Mutant Marrow

 

Growing with the orange marrows is a green mutant.  Not sure if the skin will turn orange, or stay soft like a zuchinni.

 

The size is great, and if it tastes sweet like an orange marrow, I will save the seeds.

 Well, the skin is softish, like a zuchinni, but it's not as sweet as a marrow.  Nice though.

The wait is over!

 

Every Summer, the urchins anticipate this moment.  Orange marrow season.
It was late this year, due to the extremely cold Spring, and subsequent late planting of the seeds.

A heirloom vegetable, (squash), passed down from each generation to the next.  

 Super easy to prepare, and cook.  Cut in half.  

 

Scoop out the seeds. 

 Place in a pot, and put in about 1 1/2 to 2 cms of water.  Steam for about 10 minutes, until soft (check with a knife).

The best part, fill with butter (and Mama's Tomato Relish if there is any left), and eat with a teaspoon.

Another tradition for the next generation.

Getting the vegies growing...

The orange marrows are up. 2 yesterday, and 10 today. We planted 50, so I hope more will come up this week, now that the weather is warmer.

Last week I cleaned out the jungle next to the dining room, and this week planted Purple King beans, and some peas.  Oscar also got to plant his red scarlett bean.

Erik picked up some heirloom tomatoes while he was in Tauranga.  The weather has been unseasonally cold, so we have kept them in the courtyard for the past 2 weeks, until the weather warms up a bit.  Today, I planted them out by the lemon tree, and it will be interesting to see the different colours of tomatoes once the fruit appears.

Black Tula
Yellow Pear
Purple Russian
Taxi
Brandy wine
Tigrella
Mortgage Lifter

They will all grow tall, so I have put stakes in to support them.  The weather is still a little cold, so I have put plant houses around them for tonight.

I need to plant the parsley around the tomatoes.  I thought I might grow some apple cucumbers in the same area. 

No dig garden

As I am allergic to work, the no dig garden is perfect for me.  Put some cardboard down, spread the compost out on top.  Plant the seeds, put down mulch.  Perfect.  No digging and more importantly, no weeding!
The orange marrows need to go in.  I planted 24 last year, and Erik was concerned at the time,  that it wasn't enough, so this year, we are putting in a larger run of them.  If the slugs and snails don't get them, perhaps we will get 50 plants.  Ran out of plant houses, so need to go to the recycling centre and get some plastic bottles.

  

Plant houses and mulch down

Picked up a Tamarillo, tomatoes, aubergines, spring onions and rock melons from the garden center.  We just need to work out where to plant them now.