Search This Blog

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Spicing up Vegetables, Today's Flowers, and Critters, September 27, 2014

Welcome, today I am linking with-

Saturday's Critters hosted by Eileen

Today's Flowers hosted by Denise

I Heart Macro hosted by Laura

Macro Monday 2 hosted by Gemma and Mystical Magical Teacher

Blue Monday hosted by Smiling Sally


A Delphinum at Yard 'n Garden nursery is one of those rare blue flowers.

Roses continue to rebloom, the delightful mini Dream Waltz-

The eccentric mini Green Ice-

Some of the annuals are still blooming, Nasturtium and Browallia-

Nasturtiums have delightful streaking as bee guides, rather like eyelashes-


I hope you are enjoying fall.   Once fall fell the 90ºF / 32ºC temperatures cooled off and we have even gotten a little rain.  Last year I was depressed at the beginning of Fall because I was having a nice summer, but the hot dry summer this year had me wishing for cooler temperatures and rain, so I am happy.  I prepared for the rain by picking all the beans and especially dry beans I could find, the papery pods mold in wet weather.  Insuk's Wang Kong and other runner beans finish out well from summer's end and into fall, they like cool weather.

Most productive regular bean at this point turned out to be Grandma Robert's Purple Pole, it has slight strings but otherwise stays tender.

Chicory that had self-seeded from last year is getting big enough to harvest, it has beautiful blue flowers the second year.

I'm cooking up some Broccoli Raab at about a month after sowing today to see how I like it.  I couldn't tell the leaves from the radishes so I pulled a few of those too, they were tasty-

I've been exploring the health benefits of some foods so have been using them minced finely in all my vegetable dishes (home-grown squash, green beans, kale or other greens) this summer- fresh ginger root, fresh Turmeric root if I can get it or powdered if I can't, garlic, Oyster or Shiitake mushrooms, and lemon pepper.  

I'm happy to say that joint problems involving strain to my thumbs' tendons from my weeding activities with a knife or shears are surprisingly much improved after suffering with them for 2 summers previously.   I was also noticing that lower back pain I was experiencing for the first time in many years, in August, is gone, as well as occasional neck pain from old whiplash injuries.  Plus I like the flavors together.  I usually alternate cooking rice or buckwheat to go with them, and either eggs, dried beans, or meat.  Sometimes I roast or broil buttered eggplant, the brown stuff in the photo, to act as kind of a meat-like taste substitute.  

I like to put sour cream or soft goat cheese on it.  I also like to add microwaved banana or presently the abundant applesauce from my trees.  What healthy foods do you like?

Meanwhile in the critter category, this week I found one of those stylistically designed bugs, the lovely Candy-Striped leaf hopper, who graciously posed-



What design would you paint on this bug?   -Hannah

©Weeding on the Wild Side, all rights reserved.   I would like to visit you and comment on your blog, but if Google+ is the only option, I cannot, so I will comment here.


63 comments:

  1. Your flowers are beautiful, so colorful. And I love the cute leaf hopper, great find.. Wonderful post. Thank you for linking up, have a happy weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love your flowers, especially the blue ones.
    The bug has pretty colors!
    www.1sthappyfamily.com/2014/09/feed-deer.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. Gorgeous flowers. The bug is very pretty too. I don't think it needs any additional designs. Have a wonderful weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Gunilla, someday maybe I will try to grow Delphiniums, they are somehow intimidating, I guess I expect them to fall over.

      Delete
  4. Hannah, your veggies look wonderful,especially the purple beans....there's nothing like freshly picked vegetables! The leaf hopper is lovely - great colour combination....

    Happy weekend!
    Ruby

    ReplyDelete
  5. WOW! Never seen a leaf hopper. Great shot of it and the lovely flowers. Have a good weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Most leaf hoppers are not so colorful. I'm always amazed when I see these, great designs by the Creator. They live by sucking the juices out of plants but I don't notice damage on the plant these like to sit on, and there are only a couple, not like plants covered with aphids.

      Delete
  6. I love, love, love the blue flower. Not sure about those purple beans, as I don't think I've ever tasted them. The bug is good just as he is...the lines go with his wings, etc.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Delphiniums are so pretty, I'd like to grow them but I always imagine them flopping. The purple beans turn green when they are cooked, purple pigments in plants are actually healthy, they have antioxidants. So they taste like any other bean, but home-grown beans have a more beany flavor to me, I love them. I had some in a restaurant recently and they were like cardboard.

      Delete
  7. Great post and super photos! I have enjoyed your flowers, yummy vegetables and pretty critter pictures. Thanks for sharing with Today's Flowers :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Denise, the flowers have been great in spite of it being so dry, and now it is starting to rain for fall.

      Delete
    2. Hello again, thanks for the visit on my English girl blog and for the nice comments. It gave me another chance to see this lovely post and to wish you a great week :)

      Delete
  8. Such a cute insect! And your veggies are wonderful! I love nasturtiums too. So glad you are doing better physically. Wonderful eclectic post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Marie, the greens are just getting started so should fill in for the warm season vegetables that are about finished, all the way to frost and beyond. It's great to find wonderful health benefits in food.

      Delete
  9. That's a great shot of the tiny leaf hopper.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Pat, they are very tiny, around 1/4". And so cute.

      Delete
  10. The flowers are gorgeous and I also love the shot of the bug and the fresh produce looks delicious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Carver, I'm hoping for a mild fall, and the greens will keep on a long time. I enjoy your Southern photos since I grew up in the South.

      Delete
  11. The flowers are beautiful, and the food looks love. The bug is his own work of art.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sandy, I enjoy the various flavors. The bugs may not be around much longer.

      Delete
  12. Beautiful and yummy things in your garden. Joint pain can also be from a wheat allergy, not gluten,but wheat. Wheat or wheat products are incorporated in so many 'normal' foods but there are always alternatives to them. We mainly have spelt bread now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Arija, I'm amazed how much grip wheat foods have on our culture. When I traveled with other people they could easily find food but I had to look for Chinese, Thai, Sushi, or Mexican restaurants to get rice, but I found some restaurants would accomodate me off the menu, like MacDonald's made me scrambled eggs with no muffin, and some restaurants would give me plain steamed vegetables. I'm glad spelt agrees with you. I rarely eat foods made with flour like bread, rolls, cakes, pies, waffles, pancakes, muffins, cookies, etc. because I don't think they build health. "Gluten-free" flours and mixes frequently have undesirable grains in them, like corn, which is an allergen for me.

      Delete
  13. What a lovely harvest. I've given up veggies, I just cannot fight the bugs and weather. You bug is cute. Hubby's food intolerances (yeast, eggs, dairy) are driving me nuts! So hard to cook.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I sympathize, I fight moles, voles, rabbits, squirrels, and deer. I haven't had much trouble with bugs. I use Iron Phosphate snail bait around plants when I first set them out. Vegetable gardening is my main endeavor, though I spend a lot of time weeding. I extend my season by starting plants under lights and using tunnels.

      As for diet, I have food allergies and eat gluten-free. I learned from www.dogtorj.com that there was a bad mutation in wheat and also a bad mutation in cow's milk casein that is responsible for bad reactions to wheat and milk from certain cow breeds (so I drink goat's milk now), and many people may be affected and not even know it. That website says corn and soy also make glues that harm the digestive system, not only in people but also in animals. I stick to the above diet mostly and have done food journaling to determine sensitivities. I enjoy the flavorings and vary the vegetables, rice or buckwheat (and there is also quinoa, amaranth, and millet) and proteins. I enjoy the food more than what I get in restaurants.

      Delete
  14. Beautiful flowers, especially the blue Delphinum! Fantastic harvest! Thanks for your kind words on my blog:)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks, Jannibele, I enjoyed looking at the Delphiniums even though I don't grow them. I am enjoying still having something to harvest. I liked looking at your spring flowers, something to look forward to.

    ReplyDelete
  16. You sure have a green thumb. Those vegetables sound very healthy. My favourite healthy food is fruit salad or any other vegetable salads.I like fish too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Diane, your salads sound very healthy and delicious as well. I enjoyed your tropical bird photos.

      Delete
  17. Is a leafhopper different to a cicada?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, the leafhopper pictured is only 1/4" / 6mm long, so a tiny fellow.He grows and lives silently in a single season. Cicadas live in the ground for 17 years before emerging then make a lot of noise!

      Delete
  18. The leafhopper certainly has interesting colouring!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, I like the V's and the aqua stripes. Your Gray Jay photos were interesting.

      Delete
  19. Hi Hannah,

    What a gorgeous shot of a delphinium! Glad you're getting help for joint pain. Thanks for making Blue Monday special.

    Have a Beautiful Blue Monday!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Definitely beautiful flowers, beautiful colors, great photos!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Leovi, I like the colors on your latest art too.

      Delete
  21. Very pretty flowers, edibles and even bugs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sharon, I enjoy the end of summer flowers and vegetables. I like your photos of the beach and marine life.

      Delete
  22. Thanks, Sharon, I enjoy seeing what bugs I can find since I'm not so good photographing things that move fast like birds. The Broccoli Raab and radishes were yummy.

    ReplyDelete
  23. What a delight to see so much growing in your veg garden...our nights have been too cold and most of it is done now.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Dear Hannah,
    wonderful pictures, I love the Delphinium! Thank you so much for your comment on serendipity, it is a precious present, a proof of serendipity itself. I am going to insert it in the next post and translate it for the german-speaking readers. Have a wonder-ful day!
    Yours Sarah

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sarah, I enjoy those moments when serendipity manifests, and I was fascinated to learn the origin of the word on Oxford Dictionary's site, google is so useful. I was also interested to learn that it was one of the 3 most commonly used onomatopoeic words in the English language, along with discombobulate, which my mother used a lot when I was a child. I was convinced she had made it up, along with other strange words I never heard except from her. Hugs, Hannah

      Delete
  25. Beautiful pictures of flowers and veggies ! I am not so keen on insects, lol !

    ReplyDelete
  26. Thanks, Gattina, I don't like all insects but some are cute. Or beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  27. That delphinium is just stunning! Your colors and textures are all awesome as well as the pretty bug!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Betty, you must have some awesome bugs down under.

      Delete
  28. Hi Hannah, One could learn a lot from your lovely posts. We do eat healthy but we do not have a garden. We do container gardening on a small scale. Our mountain property does not have any flat ground. We do have lots of wild blackberries and raspberries on the side of our property. I also grow rhubarb in my lily garden. Love your flowers and the pretty leaf hopper.
    Jeanne

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jeanne. The berries and rhubarb sound lovely. I would have to squeeze in some pole beans somewhere. The runner beans have red flowers that hummingbirds love, my daughter grows some in a large pot.

      Delete
  29. Replies
    1. Thanks, Kathryn, I enjoy taking my camera out and looking for things to photograph.

      Delete
  30. Spectacular blooms! Some I've never seen before. I love seeing anything new in nature. Very impressed with your gardening. That Leaf Hopper is very cute, but apparently not so good for plants. Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Gail, I guess the leaf hopper is perhaps not good but I only am able to see a couple of them in the garden, and the plants they are on don't seem to suffer. Most leaf hoppers are more camouflaged.

      Delete
  31. Replies
    1. Thanks, I think they are so decorative. I liked your Brugsmania.

      Delete
  32. Beautiful flowers! And these grass hopper is fascinating - I have never seen such a painting! Great shots!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Thanks, Mary, they are good photo subjects because they actually hold still for me to take pictures of them, unlike most of the insects in my garden.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Hi! Nice collection of beautiful photos. I like the first photo very much. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Thanks, Minoru, it's very tempting to try to grow Delphiniums they are so pretty. I like your spider lilies.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Glad you are healing Hannah! Beautiful images. Thanks for sharing the love up-close with I Heart Macro:-)

    ReplyDelete
  37. So many plants, both foods and herbs, designed for our healing, it is great to find some that meet a need.

    ReplyDelete