Garden & Kitchen - Amazing Greens and Fruits and "Fruits".

Dear Folks,

The other day I harvested the most amazing mix of greens and some veggies.  More on that below.

First I was so pleased to find new Barbados Cherries (aka Acerola Malpighia emarginata) on my tree and I got to them before the birds.  The lovely thing about these high Vitamin C and antioxidant fruits is they continue to ripen when you pull them off the tree, so if I think the birds are going to swoop in, I can beat them to them :-)  The tree flowers and fruits multiple times through the year, but these cherries are the biggest I've seen in many months.  The tree must like the weather we have been having.

We refer to the swollen calyx of the Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) as "fruit" because that is how it is used.  This tangy cranberry flavored fruit is outstanding for its Vitamin C and other antioxidant properties. It is a stunning plant in the garden and LOVES our summer heat.  While most folks grow the bush for its "fruit" I use the leaves through the summer as part of my summer "lettuce" aka greens mix for salads and on sandwiches.  I also shred the leaves along with other greens for soups.

***Don't Forget My Free Seed Share This Saturday***

Free Seed Share
Saturday, November 3, 2018
1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Mesa Urban Garden (MUG)
212 East 1st Avenue (NE corner of Hibbert and 1st Avenue)
Mesa, AZ  85210
602-370-4459

I was sitting at the kitchen table looking out the window (aka "Garden TV" because we just enjoy watching the goings on while having a meal), when I spotted "red" near the top of the cherry tree.  Grabbing the binoculars we keep handy, I saw cherries!!.  So I went out to harvest. 

As I mentioned above, it is important to keep one step ahead of the birds!

While touring the garden, I took a really close look at our Roselle and the "fruits" are HUGE.  I have not been harvesting, and plan on sharing some of the branches this Saturday (first come, first served).  Many folks may have enjoyed tea with something called "Hibiscus" or "Red Hibiscus" and THIS is the "fruit" used.

If you have a nice sized spot in your garden (the bush can get 6+ feet wide), in full sun, I would encourage you to grow this wonderful edible.

I harvested a wonderful mix of greens and two different sweet peppers the other day.

Sweet potato and nasturtium leaves, celery, I'itoi onion tops, purple and sweet basil, roselle leaves, mesclum mix of romaine, arugula, red sails, Paradicsom and Lipstick sweet peppers.  I like the color mix of yellow and green.

I sowed a small area with a mix of lettuces and got that bunch of mixed colors and textures (lower left of picture) - LOVE it!  I add more seeds to keep the mix growing along, while treating the growing greens as cut-and-come-again. The bit of celery - below the nasturtium leaves is from the recycled celery roots which are growing nicely.

I am trying to perfect my egg poaching skill. Still in training!  I read about a new way of poaching and I just need to tweak it a bit and then I can tell you what worked. But this meal was great tasting if not quite as pretty as I was hoping.

I took the peppers and finely diced with some celery and carrots.  I tossed with a bit of one of my lime dressings, sprinkled some of the dressing over the avocado slices.  I shredded my lovely greens mix and used as a bed for everything.  As I noted it was delicious!

I hope you enjoyed this visit to my garden and how I use some of our bounty.

You can have my monthly planting plus more tips at YOUR finger tips with my wall calendar.

Click here to see - there is a preview available (click on "preview" below the picture).

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Have a best day in your garden and kitchen,


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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