My veggie garden

[RonsGarden]

Yum! Battered and deep fried!

 

[Trax]

LOL, Curbie!
Ooooooh, I hate slimy okra! It's easy to fry though. Just make cornbread batter and slice the pods, dip them, and fry them in cooking oil! It's better than popcorn!

Hey Randy,
You should make some fried okra anyway! It grows great here and makes big pods. We had too much okra last year. Btw, if anyone's interested, the way to know when to pick okra is to bend the tip of the pod. If it breaks off easy, it's ready to pick. If it doesn't then it's too old.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h2ib_6fXmU

You can also fry okra with a little oil and no batter to get rid of the slime!

 

[Randy]

My mother used to put okra in stews, but I would never eat it because of its sliminess. Never got over it either.

 

[curbhopper]

I may try that, Trax. It's actually hard to find okra around here. I don't want to buy it frozen. I think that was why it was slimey. ~ Curbster

 

[Crabbergirl]

Okra is a staple of the south. One reason is it grows so well. I love to freeze it for my gubos in the winter.
Trax,
Yes that is correct with okra. Once it gets to big it is too tough and no amount of cooking with make it softer than straw. I do like to take the pods that I let grow to long, and let them open, then spray paint them gold for Christmas decorations. They do look kinda cool. Stick them in an arrangement with flowers and pine cones.

 

[Wombat]

Wow Nancy what a great collection of peppers you have, for a late start your veggies look very healthy. Curbie Australia is pretty easy to find, you know just the other side of the Pacific ocean, can't miss it. I'll meet you at the dock I had okra once in a gumbo it was different and I haven't had it since Trax I hope your toms and peppers do ok that heat of yours has really knocked your little patch around

 

[curbhopper]

Row , row, row the boat gently through the Panama Canal! CG~ I can stop and pick you up! FIELD TRIP!!!!! CG, now listen to me...we can go to Hawaii, Japan, and the Phillipines ~ Tonga. THEN we head directly south. Do you have a compass? I have binoculars. We can work on our tans...no sharks...nope nope nope. I'll bring a bedsheet so we can make it into a SAILBOAT from time to time, instead of just a canoe. We'll need a tarp in case it rains. Wombat, we may need a shower IF we arrive at the dock. YOU are buying our plane tickets BACK ~ Curbie

 

[Wombat]

Plane tickets back? I think I could manage an outboard motor for you though, save you rowing all the way back. I'll even throw in some gas money for ya
Arrowroot is sprouting already...much too early, the soil must be warming up, plus an early bean crop, hopefully no frost will arrive.

 

[curbhopper]

That's very kind♥'ed of you, Wombat. But we're going to then go to Tanzania, I'm stopping in Kenya, go through thatother canal (Suez?) into the Mediterrean Sea. Visit some islands there. Maybe stop off in Italy. Head over to the Azores. And back to Florida to drop off CG. Man, I hope she knows how to read a compass b/c I sure don't! Wonder if we'll get tired of each other? I'll take a bus back to MD! LOL! ~ What do you use arrowroot for? Those are great pics. ~ Curbie

 

[Trax]

Awesome idea for Christmas decos, Crabbergirl! I needa try that!

Awesome veggies, Wombat! What's Arrowroot? Btw, my tomatoes and peppers are still surviving and looking good! When the heat comes down I'll prolly be picking lots of both! Oh, and okra tastes a ton better if it's fried with cornmeal batter. It tastes totally yuck any other way!

Wow! If we're going to all those places and Australia, I needa buy a 20 foot trimaran with AC in the cabins and a huge sun deck!

 

[Dor]

I love fried okra also and any way I can make it, my family also. I am going to grow a late crop. I just read mmy ag paper that I can plant three months before our frist frost. I use it in gumbo and okra and tomato also.

Off the subject a little my labtop is down so I am on my old desktop and it is slow. I don't know if I told you all or not but come fall semester I will be a full time college student. I am going to finish my business degree and get a Culinary degree(Pastry chef). I haven't been around much lately because I'm trying to be get everything taken care of. Wish me luck.

 

[curbhopper]

OMGosh, DOR! THAT is AWESOME! GREAT luck! You are doing all of this in the proper order too. A pastry chef......that is a miracle to me b/c I have a hard time baking brownies. Where is the Culinary Institute? My nephew went to one in Connecticut. He worked for the governor in Minnesota and on a cruise ship. I can't wait to hear about this adventure! ~ Curbie

 

[Crabbergirl]

That's very kind♥'ed of you, Wombat. But we're going to then go to Tanzania, I'm stopping in Kenya, go through thatother canal (Suez?) into the Mediterrean Sea. Visit some islands there. Maybe stop off in Italy. Head over to the Azores. And back to Florida to drop off CG. Man, I hope she knows how to read a compass b/c I sure don't! Wonder if we'll get tired of each other? I'll take a bus back to MD! LOL! ~ What do you use arrowroot for? Those are great pics. ~ Curbie

Uh Crubie, think about this, "Crabbergirl". I can read both compass and GPS. Hey I have a boat too. We have had it 30 miles off shore, we might could make it to Wombats. Not sure about the fuel though. Maybe we can get air drops.

 

[Crabbergirl]

Plane tickets back? I think I could manage an outboard motor for you though, save you rowing all the way back. I'll even throw in some gas money for ya
Arrowroot is sprouting already...much too early, the soil must be warming up, plus an early bean crop, hopefully no frost will arrive.

Is that the same arrowroot you cook with? Looks good. That may be a prediction of weather to come

 

[Crabbergirl]

I love fried okra also and any way I can make it, my family also. I am going to grow a late crop. I just read mmy ag paper that I can plant three months before our frist frost. I use it in gumbo and okra and tomato also.

Off the subject a little my labtop is down so I am on my old desktop and it is slow. I don't know if I told you all or not but come fall semester I will be a full time college student. I am going to finish my business degree and get a Culinary degree(Pastry chef). I haven't been around much lately because I'm trying to be get everything taken care of. Wish me luck.

Dor,
That is so awesome! I will keep you in my prayers. LEt us know how it's going.

Hey did the shrimp plant I send you do ok? Just wondering.

 

[Randy]

Well, Crabber, I can just see you operating the auxiliary motor and Curbie sitting in the back calling out, "Stroke, stroke, stroke."

 

[curbhopper]

Oh, Randy ~ One time MTM and I went into a canoe. I said,"I'll sit in the back." I thought I was going to fall INTO the canoe (I'm not very co-ordinated). So GUESS WHO sat in the BACK of the canoe and didn't put the paddle in the water.....go ahead and guess. We have 300# in this canoe. "No....I don't think so but ..THERE'S a TURTLE! Did you see the turtle? GO BACK." well, i got hit in the head with a canoe paddle. The paddles are kind of flimsy so it doesn't really hurt ~much. CRABBER and I can get to Australia. Does anybody have gas money? I'm worried about the Panama Canal.... Oh, I don't have any veggies other than herbs. I like fleurs. ~ Curbster

 

[Trax]

Hey Dor,
Congrats about the Pastry Chef thing and good luck!
My little brother wants to be a chef too but I think it's cause he likes to eat and watched too many cooking shows, lol!

I transplanted my banana tree today into a huge pot! One of the pups rotted and I had to cut it off, but the other pup and mama plant are still okay and the corm's still solid, yay!
I also mixed up plant food, mite spray, copper fungicide, and spotted leaf disease fungicide. I know I can get my indoor garden working!

 

[Dor]

Thanks everyone. I will let you all know how it goes. We have The Art Institute of Houston that has a Culinary school Curbie and also Houston Community College has one as well. I am going to the Community College. I have 6 classes to complete my business degree then start on my Chef Degree. Those Pastry classes are so hard to get into. The fall classes have been been filled since the end of June.

Nancie, I lost my Shrimp plant. I will try to buy another one at the large plant sell in October. Thank you anyway for you help in trying to get me one. I love them.

 

[curbhopper]

Does a shrimp plant blossom? I need to investigate this plant. Is Houston far from you. Dor? (I'll put in my first order - may I please have a cupcake?) ~ Curbie