#Chelsea Prize cucumber

[ediblegardenspointloma]

In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

At last it is tomato season in my garden. We picked the first of the ‘Early Girl’ tomatoes before leaving on vacation ten days ago. I prefer an heirloom like ‘Cherokee Purple’, which has yet to produce fruit, but my husband prefers a “regular” tomato and ‘Early Girl’ is more reliable here in the fog belt.

These are the May planted tomatoes, but the mid-July transplants are catching up. For details see Rethinking Tomatoes in the Fog Belt.

The prized, though small harvest for the week was some of the cannellini beans. The first sowing germinated poorly and I’m waiting for additional pods to dry. The succession planting has done much better and the yield should be more substantial.. This was an experiment since I’ve never grown beans for drying. The cranberry bean plants are robust and the pods are beginning to dry. Read about my cranberry bean experiment here.

Most of the trellised ‘Chelsea Prize’ cucumbers from Renee’s Garden look like this. Generally, I harvest two or three such gems daily and neighbors receive them eagerly. Soon, the plants will decide the season is over and they will stop producing, usually before I tire of homegrown cakes.

I removed one of the two ‘Raven’ zucchini plants and the remaining one produces at a manageable pace now.

French sorrel frequently subs for lettuce after harvesting the last of the summer romaine. I purchased lettuce recently for the first time in about nine months. I may sow a container of mesclun lettuce that I can keep in partial shade.

My daughter-in-law requested chive vinegar so I obliged with apple cider and another vinegar.

My husband keeps the rhubarb from overhanging the grass so at times, a pile will show up which usually leads to sauce or a dessert.

I am still enchanted by the ‘Queen Red Lime’ zinnias. These days there’s always a bouquet on the dining room table and enough to share with friends, which keeps the plants blooming.

I’ve added a new to page my website. Check Garden Tasks This Week. Notable was a soil drench of Epsom salts for the tomatoes and peppers. Then head over to see what other garden bloggers around the world harvested last week at Harvest Monday hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog.

To leave a comment, click on “Leave a comment/Show comments,” enter the comment, then insert your name. Finally, click on “Comment as Guest” to post comment.

#tomatoes #Early Girl tomatoes #cannellini beans #Chelsea Prize cucumber #French sorrel #chive vinegar #rhubarb #Queen Red Lime zinnias #summer garden

[awesomeforever]

Morning Kiss Organic Produce November 22, 2022 Chelsea, MA – Morning Kiss Organic will rely on pedal power to make delicious organic  smoothies at the New York Produce Show November 29-December 2, exhibiting at booth #338. Using a customized smoothie bike, Morning Kiss Organic will blend “Refresher” smoothies featuring fresh fruit and vegetables from their organic line of produce and herbs.  “Come take an invigorating spin on our smoothie bike and then enjoy the fruits of your labor!” says Nelly Czajkowski of DiSilva Fruit. “Our ‘Refresher’ blend of cucumber, lime, pineapple, mango, and mint will have guests feeling revitalized at the show.”  Morning Kiss Organic, along with Arrowfarms sister companies DiSilva Fruit and Gold Bell, will promote their full line of organic and conventional produce, including the herb program, the organic melon program, and the expanded and redesigned bagged juice oranges. Arrowfarms embraces a “Return to Value” ethos that includes lower costs, operational efficiency, reducing food waste, and managing demand. By focusing on private brands and private label opportunities over highly marketing national brands, we can help our partners lower costs. Utilizing just-in-time deliveries allows Arrowfarms companies to operate efficiently, maintaining freshness and optimizing the supply chain. By meeting consumer trends with smaller pack sizes, food waste can be reduced. Arrowfarms aims to manage demand by anticipating and buffering for disruptions within the supply chain and market volatility.  About Arrowfarms A trusted leader in the produce company for over 50 years, Arrowfarms has state of the art production facilities located within the heart of New England’s major food hub. These facilities are used for packaging all varieties of potatoes, onions, citrus, and various other commodities. When a customer or vendor develops a relationship with an Arrowfarms company, they receive the best of what the produce industry has to offer. The company is comprised of dynamic companies, Arrowfarms, Gold Bell Inc., DiSilva Fruit, and Morning Kiss Organic. Tom Tjerandsen, Produce Industry Icon, Passes at Age 80 AppHarvest Kicks Off Third Season of Commercial Shipments of Tomatoes Ahead of Schedule from Morehead, KY, 60-Acre High-Tech Indoor Farm Morning Kiss Organic Produce February 7, 2019 February is Potato Lover’s Month, and Morning Kiss Organic is celebrating with a social media contest and prize drawing. … Arrowfarms Produce October 21, 2019 The Arrowfarms family of companies is excited to announce its most recent report of charitable donations and sustainability initiatives. Through donations, recycling and composting, Arrowfarms, Gold Bell, DiSilva Fruit and Morning Kiss Organic are dedicated to sustainability and zero waste. … DiSilva Fruit and Morning Kiss Organic Produce November 7, 2019 Excitement for citrus season is growing and with decades of expertise DiSilva Fruit and Morning Kiss Organic are ready to deliver. … © Copyright 2021 | Phoenix Media Network | All Rights Reserved | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy source

[theresabookforthat]

Books about Biodiversity & Extinction 

“It is not too late to make a difference” is a motivating note of hopefulness in the United Nations report, Nature’s Dangerous Decline ‘Unprecedented’; Species Extinction Rates ‘Accelerating’, which finds that up to 1 million animal and plant species are on the verge of extinction, and that the rate of extinction is accelerating. Biodiversity is the key to a healthy planet and we’ve known about the damage humans have done for decades. Bees, bats, Emperor Penguins, porpoises are some of the endangered species and coral reefs are in dire straits.  Citizens of the world need to be informed and work together to maintain our biodiversity. To that end, we offer the following array of excellent titles on the topic:  

 THE OCEAN OF LIFE: THE FATE OF MAN AND THE SEA by Callum Roberts

Winner of the Rachel Carson award

. In this passionate paean to the sea and its creatures, one of the world’s foremost marine conservation biologists tells the story of man and the sea, from the earliest traces of life on earth to the oceans as we know them today. He considers the impact of fishing and ocean acidification, rising tides and warming seas, plastics and shifting currents, and reveals what we must do now to preserve our precious oceans.

 THE FUTURE OF LIFE by Edward O. Wilson

One of the world’s most important scientists, Edward O. Wilson is also an abundantly talented writer who has twice won the Pulitzer Prize. In this, his most personal and timely book, he assesses the precarious state of our environment, examining the mass extinctions occurring in our time and the natural treasures we are about to lose forever. Yet, rather than eschewing doomsday prophesies, he spells out a specific plan to save our world while there is still time.

 JUNK RAFT: AN OCEAN VOYAGE AND A RISING TIDE OF ACTIVISM TO FIGHT PLASTIC POLLUTION by Marcus Eriksen

An exciting account of an activist scientist’s unorthodox fight in the growing movement against plastic marine pollution and of his expedition across the Pacific on a home-made “junk raft.” Junk Raft provides concrete, actionable solutions and an empowering message: it’s within our power to change the throw-away culture for the sake of our planet.

 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC THE PHOTO ARK: ONE MAN’S QUEST TO DOCUMENT THE WORLD’S ANIMALS by Joel Sartore; Foreword by Harrison Ford

The lush and unique photography in this book represents National Geographic’s Photo Ark, a major initiative and lifelong project by photographer Joel Sartore to make portraits of the world’s animals—especially those that are endangered. His powerful message, conveyed with humor, compassion, and art: to know these animals is to save them.

 NO IMMEDIATE DANGER: VOLUME ONE OF CARBON IDEOLOGIES by William T. Vollmann

“the Infinite Jest of climate books” – The Baffler

A timely, eye-opening book about climate change and energy generation that focuses on the consequences of nuclear power production. Addressed to humans living in the “hot dark future” and featuring Vollmann’s signature wide learning, sardonic wit, and encyclopedic research, No Immediate Danger, whose title co-opts the reassuring mantra of official Japanese energy experts, builds up a powerful, sobering picture of the ongoing nightmare of Fukushima.

 THE PLANT MESSIAH: ADVENTURES IN SEARCH OF THE WORLD’S RAREST SPECIES by Carlos Magdalena

Here, botanical horticulturist Magdalena takes readers from the Amazon to the jungles of Mauritius to deep within the Australian Outback in search of the rare and the vulnerable. Back in the lab, we watch as he develops groundbreaking, left-field techniques for rescuing species from extinction, encouraging them to propagate and thrive once again. Passionate and absorbing, The Plant Messiah is a tribute to the diversity of life on our planet and to the importance of preserving it.

 AMONG CHIMPANZEES: FIELD NOTES FROM THE RACE TO SAVE OUR ENDANGERED RELATIVES by Nancy J. Merrick; Foreword by Jane Goodall

A former student and colleague of Jane Goodall shares stories of chimps and their heroes, and takes readers on a journey to save man’s closest relative. Among Chimpanzees is at once an inspiring chronicle of how chimps are faring across Africa and in captivity, a crucial eyewitness account of a very critical period in their existence, and a rousing call for us to join the efforts to be a voice for the chimpanzees, before it’s too late.

 THE SIXTH EXTINCTION: PATTERNS OF LIFE AND THE FUTURE OF HUMANKIND by Richard E. Leakey, Roger Lewin

On five occasions in the past, catastrophic natural events have caused mass extinctions on Earth. But today humans stand alone, in dubious distinction, among Earth’s species: Homo Sapiens possesses the ability to destroy entire species at will, to trigger the sixth extinction in the history of life. In The Sixth Extinction, Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin consider how the grand sprawl of human life is inexorably wreaking havoc around the world.

 LAST CHANCE TO SEE by Douglas Adams, Mark Carwardine

From the bestselling author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and a renowned zoologist comes a journey around the world in search of exotic, yet endangered creatures.

 FOR YOUNGER READERS

 DON’T LET THEM DISAPPEAR by Chelsea Clinton, Gianna Marino

In this book, Chelsea Clinton introduces young readers to a selection of endangered animals, sharing what makes them special, and also what threatens them. Taking readers through the course of a day, Don’t Let Them Disappear talks about rhinos, tigers, whales, pandas and more, and provides helpful tips on what we all can do to help prevent these animals from disappearing from our world entirely.

 GOOD NIGHT CORAL REEF by Adam Gamble, Mark Jasper, Andy Elkerton

Good Night Coral Reef explores hard and soft coral reefs, Caribbean spiny lobster, shrimp, sea turtles, octopuses, sea cucumbers, starfish, eels, rays, algae, sponges, reef fish, sharks, and more. Welcome to the world of coral reefs. Grab your wetsuit, scuba tank, and snorkeling mask, and get ready to dive into the “rainforest of the sea!”

 Coming in July, 2019

STRONGHOLD: ONE MAN’S QUEST TO SAVE THE WORLD’S WILD SALMON by Tucker Malarkey

From a young age, Guido Rahr was a misfit among his family and classmates, preferring to spend his time in the natural world, on his family’s land on the Deschutes River in Oregon. Over the years, as he became an expert fly fisherman, he noticed that each year fewer salmon were returning to their place of birth to spawn, and set out to learn why. As Rahr befriends and navigates scientists, conservationists, corrupt officials, Russian oligarchs, unexpected allies, and impenetrable bureaucracies, he reveals the astonishing natural history of the endangered salmon, an extraordinary species whose demise will reverberate across the planet. And he sets into motion a plan that can secure their survival. Tucker Malarkey, who accompanies Rahr to the Russian wilderness and reports from up close, has written a clarion call for a sustainable future, a beautiful and riveting account of a species whose future is closely linked to that of our own.

 For more on these and related titles visit the collection, Biodiversity & Extinction

#biodiverisity #extinction #animals #species #there's a book for that #penguin random house #chelsea clinton #richard leakey

[ediblegardenspointloma]

In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

Before launching into reports of nectaplum season I’ll catch up on the green theme in the garden. Capturing my attention recently have been green beans, zucchini and cucumbers.

Thankfully, the ‘Raven’ zucchini is slowing just as I’ve saturated the neighborhood. Powdery mildew has not set in yet, though I’ve been thinning the leaves to promote better air circulation.

The zucchini have come in all sizes depending on my attentiveness. The plants are quite large and my husband has discovered two zucchini about 15 inches long. I found a home for one and “zucchini-bombed” the second—hanging it in a bag over the fence at a nearby construction site before workers arrived.

Zucchini, cheese and local sourdough bread are an unbeatable combination. My favorite was the grilled sandwich on the right. I sauteed diagonally cut slices of zucchini about 1/4 inch thick then layered them with Manchego cheese for some punch. The zucchini added substance to the grilled cheese sandwich.

In recent weeks there were numerous entrees with zucchini and of course, zucchini bread. My file folder of zucchini recipes keeps me inspired.

Most days we pick large handfuls of ‘Emerite’ pole beans similar to the thumbnail photo. They are slowing a bit but there are many pints in the freezer.

My Western take on a Niçoise salad (pictured above) happens every July. I’ll be making the salad for a picnic and outdoor pipe organ concert at Balboa Park tonight.

Another simple green bean salad is in the photo with the zucchini sandwich. To blanched green beans I add red onion, diced celery and leaves, olive oil, salt and pepper. When served, I squeeze fresh lemon juice over all.

The first of the trellised ‘Chelsea Prize’ cucumbers made its way to the kitchen last week. It’s been a favorite from Renee’s Garden for fifteen years. Most are 12-15 inches long and the catalog description is not hyperbolic: “thin skinned, bitter-free cucumbers are always easy to digest with absolutely delicious crispy sweet flesh and few seeds.”

We still have some off-bloom navel oranges so I made four jars of sweetened oven dried orange slices. There’s also fresh orange juice a couple mornings a week.

A standout in the vegetable garden this year has been the ‘Junior’ branching, container sunflowers from Renee’s Garden. Planted next to the zucchini, I’d like to think the bees visiting the sunflowers account for the robust zucchini crop.

Next week I’ll provide a nectaplum update. Count me overwhelmed, as we’re at about 80 pounds with a third of the harvest yet to come.

Planting has slowed but you can see the updates in What I’m Planting Now. Then head over to see what other garden bloggers around the world harvested last week at Harvest Monday hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog.

To leave a comment, click on “Leave a comment/Show comments,” enter the comment, then insert your name. Finally, click on “Comment as Guest” to post comment.

#pole beans #zucchini #Raven zucchini #Emerite pole beans #Chelsea Prize cucumber #cucumbers #Renee's Garden Seeds #branching sunflowers

[ediblegardenspointloma]

In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

The best garden harvests this week have been flowers. Seed-grown rudbeckia in the front yard garden thrive and regularly provide bouquets to share. They seem unaware the days grow shorter and forge ahead with promise to fall.

The summer vegetable garden would like another month of long, warm days. September may bring warm days but the daylight wanes.

Most crops were planted later than usual and the cool summer means I have yet to harvest a tomato or pepper. The black cherry tomatoes may beat out the dwarf tomatoes. The cranberry and cannalini beans boast fat pods which in a month or so will dry for harvest.

Most promising in the near term is my ‘Sugar Pearl’ corn. Today marks 70 days since planting and expect to have corn for dinner this week. The challenge now becomes protecting the ears from foraging raccoons. About now the 4 x 8 foot bed begins to look like a fortress.

The ‘Raven’ zucchini faithfully produce two or three a day though even they are slowing as I daily remove leaves covered in powdery mildew. Usually I’m overrun with ‘Chelsea Prize’ cucumbers but not so this year. Like the tomatoes and peppers they’d like a long run of warm, sunny days.

Zucchini-corn fritters are a once every summer treat

My husband tracks the production of our solar panels with great enthusiasm. He reports that May through August average yields have been significantly lower than any of the previous three years. On the upside, the fog and overcast keeps us cool when inland temperatures soar.

A few more of the recent flower harvests—alstroemeria and Red Queen Lime Zinnia.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page as I begin soon to sow seeds for the cool season garden. Head today to Harvest Monday, hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog and see what garden bloggers around the world harvested last week.

To leave a comment, click on “Leave a comment/Show comments,” enter the comment, then insert your name. Finally, click on “Comment as Guest” to post comment.

#summer flowers #summer bouquets #monarch butterfly #Red Queen Lime Zinnia #zucchini-corn fritters #rudbeckia

[ediblegardenspointloma]

In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

Cucumbers are having their final fling as the summer garden winds down. ‘Chelsea Prize’ from Renee’s Garden always performs well, but about now it slows.

Kumquats keep well in the fridge but it was time to follow through with my plans for Snacking Chocolate with Roasted Kumquats and Pepitas. Oh what a treat! Next year’s crop looks promising on my small patio kumquat tree.

My trial of cranberry beans has done well. It was only a 1 foot x 4 foot area but I’m pleased with the production so far. Another 25% of the beans are drying on the plants. I’ll expand the plot next year and use some of my saved “locally adapted” seeds.

Days have been warm and humid recently. I made one of my favorite summer beverages with frozen strawberry guava puree. Guava-Lime Agua Fresca (lemon in this case) quenches my thirst when in from the garden. I just add sparkling water to the mix I keep in the fridge.

Two other favorites from the past week were some near perfect marionberries. Rather than complain about the botrytis, I’ll just say these were incredible. Some apples from the first late spring harvest became baked apples but with a new topping—blended gingersnaps and a dab of butter for each. I forgot to take a photo of the finished product.

And one more photo capture of the ‘Queen Red Lime’ zinnias, this time with a few sprigs of westringia.

I’ve added a new to page my website. Check Garden Tasks This Week. Notable was the removal of half a dozen tomato hornworms. Then head over to see what other garden bloggers around the world harvested last week at Harvest Monday hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog.

To leave a comment, click on “Leave a comment/Show comments,” enter the comment, then insert your name. Finally, click on “Comment as Guest” to post comment.

#cucumbers #kumquats #cranberry beans #growing cranberry beans #agua fresca #marionberries #baked apples #Queen Red Lime zinnias

[ediblegardenspointloma]

In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

I doubt that I’ll ever grow a different pole bean. ‘Emerite’ from Renee’s Garden has performed remarkably in my garden for over a decade. The yields of these filet beans are substantial. The catalog accurately describes its virtues. Emerite is a long, elegant filet pole bean from one of the oldest French breeders. The pods of these classic “haricot verts” beans are slim, rounded, and grow 7 to 9 inches long. Emerite’s flavor is sweet, delicate, and the long pods have a crispy snap that makes them especially delicious when just briefly steamed or quickly stir-fried. Emerite’s tall vines are vigorous and productive with high yields of extra-fancy pods sure to please and reward the gourmet gardener and cook.

Here’s what I picked one morning from the three food wide trellis and there were more by late afternoon. ‘Royal Burgundy’ bush bean has done well in the shoulder seasons. It’s so easy to find the gorgeous purple beans on the plants. I’ll do a succession planting of ‘Provider’ and later of ‘Royal Burgundy’ to finish the season.

Similar kudos for ‘Chelsea Prize’ cucumber, also from Renee’s Garden. I’m harvesting one to four large cukes like these every day from three plants climbing a trellis and sprawling onto the gravel path. Key words: thin skinned, sweet flesh, few seeds, vigorous vines.

Garden ingredients for a riff on Green Goddess Pasta Salad, a Trader Joe recipe. It’s the end of the zucchini season and this is the last of the spring onions. ‘Black Magic’ kale from San Diego Seed Company has persisted all summer, aphid-free—a first in my growing experience. Bunnies and chickens get the lower, large leaves and I go for the tender new ones.

Nectaplum trees are bare but a few dozen are in the fridge and on the counter ripening. Recently I made nectaplum jam using the Choose-your-stone-fruit jam recipe—3 ingredients, no pectin. A fool-proof recipe with the instructions and the yield, a delicate, rose-peach colored jam that captures nectaplums perfectly.

Summer fruits—apricots, apples and nectaplums prompt dessert adventures. I tried a new shortcake recipe from Joy the Baker. So long, Fanny Farmer. Macerated nectaplums and fresh whipped cream with the shortcake may be the dessert highlight of the summer.

This bouquet and garden vegetables went to a young friend who is half way through her chemo. Hope both can cheer her on the journey.

You may enjoy seeing what other garden bloggers harvested last week at Harvest Monday hosted by Dave at Our Happy Acres.

To leave a comment, click on “Leave a comment/Show comments,” enter the comment, then insert your name. Finally, click on “Comment as Guest” to post comment.

#green beans #Emerite green beans #Renee's Garden Seeds #Chelsea Prize cucumber #cucumbers #nectaplums #summer desserts #stone fruit jam #summer bouquets #shortcake

[ediblegardenspointloma]

In My Garden--Vegetables in Mid-June

Tomatoes are coming along as the weather warms and the days lengthen. Fruit has set and I’m thinking of all the ways I’ll use tomatoes.

In small gardens, crops shoulder up against each other. Here the climbing honey nut butternut squash was planted earlier and is climbing up the trellis. The first half of the corn was planted a few weeks ago. The screen protects the sprouts from marauding birds. In a few days, I’ll plant another three rows.

Three ‘Chelsea Prize’ cucumber plants reach for the trellis.

Behind the butternut squash trellis, ‘Jericho’ and ‘Lollo Rossa’ lettuces grow with some shade and under a row cover.

More lettuce is tucked into a shady spot near the zucchini plants.

Scrappy, winter kale was holding up the drying sweet pea vines. Soon, I’ll cut the top bouquet of leaves and give the damaged lower leaves to friends with chickens.

With the sweet pea vines removed, the ‘Emerite’ pole beans went in last week and emerged today.

And I’ll be waiting for these.

#tomatoes #butternut squash #corn #cucumbers #lettuce #kale #pole beans

[ediblegardenspointloma]

In My Garden, Mid-August

These diminutive ‘Dorsett Golden’ apples are the most hopeful thing in the garden now. The second crop will be smaller but welcomed in the fall. The summer garden wanes and many of the plants have given their best. I’m making plans for my fall-winter garden.

Powdery mildew has decimated the climbing honeynut squash plants but likely the fruit will continue to ripen.

The tomato plants suffer from various blights made worse by recent cool weather here in the fog belt. I’ve given up on pulling the diseased leaves, depending on the fresh growth at the crown to ripen the fruit below. The harvests are still bountiful.

As usually happens every summer, the ‘Chelsea Prize’ cucumber produces two to four long, slender cukes daily for weeks. Then it says “I’m done,” and looks like this.

The white corn crop yields several ears each night for dinner. About a dozen ears continue to mature.

The ‘Emerite’ pole beans produce far more slender beans than we can eat so lots to share and extras to the freezer.

A succession crop of ‘Provider’ bush beans should keep the harvest going into early fall.

A small square of arugula will be welcome as the lettuce finishes.

Only three ‘Jericho’ lettuce plants persist and their quality is marginal now, though they haven’t bolted.

French sorrel grows in a 12-inch container and supplements our salads.

And finally the zinnias, backed by the red peppers behind them, continue on as though summer will never end..

#apples #butternut squash #tomatoes #cucumbers #white corn #pole beans #'Provider' beans #arugula #summer lettuce #French sorrel #zinnias #red peppers

[ediblegardenspointloma]

In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

The first harvest from our two nectaplum trees is underway. I remember why we decided to plant nectaplums after tasting just one two summers ago. Think the best white nectarine, freestone of course with a thin skin resembling a plum but without any bitterness and exceptionally sweet and juicy. More later in a separate post on nectaplums.

We’ve picked about a third of the crop and we are learning as we go. Leave them on the tree too long and they fall or develop soft spots or the green fruit beetles find them. Today we’ll do another major harvest since they all seem to be full-sized.

The apple file returns to drawer after several nights of an apple-pear crisp; likewise the collection of orange recipes. We savored a final quart of orange juice before putting a few oranges and apples in the produce drawer for other uses.

Noteworthy is the long-awaited arrival of tomatoes and corn.

Black Krim is my favorite tomato but for reliability, I planted Early Girl and San Francisco Fog since here at the cool and sometimes foggy coast it’s a race to get tomatoes before the leaves all disappear. This year I reduced the number of plants from four to three in the 4x8x2 foot raised bed. A modified staking plan has been helpful this season but we still had a gloomy June. So far no opossums, raccoons or rats to steal the harvest.

We’ve picked four ears of our reliable and favorite ‘Sugar Pearl’ corn but two were underdeveloped though showed the signs of being ready to pick. Check out my post last week When is corn ready to pick?

Last year the raccoons got their share so this year the two foot high raised bed is encased in a bamboo and bird netting structure—very inconvenient for checking readiness for harvest. Before adding the bird netting we hung purchased foil strips from the bamboo cage to keep the birds from pecking at the shoots and taking the silk. These are new problems.

Here are two of the dozen or so ‘Raven’ zucchini I picked last week. Zucchini fulfills the three-family garden promise. We’ve consumed a few but the rest went to neighbors without gardens who are eager to receive them.

The ‘Chelsea Prize English cucumbers are somewhat slower than the zucchini, perhaps because I only have two plants climbing the trellis. Last year four sprawled everywhere including up the trellis and I was overrun with cukes, though these beauties are neighborhood favorites.

Exactly one month after planting ‘Rocket’ arugula in a 12-inch container I harvested this while waiting for my summer lettuce.

Nestled in a favorite pottery bowl made by a friend were my cucumbers, oranges and arugula for a pleasant lunch.

The guava-lime agua fresca is a refreshing summer drink. I make a pint jar of the mix then add sparkling water to a third of a glass for a low-calorie summer drink.

Backstory is that I’m trying to use up the remaining strawberry guava puree in the freezer before September when another crop arrives. My neighbor, Betsy loves the puree as I do and has accepted three frozen quarts over the last month. Recently, I’ve also made strawberry guava sherbet and tapioca, guava paste and the usual jam. I think I’m down to four quarts in the chest freezer.

Zinnias cheer me every day as I pass them in the garden—this year standing tall in front of the corn. They never disappoint.

You may enjoy seeing what other garden bloggers harvested last week at Harvest Monday hosted by Dave at Our Happy Acres.

To leave a comment, please click on “Leave a comment/Show comments,” leave your comment, then insert your name. Email address and website URL are optional. Finally, click on “Comment as Guest” to post comment. Subscribe to ediblegardens52 by email in Comments.

#nectaplum #tomatoes #corn #zucchini #cucumbers #arugula #summer salads #strawberry guavas #zinnias

[ediblegardenspointloma]

Cucumbers Like to Climb

I always grow my cucumbers up a trellis in my raised beds, saving space and also keeping the plants healthier and more productive. An Oregon Cottage website outlines reasons to grow cucumbers on a trellis. The blogger illustrates each reason and shows some easy to build trellises.

FIVE REASONS TO GROW CUCUMBERS ON A TRELLIS

The plants are easier to water at the main stem, which keeps the plant leaves drier (this is recommended to help keep fungal diseases at bay).The fruit is easier to harvest. They are hanging nearer to eye level and are easier to spot, plus the prickly stems and leaves are neatly confined so the risk of getting all scratched up is minimized (this is the biggest benefit in my book!).The fruit is cleaner when it doesn’t touch the dirt.The fruit is a uniform color (no light spots where they rested on the ground).The fruit is straighter, with less misshapen ones.

Cucumbers hand straight and with the support of the trellis.

These cucumbers are Chelsea Prize English cucumbers from Renee’s Garden. They are thin skinned, crisp and have few seeds. The catalog description is glowing and accurate.

You can purchase a trellis or find many simple instructions for making them with a Google search. Some gardeners grow lettuce under the leafy cover.

You may also enjoy reading my earlier post, Growing Cucumbers.

To leave a comment, please click on “Leave a comment/Show comments,” leave your comment, then insert your name. Email address and website URL are optional. Finally, click on “Comment as Guest” to post comment. Subscribe to ediblegardens52 by email in Comments.

#cucumbers #garden trellis #Renee's Garden

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In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

This week cucumbers take center stage. Two plants climb a large trellis and produce two or three cucumbers 12-15 inches long each day.

Translated, that means I have many cucumbers to share with neighbors. These are the vines after a clean-up of dying and diseased leaves.

Most of the cukes are straight but I do get a few squirrelly ones.

‘Chelsea Prize’ is the best cuke I’ve ever grown. You can see the seeds are inconsequential and the skin is not bitter. The description of these English cucumbers at Renee’s Garden is spot on.These slices became refrigerator pickles along with some red onion and chive blossom vinegar I made last spring.

Tomatoes come in second. This is yesterday’s harvest from my three plants. ‘Early Girl’ is on the left with ‘Black Krim’ in the center and ‘San Francisco Fog’ on the right. This is my first year growing ‘San Francisco Fog’ but I think it is a good choice for my coastal garden as the name would suggest.

Here’s the ocean two blocks away two days ago. We have May Gray, June Gloom and this year fog and overcast lingered into July. I wrote about Growing Tomatoes in the Fog Belt last week. My plants look terrible but they are reasonably productive.

Top-line for the tomatoes was this tomato panzanella. When the red peppers are ready they’ll roast with the tomatoes. My neighbor is a sourdough genius—part artist, part engineer and during Covid quarantine she’s nailed it. I get a half loaf once or twice a week. I give her veggies. Her day old bread tossed with olive oil crisped in the oven as the tomatoes roasted and I served the panzanella warm.

The first of the ‘Baby Belle’ peppers showed up last week. The yellow ones are a little quirky and orange are on the way. All are handy for lunch, salads and omelets.

More of the ‘Sugar Pearl’ corn we savored five nights last week.

Last week I discussed the prep of the Lavender Nectaplum Shrub. Here is the extracted syrup. I used apple cider vinegar with a splash of balsamic to prepare the concentrate which keeps well in the fridge. A 2:1 ratio of sparkling water to concentrate works for me and I find it refreshing on a warm day, (when the fog lifts).

The flower garden brings delight and I gather what’s at hand for bouquets. Featured here ‘Queen Red Lime’ zinnias, wild fennel, native red buckwheat, crape myrtle and silverberry.

You may enjoy seeing what other garden bloggers harvested last week at Harvest Monday hosted by Dave at Our Happy Acres.

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#cucumbers #Renee's Garden Seeds #tomatoes #panzanella #refrigerator pickles #fog belt #peppers #corn #nectaplum lavender shrub #shrub #Queen Red Lime zinnia

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Growing Cucumbers

Be sure to read to the end for an excellent link with everything you need to know about growing great cucumbers.

Today I nestled my seed-grown cucumbers into their chosen spot at the base of the five foot trellis. Yesterday I finished collecting the sweet pea seed pods and removed the brittle vines to make way for cucumbers. To ensure a productive crop I layered on several inches of compost and added organic fertilizer, lightly working them into the soil.

Every year I grow ‘Chelsea Prize’ cucumbers from Renee’s Garden. The description on the website is spot on: long, elegantly slender, thin skinned, bitter-free, crispy, sweet flesh, few seeds. The plants are vigorous and self-pollinating.

On the stems of the seedlings I noted the formation of what appear to be root nubs so I planted each seedling so that these were below ground.

The seedlings are 12-15 inches apart and ready to start their trek up the trellis.

I surrounded each seedling with dried grass clippings then topped with pine needles—a combo that works well in my garden. The nursery trays keep birds from plucking the seedlings in the vulnerable early days.

And this is what I’m looking forward to.

Everything you need to know to grow great cucumbers is in this blog post at Harvest to Table.

How to Grow Cucumbers

#cucumbers #Harvest to Table #summer garden

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In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

The cucumbers were plentiful last week with many more on the way. Most of the ‘Chelsea Prize’ English cucumbers are 12-15 inches long with few seeds, thin skin and delicious, crisp flesh. My neighbors happily receive these garden gifts. I pulled out my cucumber file of recipes and made several new and standby sides with the cukes.

The ‘San Marzano’ tomatoes are mostly free of blossom-end rot now and only a few remain on the bush as tomato season winds down. Most of them are cooked for puree and the freezer. Two sorry tomato bushes went to the green bin last week and the remaining two have few leaves remaining though the cherry tomatoes and ‘San Marzanos’ linger.

The cherry tomatoes are unremarkable so I roast most of them with olive oil and garlic and stow in the freezer for pasta meals.

Lucy inspects a day’s harvest. The two zucchini plants yield about three fruit daily which delights neighbors without a garden. More attention to the vines gives me straighter cucumbers.

She also helps with the misshapen and over-sized green beans. When I go twice daily to pick she comes and sits beside me requesting her portion.

But there are plenty of the ‘Provider’ bush beans to share.

The arugula growing in a container in dappled shade allows a nice shearing once or twice a week. The fall garden will have it planted in the raised beds.

The cosmos bloom with heady abundance as long as I gather them for bouquets. They are my summer flower garden delight.

See what other garden bloggers harvested from their gardens last week at Harvest Monday hosted by Dave at Our Happy Acres.

#cucumbers #Renee's Garden Seeds #tomatoes #zucchini #green beans #arugula #cosmos #summer garden

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In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

It’s summer salad season and this one brought together lettuce, green beans, tomatoes and herbs from the garden. It’s one of my favorites—Poached Salmon Nicoise from Sunset Magazine. Dinners are determined by a trip to the garden most days.

I try new salads from recipes I’ve gathered in and the occasion for this one was the first cucumber. Garden parsley, red onion and lime juice with canned black beans was a quick fix on a warm day.

Since I only have room for three cucumber plants I always grow ‘Chelsea Prize’ from Renee’s Garden. The catalog describes them perfectly—12-15 inches, thin-skinned, bitter-free, crispy, sweet flesh and few seeds. “The handsome glossy fruits are produced in abundance from every node of the vigorous, self-pollinating vines.” I keep neighbors and family in cukes every summer.

Here’s a sampling of some of the tomatoes harvested this week.

With zucchini coming on strong and lots of tomatoes I had plates of veggies to share with neighbors and friends. I’m also caring for a neighbor’s very productive garden for three weeks and distributing her harvests.

And great tomatoes mean great sandwiches for lunch.

‘Cimarron’ romaine lettuce is my new favorite summer lettuce—slow to bolt and large, colorful leaves. This harvest came from an 8-inch container kept in dappled sun.

‘Robyn Gordon’ grevilleas, Australian in origin seem to like our Mediterranean climate, producing gorgeous blooms most of the year.

See what other garden bloggers harvested from their gardens last week at Harvest Monday hosted by Dave at Our Happy Acres.

#summer salads #tomatoes #cucumbers #zucchini #grevilleas #Renee's Garden Seeds

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In My Garden Today, Late July

Come stroll through the garden with me today. The zinnias love the summer heat of the last few days and attract pollinators to the garden.

The ‘Chelsea Prize’ cucumbers are thick on the three plants.

Zucchini blossoms in the morning sun.

Delicata squash, zucchini and cucumbers climbing the trellis.

Heirloom black cherry tomatoes coming along.

A second crop of apples coming on the ‘Dorsett Golden’ espaliered apple tree.

Bush green beans, bell peppers and zinnias.

More bush green beans planted today.

Celery growing in a container in part sun.

‘Cimarron’ romaine lettuce growing in dappled shade in a container with row cover atop to keep the birds away.

Parsley flowers that hover flies find alluring.

#zinnias #cucumbers #zucchini #cherry tomatoes #espaliered apples #green beans #celery #parsley flowers #summer lettuce