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Monday, October 14, 2013

Harvest Macro Monday, October 14, 2013

Welcome to my Monday post.  Today I am linking with-

Harvest Monday hosted by Daphne

Macro Monday hosted by Gemma Wiseman

I Heart Macro hosted by Laura

Blue Monday hosted by Smiling Sally

Mandarin Orange Monday hosted by Lorik

Monday Mellow Yellows hosted by Gemma Wiseman

First, flowers from the 102nd Birthday celebration of my Mother-in-law last week, who came over from Sweden at the age of 2, at the time named Gunhilda Marta Magrita. Her family was originally coming on the Titanic, but came on another boat fortunately!   Her older brother was sick and couldn't get on the boat, so her grandparents said they would send him later, but didn't!    
Alstroemerias, Swedish colors-

And on to this week's harvests.   My summer vegetable crops have mostly fizzled out from cold, except the runner beans, Phaseolus coccineus, a different species from the usual pole and bush beans, which likes cooler weather so is still blossoming and setting pods.   This year I was trying some white-seeded and white-flowered ones- Blanca di Spagna, and Sweet White Runner.
They turned out to not set seeds as well as the super Scarlet runner variety Insuk's Wang Kong, that I received in a trade through the Gardenweb Legume forum, a great place to discuss bean varieties, especially heirlooms.   But they have been improving with cooler weather, yesterday I picked 3 lbs., roughly 1.5 K.   If the seeds have not developed much the pods can be tender, but at least this variety is fibrous once the seeds develop, but the seeds are very tasty as shellies (shelled beans).

There were a few stragglers in the regular pole and half-runner beans- from left to right Uncle Steve's pole, Super Marconi, Red Peanut, and Grandma Robert's Purple pole.

I also finished picking the last of the Winesap apples, they are a very hard apple but make a great flavorful applesauce.  

The "semi-dwarf" tree is over 20' tall and hard to pick the apples off the top, I had to cut a new bamboo pole and stand on the top of the ladder and try to knock them down.  The birds are pecking them and would clean them out soon if I left them.   One of the birds that likes them is the Pileated Woodpecker, model for Woody Woodpecker.  They have fantastic jungle calls- you tube video, one of many-

The cool season vegetables are just starting to shine, here Kale, Collards, and a couple of tiny Crookneck Squash-

Turnip greens-

Turnip, 2 lb., sliced, white flesh cooks up tender-

I hope you are enjoying the cool weather, Hannah

or cameras are macro

14 comments:

  1. What a blessing it is to have a MIL live to be 102 years! She must come from good stock.

    Thanks for playing.

    Happy Blue Monday, Hannah.

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    1. Well, her parents didn't live that long, and out of 17 siblings between her and her husband only 1 younger one is left. Thanks for hosting!

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  2. 102, God bless her. My husband's great aunt lived to be 114, no one in my family has lived past 90. What a lovely abundance of beauty you have shared! We had a resident pileated woodpecker in our woods and yard this summer. Such a fascinating a beautiful bird... and much larger than I had imagined when seen up close... speaking up close thanks for sharing the love with I Heart Macro:-)

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    1. Yes, they are unbelievable, large and raucous. It is really cool hearing their call. I don't seem to get close enough or be prepared to take photos though.

      Thanks for hosting!

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  3. Beautiful flowers! And a beautiful 102 year old, too, I'm sure!
    Harvest is really looking good, especially the apples.
    Have a wonderful week!
    Lea
    Lea's Menagerie

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    1. Thanks, my reliable apple that makes wonderful applesauce, Liberty, didn't do well this year so I was happy to get so many nice apples from Winesap, and find that they were good for applesauce too.

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  4. Yes, some nice pictures! I like these beautiful flowers of beautiful colors! I love the first!

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  5. Oh, happy birthday to your mother-in-law! That's wonderful! And congratulations on your impressive harvest.

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    1. Thanks, she's having to recover from the stresses of the party, but doing better. I'm enjoying making applesauce.

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  6. What a remarkable gardener you are!

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    1. Thanks, Electra. I started out as an edible gardener, everything I grew had to be useful, but concluded after a while that diversity is needed in a garden, pollinators and predatory insects need constant sources of nectar, pollen, and habitat, so now I try for successive bloom and useful plants that also attract bees at some stage, like keeping greens around in the winter for food then letting them go to seed in spring for lots of flowers for bees. I also grow a lot of mint and borage that bees like.

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  7. Lovely pics of fresh, healthy veggies. You really have captured their colours and textures so well.
    Thanks so much for joining in on the fun at Mandarin Orange Monday:)

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  8. The Alstroemeria has orange streaks that I thought would qualify for Mandarin Orange. I love the beans, they are a special treat, even if I have to chew the fibrous pods.

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