My parents are finally taking the plunge and moving to a smaller dwelling with fewer worries. The best part is that they are forced to go through the detritus of 53 years of marriage and determine what they really want to keep, and what they want to foist off on unsuspecting relatives. My brother was there yesterday and returned with the owner's manual to the 1948 Hudson that served as my parents' first car. That car has long since gone to the great motor speedway in the sky, but I'm glad they kept it all these years, in case another one just like it shows up.
Okay, I realize that has nothing to do with the farming life or vegetables. Back to the crops. The opening photograph is of an okra flower-- worth growing if only for the ornamental value, and delicious to boot! It is just starting to produce a decent amount. here is a picture of the field:
Skin contact with the plants causes severe itching, so harvesting requires full long sleeves, pants, and gloves, which is fine on a day like today, but not so pleasant when it is 95 degrees in the shade and no shade. Also the pods are hard to spot sometimes among the foliage:
Can you see it? Okra is my favorite vegetable, but I realize many people don't care for it, so I am mindful to instruct Harvie to distribute it with a light hand. You can always swap out something else for it. Supplies may be low for a week or two yet, but the season is really just beginning.
Also beginning is eggplant. The Asian type generally produces earliest of all:
The skins are fully edible and, as far as I can determine, the flavor is the same as the more common types pictured dangling from their plants below:
I'd give them another week to mature.
Other crops coming on in the next week or two include tomatoes and melons (although I'm a little apprehensive as to the effect of the FIVE INCHES of rain we had last night on the canteloupe flavor-- NOT what you want when they are starting to ripen!!) and a few beets. Basil is back and we bid a (hopefully) temporary farewell to cucumbers. Update: a few melons and tomatoes are ready now!
In other news I have four extra teenage relatives coming to stay with me next week.
As always email me with any questions or concerns-- it may take a while for me to get back to you, but I'll do so eventually.
John
