Vince and I have said we will not have a garden in Missouri but then we decided we might grow a few peppers and tomatoes in buckets – mainly because we don’t go out very often and it’s nice to have fresh tomatoes through the summer. We can buy the bulk of our tomatoes for canning from the farmers’ markets but I think we need to have a continuous supply of fresh tomatoes for salads and sandwiches.
Then I said I’d like to have at least basil, parsley, cilantro and rosemary growing.
This morning I told Vince I’ll probably plant a few Seminole pumpkins. I see some that look more like pumpkins where the ones look more like butternut squash, and I’ve seen others that look like this too. They all seem to have the same name, cucubita moschata, so I’m not sure why there are two distinctive shapes.
It’s probably more accurate to say that we’re always going to have some kind of small garden, no matter where we are.
Here in Texas, besides it being so hard to grow anything because of the drought, the bugs, the grass burrs and the heat, it ends up that I can’t go anywhere (like MO) because the peaches are almost ripe and they need canning; the plums are almost right and jam needs to be made; or the peppers need to be freeze dried and the tomatoes need to be canned. It’s constant and with things not growing great, it’s a few jars here, a few jars there . . where if I’m buying things, I can go buy 50 pounds of tomatoes and work til they’re processed and be done with tomatoes for the year. And, most importantly, I won’t be making long trips to see Addie so that won’t interfere with food preservation.
But . . these Seminole pumpkins . . I love these things. A few plants will produce an entire year’s worth of pumpkins. There are so many great things about these pumpkins:
- They are bug resistant!
- They require no processing. Cut them and leave a long stem, stick them in a cool dark place with air flow around them and they will last a year!
- Add savory spices and roast – it’s a side dish for dinner. Add sweet spices and it’s dessert.
- Cut off what you need, stick the remainder in a zipper bag, keep in the fridge and it’s good for at least a couple of weeks.
For dinner tonight, we had steak (Vince grilled two but we split one so we have a leftover steak), fried eggplant from the garden, roasted Seminole pumpkin from the garden, green beans from the freezer, tomatoes from the garden, and rolls. I did have to get a package of bacon from the freezer to season the beans.
From the Freezer:
- Steak
- Green Beans
- Rolls
- Bacon
Teri says
I’m so happy to hear this. Once a gardener, always a gardener. It’s in your blood! Can’t bear the thought of a summer without a home grown tomato! Are you both getting super excited about your new digs?
Judy Laquidara says
I think our dread of the moving process tempers our excitement a bit but yes, we’re so ready to be done!
Susan Nixon says
Now that’s a dinner fit for a king! Yes, you can have a few plants in pots, and squash can grow along a wall and look pretty through all seasons of its life. That’s a good plan. Personally, I think I’d buy 25 pounds of tomatoes at a time. 50 pounds is a lot of work to do all at once, and summer is long enough to split it in two parts. =)
Judy Laquidara says
I’ve actually bought 100 pounds at a time before. I don’t mind washing them, putting them in bags whole and freezing them til I can get them canned. I’d rather buy them when I see them than have to go out more than once.
Nelle Coursey says
Yummy!!
Donna Williams says
I missed putting my veg out this year due to illness (not COVID) and I really miss going out and getting things as they ripen. There are some fall things I can do, and look forward to that. I’m in Northwest Arkansas, so I have a pretty good growing season, but it was just plain to late to get things out by the time I felt well enough. I may try to see if I can find someone with a good amount of tomatoes to put up, that’s a great idea thank you!
vivoaks says
We quit growing a garden when we found out that our soil had been contaminated with lead, zinc and 1 other heavy metal due to a zinc smelter that had been down along the Ohio river. (We’re up on the hill above the river.) Now Shell Oil is putting in a “cracker plant” for the abundant natural gas in the area…no telling what happens when that becomes operational.
Laura says
When we moved into our current home a couple of months ago, we had the landscaper put in a few fruit trees (peach, apricot and nectaplum), along with some large pots where I can grow herbs and possibly tomatoes. That’s about all I want to have to handle! I think a few veggies and herbs sounds perfect for your new location.
Judy Laquidara says
I don’t mind having a few things in pots but there’s lead in the area so need to do some investigating before we plant anything edible that grows in the ground. We already know we’d have to jump through a lot of hoops – expensive hoops, to have a well there.