Cutest eggplant ever!
Have already eaten this yellow tomato, but I would have passed it by as unripe, since I didn't remember planting anything yellow. What jogged my memory was getting my tomato cages (or whatever they're called) in colors that matched the color the heirloom style tomatoes are going to be. They didn't have any purple ones, so those blue cages support the Purple Cherokee ones.
Here's something I hadn't thought about before my garden - when you grow your own food, you aren't getting your vegetables all trimmed, like in the grocery store. Lots more extra leaves and bits - so I am making a vegetable broth to freeze for soup later. I've made plenty of broth in my life, usually chicken, (the secret is to bake the chicken first so it's all brown - and then never cover the boiling broth, supposedly it will sour it), but I've never done a strictly vegetable one. I almost added some of my Nasturtiums, just for pretty, but it just felt wrong to boil them up. And I had already put in a ton of beet greens, so I didn't need any more color. But my point, and I do have one is that the house smells great, but I have no idea if it's an indication of Vegetable Broth Success!
Beryl, your vegetable gardens are quite amazing! You are getting some very good results. I like the sound of the broth - apart from the leaves etc do you add other flavoring?
ReplyDeleteHi Patricia - I think a bouquet garni would be a good idea, but didn't add anything other than the basil and thyme from my balcony pots. Oh, and I threw in what I thought was a mild red pepper, which gave a real kick to the whole pot of broth. Glad I didn't put it in a salad - it was super hot!
DeleteCan't say I've ever deliberately made veggie broth, but I have saved the water after boiling vegetables for dinner...does that count? I love beet greens, I really do, and I don't think I ever would have tasted them except that we grew some beets. Bill keeps talking about how we live off what used to be cattle food, but I don't care! It's still fair, I think, to complain about the heat - though it's really the humidity that makes it so miserable. The same temperatures in Salt Lake City are almost bearable.
ReplyDeleteHi Shelley - I'm not crazy about beets, but the seeds were free and they grew so easily. I mean, I like beets just fine, but there are so many other vegetables that I love. Beet green are so much more delicious than the beets - but then maybe I just prefer greens. I don't think there was even a concept of cattle food before the invention of barbed wire. (Just saying.)
DeleteThanks for the tip on getting good results cooking the broth. Your garden is fantastic. I love heirloom tomatoes and the Cherokee Purple is one of my favorites. I harvested my garlic a few days ago. A first for me. Do you use fertilizer on your vegetable plants?
ReplyDeleteHi Sanda - I have not fertilized anything yet, but don't rule it out in the future as I get more adventurous in my planting. I need to try growing garlic next, since onions were such fun. Only two of those plots are mine. Since we live in an apartment, I got a raised bed at the community center. ($6 per year per bed - and the city pays for the water. Pretty good deal even if you do have a yard.)
DeleteSensational garden. Looks like you are going to eat well all summer.
ReplyDeleteDarla
Hi Darla - And it's been so much fun to watch it all grow!
DeleteCherokee Purple tomatoes are my absolute favorite!
ReplyDeleteHi Cindy - I have never had one, but am so looking forward to them!
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