Monday, May 20, 2013

Harvest Monday - May 19, 2013

This past week was a great week for salad greens. I harvested endive, romaine lettuce and arugula. I really like fresh salad but I am sad to say that I'm not sure I love home grown romaine lettuce. I've gotten accustomed to store bought which always is much more crunchy and juicy - and the taste is not as intense - meaning not as earthy - as the ones I have at home. Maybe I'm not growing them right or I don't have the right variety. I still like them, but I prefer to mix it with some store bought romaine lettuce.
I also thinned the cilantro, but the "thinned" plants were big enough to eat. Was very fresh tasting and delicious. I think I'll start a second container so that I'll have more. I just love cilantro!
I'm also getting small, but steady harvest of snow peas. I'm hoping I'll get more before the weather gets too warm. My oldest container of snow peas are starting to yellow at the base.
I'm joining harvest Monday at Daphne's dandelions. Happy gardening everyone!

22 comments:

  1. Oooh! Love the snow peas! Home grown romaines are indeed more flavorful than store purchased - same with celery. It has to do with not fertilizing them constantly like the commercial outfits do - which produces enormously fast growth that is mostly water and light on nutrition. The taste is lighter as a result - but honestly the home grown is more like the plant really should be and I would wager much more nutrient dense.

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    1. Ah, that makes a lot of sense. I do like that I have a great variety and the home grown tastes much healthier. I'm sure there is much more phytochemical and such.

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  2. As much lettuce as I grow and harvest, I still buy an occasional head of iceberg lettuce to mix in for the crunch. I love the garden lettuces, but none are as crisp as I like my salads. I think my romaine is less crispy than usual this year, too. I've always counted on it being the "meatiest" of all the lettuces.

    Yay me, my patio plants are still among the living!

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    1. I'm glad to hear that from you. I like most of the vegetables I grow at home more than the store, but lettuce is just the only one I prefer store bought. I'll continue to grow it because I also like mine...but I just need to mix it with the store bought stuff.

      My tomatoes on the balcony are mostly the ones you sent me! I'm trying out the dwarf kinds. It should be fun!

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  3. I'm happy I found your blog, as I grow all of my vegetables in containers too. It looks like you're enjoying a good harvest already. My first pickings are still a couple of weeks away here.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. I think containers are probably a good place to start with gardening. Although I would love more space, I also like having a confined space so that I won't have to work too hard:)

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  4. That's a really nice harvest from a balcony garden (even snow peas!), congratulations. The thing about growing your own lettuce is you don't try to duplicate supermarket produce. If you want a head of Parris Island Cos, you can always find that at the super. But you can't find all of the varieties of lettuces you can easily grow yourself. Like Forellenschluss (German for speckled trout), an Austrian heirloom Romaine that is splashed with splotches of red, which I'm trying this year. Just appreciate your lettuce for what it is, a passing treat that will soon be gone and then it's back to the supermarket for our lettuce.

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    1. I think you are right. I think I am going to try some of the speckled kind because I think they are beautiful and looks tasty too.

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  5. My container snow peas were a failure, but I have not given up, going to try again.
    You may wish to try a different variety of romaine type lettuce or harvest the outer leaves at a younger stage.

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    1. Hi Norma. I'm definitely going to branch out with the lettuce. I'll try other varieties maybe...

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  6. I like to crisp up my lettuce by soaking it briefly in ice water (5-10 minutes) just before I make my salads, that does seem to add a bit more crunch to the leaves. But you are right, home grown lettuce does have a stronger flavor. Your snow peas are perfect looking!

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    1. I definitely like the flavor it brings but I don't think I like the whole salad like that. I will keep trying different types.

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    2. If you can find it, try Anuenue. It's crispier, and heat resistant, but I have really poor germination with it. I've started a 6-pack and got just 2 to germinate, then direct seeded a 6' row and only got 3 seedlings from it. I wish it germinated better, because it is one of my favorites. It seems like summercrisp did quite well for me too.

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  7. Ooohhh...snow peas! Out peas were doing great, but after a few super hot days and crazy wind storms they're really struggling. I guess I'll have to live vicariously through you for a while ;-)

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    1. It is starting to get hot out here too! So I'm hoping to get more before it succumbs to the heat.

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  8. Not bad for a balcony garden. The snow peas, particularly, should give you reason to be proud!

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  9. Cilantro is my favorite, too and the snow peas and lettuce - SALAD! LOL. Great harvest.

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    1. Thanks Barbie. I am loving the cilantro. It is just fantastic to have to add to salads when I need because when I buy it from the store I tend to forget about it and it rots in my fridge.

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  10. I have Manoa Lettuce a Hawaiian variety similar to black Simpson but grows in summer its crispy but sometimes bitter so i usually blanch it with salt water and the place it in cold water to crisp up

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    1. Hm, I will have to try blanching the lettuce. Thanks for the suggestion Linda.

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  11. I was a Baltimore container gardener for ages, so I can say with authority that your harvest looks wonderful!

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    1. Aww thank you! I feel like this is good training for when I get a larger garden...hopefully in the near future! Thanks for you comment.

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