows everything else.

 

[DeniseM]

My strawberries are ripening, but some of them are growing LEAVES out of the seeds before they are even harvested. I found out that this is a known condition called vivipary. I'm not a fan!

The phenomenon where strawberries grow leaves from their "seeds" (which are actually tiny fruits) while still on the plant is called vivipary. This happens when the seeds, usually meant to germinate under favorable conditions, begin to sprout and develop leaves even while attached to the strawberry.

 

[PigsDad]

My strawberries are ripening, but some of them are growing LEAVES out of the seeds before they are even harvested. I found out that this is a known condition called vivipary. I'm not a fan!

View attachment 109723

I’ve never seen that, and I have been growing them for years. Does the fruit stay wet all the time, causing the seeds to sprout? Maybe needs more sunshine? Really weird!

Kurt

 

[DeniseM]

No - they get a lot of sun - I actually just increased the water to see if that would help

I sliced some of the leafy ones up in an apple cobbler today to see if they can be used for baking.


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[DeniseM]

I added some to an apple cobbler and you can’t tell anything is different after baking them, so I will just freeze them for baking.



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