Infected strawberry plants…
But they are still producing like this 1 1/2 gallon today. Most of these will be cutup and served at Fellowship following Religious Service Sunday…
Posted on 07/12/2013 1:19:48 PM PDT by greeneyes
Infected strawberry plants…
But they are still producing like this 1 1/2 gallon today. Most of these will be cutup and served at Fellowship following Religious Service Sunday…
That is a fair to middlin sized zuke. In So_cal, we used to find some buried under the leaves that were 30+ inches long.
In Michigan, they get even bigger; left on the vine until first frost, they then saw them off the vine, cut them lengthwise at the local zucchini mill, scoop them clean and shellac inside and out. By spring, they have a new 2-man canoe. ;-')
Any zuke, if left to grow will get huge, and develope a tough rind; best time to pick for young & tender is when the flower bud shrivels and is falling off the end.
The big ones can be stuffed (We like to chop what is scooped out,, and mix it with Italian sausage, onion, garlic, etc; then top with tomato sauce & cheese) like a winter squash; best to par-cook the stuffing, so the the squash doesn't overcook before the stuffing is cooked through. Or you can pick them when they're an in between size, before the skin gets too tough, and slice it in half it lengthwise, like a loaf of French bread; brush with olive oil, then either start topping it like a pizza; or just put cheese(s), garlic, basil, and tomato slices & put it in the oven until done.
Zucchini bruschetta 
Zucchini pizza boats
Stuffed zucchini
Rueful chuckle at your wonderful story telling ability! sounds like this has not been your year. Replanting everything 3 times - has to be a hassle. I was having to do a bunch of replanting too, and I don’t think I’m over, either. I join you in your mourning for your okra plants. Now that I know what they are, I would be really sad if I were to lose them at this stage.
I hope I even get cucumbers. So far, I have lots of blooms, and I think I located that little start of one, but we’ll see.
“Yes, gardening is more of a learning experience with our harvests costing more than it’s sometimes worth. But then a tomato off the vine is a million times better than those cardboard things in the grocery. Besides, with the way things are these days, this knowledge might come in more handy than we thought just 5 years ago.” I’m like the way you said that. I agree totally. We just split our harvest of the blackberries and the tomato. Yum.
Thanks for walking me a bit through the garlic process. We have lots of wild garlic, but my Darlin mows it down too. Have used some of the tiny cloves, but are a lot of trouble. Had not thought of using them like chives. What a great idea!
Tell me when you’re having your dance, and I’ll do one here too in Indian country out here on the Plains!
WOW! I’d be starving if I hadn’t just eaten! THAT LOOKS WONDERFUL!!! THanks for the recipes!
Glad to help. That just barely scratches the surface of what to do with larger zukes.
Don’t forget the savory, both summer and winter. Also coriander, the seeds of cilantro. Not sure if you can do cumin where you are.
If you can grow crocus, you can grow saffron; it’s the stigmas of the saffron crocus: 3 strands per flower; 3 or 4 flowers per plant.
:-D That’s a start!
I think that zucchini are supposed to be harvested when they’re about 6 inches long. Some people don’t like the texture of the more mature zucchini (I’ve heard the terms “slimy” and “seedy” used to describe them). Usually, the ones that get away from you (e.g., hiding under leaves and other parts of the plant until they’re as big as baseball bats) aren’t as desirable, but I use them anyway (just made zucchini bread today). I use the smaller ones for stir fries and to dehydrate for chips. We’ve been dehydrating green beans, and they’re so nice and crunchy that I haven’t had the longing for a potato chip in ages. Oh, I also like to tempura fry the zucchini chips—yum! Got a recipe from an Amish cookbook for zucchini casserole which was very good. Tax-chick shared her recipe for zucchini soup which was very good and amazingly easy to make.
I don’t “get” anything that grows under the ground. I have failed at onions, garlic and potatoes. Must study this winter.
Oooooohhh, you are a zucchini artiste!
When I have a bumper year of zukes (not this year), I'll actually pick baby zukes with the flowers still on, stuff the flowers with a filling, lightly bread or batter and deep fry them.
I never let a zucchini get more than 2" in diameter. When they are that size, they are tender and the skin can be eaten either cooked or raw.
That is my considered culinary experience with zukes.
/johnny
This is the overall image with the highly modified leaf blower, the autotransformer, and the sheller box.
Seeds are dropped into a hole in the (now) top of the blower and are blown into the sheller box at high speed, I am figuring about 120 mph, and the shell cracks on a slam board inside the box. The meats fall to the bottom, and the hulls blow out (everyfrigginwhere).
/johnny
This is the inside of the sheller box, with the back of the angled slam board on the right side of the picture. The plenum top has been removed for the picture.
After the seeds hit the slam board and fracture along the seam, the meat falls to the bottom and most of the hulls blow out the open left side of the box.
In this picture, you can see some meats and a few unbroken seeds at the bottom of the box.
This is still a work in progress, and adjustments to slam speed and airflow through the box are on-going.
/johnny
Very ingenious. If you can move it outside it won’t matter if the hulls blow everywhere.LOL
While I use cumin rarely, the others I don’t care for at all. Corriander and cilantro not my cup of tea.
14,000 to make one oz! All hand picked! That’s some intensive hand labor. I don’t know if I can grow crocus or not might look into it. I think that there is a Marigold that they call poor man’s saffron that has similar taste. That I know I could grow.
I don’t worry about the seeds, except for green onions. For slicing onions etc, I just buy the onion sets. Likewise with garlic, I usually just plant whatever I have left from those that I purchased in the super market. I have sometimes ordered garlic bulbs, but I have just as much luck with those from the super market. Most of my recipes call for garlic powder, hence I don’t need many cloves.
I did that years ago, after I had a fireplace for many years, dumping the ashes in the alley, where where it never did any harm.
I started gardening, and threw some ashes in my garden, thinking I would improve the fertility of my new garden.
I took some soil samples into my County extension office, and got severely chastised for polluting my garden. There are some nutrients in wood ashes, but they raise the pH, a major problem for me. (They have me add sulfur about every second year to reduce the pH.)
You should have your soil tested before you decide what to do with ashes.
I have dried strawberries, and made fruit leathers, dried a few cherry tomatoes, and made some hamburger jerky.
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