Weekly Garden Thread - March 27- April 2, 2021

March 27, 2021 | Diana in Wisconsin/Greeneyes

[MomwithHope]

Pawpaws are the only native American tropical fruit. They look like big green potatoes, have large seeds, and yellow orange pulp and the first and every time I have tasted one it is the most wonderful thing I have every consumed. The flavor is like a creamy mango/banana flavor. The trees are attractive, have long large leaves and a wine colored flower I took a quick pic of the growth cycle that I put together and hung in my office. Domesticated varieties like mine have much smaller seeds and more pulp. The Ohio pawpaw growers have a nice facebook page.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Thanks! I wonder kf they will grow well in the are ao Texas I am moving to (just North of San Antonio?)

[MomwithHope]

I would seek out info on that. They like a lot of moisture and do well about 50 feet from a creek or river. They have very long taproots. I would try and find someone in Texas who has been successful.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

[Diana in Wisconsin]

[Liz]

This is Ree's recipe. Light and crispy caramel popcorn, salty, crunchy
cocktail peanuts, white chocolate, milk chocolate MnM’s, sprinkles.
- whatever you like; must cook caramel a solid 5 min; past softball stage
for crispy not gooey popcorn, Ree says.

CANDIED EASTER POPCORN

CARAMEL In popcorn pot, cook/melt/bubble cup butter, 2 c br/sugar, tsp salt, 1/2 c corn syrup on med 5-6 min. Offheat, add combined 2 tsp vanilla/tsp b/soda; stir well. Immediatley pour onto 12-14 cups popcorn and cup roasted salted peanuts which are spread on parchmented sheet pan. Stir well w/ heatproof spatula. Bake 250 deg 50-60 min; stir every 20 min.

FINAL Remove to counter; immediately sprinkle w/ M&M's. Drizzle w/ melted white/choc. While chocolate is soft, sprinkle with pastel Easter sprinkles.

NOTE: you might add mini marshmallows in the shape of pastel Easter bunnies (in stores now).

[Liz]

Love it.

Seed packet Easter place-setting

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Be still my heart! Those appetizers look awesome, too! I cannot WAIT for home grown radishes and that first ‘Radish Sandwich. Dark rye, butter, sliced radishes, salt and sprouts.

I used to grow ‘Munchner Bier Radish’ for my Grandpa. They are VERY pungent, but we would slice them thinly and eat them on buttered dark rye bread with lots of salt and wash it all down with a beer - even IF it had to be an ‘American’ brand. ;)

I miss that guy! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

That Paw-Paw bloom is gorgeous; almost like a Hibiscus. Love it!

[Liz]

Radishes and butter.......tres francais......very elegant.

[MomwithHope]

What’s weird is they point downwards. And bees don’t pollinate only bumble bees, so each year I use a paintbrush and pollinate.

[Ellendra]

Picture a giant green leather egg, filled with banana pudding.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Learned that from my German Grandma, though it IS considered quite ‘chi-chi’ these days. Probably from a time in early Spring when there was nothing for her to eat BUT radishes. ;)

[Liz]

Your Granny ate well......even when her larder was bare.