Aug 4, 2011

Garden Update

Our garden has been growing like crazy.  It was very well cared for while we were on vacation (thanks Mom!).   Before we left, we had a lot of produce to give away since we wouldn’t be around to eat it. Giant things like this:


Yes that’s a full-size gargantuan watermelon next to it.   Yes it’s significantly longer than the watermelon.  I forgot to pick the garden two days in a row and that was the consequence.  We’ve also been drowning in green beans and tomatoes - I love it.


Has anyone else ever heard of ground cherries before?  I hadn’t until this past winter when I got a free packet of ground cherry seeds with purchase.  I was excited to grow them just to try the fruit and see what they were like.   I started two seedlings indoors, but only one survived.  Once outside the little seedling took off into a mini tree of sorts with lots of little paper lanterns all over it that sort of look like tomatillos.


Ground cherries turn yellow when ripe and the little lantern turns very thin and papery.


Inside is a little yellow fruit.



The flavor is interesting.   They sort of taste like sweet cherry tomatoes with a twist that’s been described as a “strawberry like flavor” - though I wouldn’t describe it that way.  Mike thinks they taste like “slightly sweet alcoholic cherry tomatoes.”   I love trying new things and I’m glad we grew it, but I don’t know if I’d do it again.   The bush is very prolific and since it’s not something I want to eat by the handful, I think next year we’ll save our precious limited garden space for something else.

4 comments:

  1. I am dying to try your tomatoes!!! GW

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  2. I love following your blog! We moved into our little yellow house in June of '08 and have slowly been getting our house fixed up and doing garden work. Things happened unfortunately where we had to put everything pretty much on hold after the first two years of living here. We have been s-l-o-w-l-y marking things off our to-do list and still way behind. We got some tomato plants from my mom and planted them in several spots in our yard. We had some deer eat a few of our plants so I went on line to find some deer fencing to keep them off my bigger tomato plants. Before I could get the stuff, I put soap and dirty white t's up to deter the guys from eating what we had left. It looked so silly and knew I needed to get something better, so when I looked online to find what kind to get, I stumbled upon a picture of your garden with the netting you have around it. Long story, short- I have to say, you are an inspiration to get going on my fixer-upper and start the garden I have been dying to build.

    I just want to say, Thank you!!! AND beautiful/amazing job!!! Keep up the awesome work!

    Laura

    PS~
    Seattle has been always been a dream place to live and seeing your vac pics was cherries on top of the cake!

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  3. Thank you! That really means a lot! I'm so glad you stumbled upon us and I really hope you keep checking back & reading!!

    Our garden was a lot of work up front, but totally worth it. Raised beds are simple to build and make a huge difference. Even starting with one is worth it. The plants are happy, the netting keeps the space is critter free, and we have more organic produce than I know what to do with.

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  4. Hey yeah! The four raised bed sections is a really good idea like you said for rotating the crop so they go through the 3 year cycle to avoid disease and pests.

    Nice cucumber and watermelon, btw. Can't wait to grow and can my own crop! Fingers crossed for next year. Can't wait!

    Thanks again!
    Laura =]

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