creekland Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 That first ripe one of the season always tastes sooo good! Tonight, it was a pear. Yesterday it was an apple. There aren't any "firsts" from our garden now (all came in earlier), but even so, it's amazing how different that first one tastes (even when the others also taste good). Usually toward the end of the season we're giving things away or sending it to our chickens... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 I had a CSA for a few years, and I got so spoiled with learning what things actually taste like when they are in season! I'm quite the produce snob now. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Last week we had plums. Yesterday was a mostly ripe pear. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rose Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 tomatoes.... mmmmm.... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 My plants are loaded with tomatoes, all of them green. I want a BLT so badly it's torture. I refuse to buy one though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 My plants are loaded with tomatoes, all of them green. I want a BLT so badly it's torture. I refuse to buy one though. Our tomatoes are mostly done now. It's pretty early, so I'm not sure why. I have several in our freezer, so they'll last. The grape tomatoes are loaded - far more than hubby can eat by himself (since I don't like raw tomatoes). He took a bagful with him to give away tonight. When the first one got ripe he and youngest son cut it in half and split it so neither would feel guilty eating the first one. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 My plants are loaded with tomatoes, all of them green. I want a BLT so badly it's torture. I refuse to buy one though. I've been eyeing my tomatoes every day - I have a few cherry tomatoes that are tantalizingly close to being ripe! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbi in Texas Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Tomatoes are definitely #1 Okra would have to be my pick for #2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 I love garden peas (green peas) the best. They are so much better than anything store bought. But everything really... squash, peppers, tomatoes, beets, kale, spinach, cucumbers... The only things we quit growing were onions (never had much luck) and corn (too many birds would get ours). Without kids to help pick, we also cut out green/yellow/lima beans this year. I like them, but didn't want to do all the work myself. I'll do it for peas though! We've never grown okra. It's never been one of my favorites though we eat it when it's served on buffets. Now I'm wondering what fresh tastes like... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Tomatoes, sweet corn, cantaloupe though it is still ripening just a bit, spaghetti squash, and green beans. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 This morning's breakfast (and many breakfasts in summer/fall) is all from the farm except for a little bit of olive oil and onion. The green tea I drink with it comes from the store too I suppose. Two fried eggs & Fried together in olive oil: 1/4 summer squash (I start this sooner than the rest - adding the rest when this is half done) 1/4 green/red bell pepper 1/8 onion and today I added (and like) 6 grape tomatoes Then I add salt (something I need on a daily basis to keep my sodium level in the normal range, so not a bad thing). It's absolutely scrumptious. When they are home, the boys like me preparing it for them too. Oh, and this morning when I was out doing chores I brought in three more pears. One will be dessert for this breakfast! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Our garden is at its last gasp right now, but we found a wild grape vine near the baseball field. We stop to munch every time Dh and I take a walk around the neighborhood. Wild grapes are bursting with flavor compared to store bought. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 My tomato plants did not do so great this year. I have to move them next year. Darn oak tree keeps growing taller and now blocks the sun on my garden a good portion of the day. I will be making plenty of pickled tomatoes in another month. On the plus side, I love pickled tomatoes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zinnia Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Ah, tomatoes!The squirrels got all of our tomatoes this year, but......then they put on another crop, and the squirrels have mostly left them alone. We were ready to pull them up,a nd the vines look awful, but they are loaded with tomatoes now. Yay! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Ah, tomatoes! The squirrels got all of our tomatoes this year, but......then they put on another crop, and the squirrels have mostly left them alone. We were ready to pull them up,a nd the vines look awful, but they are loaded with tomatoes now. Yay! The joke in our town is that for every tomato plant you plant for yourself you must plant one for the squirrells. They do love tomatotes., 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Peas. Love just picking peas and shelling them right there to eat. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tm919 Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 This year it's been alpine strawberries. It's the first year for our patch so the harvest came late. I'd never eaten one before and if I hadn't known, I doubt I would have identified the taste as being a strawberry. My 5 year old says they taste like a flower. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 Our garden is at its last gasp right now, but we found a wild grape vine near the baseball field. We stop to munch every time Dh and I take a walk around the neighborhood. Wild grapes are bursting with flavor compared to store bought. This reminds me. I'll have to pick and bring in some grapes later too. That's usually a chore youngest loves doing, but since he's in college miles away, I'd best take it over. They certainly do taste good! This year it's been alpine strawberries. It's the first year for our patch so the harvest came late. I'd never eaten one before and if I hadn't known, I doubt I would have identified the taste as being a strawberry. My 5 year old says they taste like a flower. Alpine strawberries? I'll have to google... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 I have a really good first: first plums from a tree that we only identified as a plum tree this year, having been in this house for six years. I think that the plum trees that we planted are now producing enough flowers to pollinate this ancient tree: a great limb fell off it this year, and it's not very productive, but the fruit is great: small and yellow and sweet. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbi in Texas Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 I love garden peas (green peas) the best. They are so much better than anything store bought. But everything really... squash, peppers, tomatoes, beets, kale, spinach, cucumbers... The only things we quit growing were onions (never had much luck) and corn (too many birds would get ours). Without kids to help pick, we also cut out green/yellow/lima beans this year. I like them, but didn't want to do all the work myself. I'll do it for peas though! We've never grown okra. It's never been one of my favorites though we eat it when it's served on buffets. Now I'm wondering what fresh tastes like... Fresh okra is great. Of course, I prefer the way I cook it over restaurant style. I slice it, sprinkle on tony's seasoning, lightly coat it with buttermilk, more toney's. Then when the cooking oil is hot, I coat the okra with flour and more toney's. Gently turn out into hot oil and spread out in pan. After it browns on the bottom, I use an egg turner to turn the okra and cook until brown. I try not to disturb it in the pan until the flour has cooked some. If you stir it too much at first, all the coating will end up in the bottom of the skillet. I just barely coat the okra with buttermilk. I only add the flour just before putting okra in skillet. It can be turned more than once to get it all done. I use this same method for yellow squash, except I slice it like french fries. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Tomatoes and strawberries are the things I wait for with bated breath. I don't like "fake" strawberries at all. I'm a complete tomato snob. Then it's peaches and yellow plums. Wow. All store-bought, mass-grown versions seem like sad make-believe food. I also love our garden potatoes. They taste so amazing! Store potatoes taste musty and old by comparison. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 The pear I brought in for this morning's dessert ended up being lunch instead. It was as delicious as yesterday's "first" was so maybe I'm wrong assuming the first is always the best. But no... taking that first bite yesterday was something else - definitely. They may have had the same flavor, but something else was different. We have potatoes I can dig up... usually I do those after the squash are ended... they replace each other in my breakfast routine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Our muskmelons are almost done, and have been sooo good this year, from the first to the last bite. We grew the variety Kansas from Baker Creek. Most people call them cantaloupes, but the book Seed to Seed says that what most people in the U.S. grow are muskmelons, which, among other things, separate from the vine when they are ripe. It's called full slip. We also really like our strawberries. I didn't keep a record of the variety, but they are the best-tasting strawberries I've ever eaten. Every year I am astonished at how good they are. And we enjoy our pickling cucumbers so much that I rarely buy any cukes from the store. Those long English types that are wrapped in plastic taste insipid to me. When the first one is ready I just eat it in the garden. I also like the Magenta variety of lettuce we grow. It's so crispy and full-bodied, and my favorite lettuce. It's a bit more work to keep happy in the summer, but it gives me a feeling of accomplishment to grow it in the warm weather. And finally, our red peppers have been terrific. We love the Carmens; they produce fruits that are sweet enough to eat out-of-hand in the garden. There are so many we freeze them for casseroles and fritattas. There are so many more things, but those are what I enjoy most. Tomatoes, okra, squash, kale, spinach, potatoes, etc., are good, too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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