Sunday, October 9, 2011

Wishing and Hoping

I planted kabocha pumpkins (small pumpkins that do well here) in the greenhouse and outside, and I am just so hoping one version or the other will take off.  I am getting blossoms on the greenhouse version, but although the ends of the greenhouse are open, I am not sure any bees are buzzing around, so not sure if fruit will set.  I do hope so - I love pumpkin with quinoa and glazed tofu, pumpkin curry soup, and pumpkin dinner rolls made with kabocha.  It would be safe to say I am craving pumpkin right now.  Of course, considering that I just put in the seeds in the outside garden, I am still a good four months away from enjoying any....unless I can find a good deal at a farmer's market. 

Even though the winds have been off-and-on south winds, and it has been fairly sticky at lower elevations, up here it is still nice and cool and pumpkins and other fall ingredients, soups and stews are sounding good. 

I think I will go make some baked bean soup right now.  That sounds good with some cornbread for dinner tonight. 

4 comments:

Chicago Transplant said...

Hi NancyDe,

I'm sorry to hear about the flat tire and the unexpected expense. I think it was John Lennon who said that life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans.

I love kabochas. Back on Maui, my mother recently planted some too. If we're lucky, we'll get a few pumpkins. Did you know that the tender shoots are edible (I like my stir fried with garlic)? My mother, who is Korean, will blanch larger leaves and use it as a wrapper for other foods (ssam) the way many (Asian) cultures use lettuce, cabbage and other leaves.

It sounds like you and your husband got a lot of work done in the garden. I can't wait to hear about what you're able to harvest.

I've been curious about what fruit trees you might have on your property. In your location, are you able to grow any stone fruits with chill requirements? Back on Maui, we have citrus, mulberry, fig and pomegranate trees. The fig and pomegranate are especially rewarding since they're so easy to propagate.

I trust the sheep are doing well.

Cheers!

NancyDe said...

What sheep are left are doing well. I noticed that Audrey, Sweetpea's dam, is already in heat since Sweetpea's untimely death...so I think I am looking at lambs in January and March.

Mulberries will grow up here. I hadn't thought of pomegranates or figs.

I didn't know pumpkin leaves were edible, I know the flowers are. I eat sweet potato leaves in stir fry, and those are yummy.

Chicago Transplant said...

Hi NancyDe,

I haven't had sweet potato leaves in a long time! I planted some in the garden during my last visit to Maui. I'm hoping there will be enough leaves and shoots for a nice stir fry when I visit in December.

I'm going to get my sister to plant a row of sweet peas. The tender, young shoots are edible too. When my friends and I used to eat out in Chinatown, we'd get them stir fried if they were available.

I love learning about vegetables that produce more than one edible crop.

I'm glad to hear that the sheep are doing well.

Cheers!

NancyDe said...

Taro is the ultimate in that respect, don't you think? I love every part of the kalo plant - lau and iʻo kalo. I had the best patties made out of taro, cassava, and sweet potato - so, so good. That's why I am hoping the sweet potato slips I planted in the summer do more than make (admittedly yummy) leaves. Beet leaves are good, too - and turnip greens, and I use the carrot tops in soup.