Re: New England, July 2015

Marc Iverson 7/30/2015, 12:56 pm

DeborahC wrote:
The garden is doing great this year. This is the first cutting of basil, we're enjoying tomatoes earlier than we ever have but I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the Tarragon. We don't use it in cooking and I was thinking I might use it in soap.

Have you ever tried it in French Onion soup?

Marc Iverson 7/30/2015, 12:59 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:quiltbea, great pics! Your bee balms are gorgeous, and honestly, I really didn't know that was how kale looked, I am putting some in for Fall here.

Kale looks a whole bunch of different ways -- wide leaves, narrow leaves, tall and short plants, green and purple, heavily rippled and smooth and something in between, purple-centered and white-centered, etc. It's really cool actually, and some are as pretty as any ornamental plants with the bonus that you can eat them!

Bea, love your flowers, and that kale does indeed look healthy.

CapeCoddess 7/30/2015, 1:07 pm

quiltbea wrote: The Winterbor Kale is doing well even in the shade in my flower beds.

That photo is pretty enough to be a poster! I love it. QB, if you let that kale go to seed, can we do a trade? I'm harvesting seeds from a Ripbor shortly, which is the same but smaller and doesn't get yellow leaves at the bottom like other kales tend to do if left unharvested for a while.
Here's a photo of this morning's harvest with the Ripbor seed pods awaiting squishing in a bowl: eggplant - New England, July 2015 - Page 8 00111

eggplant - New England, July 2015 - Page 8 00111

On the left are bush beans and on the right are pole beans. I have a ton more beans to pick so I see cutting, blanching and freezing in my future.

CapeCoddess 7/30/2015, 3:52 pm

Went home for lunch today and found these taters under a dead plant: eggplant - New England, July 2015 - Page 8 00410

Can I eat them right away, boiled with the beans, or do I have to wait a while for something or other, like I remember reading somewhere?

**donnainzone5** 7/30/2015, 5:02 pm

CC,

I'd save and store the little one for planting--if it keeps that long!

Otherwise, why not steam/braise/saute the rest? Butter, parsley or tarragon, with a dash of lemon juice might be tasty.

**camprn** 7/30/2015, 8:51 pm

You can eat new potatoes. They also microwave easily and quickly.

quiltbea 7/30/2015, 11:36 pm

CapeC......I'm sorry, but Winterbor Kale is a Hybrid so I won't be saving seeds. You can find it at Territorial Seed tho. I'd share seeds if I had them, but I don't have any left. I've lots of Siberians, Red Russian, and other Kale seeds.

edited to add: Your potatoes look divine. I remember when I grew them. They were the best tasting potatoes I ever ate and yes, you can eat them right away. So tender. MMMMM.

**sanderson** 7/31/2015, 2:16 am

Fresh chopped for cooking fish?

CapeCoddess 7/31/2015, 11:18 am

quiltbea wrote:CapeC......I'm sorry, but Winterbor Kale is a Hybrid so I won't be saving seeds. .

I know. The Ripbor is hybrid also but I saved them anyway. I planted some already and they sprouted so I transplanted them into the SFG for fall. Wonder what they will turn into? Maybe a Winterbor. lol Whatever it is at least it will be edible.
What a Face

Thanks for the potato advice, folks. I grew potatoes for the first time last year and they were divine! I grew them for Mom this year but she's not coming due to 2 knee replacements so I'll eat these and give the rest away since they are nightshades and aggravate arthur. I must have read that they have to be left a couple weeks to let the skin thicken a bit before storing.

Pulled the garlic today. It's laying in the bed drying out. Is it OK if they are in the sun?

**camprn** 7/31/2015, 11:48 am

Yes to the garlic in the sun, but only.briefly. Don't forget to strip the outer skins to have beautiful white heads for storage. Do this now, before the outer skin drys hard.

CapeCoddess 7/31/2015, 11:53 am

camprn wrote:Yes to the garlic in the sun, but only.briefly. Don't forget to strip the outer skins to have beautiful white heads for storage. Do this now, before the outer skin drys hard.

Crud, I'm at work and I left them out this morning. Won't get to them for another hour+. They'll be OK, right? I've never dried them in the sun before, always preferring the clothes line in the basement with a fan, but I discovered a leak in the basement this morning and thought it might be too damp.

**camprn** 7/31/2015, 2:21 pm

You don't want to let them cure in the sun, but the dirt can dry in the sun.

CapeCoddess 7/31/2015, 4:03 pm

They were fine. I started to clean them over the bed, to save the MM that I brush off the roots, but it was so hot out there that I just stuck everything into the shade & left.

Although from the looks of some other regional threads, hot is relative.
Shocked

**sanderson** 8/1/2015, 3:50 am

yolos 8/1/2015, 10:19 am

CapeCoddess wrote:
quiltbea wrote:CapeC......I'm sorry, but Winterbor Kale is a Hybrid so I won't be saving seeds. .

I must have read that they have to be left a couple weeks to let the skin thicken a bit before storing.

Heck - Winterbor Kale is a hybrid ??? I went to all the trouble to save seed from them this summer. I was going to offer some to CapeC. Now I have a lot of seed for Winterbor Kale that is a Hybrid and also may have been cross pollinated with the Brussel Sprouts.

CC - I believe you are right that the potatoes have to be cured in some way to thicken the skin but only if you are storing them. For fresh eating just after harvesting they do not need to be cured.

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