Maybe make a mini bouquet
Recently my arugula finished producing anything but new flower petals. Like a lot of spices and greens you can extend the leaf production of a plant by plucking off the top flower bulbs and seed pods. Of course this only lasts for so long before the plant decides to not play along. I like to harvest a crop of arugula two weeks after the first flower bulb appears. Sure I could get another week or so of greens but by pulling the plants earlier I get a longer period of time to plant something else. Sometimes I put in a second run of arugula but this year, I am going to put in a couple okra plants which do extremely well in the hotter summer months.
Mmmmm. Arugula! I had it on my list of things to plant and grow this year. I got as far as a hanging plant on that list. Sigh. Maybe next year.
Don’t forget to eat the flowers!!!! They are amazing! A wonderful light arugula flavor though they don’t last very long off the plant.
Thanks!
One plant pulled . . . another planted. Way to make the most of your garden.
Shame the arugula (it´s rocket to the Brits – not sure why!) is over, but hurrah for Okra! Have never tried to grow it, must look into it. Bizarrely, we planted our arugula seeds yesterday, so not too long to wait until we can start to enjoy. And how interesting (I saw above) that you can eat the flowers – never knew that.
Every time I have planted arugula it has thrived all by itself but will definitely remember this for when we move elsewhere – might just have been where we were. I never knew you could eat the flowers – cool!
Mandy
You must have an amazing garden.. Instead of the proverbial green thumb, I am all thumbs!
I love spaghetti arugula with pine nuts, chopped olives and raisins and a pinch of red pepper flakes, chop arugula to put on top, add freshly grated parmesan. Toss. YUM.
That sounds great!
I’ve never had orka, is it a type of green?
Sorry, I read that and thought she’s clearly not Southern. While we didn’t grow up far from Philly (BW metro area), Katherine only knew what it was growing up because she had Southern parents. Although, the kids didn’t like it and her mom would make fried okra for just herself and her husband. It’s not a green, but it is green. It’s kind of tube shaped and they use it a lot in stews, gumbos that kind of thing. Other cuisines use it too. I think in America, it’s just more popular in the South. I’m sure I’m leaving lots out that google or wiki could fill in better.
Here’s what they look like. I’ve never done this, but it looks fun: http://fatisrecipes.wordpress.com/2011/05/14/omnipotent-stuffed-large-okra-fried-recipe/
Wow! Thanks for all of the information! I’ve deffinetly never tried that before.. I’m going to have to poke around some markets and see if I can’t find some. Trying a new food is on my list, I love veggies, so if I can find it, this might be a good match! Thanks again!
My wife and I love it, but I’d suggest starting small. It’s got a different texture and not everyone loves it.
I love fried Okra! Delicious.
Wonderful ideas that couldn’t be more timely. My arugula is going nuts right now. I’ll keep my eyes open for the flowers. Didn’t realize you could eat those as well.
I envy all of you that have green thumbs, I am just grateful my farmers market will open soon! Any thought on those topsy turvy planters has anyone used one? I was thinking of giving it a shot this season, Rabbits consumed everything we planted in the ground last year. While I dont mind sharing with the cute little guys that was not my intention when planting my garden.
We haven’t used one. We haven’t had rabbit problems, two dogs and a fenced yard probably help. But we have CDs and a scarecrow to try to ward off the birds.
Kudos to your gardening skills. I’ve never even tested whether I have one because I iive in a condo building and am too freaked out to open my windows on the 15th floor. Can’t wait to see your okra!
Excellent post!!! In Italy we call it rucola, and there is another type, which we call rughetta. I love this leaf vegetable since it is so versatile. I love to cook it with grilled beef strips, then add some shaved pecorino romano and cherry tomatoes!!!
That sounds wonderful!
You know, this always happens to me when I try to grow coriander (or cilantro as you guys call it in the US) – All my other herbs on my balcony garden come along great, but literally 2 weeks after potting up, the leaves wither away and give way to huge long stalks with flowers on top, which eventually turn into seeds. Now, I love coriander seeds too, but that’s not really the reason I’m growing it for. Any tips on how to “cultivate” it, or is it not something you can grow for a long duration?
Maybe one of the other gardeners will respond. We always pass on growing basil for this reason and if memory serves right it’s why we only planted cilantro once.
That was informative..never knew you could eat the flowers!
I love okra…looking forward to seeing what you do with it
That is great that you can plant and grow your own veggies, spices, etc. I like to think that eventually I could be like this but for the sake of convenience I rely heavily on the supermarket and farmer’s market ::booo::
I miss having a garden. I can’t wait to close on our new house and put in gardens. I’ve never tried growing okra…
Hello, just stopping by to thank you for visiting and commenting on my Freshly Pressed post earlier this week.
I appreciate your kind words!
Thanks and you’re welcome!
Can’t believe you’re pulling plants and planting others. With all the rain we’ve had, I’m considering swapping out my tomato plants for water lilies.
Just one of the many quirks of Southern living!
I planted okra last year and I had okra coming out my ears. I froze it, cooked it and did everything I could think of with it, but we love the stuff and you are right it grows well in hot, humid climates. It looked like small trees growing in my garden!
We tend to get a bumper crop too. I love stewing it tomatoes with a little bacon, not too much and eating it with black eyed peas and cornbread.
My rocket (What we call arugula) has been rubbish this year. It all went straight to flower and seed. I quite like the pretty flowers though.
I love Arugula, I was thinking about growning some this year in my garden but I have no room for them. Are they difficult to grow? I love adding Arugula to my green smoothies, it gives it a nice peppery taste.
Mmmm. It’s been forever since I’ve had okra. I’ll have to keep an eye out at the farmer’s market. Do you have any good recipe suggestions?
I love stewing it in tomatoes or throwing it in soups. I’ll post those soon.
I love arugula! I wish I could grow more plants, but the desert is not too friendly for growing – especially when you’re as bad at is as I am!
Super jealous of your fresh veggies!!!
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