Merry Christmas everybody!!!
My gardening resolution is to do side-by-side tests on a lot more varieties this year, to find the ones that work best for me.
I just added Bitter Melon to the list of things to test. I’ve been trying to grow the white bitter melon carried by Baker Creek, but haven’t had much luck with it. I found out 2 things that made me want to branch out into other varieties:
1. When fully ripened, all bitter melons develop a sweet, cherry-flavored pulp around their seeds. I had been under the impression that most were not that sweet, which was why I focused on a the one that was. (This is all according to descriptions by others, I haven’t had a chance to taste it myself.)
2. The bitter compound is actually quinine, at least according to some sources. In addition to being anti-malarial, quinine is also anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-parasitic, and antiviral! Seems like something worth growing!
I’m now determined to find a bitter melon variety that will grow well with my gardening style. Other things on the list of things to test are wheat, oats, barley, luffa gourds, and watermelons. I’ve tried one variety at a time here and there, but never found one that worked well. Hopefully testing a bunch of varieties at once will turn up something.
My second goal is to try and cut down on the list of vegetables we buy at the store. I plan to try growing a lot more green beans this year. Normally I’ve been skipping those, because peas and dry beans have more nutrition. But, I’m on the keto diet now, and green beans are a good low-carb filler. Canned green beans are still easy to find, but frozen ones are getting scarce, so I expect the canned will follow. That was a reminder to me that these weird supply shortages are going to continue cropping up for years to come.
Third goal is to get the equipment made that I need in order to scale up my seed business. Right now I can’t get anything done on that because there’s nowhere I can work on it without a certain family member hijacking and destroying it while pretending to “help”. No idea how I’m going to deal with that, but it needs to be done, because the status-quo just isn’t an option.
10 New Year’s Resolutions for the Gardener
Gardenista Blog
1. Care for Compost
2. Use Natural Remedies
3. Save Your Eggshells
4. Start Small
5. Water Wisely
6. Welcome Insects
7. Bring Greenery Indoors
8. Keep Potted Succulents Happy
9. Embrace Sustainable Design
10. Schedule a Garden Therapy Session
https://www.gardenista.com/posts/10-new-years-resolutions-gardener/
Merry Christmas to You & Yours from Me & Mine!
Love the Bitter Melon properties. Who knew? I know you’re good at medicinal herbs, but I RESOLVE to learn more about those, myself. Simple things like making my own tea combinations and such. I know I can start with Elderberry blossoms - I have enough of those growing wild all over the place, so that’s an easy one to start with. ;)
I’m totally on board with the ‘Grow more Green Beans’ Resolution, too. Since I had such success with canning the Dilly Beans this season, that’s getting added to the normal rotations along with all of our other faves for the pantry. My new favorite is ‘Saychelles’ from Jung’s (and others.) What an AWESOME Pole Bean! She grows straight and relatively uniformly, even if I don’t pick for a few days (or weeks!) she’s not the least bit stringy or tough. I had green beans growing this year into November! I couldn’t believe it!
As for your ‘helper’ I have a skid steer you can borrow.
*WHISPERS* No one needs to know... ;)