What about eating?

[ChanellG]

We've been talking about our favorite things to grow, but what about eating? Between Zigs' aversion to cucumbers and Claudine's disdain for - well all the things she doesn't like - I am now wondering who likes what and how diverse everyone's diets are.

If I could manage it, I would grow some of just about everything I like to eat - which would require quite a lot of space. Ideally if I could grow my favorites to eat I would have and endless supply of avocado, squash (multi varieties), spinach, garlic, onions, pineapple, eggplant, carrots, cucumbers, almonds, beets, chard, kale, cantaloupe, grapes, every imaginable herb...

I'm trying to expand slowly so I keep things manageable, but I can't wait to be able to get more of my food from the backyard with the growing spaced out so I can have longer harvest times.

 

[TheCrazyPlantLady]

There are very few vegetables I won't eat, and most I'll eat raw. My favourites, though, are fresh carrots, kohlrabi, green beans, peas (pod and snap), sweetcorn and tomatoes. And I'd love to be able to grow my own avacados - I'm sure they are nicer than the ones we get here from Mexico. I don't have any fruit growing, but I have some ideas for next year...

 

[ChanellG]

My mom has an avocado tree but I don't know if it is mature enough yet to produce fruit. I think she got some figs off her more mature tree this time and she had lots of kumquats. I can't wait for the limes and lemons to be ready. I plan on making candied peels for the holiday season. She has a couple plums and a peach tree also, but those are still young.

Today I was in the same neighborhood as my favorite nursery so I stopped in to get a couple more herb plants. Ended up with beets and zucchini as well. These are both going to be new adventures for me. I like to use the beet greens as well so I am looking forward to this experiment. Hopefully my little volunteer tomato plant will survive and produce fruit.

 

[headfullofbees]

In veg, I particularly like peas, early new potatoes, onions which I sulphur to make them hotter, leeks and brassicas, lots of brassicas.
I also like a good variety of salad leaves, and grow cucumbers, tomatoes & chilis indoors.
In order that I can also get a crop of beans to eat and freeze, I have to recognise that, with my small garden, I can't have everything all the time.
In order to achieve that, I plant according to different plants' needs, and tend to have most of my brassicas in the ground over winter and early spring, peas started early in pots in the greenhouse, so that I can have them harvested prior to planting out my beans, and tend to have spinach and Chinese greens early and late.

This gives me two crops out of as much of my garden as possible.
My garden is cold heavy clay so carrots aren't really an option (yet).

 

[claudine]

ChanellG. what do you mean by "all the things she doesn't like"? Do I really sound so negative? Oh well, I've always been picky
Anyway, I hate beet with all my heart. I'm not a big fan of potatoes, spinach and cooked carrots, but I love all other vegetables and fruits. My favorites are tomatoes, green peas, plums, oranges, nectarines, cherries and apples.

 

[Babble64]

I love so many different things, although there are some that have been mentioned here that I don't care for, and some I've never tried or even heard of (I had to look up headfullofbees' brassicas) I'm with Claudine on the beets! I have tried them a few times and just don't care for them. I also dislike eggplant....don't see what all the fuss is about! I love zucchini, yellow summer squash not so much.Winter squashes...butternut is my favorite. Peas, green beans (best for me both eaten raw, right off the plant). Carrots (though I've never grown them.) Onions (cooked, but I love green ones raw, chopped up in salads and dips), garlic. We're trying shallots this year, have never tried them before but they seem to be growing nicely. Tomatoes. Sweet corn. I've never tried Swiss chard or okra. Spinach when raw, especially mixed in with some lovely dark lettuces, drizzled w/balsamic vinaigrette. Fresh pineapple. Avacadoes, though I don't like them plain, I'm a sucker for some fresh guacamole!! Watermelon!!

 

[ChanellG]

In veg, I particularly like peas, early new potatoes, onions which I sulphur to make them hotter, leeks and brassicas, lots of brassicas.
I also like a good variety of salad leaves, and grow cucumbers, tomatoes & chilis indoors.
In order that I can also get a crop of beans to eat and freeze, I have to recognise that, with my small garden, I can't have everything all the time.
In order to achieve that, I plant according to different plants' needs, and tend to have most of my brassicas in the ground over winter and early spring, peas started early in pots in the greenhouse, so that I can have them harvested prior to planting out my beans, and tend to have spinach and Chinese greens early and late.

This gives me two crops out of as much of my garden as possible.
My garden is cold heavy clay so carrots aren't really an option (yet).

I almost bought lettuces yesterday, but I decided to wait. I have to go back to the nursery to get rue and they'd run out of spinach so I'll call next week to see what else has come in. I just happened to be in the area and needed more herbs.

I think I would need a whole separate freezer to be able to grow stuff to save and freeze for later. The one atop the fridge simply wouldn't hold much, and I'd want some kind of backup power to protect the food from spoilage should there be an outage due to a storm.

How many plants do you need to get a decent harvest of beans or peas? Are there any pest issues that plague those plants?

I looked at the brassicas as well, and I may try my hand at brussels sprouts, but I don't want to take on more than I can manage.

 

[ChanellG]

ChanellG. what do you mean by "all the things she doesn't like"? Do I really sound so negative? Oh well, I've always been picky
Anyway, I hate beet with all my heart. I'm not a big fan of potatoes, spinach and cooked carrots, but I love all other vegetables and fruits. My favorites are tomatoes, green peas, plums, oranges, nectarines, cherries and apples.

Well, you are opinionated, lol, but my faith has been restored somewhat with your love for cucumbers

I absolutely love potatoes to the point of addiction, lol. I will eat them prepared just about any way, especially with cheese. I used to be picky also, then I stopped eating meat and started trying more things. Now some of the things I wouldn't touch as a child are among my favorite foods. Sometimes it is just a matter of how the food has been presented to you.

Canned spinach is just awful, but fresh spinach sauteed with garlic, mushrooms, and onions is delicious. Canned asparagus is another awful thing; it's mushy and tastes like the can. Steamed fresh asparagus is wonderful though and you can use the bottom part of the stems for soup.

 

[ChanellG]

I love so many different things, although there are some that have been mentioned here that I don't care for, and some I've never tried or even heard of...

I can't imagine eating raw peas, lol, but then I've never had them fresh picked. Peas are one of the few things I will eat out of a can and I always intend to get frozen ones to have on hand, but never think of it when I'm at the store.

I hate okra. I cooked some recently for my grandfather and I accidentally found the trick for the slime (after trying other things that didn't seem to work). I also used some stock during cooking to improve on the flavor before adding tomatoes and corn, but it just doesn't digest well for me.

I could eat eggplant every day (and soon will come harvest time), but there are tricks to eggplant as well. It's best not to let it sit around too long or it gets bitter, and it's best not to salt it if you want a creamy texture. You also have to cook it long enough for it to really soften to melt in your mouth yumminess. It's so good roasted with garlic and tomatoes. There are so many varieties of it also; I had rosa bianca for the first time recently and it was so sweet!

Love summer squash, have yet to try winter or acorn. Spaghetti squash is a bit bland, but I am still experimenting. Just roasted some butternut about a week ago. Wouldn't mind growing that too! Carrots are the best! I kind of carmelize them in olive oil and they are so sweet!

I have two volunteers I rescued from the compost which appear to be some type of onion. Can't wait to see what they grow into. I used to feel the same way you do about avocado, but now I can just slice them and have them on the side of other stuff I am eating -yum!

If I am successful with my carrots, I may try parsnips next.

 

[claudine]

Well, you are opinionated, lol, but my faith has been restored somewhat with your love for cucumbers

I absolutely love potatoes to the point of addiction, lol. I will eat them prepared just about any way, especially with cheese. I used to be picky also, then I stopped eating meat and started trying more things. Now some of the things I wouldn't touch as a child are among my favorite foods. Sometimes it is just a matter of how the food has been presented to you.

Canned spinach is just awful, but fresh spinach sauteed with garlic, mushrooms, and onions is delicious. Canned asparagus is another awful thing; it's mushy and tastes like the can. Steamed fresh asparagus is wonderful though and you can use the bottom part of the stems for soup.

Opinionated? Lol
My mother used to torture me with cooked potatoes when I was a child, I had to eat them every day, and this is why I hate them so much. But I must say that I adore fries! Fries are my favorite food. I wish they were healthier though
As for spinach, my boyfriend loves it, so I know that some people may find it tasty, but I'll never understand them
I agree about asparagus. I love it.

 

[ChanellG]

Opinionated? Lol
My mother used to torture me with cooked potatoes when I was a child, I had to eat them every day, and this is why I hate them so much...

LOL, that's a different matter. I ate so much peanut butter and spinach as a kid I had burned out on both as an adult. I still don't eat peanut butter that often, but it is good for you. I am also still burned out on apple juice, but thankfully there are so many other choices. I think I may return to it though when I start making my own juices.

One thing I hate is celery. I made veg stock and included just a small amount and it ruined the taste of my asparagus soup. It just overpowers everything. I am not crazy about fennel, but I got a bulb at the farmer's market earlier in summer and sauteed with with onions and mushrooms and I like it much better that way.

I am growing it now, though I mainly have it (and dill) for the caterpillars so I can enjoy my parsley.

 

[TheCrazyPlantLady]

I can't imagine eating raw peas, lol, but then I've never had them fresh picked. Peas are one of the few things I will eat out of a can and I always intend to get frozen ones to have on hand, but never think of it when I'm at the store.

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Oh, Chanell, I guarantee that if you had raw peas, fresh picked from the garden, you'd love them. They are like candy, and I've never had a big enough garden, or a big enough crop of peas, to have any left over from eating raw to cook or freeze! The trick is that they have to be picked just at the right time, when they are full but not too big. If they are a bit small, they taste good but the peas are so small it seems such a waste. If they get too big they get bitter. I wasn't happy with either variety I grew this year so I'll be trying something new next year. And I'll be planting them earlier, 'cause it gets hot here in a hurry, and pretty much puts an end to the pea crop!

Also, have you ever tried nut butters? I don't like peanut butter anymore, but I love almond butter. And my new favourite is almond/hazelnut butter. MMMMMM

 

[headfullofbees]

I almost bought lettuces yesterday, but I decided to wait. I have to go back to the nursery to get rue and they'd run out of spinach so I'll call next week to see what else has come in. I just happened to be in the area and needed more herbs.

I think I would need a whole separate freezer to be able to grow stuff to save and freeze for later. The one atop the fridge simply wouldn't hold much, and I'd want some kind of backup power to protect the food from spoilage should there be an outage due to a storm.

How many plants do you need to get a decent harvest of beans or peas? Are there any pest issues that plague those plants?

I looked at the brassicas as well, and I may try my hand at brussels sprouts, but I don't want to take on more than I can manage.

For runner beans, if you have about eight plants, you will probably have enough to get sick of them, if you have good weather.

Spring greens can be grown in your pots, similarly some varieties of spinach are hardy. Often the leaves bubble, like savoy cabbage, and this gives the spinach a delightful texture to add to the great flavour in winter salads, etc.

 

[ChanellG]

...Also, have you ever tried nut butters? I don't like peanut butter anymore, but I love almond butter. And my new favourite is almond/hazelnut butter. MMMMMM

Okay, I'm intrigued by the idea of pea candy. It's been so long since I had almond butter... I don't remember being knocked out by it, and I really love almonds. I also love hazelnuts so the two of them together intrigues me further. Hmmm...

For runner beans, if you have about eight plants, you will probably have enough to get sick of them, if you have good weather.

Spring greens can be grown in your pots, similarly some varieties of spinach are hardy. Often the leaves bubble, like savoy cabbage, and this gives the spinach a delightful texture to add to the great flavour in winter salads, etc.

They were out of spinach at the nursery, but I do have seed I can try. I may do a couple bean plants just as an experiment to see how they do and plan for down the road, but what I'd really like is to have more greens.

 

[claudine]

Oh, Chanell, I guarantee that if you had raw peas, fresh picked from the garden, you'd love them. They are like candy, and I've never had a big enough garden, or a big enough crop of peas, to have any left over from eating raw to cook or freeze! The trick is that they have to be picked just at the right time, when they are full but not too big. If they are a bit small, they taste good but the peas are so small it seems such a waste. If they get too big they get bitter. I wasn't happy with either variety I grew this year so I'll be trying something new next year. And I'll be planting them earlier, 'cause it gets hot here in a hurry, and pretty much puts an end to the pea crop!

This is so true, I absolutely adore raw peas, they're one of the most delicious vegetables. I can't get enough of them, during sumer I eat them all the time, I can eat 1kg per day or more. Yummy! I usually buy them though, if I wanted to grow them on my own, I would have to have a whole field of peas to fulfil my needs