Thursday, June 9, 2011

What gives? And something new.

I always wonder why two plants grow so differently.  These two plants were started on the same day and kept in relatively same conditions (watering schedule, size of pots, fertilizer, etc). Yet the Super Sweet 100 plant is 11 inches tall and starting to produce. The Yellow Pear is still 3 inches tall and not a flower in sight.






My SS 100 plant, she even has a teeny tiny baby tomato on her





My teeny tiny Yellow Pear plant

I am pretty excited by the SS 100's first little teeny tiny tomato.  It will be the first tomato that we have produced from seeds we planted. We have done other plants, just never tomatoes. I've always been too impatient and just buy from a nursery




And now for something new.


Every visit my mom makes to California she shows me something new and wonderful at our local Asian market. Last time it was Chinese Okra aka Luffa.  It does seem weird that you can eat a luffa, I mean, you use it to exfoliate, right? You shouldn't be able to eat it. But if you pick it young it is sweet, tender and delicious.  I am hoping that this:

Chinese Okra seedling

 Will produce lots of these:
Store bought Chinese Okra


One of the ways I prepare the okra is peeled (you don't have to, the skin adds a crunchy texture that I like) as  much or as little as you want. Then chop it into bite size pieces.


Inside of the okra

All chopped and ready to be cooked


And stir fry it with some pork or chicken and garlic



Yum! 

I would have taken an after picture, but we were too hungry. The little one likes the okra, the big one doesn't like to try anything new so he never tasted it.

I hope this works!!!  Happy gardening all =)

5 comments:

  1. My tomatoes that were started at the same time and treated the same: Matt's Wild Cherry 24" tall, Sungold 6" high. Go figure.

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  2. I think that plants are just like every thing that is living. No two things grow the same.

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  3. We have a long enough summer to grow ridge gourd(luffa). We usually buy them from asian stores, they're expensive!

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  4. AG and Robin - Plants are goofy too I guess.

    RG - do you need any seeds? I have LOTS! (well, more than I will be using in the next 2-3 years).

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  5. It's interesting how differently plants grow even though they are planted at the same time! I am having the same exact problem with tomatoes. I grew yellow pear last year, and I wasn't so impressed with it. We got very few tomatoes. I'm excited about other cherry tomatoes we are growing including, Sungold, Chocolate Cherry, Isis Candy and Tiny Tim!

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