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Post by nana on Aug 9, 2019 12:15:48 GMT -5
Celebrate responsibly!
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Post by vaporvac on Aug 9, 2019 13:22:21 GMT -5
I would love if someone did that! My summer squash died after only two squash. ( I think an animal got to it and broke the main stem. Those look delicious!
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Post by nana on Aug 9, 2019 15:50:15 GMT -5
Sorry to hear that! Maybe it was a squash borer--nasty grub, but if you catch it early you can kill it before it kills the plant. Have you no neighbors with gardens to take pity on you?
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Post by vaporvac on Aug 9, 2019 16:26:56 GMT -5
Unfortunately, NO.: (( I'm still waiting to get my first tomatoes after coddling these things from seed. Some animal ate the first ones. Grrrr. It's OK if they only get a couple, but they got them all. At least they appear to have eaten instead of taking just one bite. I've learned to pick them as soon as they start to ripen, but I was one day too late this time. I do love all squash!
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Post by Chuckie on Aug 9, 2019 19:24:52 GMT -5
Celebrate responsibly! YEARS ago in Reader's Digest, this woman had moved to upstate New York, to get away from her crime infested neighborhood, and was THOROUGHLY enjoying her Mayberry-esque village. One day she was going to town to shop & post some letters, and her elderly native neighbor WARNED her SEVERELY to be SURE to leave her windows UP, and the doors LOCKED on her car!! The new Mayberrian was FLABBERGASTED, and wanted to know WHY, as that was the very reason she'd moved up there in the FIRST PLACE!!! The elderly neighbor gave her a puzzled look, and said " GOOD HEAVENS, child, it's ZUCCHINI season, and IF your car is UNLOCKED and UNATTENDED, it will be F-U-L-L of zucchini when you get back!!!" LOL CHEERS! Chuckie
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Post by mach12 on Aug 9, 2019 23:48:50 GMT -5
One of the banks in our area was handing out bags of zucchini seeds and had them labeled as Sasquash seed. The packages had an image of a sasquatch on them. The campaign was something about banking with them would make your savings grow like zucchini the size of a sasquatch. I'm sure there was plenty of fertilizer in the fine print of the ads, too.
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Post by nana on Aug 10, 2019 9:07:51 GMT -5
It's funny how everyone always grows it, and then how everyone always complains about having too much of it. My problem, as with almost everything else I plant or grow, is I plant too much just in case some don't sprout, and then they all do, and I don't have the heart to thin them out. One year, though, my zucchini had some kind of wilt or fungus and I had to go on the zucchini equivalent of a breadline. My daughter and friends were happy to provide for me!
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Post by mach12 on Aug 10, 2019 10:25:14 GMT -5
We have good years and bad. The good years we're able to keep the deer away from the plants and bad years we lose the battle. Some years my gardens have looked like a WWI battlefield with all the wire and stuff trying to keep them out. I let the big garden go back to lawn and planted everything up by the house in what used to be flower beds and in big planters on the deck and we do better but still lose some to the deer. We have a local website where small independent farms post what's ready to harvest and we've started buying stuff like green beans and cabbage for sauerkraut from them and man is that the ticket. Plus, I looked at the cost of putting up a proper deer fence and even if I do it for 15 years I'm saving money buying from local farms. Many are certified organic and those that aren't follow organic growing procedures, so that's a plus too.
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Post by karitx on Aug 10, 2019 12:31:14 GMT -5
We have terrible quantities of squash vine borers here and zucchini seems to be their preferred vine, so I'm always hoping someone will gift me some. I did discover that the SVBs don't like cuccuzi vines nearly as much, but I accidentally double planted them (one of these years I will actually label what I plant!) and each 3' long "squash" is more than enough for a meal for us. No one I know is brave enough to try them, so I may have to resort to front porch gifting soon, with a note explaining what they are.
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Post by nana on Aug 11, 2019 6:30:42 GMT -5
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Post by karitx on Aug 11, 2019 10:55:03 GMT -5
I have some old cookbooks that mention making those into pies, so I'm really curious about how they taste.
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Post by vaporvac on Aug 11, 2019 11:06:54 GMT -5
I need some of that cuccuzee squash! I planted mine among the roses where I can keep the deer out. It's much better than other flowers that just sit there! : ))
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Post by mach12 on Aug 11, 2019 12:49:19 GMT -5
I need some of that cuccuzee squash! I planted mine among the roses where I can keep the deer out. It's much better than other flowers that just sit there! : )) How do you keep the deer out of your roses? The ones around here think roses are the finest candy around and I'm sure they'd be in deer heaven to be able to munch it all down right there in the same place.
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Post by vaporvac on Aug 11, 2019 13:59:36 GMT -5
Fencing and prayers. These were foaled in my yard and will pound through any enclosure eventually except the fencing with hedges in front and those with double fencing. However, I have seen any in my neighborhood for at least month and am wondering if they culled them. It's a first. I just put a metal fence around my exposed front yard so they don't get in the habit. I just planted roses there this year, so it's not in their regular forage path. I have too many roses to take a chance. I call roses deer crack. p.s. I also used the scarecrow on an upper level with good result, except for the does that could walk right under. However, they were still nursing. They were adorable.
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Post by nana on Aug 11, 2019 15:58:57 GMT -5
Don't let their cute looks fool you. They are rats on stilts, as my Aunt AnnMarie used to say!
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Post by karitx on Aug 11, 2019 20:45:13 GMT -5
I need some of that cuccuzee squash! I planted mine among the roses where I can keep the deer out. It's much better than other flowers that just sit there! : )) These are the seeds I bought, Vaporvac! In addition to being edible, the plants are soft and fuzzy and the white flowers are on long stems and are open evening through late morning. We've been around 100F every day for the last week and these plants are still growing and blooming like crazy. Everything else (including me) is wilting. Serpente di Sicilia edible gourd
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Post by nana on Aug 12, 2019 12:44:51 GMT -5
We had italian neighbors when I was a kid who grew those. One time my mom picked one that was hanging on our side of the fence and sauteed it in some olive oil with salt and pepper like she would with zucchini. She was not impressed with the flavor, and said it tasted like a wet finger. I think it probably was just disappointment that its taste wasn't as exotic as its looks. They look like the kind of vegetable 10 year old boys would love to have neighborhood battles with!
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Post by karitx on Aug 12, 2019 15:58:39 GMT -5
We had italian neighbors when I was a kid who grew those. One time my mom picked one that was hanging on our side of the fence and sauteed it in some olive oil with salt and pepper like she would with zucchini. She was not impressed with the flavor, and said it tasted like a wet finger. I think it probably was just disappointment that its taste wasn't as exotic as its looks. They look like the kind of vegetable 10 year old boys would love to have neighborhood battles with! ha! I don't think summer squash in general has a lot of flavor, so I understand the wet finger comment. So far I have cooked all of these in various tomato-based sauces. The cuccuzi does have an unusual aroma when you cut it (the vines give off the same smell when bruised). It's not bad, but it's different.
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Post by mach12 on Sept 21, 2020 13:10:39 GMT -5
I had to pull up this thread to show my wife the sneak-a-zucchini plan. Man was this (2020) a year for squash, tomatoes, and bell peppers! We've never had such nice bell peppers. My wife came in with this daily batch and said it looked like we were having stuffed bell peppers tonight. And this doesn't show the basket (probably 2 gallon equivalent) of cherry tomatoes. We could have left the tomatoes another couple of days if it weren't for the rain causing them to split.
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Post by vaporvac on Sept 21, 2020 16:53:26 GMT -5
Wow! You should be so pleased. Those peppers are especially impressive and so finicky for me. You are a man of many talents! I'm still finishing out the freezer from last year! and the only tomatoes this year were volunteers. However, I am REVELING in FIGS!!! A rose friend gifted me 6 fig trees of 3 different varieties and had I known how easy and bountiful they were I would have grown them years ago. Still no zucchini being left on my porch. : ((
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Post by nana on Sept 21, 2020 20:19:52 GMT -5
We had frost here the past three nights, and tonight will be as well. Then the next ten days it looks like indian summer, so I’ve been covering my peppers, which have been having a banner year too (for once) and tomatoes, but I let the zukes and green beans go. I’m secretly glad the green beans are over because the raspberries are just coming on and they require the same daily attention as the beans, and there just aren’t enough hours in a day. My cucumbers were a bust this year. I don’t know why, but it must have been going around because a lot of other people said the same thing. There are always winners and losers every year in the garden. We just have to roll with it...But I am so jealous of you and your figs, Vaporvac!! I have never eaten a fresh fig, only dried, but people who have tell me they are wonderful. Do the trees survive outdoors by you? Or do you have a sunroom?
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Post by karitx on Sept 21, 2020 20:21:49 GMT -5
Beautiful peppers! I had a small garden this year and had moderate luck with it before the heat set in. We're still getting a trickle of sweet peppers and the hottest jalapenos I have ever tasted. My friend nicknamed them "hellapenos" - they are brutal! It's time to start planting the winter garden now - kale, collards, carrots, garlic, etc. I'm going to try a few snow peas, too, but it might be a little late.
Enjoy your figs, vaporvac!
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Post by donmattera on Sept 22, 2020 6:12:39 GMT -5
Vaporvac I have two fig trees and it was a great year for me as well. Have you baked any? Cut the stem off and slice an X in the end stuff a chunk of Gorgonzola cheeses in and wrap with a paper thin slice of prosciutto Stand them on the flat end and bake at 350 about 5 to 7 mins just until the cheeses starts to soften and the fig gets warm. Supper way to start or end a meal
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Post by vaporvac on Sept 22, 2020 17:18:56 GMT -5
Thanks everyone! Nana, they are all in pots and allowed to go dormant in the Fall and then kept in cold storage. So long as it doesn't get below 20F they are fine. My space does not get that cold. This can be a dark space as they don't need light during dormancy, just occasional water. They couldn't be easier. My two largest plants are commonly known as 'Chicago Hardy' and these can be planted in the ground and still give one crop of fruit even if killed to the ground. They are vigorous growing and will quickly regenerate. Having them in pots gives the chance for two crops, one of which develops now and overwinters as tiny fruit that matures in the late Spring. You should try growing oneo if you can. Trader Joe's has them twice a year fresh, but only for a brief period. They are so scrumptious! Don, that sounds delicious. I sometimes stuff mine with a ricotta/gorgonzola mix drizzled with honey and sprinkled with toasted walnuts as dessert. The mix of flavours is wonderful. Yours sound like a yummy variation. Maybe that will be dinner tonight! I've been experimenting with different storage for next year when I hope to have too many to eat fresh. Flash freezing with a quick that in the micro has given the best results. Cooking them brought out the simple sweetness, but destroyed some of the subtler flavour and texture. I'm sure the less ripe ones would be great in a chutney or syrup. I am just so impressed with this fruit.
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Post by mach12 on Sept 22, 2020 17:41:01 GMT -5
I had no idea we could grow figs in cooler climates! When we lived in Egypt they very very reasonable to buy and I probably have fifty of more recipes that use them. I'm going to have to do some research and see what will do well here in the Pacific Northwest. Now you're going to tell me I can grow mangos too?
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Post by nana on Sept 22, 2020 18:56:05 GMT -5
Two questions. No, three. How big do they get, as in what size pot do they need? Will a 50 degree basement be cold enough to keep them dormant (it’s plenty dark down there!)? And do you need more than one for pollination? Because I already have enough huge houseplants my poor husband has to schlep in and out, so if I add more, it has to be foolproof. I got suckered in once by a dwarf pomegranate. Lovely plant, but inedible, purely ornamental fruit!
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Post by donmattera on Sept 23, 2020 6:20:38 GMT -5
Nana, I have mine in half whiskey barrels. I cut mine back in the fall to winter over in me garage, the 50 degree basement will be fine. The fruit is actually the flower bud that never blooms, you don’t need two to produce, but a male plant is not as productive. If you remind me in the spring I’ll send you a rooted shoot to get you started
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Post by nana on Sept 24, 2020 5:28:50 GMT -5
Thanks Don!
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Post by vaporvac on Sept 24, 2020 17:43:58 GMT -5
Don, thanks for answering those questions! The lady who gave me mine also kept her larger, older trees in whiskey barrels, but mine are in smaller pots with the exception of the two Chicago Hardy. What types do you grow? I'm also curious about rooting them. Mine have growth around the base that I've been wondering if I should remove it and if I can use it to make cuttings. I would be most interested in your technique. Do you prune yours back because of their size? I wasn't told to do that, but I have the space to store them. That is so awesome of you to send Nana a plant! Nana, its a great plant and I can now see how some people are so into growing figs! : )) P.S. Don, I made your recipe that same night and really enjoyed! Thanks. I've done very similar with dried figs, but wow!, the fresh are a BIG step up! P.P.S. If you have to many to consume right away, how do you store them? Have you ever dehydrated them in the Twell?
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Post by donmattera on Sept 25, 2020 7:11:13 GMT -5
I have a Chicago and a honey fig Rooting is easy two methods I use are The growth at the bottom can be rooted, bend it so that the limb is in the dirt cover it with dirt and put a weight on it so it won’t pop up In a month or so it should have roots, cut it from the mother plant and your on the way to another tree Another way is to cut a quart size deli container down the side and wrap it around a limb fill the cup with soil and tape it in place. Water it often and again In a month or so you’ll have roots Or simply cut off a limb and put it in water to root, if you have a weeping willow tree put a piece of willow twig in the water, it promotes rooting You can use the willow with anything you want to root. I prune mine to get new growth in spring the figs sprout on the new wood. I’ve seen figs that are pruned and grown on wires like grape vines I never have to many to eat fresh my family and friends make sure of that
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