The day's tally

[spacecase0]

sounds like you have one happy dog there,

it got down to 21F at my big garden last night (coldest yet this year),
and I get to find out soon if my winter lentils are still doing ok

[The Future]

Warmer than usual weather continues here with lows in the low 60s and the occassion high hitting 70(today).  Tomatoes and doing great and just harvested another banana bunch (45lbs once the birds we done).  Okra still pumping out as are pumpkins.  Am seeding more tomatoes this month lining up for our inaugural tomato tasting festival perhaps in June.  More pumpkins to seed this weekend.  May even put some watermelon in early and see what happens.

[darwinslair]

<grin> going to have to live vicariously through you for now.  Winter seems to finally be here.

Tom

[spacecase0]

winter almost got here,
but at least 21F and a hail storm did not hurt the winter lentils

[The Future]

 

Still holding on to highs of 70F.  This after much cooler December weather.  Sibley squash (direct seeded) have begun to sprout.  Only a few but signs of life there.  4 dozen more tomatoes transplanted.  Harvested another 3lbs of okra last night plus a decent haul of Roma tomatoes.  One full sized bunch of bananas left on a tree with pounds in the kitchen.  Two new hands starting.  Seaweed distributed among trees.  Found some nice dried seaweed.  Got a truckload delivered to one location.  Pumpkins are still forming and vines running.  Hot peppers.  The big artichoke has not come back...but a lower producer has.  Eggplants has slowed but are far from over...

[The Future]

6lbs and 4oz of okra harvested yesterday.  That is just shy of 10 pounds this week.  And with no space in the freezer, we have some trading/selling to do.  Non-organic okra retails at $12//lb here.

Roma tomatoes continue their explosive production.  The rest are doing very little.  See some new fruit on the pumpkin and 3 sets of new bananas with the last mature bunch still standing.  Eggplants are flowering buthaven't seen any more fruit. 

Tomatoes were the big seeding project over the weekend with greens of all kinds seeded also.  Winter squash goes in tonight plus some onion transplants onto the wall garden.  If the weather stay this warm - high 60s all week- I will be tempted to try some early watermelon.

[darwinslair]

What do you do with Okra?  Can it be dried?  I know it is a flower pod, but that is about it.

Tom

[The Future]

I am so glad you asked as i was not familiar with I being dried.  We either eat it fresh or chop and freeze.  Just did a quick search and voila: http://www.howtogardenadvice.com/harvesting/how_to_dehydrate_dry_vegetables.html#dry_okra

It can indeed be dehydrated for an additive for sauces, made into "chips" etc.

Thanks for asking!  Now we need to try this.

[darwinslair]

So that says it is a thickener for soups.  Is that generally what it is used for?

Tom

[B-Lue]

Slice it to 1/2 inch, batter or roll in corn meal and fry it up!
Heavens it's tasty!  Very nice in gumbo too.

[darwinslair]

Glenn Drowns carries some short season ones at Sandhill Preservation.  Maybe I will give a kind a try this year and see what the family thinks of it.

I suppose you just let a few flower and seed in order to get seeds year to year.  Do they self polinate or do I need a ton of plants to save seeds reasonably?

Tom

[The Future]

It has many uses for cooking, yes some use it in soups.  Others in sauces etc.  others eat young ones raw off the tree (not me).  The plants self pollinate to the point where crosses are rare.  Wait until the end of the season to save seed as I'm told letting pods mature slows production.

[darwinslair]

<grin> I dont have much of a season compared to you.  Maybe I will have to just not pick from one plant.

Tom

[darwinslair]

Harvested a 7 pound 7 ounce 19 inch long girl at 929 am yesterday. 

Tom

[B-Lue]

Congratulations!!  She's a beauty!