Is This A Grasshopper?

I've never seen one like this before.

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It is a Katydid in American English

紡織娘 in Chinese

Bush-cricket in British English 

Thanks to Anonymous, Web, and Rita.

Harvest Monday - July 25, 2011

Cucumber, Carrots, Beans, Summer Squashes, Tomatoes, Peppers.

First carrot harvest -- Red Dragon, Parisienne, and Imperator.

Dragon's Tongue Beans, Long Beans, Cherry Tomatoes, Summer Squash, Eggplants.

Eggplants--Ichiban, Mazhu, Little Fingers, Summer squashes--Italian round and Zephyr.

Left:  Padron Peppers       Right:  Pimento Peppers

Left to right:  Amish Paste, Cherokee Purple, Mystery Plum Tomato

The last tomato on the right is bland and firm, wonder it's one of those super market variety.

Korean style spicy pepper side dish made with Padron and Pimento peppers.

 

Korean style spicy eggplant kimchi side dish made with Ichiban eggplants.

Stop by Daphne's Dandelions host of Harvest Monday to see more harvests by other gardeners.

Crab Cake and Cherry Tomato Salad

Crab Cake

Ingredients

1  lb  cooked crab meat

1 pkg Old Bay Crab Cake seasoning

1/2 cup mayonnaise 

1/4 cup matzo meal (plain)

1 large egg

Salt and pepper to taste

Harvest Monday - July 18, 2011

Basil, Dragon Tongue Beans, Long Beans, Cherry Tomatoes, and Squashes.

The big squash got away for couple days and weights in at 3.27 lbs.
The long beans are from volunteers, no complaint.

I have to pick squashes, peppers, tomatoes, and beans every other day.

Zephyr yellow squash is beginning to produce, it's about time to pull the round green squash,
two plants are good enough for a small family.

More eggplants, squashes, tomatoes, and peppers.
The green leaves in the background are volunteer long beans.

 Armenian Cucumber, Zephyr Squash, Ichiban Eggplant, Mazhu Eggplant,
Hungarian Spice peppers, Chocolate cherry maters, Sungold cherry maters,
and a mystery paste tomato. 

Growing Now

Rear:  Sierra Gold and Hale's Best cantaloupes, Hami melons, Dragon Tongue bush beans.
Front:  Variety of peppers + couple pots of eggplants.

Tomatoes:  Cherokee Purple, Amish Paste, Chocolate Cherry, Sungold Cherry, and mystery tomato.

Others:  Kwintus pole beans, carrots, and Spanish Rojas garlic.

Hami Melon -- I saved the seeds from a super sweet storebought Xinjian Hami melon,

If the fruit grows true to its parent I'll have seeds to share with other gardeners.

 Armenian cucumber is actually a melon, but we like the taste and texture of it,
it's a permanent resident in our garden. 

Skinny Taiwanese eggplant Mazhu is grown in container, I sauteed it for dinner last night
everyone loves the taste and texture of this eggplant, it's creamy and non bitter.

Japanese Ichiban Eggplant is loaded, very productive,
I've picked close to 40 fruits from just 2 plants, and it is still going strong.

Cantaloupe -- this one is Hale's Best,  Sierra Gold is beginning to set fruits.

Unknown butternut squash variety from purchased seedling.

Ground cherry, unknown variety from freebie sample seeds.

Dragon Tongue bush wax beans, good producer.
It's much easier to spot the beans when they are not green.


Harvest Monday is hosted by Daphne's Dandelions
  head over there to see more harvests from other gardeners.

Wordless

Ground Cherry Blossom

Where Are the Bees?

I have not seen many bees now-a-days, our neighbors, HOA, and the city has been spraying chemical pesticides to control weeds and pests.  I believe I'm the only homeowner in this sub-division with an organic garden, this is the least I could do to help the beneficial bugs.

Harvest Monday - July 11, 2011

Squashes, Beans, Peppers, Cherry Tomatoes, Eggplants.

 Basil, Eggplants, Peppers, Squashes, and Cherry Tomatoes.

(Last week's photo)

 

Eggplants, eggplants, eggplants in every photo.  

(Last week's photo)

My two Ichiban eggplants are rolling out fruits faster than we can eat, I have been harvesting them at least twice a week, sometimes more.  I like them small to medium size and try not to let them grow too big.  We've been eating eggplants -- grilled, roasted, sauteed, and fried, future plan includes salad, kimchi, dip, and casserole etc.  How do you prepare your eggplants?

   

Stop by Daphne's Dandelions host of Harvest Monday for more harvests by other gardeners.

Mystery Tomato Plant

 

No idea what I have here, I thought I was growing Green Zebra, it is not GB. Two years in a row I started seeds from the same packet with a GB picture-label, and I got this red tomato.  Last year I thought the seedling labels were mixed up, this year I was extra careful with the seeds and labels.  I'm very sure I did not made a mistake this time, I still got a red tomato plant and I don't know which variety it is.  This is the second time I bought seeds that were label incorrectly from two different sources. 

I'm not disappointed that this tomato is not Green Zebra (although I really want to grow one), it gives me a ripe fruit on July 4th, the first tomato to ripen not counting the cherry matoes.  The fruits grow in clusters and the plant is 1/2 the height of all other mato plants, a determinant variety? 

Here's my first Cherokee Purple, I've heard CP is a good producer, but it didn't performed well last year, I got only a handful of fruits from it, I'm trying again this year, if our climate is too hot and dry for its comfort I might have to call it quits and look for a different variety for next year. 

Can you recommend a / some good tasting heirloom tomato for me to try?