Greens & Beans ready soon

NOVEMBER IS NICE!!!   The weather is just so great for working outdoors!  And plants love it too!  Well some of the veggies, the cukes, zukes & winter squash are showing signs of stress from a few cold evenings in the upper 40's and  that's to be expected, but the little collard and Russian kale plants are starting to take off, the first lettuces are finally  looking happy & the  broccoli that struggled after being transplanted in the september heat is now knee high! As for my latest harvest news, I have begun bringing baby arugula to my retail customers (go get your bag!)  and it won't be long before the spring mix that everyone is craving is ready (expect it around Thanksgiving although there may be a few early bags out there as early as next week).  With Thanksgiving just a few weeks away I am checking my bean plants often.  We  should have beans just before & at least up to Thanksgiving week.  I know how local folks love to have fresh beans with their turkey dinner.  Yum yum!

 So much to look forward to!  It's exciting and this year I have a very special winter squash growing for the holidays too.  It is called a MUSCA squash.  A family friend shared one with us on Thanksgiving 9 years ago.  She told us that it was a variety of squash grown by Florida Native Americans.  I saved the seeds & have always had a plant or two to sustain my supply of seeds which I have shared with local squash enthusiasts and gardeners.  In August I seeded 330 bed ft of this squash hoping to get a few more than in years previous.  I paid close attention and made sure all my winter squash plants were well supplied with lots of compost & water.  Every year I have had terrible squash harvests due to powdery mildew but not this year.  My plants grew huge, flowered like crazy & popped out loads of fruits.  I hope some of my local fans will try this wonderful Florida squash.    It is tear drop or pear shaped with outer skin the color of a butternut squash.  It has a deep orange flesh that is sweet & juicy when baked.  I am planning to post recipes for it.  Look for it just before Thanksgiving!

Comments

  1. AnonymousDecember 19, 2011 at 4:00 PM

    That's so cool! I'm very proud of what you're doing, Pauline.

    ReplyDelete

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