Saturday, June 7, 2014

Edibles!

Summer yummies..


Caprese salad with sweet basil, lemon boy tomatoes and and some red tomatoes I can't identify now!


Newly obsessed with shishito peppers.. I got them because they were the healthiest looking plant at Natural Gardener a month or two ago, and they've done well being ignored in the front bed (see the pic below). I picked a handful and sauteed them in olive oil with a pinch of sea salt until they had blistered skins, then set them aside and sauteed the green beans. Goodness- they were amazing- not spicy at all but complex/salty/peppery yummy. I've seen them at the local farmer's markets, too- will be buying more until my plant regenerates!


I did not eat the caterpillar..



But I have just sheepishly realized that I have a huge crop of wild Italian arugula (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) growing in the back back. They're the plants with yellow flowers I was trying to identify a few weeks back. They've sprawled everywhere and I noticed a very arugula-spicy smell when I stepped on them so I tasted them and had my "aha" moment. Edible but very spicy. I threw a packet of wild Italian arugula seeds back there in the fall while waiting for the contractors to finish the concrete retaining wall and fence- then forgot about them completely. Good to know they don't need much water!

Green and yummy..

Wide angle of the back back and front yard.. sorta


Coneflowers, yarrow, buffalo grass, bulbine, dianthus, ponyfoot on one side, Indian blanket and Black Eyed Susan masses amid massive sunflowers on the other. Nicely green, but the flagstones have become overgrown.. Will edit/define later, happy to have some growth for now!


12 foot tall sunflowers. They get scraggly, but shade the chickens well and do so well (and volunteer!) that I've decided to embrace them..


The plants in the front are rooting in, sending up flowers. Nothing is taking over yet, but I have about 5 volunteer Pride of Barbadoses that will need to be rehomed. 






Trial and error zone..


This poor butterfly weed is covered in aphids, and I've been too infrequent with hosing them off to keep the plant looking good. I'm waiting for the beneficials to come clean this guy up, but it may be too late..


Tomato thief...


So I've resorted to this (note the colored duct tape blocking the large tomato..)



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