Fruit/Veg of the day

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John J

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Re: Fruit/Veg of the day - loquat
« Reply #45 on: October 12, 2015, 09:53:02 AM »
I have to admit Caroline that your fruit do look a little less than appetizing. :-X
I tend to eat ours straight from the tree. Suck the flesh out from the skin and spit out the stones. Sorry, sounds a bit disgusting put like that! :-[
« Last Edit: October 14, 2015, 03:51:58 PM by Alisdair »
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: Fruit/Veg of the day - Sage
« Reply #46 on: October 12, 2015, 09:55:35 AM »
In addition to its more common uses here in Cyprus they make a tea from it.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: Fruit/Veg of the day - Lemon Balm
« Reply #47 on: October 13, 2015, 04:40:08 AM »
Our patches of it suffer in the heat of the summer but spread when the cooler weather comes. We don't use it for anything other than as a pleasantly scented ground cover.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: Fruit/Veg of the day
« Reply #48 on: October 13, 2015, 06:42:08 AM »
I have to make a correction to the above post, having been reprimanded by my wife. :-[ She does use lemon balm on occasion along with lemon verbena to make a tea that is refreshing when drunk cold.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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Fleur Pavlidis

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Re: Fruit/Veg of the day - loquat
« Reply #49 on: October 13, 2015, 08:49:36 AM »
You are really missing out on a treat!! You can pick them slightly under ripe and leave them to ripen in the fruit bowl, although straight from the tree is best if the birds allow it. My two trees grown from seed form a selected tree have been hit by a nasty disease and the fruit each year blackens and shrivels. I'm bereft.
« Last Edit: October 14, 2015, 03:52:20 PM by Alisdair »
MGS member, Greece. I garden in Attica, Greece and Mt Goulinas (450m) Central Greece

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John J

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Re: Fruit/Veg of the day - Rue
« Reply #50 on: October 15, 2015, 04:46:08 AM »
Oops! Seem to have skipped a day on this, can only put it down to external pressures.  :-[
A bit of a cheat on this one as I can guarantee we don't use it for anything but maybe other members do.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: Fruit/Veg of the day - Lemon verbena
« Reply #51 on: October 16, 2015, 08:45:22 AM »
Aloysia triphylla (syn. Aloysia citrodora) is the other ingredient, along with Lemon Balm, of a refreshing cold tea, as mentioned in a previous post.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: Fruit/Veg of the day - Mandarin
« Reply #52 on: October 17, 2015, 05:24:07 AM »
Back to citrus. Our mandarins are not yet ripe of course, 4 year old granddaughter likes to pick them and eat them straight from the tree when they are. I don't use sprays of any description so this is quite safe.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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JTh

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Re: Fruit/Veg of the day - Quince (Cydonia oblonga)
« Reply #53 on: October 17, 2015, 10:04:43 PM »
The quince is ripe here now,  beatiful to look at, but needs some preparations before it is edible.


PA100769-Edit Cydonia oblonga.jpg
by Jorun Tharaldsen, on Flickr


PA100770 Cydonia oblonga.jpg
by Jorun Tharaldsen, on Flickr
Retired veterinary surgeon by training with a PhD in parasitology,  but worked as a virologist since 1992.
Member of the MGS  since 2004. Gardening in Oslo and to a limited extent in Halkidiki, Greece.

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John J

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Re: Fruit/Veg of the day
« Reply #54 on: October 18, 2015, 04:56:10 AM »
Jorun, thanks for that 'lead in'. Oct 18th is the day of the patron saint of our village (Apostle Luke) and from 2 days prior the streets are filled with the stalls of the vendors of an assortment of produce and products. One of the traditional purchases of the housewives and cooks was quince from which they made 'glyko' and 'marmalada'. This year we had already received a large bag of them from a friend who lives in a village further up the mountain. After being used to make the 'glyko' seen below the remainder of the fruit were wrapped in silver foil and cooked in the oven before being skinned and de-pipped. The flesh was then used together with mountain apples, known as 'kathista', and made into apple crumble. Some of which is still in our freezer.  :D
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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JTh

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Re: Fruit/Veg of the day - Bλήτα - Amaranthus viridis
« Reply #55 on: October 19, 2015, 02:50:54 PM »
Not just a weed, but a valuable 'horta', which can be used like spinach. It is now back again, ready to be harvested. And it's free.


PA151075 βλήτα - Amaranthus viridis .jpg
by Jorun Tharaldsen, on Flickr
Retired veterinary surgeon by training with a PhD in parasitology,  but worked as a virologist since 1992.
Member of the MGS  since 2004. Gardening in Oslo and to a limited extent in Halkidiki, Greece.

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Charithea

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Re: Fruit/Veg of the day
« Reply #56 on: October 20, 2015, 05:30:04 AM »
Hello Jorun, I always order 'Horta' when visiting Greece. I first ate 'Amaranthus veridis' in Heraklion Market in Crete and being fond of 'grass' continued to eat it when available. It grows also here in Cyprus but it is never offered on the menu. It is available in some supermarkets but it does not have the same demand as in Greece. I think it is because it has not got the exciting look for instance of asparagus.
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

David Dickinson

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Fruit/Veg of the day - Basil
« Reply #57 on: October 23, 2015, 08:34:04 AM »
Is Basil veg? Mine is coming to the end of its season in this unusually cold spell in Rome :'( I hope that the seeds I have taken from this plant will produce plants with stems as deep purple as this one. Fingers crossed.
« Last Edit: October 23, 2015, 09:58:43 AM by Alisdair »
I have a small garden in Rome, Italy. Some open soil, some concrete, some paved. Temperatures in winter occasionally down to 0°C. Summer temperatures up to 40°C in the shade. There are never watering restrictions but, of course, there is little natural water for much of June, July and August.

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John J

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Re: Fruit/Veg of the day - Sweet chestnuts
« Reply #58 on: October 30, 2015, 06:33:17 AM »
Not mine but in the garden of a friend near Rome who we visited on the way back from the AGM in Ischia.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: Fruit/Veg of the day - Laurus nobilis
« Reply #59 on: November 14, 2015, 01:45:23 PM »
Sometimes things are just so obvious that you miss them, like our Bay tree. :-[
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)