Can i start a vegetable and herb garden thread?

crustBrother

Kelly Slater status
Apr 23, 2001
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i'll have to look into Purslane. i'm not even sure if I've eaten it before.
i think its one of the tastier vegetables i've tried

tastes a little bit like cactus and a little bit like citrus to me

supposed to be super good for you too
 
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SteveT

Phil Edwards status
Apr 11, 2005
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Never heard of Purslane until now, I'll have to try it.
Here's one that an old lady that lived next door to me many years ago turned me on to.
New Zealand Spinach.
This stuff grows wild all over the bluffs above Rincon (pretty much anywhere on Coastal California) and is one of the most healthy greens out there.
Super tasty too.
I just pick the leaves off, rinse, spin dry and then simply steam it, then add a little butter, salt, pepper.
It's also really good raw on a sandwich or in a salad.
New-Zeasland-spinach-bigstock-Tetragonia-Tetragonioides-New-311632825-1024x683.jpg
 
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sussle

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Oct 11, 2009
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Never heard of Purslane until now, I'll have to try it.
Here's one that an old lady that lived next door to me many years ago turned me on to.
New Zealand Spinach.
This stuff grows wild all over the bluffs above Rincon (pretty much anywhere on Coastal California) and is one of the most healthy greens out there.
Super tasty too.
I just pick the leaves off, rinse, spin dry and then simply steam it, then add a little butter, salt, pepper.
It's also really good raw on a sandwich or in a salad.
View attachment 131835
i'm growing NZ spinach for the first time this year, from seed. the attraction for me is that it can handle summer heat, unlike true spinach (which i understand that NZ spinach is not a true spinach, whatever that means). just starting to pick it now. another new one this year is Chinese red beans - tastes just like green beans, but a bit more interesting to grow.
IMG_20220617_140932083.jpg
 

Mr Doof

Duke status
Jan 23, 2002
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San Francisco, CA
I always wondered what that was
Once picked a bunch, brought it home, washed it, steamed it, sprinkled some balsamic vinegar on it and Sweetie-pie goes, "Does it taste like all the dog pee that gets sprayed on it?"

Such a delicate gem I lucked into.

PS

Finished my mouthful, "Thanks for putting that in my head."

She laughed more.

Haven't picked it again.

PPS

It was ok. I think I got it a little late.
 

crustBrother

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Apr 23, 2001
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PRCD

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Hydroponics is fun, but in my experience it was a *lot* more work and I get better results by planting in 5 gallon pots filled with coco coir and then watering with https://generalhydroponics.com/products/flora-series/ solution mixed at the concentration recommended on the bottles.
Thanks man. I found the same with my Kratky lettuce. I mixed the nutrients and put the seedlings in but they never grew maybe because I wasn't doing it in a warm-enough climate.

I actually have a bag of coco coir I haven't used and am going to try your suggestion.

We want to keep our vices down to a minimum of cost and effort.
 
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crustBrother

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We want to keep our vices down to a minimum of cost and effort.
Same. One thing on the tobacco. Growing it is super easy. Curing it maybe not so much. At least here in CO where its so dry its been a challenge. So far my best cure and the only one that was worth a damn was totally accidental. I just let a plant dry out and die in the ground. Then harvested and added a little bit of water into the storage container so that it wasn't bone dry any more. That actually tasted pretty decent!
 

PRCD

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Feb 25, 2020
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Same. One thing on the tobacco. Growing it is super easy. Curing it maybe not so much. At least here in CO where its so dry its been a challenge. So far my best cure and the only one that was worth a damn was totally accidental. I just let a plant dry out and die in the ground. Then harvested and added a little bit of water into the storage container so that it wasn't bone dry any more. That actually tasted pretty decent!
What about curing it under painter's plastic with a humidifier? Make a little tent with some saw horses and put it on shelves in the tent.
 

crustBrother

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Apr 23, 2001
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What about curing it under painter's plastic with a humidifier? Make a little tent with some saw horses and put it on shelves in the tent.
I think something like that could totally work, and have thought about similar things, just haven't found the time. Also, the in ground curing thing is zero effort and worked well enough that I'll try that again on the plant I've got growing right now.

The problem I had on my other cures was that it dried too fast and I ended up with a green, very bitter leaf. But letting it die in the ground is a slow process and I end up with a nice yellow/brown color. Adding another month of aging inside a sealed container yielded a reasonable mellow tasting smoke. But I don't really smoke any more these days, so next step for me is figuring out how to process it into a chewable form.
 
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Joshua2415

Tom Curren status
Jul 18, 2005
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San Clemente
We just harvested a bunch of spearmint and dandelion that my wife is drying it out mostly for homemade teas, but we did make a couple of jars of spearmint infused vodka. Looking forward to trying this out next week.



 
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