My May Vegetales

While I was busy blogging away at the A to Z April Challenge, the vegetables in my garden were busy blooming and growing.  April is gone and it is time for the May harvest.




I loved going out to the garden and eating the Oregon Sweet Peas in their pods but they matured faster than I could eat.  Consequently, I had to pick them, shell them, blanch them, cool them under running tap water, bag and label them, and put them into the freezer for use at a later time.



The green beans, the snap beans, the Haricot Verts or any other name for the most common, most liked, and most easy to grow vegetable matured shortly after the peas were harvested and the vines were pulled.  I picked the beans but they are still blooming and producing enough to pick for dinner.  I have better keep a watchful eye on the beans or they'll grow too large if I should blink.

The versatile, nutritious, and simple to prepare for cooking is the zucchini. I have two plants with tall and green growth and with large yellow flowers tucked into the foliage.  I was admiring the plants that were free from disease and rot when I caught sight of one giant zucchini which I carefully removed and brought into the kitchen.



I grated two heaping cups of zucchini for baking bread later but it will have to wait in the freezer for the baking time.

I proceeded to cut up the zucchini into bite size chunks to saute with minced onions and a few cloves of minced garlic.  I left the skin on and the seeds in.  I used both margarine and oil for sauteing the zucchini.  Simple and tasty.

It did not take long for these surprisingly sweet chunks to become slightly translucent for a side dish at lunch today and tomorrow.

It is a lot of work to participate in your own food production but it is most satisfactory to bring your own vegetables to your table.

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Oregon Sugar Pods or Sweet Peas

I am planting Oregon Sweet Peas or Sugar Pods in Northern Florida and I don't know how to explain or justify that to myself.  In the first place, you sow/plant whatever is available in the various seed stores.  Second; it may have something to do with the climate.  The sweet peas do like cooler weather but not necessarily freezing cold.

I sowed Sweet Peas earlier this year and only one seedling came up!  The seeds were fresh; however, the weather may not have been the best for sowing:  it was too dry; too chilly, and then it was right cold.

So, my husband and I went down town to Standard Feed and bought a package of their Oregon Sweet Peas or Oregon Sweet Peas, enough for two 8-foot rows planted very close together so that they can use the same trellis.

The soil was soft and easy to make two row about 3 inches deep and I "evenly" distributed my seeds, covered them up, and patted them down with the garden rake.  As they come up, I will continue to hill soil round them  Eventually, I will also fertilize them with a common garden/vegetable fertilizer such as 10-10-10.


Once the peas are beginning to mature, I love picking the pea pods and eating them right there.  My serving of fresh vegetables.

I strongly recommend harvesting the peas before they do get too full.  I usually blanch my peas, chill 'em in running cold water, bag and label them for the freezer.

Some gardeners like to presoak seeds overnight to speed up germination.  It is difficult to say how long it will take for the peas to germinate.  It depends on the warmth of the sun, the temperature of the soil, and the all important watering.

A guesstimate for germination is 8 days and 120 days to maturity.  Peas are usually ready for harvest 3 weeks after flowers appear.

Happy Gardening!

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