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whgille

May in my garden

whgille
10 years ago

Happy Memorial Weekend to All! I am enjoying the beautiful plant gifts that I got from a lot of friends, each time that I look in my garden I remember...bulbs, cuttings, seeds, everything is coming up, thank you.

While trimming the rose, we found a bird nest and we were able to enjoy their growth while they were here, some pictures for you to see.

I am having great harvests of beans, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, bananas. I am cooking them, using them in every recipe that I can think of and sharing. I am expecting a good harvest on the winter squash, I planted a lot of gifted seeds. Barbi gave me a Martinique and Amberoses gave me a Strawberry, could it be this one?

I made a tasty and easy appetizer for friends yesterday, it had the bounty from the garden, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, cilantro, parsley, mint, zaatar, oregano, red lime, olive oil, vinegar, feta cheese and in the bottom of the dish was a homemade hummus.

Let's take a look at today's garden...

Soon is avocado season

Artichokes are doing well, next to Tom's plant

More beans

The summer crops, sweet potatoes, the Japanese purple

The Porto Rico bush

Going back to the house to make banana bread, I made banana jam already, my garden is alive with all the garden friends gifts, thank you!

Silvia

Comments (32)

  • amberroses
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, Silvia everything looks great and so pretty. I don't think the squash is strawberry crown because strawberry crown is more of a dusky dull mauvish pink color. Seeing your garden makes me want to go pull weeds :)

  • kayjones
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Beautiful garden! What is the vibrant blue-flowered vine? I NEED that one! Email me if you want to trade.

  • Michael AKA Leekle2ManE
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Looks like a kind of morning glory, but its hard to tell.

  • foreverlad
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Gorgeous all around Silvia. Your photos make me want to tear everything out of my yard and start over.

  • inulover (9A Inverness, Florida)
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Beautiful as usual. Maybe someday mine will be half as nice.

    Who is the curly-tailed doggie?

    Larry

  • whgille
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you Amber, I put one one seed from each variety of winter squash and all the vines have fruits, cannot see the labels anymore because they are hidden, whatever is the variety in the picture, it is very prolific and has a lot of squash on the vine. I remember now that you posted a very pretty squash one time and it was dusky rose, I will be looking for that one. I am also growing your solar flare tomatoes, they look good. I saved seeds from the Indigo Rose that you sent me and I will be growing them next season, they look so pretty.

    Thank you Kate, I think the vine name is double pea vine, I got it from Biosphere and I asked for a well behaved vine and it is. Here it is a close up of the flowers and the peas (not edible) I don't know how it is propagated, maybe Walli or somebody else can answer, I am just learning from the experts...

    Thank you Foreverlad, your garden is starting to look really nice, you should be proud of your accomplishments, the garden is a work in progress, it is never done! lol.

    Thank you Larry, that is Tiny, the Mr of the house, remember when you were watching him and he gave you a dirty look? lol. He probably thought that you didn't know that he is very indepent and well behaved. Sometimes when we have company and the ladies squeeze him too much, he show his teeth as a warning and I have to tell them that he is not smiling.:)

    Larry, it looks like my garlic are not making bulbs, oh well, they are good using them fresh as onions anyway, here is the garlic bed with some of Doug's hot peppers, the red chili peppers that I got at the Leu are so hot and miniature that I only can use 1 or 2 in a dish. The pineapple you gave me is growing and doing well...

    And my porch is adorned with gifted plants, thank you M&J

    Silvia

  • dlsm
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Silvia,

    Those are some beautiful pictures and as always a well organized garden. Even your pup thinks so.

    Luther

  • whgille
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Luther, you are so funny! and yes that is a blast from the past,lol. I remember that picture and you and Dottie. I always over plant the crops in the garden because not only I give them veggies with their food but they go out and help themselves, especially Tiny and Buffy in the picture, they are obsessed with the beans and in winter they go for the broccoli.

    Today I picked the last of the lettuce, made a salad for lunch and more baked zucchini, tomatoes and onions from the garden.

    Silvia

  • wallisadi
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    egg plant you gave us last fall...I am growing edibles....so far.....:) your garden is incredible as usual.......!!!!!

  • slopfrog
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Just curious Silvia, do you skin your garbanzos when you make hummus? I've been having a hard time making really good hummus, and have been told that's the secret. But what s TON of work!! I finally gave up and just buy the Sabra now which is pretty good.

    Your appetizer looks darn good though! I love hummus and with the great stuff on top it looks even better.

  • whgille
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you M, that eggplant looks really good! my garden is smiling with all your plant gifts, if it wasn't for you and other expert gardeners I would miss out on knowing a lot of plants that I have been introduced, there is a whole lot of knowledge out there...

    My Queens Wreath is getting flowers

    Soon there will be time for figs...

    Hi Slopfrog, I also like hummus a lot, I use to make it using my very own cooked garbanzos, I short cut using the can and sometimes Sabra, it is a good brand. I made a big batch the other day but I didn't skin the beans, I like a recipe from Mediterranean street food and now I have a book that I love! Jerusalem, I just can't believe the recipes, they are delicious! in a different way. Everything that I made so far turned out great. The picture didn't come out like it was, I pile the veggies very, very high, that I even had to take the dish in my lap and couldn't cover it because the mountain would fell off. My friends are chefs and foodies and it was a knockout, they asked me for the recipe and couldn't believe how easy it was. I made for dinner fatoush from the same book and I didn't take the picture, I ate it with great pleasure. It has basically the same ingredients but with a yogurt sauce.
    I will be trying soon a red lentil hummus from the book, will let you know how it comes out. I did for a party turkey burgers with zucchini, they were eaten very fast. The secret is on the combination of ingredients some of them are different and they knock your taste buds in a good way.:)

    Silvia

  • SusieQsie_Fla
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey Silvia

    Another batch of beautiful pictures! Thanks so much for sharing with us.

    I used to grow the Pea Vine - someone from GW sent them to me...I think Denise or Tom...and I think they called the one that you have Indigo Pea Vine or Butterfly Pea Vine. There is a double version and it has a more ruffly flower. I love it and yours is awesome!

    Here's a view of the one I had in Chokoloskee:


    Susie

  • Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sylvia - Ahhhhhhmazing! It all looks great! Can I please, please, please have the recipe for the appetizer in the white dish? I have had it on the brain since I first looked at this post and I would love to make it! Did you serve it with crackers?

    The pea vine is a beauty and I am thinking if there is a place in my yard. The botanical name is Clitoria ternatea.

    Carol

  • katkin_gw
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Silvia, I just had to tell you, I got my first crop of red noodle beans this year. I guess I finally planted them at the right time. :o)

  • whgille
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you Susie, you are right it is called the Butterfly Pea Vine and yours is pretty too, it is exactly the same. Last time that I saw Tom he was saying that he likes the morning glory vine for his trellis because it looks good all year round.

    Thank you Carol, you will be pleased with the pea vine, it is pretty, well behaved, pretty color, no thorns.:)
    And here is how I made the appetizer, it is very flexible on the ingredients to use and according to what you have in hand and what you like.
    Cut a variety of tomatoes, big, small, colors, put them in a colander with some salt to drain the juices, the juice can be used later for soups or drinks. Cut some cucumbers and onions, you can use any onion, red, sweet or green, some kalamata olives, sweet peppers and if you like some hot peppers, when making for a crowd, I make it mild so I use only 1 miniature red hot pepper, you can use a little bit of red flakes as a substitute. Chop fresh herbs of choice, some or all, I use cilantro, parsley, oregano, zaatar, mint.
    Make a dressing of 3 parts olive oil, 1 part citrus and 1 part vinegar. For citrus you can use lemon or lime and for vinegar red or sherry, mix in a bottle, with some salt, pepper and a little bit of dried oregano.
    Mix the veggies and the dressing. To assemble, get a good quality hummus and make it like a well, very thin in the bottom and raised on the sides, fill with the veggies and put feta cheese crumbles on top. I made it like a mountain filled with the veggies and it really looked spectacular. Serve with a good quality pita bread, sliced and heat it, I used Stone fire naam, and you can get it at Publix.

    Hi Katy, I am glad that you are having some red noodles, they are always good.

    A blast from the past.:)

    {{gwi:22351}}

    Silvia

  • pnbrown
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Superb, Silvia!

    I can't hardly believe you are still harvesting lettuce there. Almost time to plant beans here.

  • hester_2009
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    As usual, spectacular flowers and veggies in Silvia's gardens.
    Thanks for the pics.

    Re the butterfly pea vine - so easily propagated by seed..after flowering, brown pods will appear with large black seeds. I soak them in water overnight before planting, but you don't have to. They keep forever (I just started some from two years ago) but put them in a baggie cuz they will split open.

    there is also a nice white single variety but it is not as easy to grow.

    It's a great vine, as you say...

    Hester

  • whgille
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you Pat, the lettuce that turn out great for this heat is a type of romaine lettuce, I have a green and red variety that did great in the cold and now in the heat, I did my last picking and no sign of bitterness, it is going to be my favorite from now on.
    I am having a bumper crop of tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, beans and soon to come are figs, avocados and tree tomatoes! I think with those that I don't use in recipes, I will freeze and later can use for sauces and juices. I have a yellow variety.

    Thank you Hester, we need you in the forum as our adviser, I always learn something new when I look at your gorgeous garden.
    I didn't know that the blue pea vine are easy propagated by seeds, thanks for letting me know, I was taking the peas out while green just in case my dogs would take them.

    Silvia

  • sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I got clitoria/blue pea at Echo seeds a few years ago. I had these growing over my garden gates last summer. They did great and make loads of pods/seeds.
    They are sometimes used as a ground cover or like a green manure.
    They actually are edible. The young pods are eaten like string beans. The blue flowers are also used to give a blue tinge of color to rice dishes.
    I always love photos of your garden :)

    Here is a link that might be useful: Echo clitoria

    This post was edited by sultry_jasmine_night on Sun, May 26, 13 at 14:19

  • whgille
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you Sultry, that is a very interesting link and I am relieved that the pods and flowers are edible just in case. It seems to me that I picked a winner of a plant, I will be saving seeds in the future.

    From the list of the plants I am familiar with some of them, Tarwi lupini is a delicious snack bean, it is too time consuming to prepare it for days soaking in water, hairy indigo I used in Arizona as a cover crop to plant tomatoes after, I had few hyacinth beans planted here, very pretty! they also had them at Monticello. I grew the sword beans in past seasons.

    Another blast from the past, the incredible sword bean, it was so big, a novelty for sure.:)

    {{gwi:118907}}

    Silvia

    Here is a link that might be useful: blue pea vine

  • whgille
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    A refreshing tomato salad and healthy for you made with yogurt for the BBQ tonight.

    Silvia

  • happy_fl_gardener; 9a, near DeLand
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Silvia - I like the pictures of the baby birds. I'm surprised that they were able to grow up without other creatures harming them. How cute!

    Your hummus dish looks so delicious. I'm curious about making it homemade. I should give it a try with all of the vegetables that you had on top.

    Didn't you grow artichokes in the past? What variety are the ones in the photo? When did you start the seeds? March?

    I harvested many tomatoes, sweet peppers, and lots of eggplants today. Can you show us more of your eggplant dishes? Our favorite way to eat the larger tomatoes is to slice them and bake them with parmesan cheese on top.

    What is the romaine lettuce name? I have 'Cherokee' and 'Thai Oakleaf 88" growing now that are doing well. Not in full sun and not in the ground.

    Christine

  • loufloralcityz9
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Silvia,

    My earthbox of garlic are not making bulbs this year either, it most likely has to be due to the overall warmer winter we had but my leeks did turn out nice and full this year.

    Your garden looks beautiful again this year but those baby birds are butt ugly, usually a baby anything are cute.... those are not cute!

    Lou

  • slopfrog
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Mediterranean street food huh? Sounds like a book right up my alley. Thanks for the tip!

  • Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Silvia, thank you so much for taking the time to type all of that up! A trip to Publix is in my future! It looks absolutely delicious. An excellent excuse to throw a party.

    Carol

  • pnbrown
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If I change locations in florida someday I will look south of the frost-line. Hello mangos, avocados, pineapples, and tree-tomatoes.

  • whgille
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you Christine, since we found out that we had the Cardinal nest in the roses we kept on eye on any possible harm to them, remember my rose? it is low, even the dogs were helping, few times we had to scare other predators and when it was windy and rainy we were worried, one time we even had to prep the nest with another brunch, I am glad that they made it through and learn to fly. There were 3 birds and when they were getting bigger, one had to start the lessons for flying first.:)

    In Arizona I had an Arab store around the corner and they made the best hummus ever! they also had spices and coffee beans that were brought fresh, I bought different feta cheese trying the flavors and of course good dried garbanzo beans. Now were I live I have to do everything on the internet, nothing that I like is available locally.

    I grew the Imperial artichokes last year and had few, this year I am growing the same and a violet variety from Italy, I will post pictures when I get some artichokes.

    I made this eggplant appetizer for a party, I baked a regular pie dough in muffin cups and stuffed them with a mixture of eggplants and sausage. I will be looking for dishes to make soon, I am getting some Orlando and a new Indian variety Umadar.

    The romaine lettuce is a pelleted seed from Johnny's, red and green breen, they are both excellent! and Cheryl who eats most of the salads asked me to grow this one in the future because she liked the best, I only picked them from the garden because I don't want them to attract bugs with the heat, they were not bitter and my fridge is now full of them.

    Thank you Lou, I guess we all have the bulbs that didn't make it :) at least they are edible. You have to keep us up to date on your very busy projects, I love to hear your gardening adventures.
    Lou, my baby birds were so cute! we just need the funny captions like Luther makes,lol

    Slopfrog, I love street food! whenever I travel that is what I try first, they are the best cooks! I am including the hummus recipe and she does take the skins off, it is based on my favorite new book Jerusalem, after I bought that one I got the other one from him that does vegetables is called Plenty and is great too.

    Carol, the recipe that I just gave you it can be made for 1 person or a 100, that is the idea, you just make it fast in a little dish just for you and if using ready made ingredients is done in a flash.

    Pat, this year I have hello avocados, pineapples and tree tomatoes, I am working on the hello mangoes. After I went to the mango festival at Fairchild gardens, I tried a lot of varieties and then I brought home to sample one by one in peace, my favorite are still the smaller size mangoes and I went for the Fairchild one that I have it in the ground now.

    Silvia

    Here is a link that might be useful: hummus

  • dlsm
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    To Lou,

    The Birds

  • Truscifi
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you, Silvia, you have provided me with my new bit of knowledge for today. I had never heard of a tree tomato. Now I want one! I'll have to keep my eye out. I bet I could put it in with my bananas and pigeon peas and nurse it through the winter here.

  • loufloralcityz9
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Luther,

    I cracked up at the talking birds and YES, the birds do poop on my veggies.
    I will not address the 'ugly child' statement at this time! Mirror Mirror on the wall, who is that ugly old fart looking back at me?

    Lou

  • whgille
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Luther and Lou, you guys are so funny! I am still laughing, it is good for my morning coffee. What a good way to start the day, lol.

    You are welcome Audra, the tree tomato is also called tamarillo, there is a red and yellow variety, for some reason the yellow one does better here. It is used as a fresh fruit, in sauces, drinks, preserves, a very good chili condiment, it can be made as a guava paste. From seeds it takes 2 years to give fruit, cuttings are better.

    Here is a link that might be useful: tamarillo-tree tomato

  • whgille
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Today's tomato harvest before the rain

    And a very tasty tomato sandwich, when the tomato is that good you only need salt and pepper.

    Silvia

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