Gardening Report

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(Edited)

There was a time when I published a gardening report every month, starting from March till October. This year this is my first gardening report and might be the last one too. The reason is not laziness. It is because my dad downsized the garden and I'm coming here less and less. He can manage it on his own and I'm also busy, so my reports are not so frequents.

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I'm spending two days at my dad's and I thought I'd show you what you can find in the garden. @plantstoplanks asked me about the garden earlier this year. Back then I took a set of photos and never posted them as life kept me busy and when I had some time, the photos did not match reality anymore. So here I am today with the new photos.

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Raspberries are ripening two times per year and we're nearing the second one, so you can already find these nice ones that are ready to eat.

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As you can see, some still need time to ripe.

I've been making jams for 15 or 16 years, and this year was the first one when I didn't make any, of the raspberries and currants we have in the garden. The truth is, we have so many and no one is eating it anymore.

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Hazelnuts, we're going to have plenty, maybe this is the best year since my dad planted the hazelnut bushes.

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I love eating a few every day during the winter and as these are not cheap, it's good to have your own.

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Tomatoes! I consider this fruit (yes, scientists consider it a fruit) is the queen of the garden in my eyes and I love this type as it's not so juicy and it's very tasty.

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We have all types and all sizes, each type has a different flavor, needless to say. Imagine me going to the garden before dinner and picking the tomato I I want, the most beautiful usually. Fresh, organic and really healthy.

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Some of them are still green, need 10 days, 2 weeks, to be ready, but never too late.

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Beans are done, what we have in the garden are left to dry and we're going to harvest these later. My dad loves green beans and all kinds of beans and canning them with tomatoes for soup. I'm not a huge fan to be honest, but don't say no to it as green beans are extremely expensive this year, so having it ready to eat is not something to neglect.

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Yellow peppers, this year they really look good.

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Eggplants. What you see here is a miracle. My dad has been struggling with eggplants for decades. I have been telling him to give it up as he's never going to get the size and taste the farmers are growing down south and that we can buy it from the market at a reasonable price, but he's stubborn and plants each year a few, just to get some really crappy ones. Not this year. I don't know why or how, but these are decent ones and tomorrow he's going to grill them and I'll make eggplant cream with mayo.

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There are so many way to cook, bake eggplants, I have tried a few, and even though I'm not very fussy, this is the only way I like it. My dad usually grilling them as the smell you get and the smoke is not for an apartment kitchen.

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A big pumpkin, which is going to be heavenly good in November, December.

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This is another bit pumpkin, but not for us, but for the neighbor's pigs. It may not look so big, but it has around 30kg easy.

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As you can see, I wasn't alone during this photo shoot. This guys was having breakfast and I thought I take a photo of it quickly. Then I showed it to my dad and he got angry 😆 I knew he's going to get angry as these creatures are causing a lot of harm.

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You see this? That hole has been created by the snail, or whatever you call them. Now you know why my dad is angry 😂 They can do a lot of damage, no joke.

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Here I put my hand on this one for you to see how big these are.

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Grapes are looking good, but they need time, only harvestable in October. We thought we are not going to have grapes this year, because it was cold and rainy during the pollination period and that's when the most damage is done by the cold, but it wasn't the case this year.

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Onions are already harvested and drying. We had a lot of onions this year, a very good harvest and more than we need.

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Garlic is also done and drying.

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Celery, which I don't like and never use, but my dad is using it for soups, especially chicken soup.

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Now I'm going to show you what he has canned so far.

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This is hot pepper pickled, which I truly hate, not because of the vinegar, but because I hate hot pepper. So this is definitely not for me.

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Not the best photo, sorry about that, but we have here pickled cucumbers, on the other jar you can see cucumbers, red bell pepper, onion, cabbage, green tomato and carrot, pickled.

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These are the cucumbers he harvested and used for pickling. He likes the small ones, and I agree with him as those don't have seeds, or have less.

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From left to right: raspberry, gooseberry, currant jam and quince compote. So far I was the one making the jams, but this year I wasn't here and my dad left the seeds in, which is not something I'm happy about it. I'm not allowed to eat these small seeds (my gallbladder is not happy), but it was easier for him this way. The quince compote is also not something I prefer, because it has a very strong flavor. We don't have quince in the garden, his neighbor has some and always gifts him some.

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From left to right: lecsó, which is made of tomato, pepper, onion mostly and it's for a vegetable stew for winter. Tomato juice, flavored tomato sauce, usually with basil or bay leaves, and beans with tomato for soup.

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Here we have 2 types of zacusca, one with eggplants and the other with beans. @bluemoon and @missdeli can tell you how good this is. The last one is pizza sauce, which we make each year, because it's better and healthier than the one you buy in the grocery store.

This is it for today, I hope you can find something you like.

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Oh, I almost forgot the honeydew. We have 2 types, different flavor, both heavenly tasty.

If you're a newbie, you may want to check out these guides:


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29 comments
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hmmm those ain't walnuts but Hazelnuts , they are used for making Nutella 😎

Congratulations you have been curated and upvoted by @ecency
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Omg, you're right. See what fatigue does? 😂

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Wow! Even after downsizing your dad is a PRO when it comes to the garden. We have a tiny backyard, so I am focusing on just growing multiple tomatoes The Queen of the garden as you have said :) I have just posted about my container grown tomatoes in my Actifit report :)

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Your tomatoes are doing great, I see they are healthy. I love yellow tomatoes and my dad has a few but those are cherry tomatoes, not like yours. We've never had so big ones, only red.

It's nice that you still grow something even if your garden is small. Congratulations!

Thank you for the compliment, I'm passing it on to him, it'll make his day for sure 😀

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Take a look at the https://www.rareseeds.com/store/plants-seeds/vegetable-seeds/heirloom-tomato-seeds
I bought my seeds years ago and they still are good at coming up from almost every seed I planted this year. Their variety is huge, not sure if they ship to where you are though... But perhaps you can find something like this in your area.

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Thanks for the link. Even if they ship it to my country, would cost me an arm and a leg as I live in Romania 😬

There are good seeds here too, usually a whole section (more like a whole wall), just need to see which are better. Talked to my dad and he said yes to yello tomatoes, so this part is solved.

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You definitely have a rich garden full of healthy vegetables and delicious fruits. Appreciate your father's interest in gardening.

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Thank you @shamis, I'm going to pass your comment on to him tomorrow.

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Hi @erikah, I truly appreciate your garden who are maintaining very well. So many vegetables already started brings harvest and happy to see it. Grapes looking so good because it's different weather conditions available in here to grapes cultivation.

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This is the period of the year when most of what we have in the garden ripe and this is why everything looks so good. Grapes don't grow everywhere due to different weather conditions, but here there are everywhere.

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What a beautiful and rich garden tour! I really enjoyed seeing all the variety—from raspberries and hazelnuts to the surprise success with eggplants this year. Your dad’s dedication really shows in every corner, and those canned goods look amazing too. Thanks for sharing a little taste of your harvest with us!

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Your dad’s dedication really shows in every corner, and those canned goods look amazing too.

Yes, this is all his work as this year I helped very little. He's proud of it, as he should be.

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No one eats raspberries? Send them to me! I would eat them daily

That pumpkins look quite big already, how they will be in October / November?

And yea snails are annoying for garden, my grandparents used to put poison all around the garden

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No one eats raspberries?

No one eats the jam 😆 I would send it to you, if I could, but fresh raspberries last a few hours, a day max, after that you can throw them to the bin.

These pumpkins can grow to 50kg easily.

My dad is using poison too as they eat everything. Look at the eggplant.

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Still a lot going on after down sizing and curious the Hazelnuts how long did they take to grow. Nuts are expensive and growing your own is the answer.

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Yes, looks a lot and it is, when there's work to be done.

I asked my dad and he says 7 years fot hazelnuts to get a harvest.

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Thanks I knew it was a few years, but 7 years is longer than I thought.

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Pleasure. Yes, it is a long time, but then you can enjoy the fruits.

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Wow, you have so many plants, that is really nice. The eggplant harvest is very tasty when grilled, it can already be a meal. That is the best thing about having a garden, it helps save money compared to buying in the market. God bless...

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It definitely helps to save money and you get quality and organic veggies and fruits, which is not the case with those you buy in the supermarket. You never know what you buy.

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Your wonderful report reminds me of my mom's garden. I loved spending time there and I miss that place so much.
I can almost smell the fragrance of your tomatoes! )))

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I can imagine how much you miss your mom's garden and gardening with her. Homegrown veggies and fruit smell and taste way better than the one you buy in the supermarket.

Stay safe my dear friend 🤗

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Wow, everything looks magnificent, and you are very fortunate to already be considered a member of the community. I hope to achieve the same with my garden and contributions at some point.
It's nice to see that everything is growing and thriving for you, and I hope you continue to have much success.
!PIZZA
!HUG

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Ah, thank you for the nice comment @themyscira!

I've been a member for ages, I don't even know when i got the badge but I'm sure you're going to get there too.

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Wow it is lovely in your garden! I adore the variety of the fruits and vegetables you have raspberries, tomatoes, eggplants, grapes and much more. Which I am glad that your dad continues to take care of it and still can it as well. All this looks so much alive and well, thanks a bundle for your update of this news!😊💓

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I'm really glad you like it. Thank you!

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Oh, it looks like the snail also wants to eat what's in your garden 😅. By the way, that garden had an abundance of fruits and vegetables, it was truly impressive.

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Thank you! These snails eat everything and when the seedlings are small, just start growing, they can destroy them completely.

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