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#1
Edible Plants / Re: pok choy
Last post by tobiasthedog - February 17, 2025, 21:20:25
Thanks a lot for the suggestion. Yes anything that goes well in a stir-fry is up my street. Btw did  my research on kangkong and it is semi-aquatic so needs a fair bit of watering :/
#2
Edible Plants / Re: pok choy
Last post by JanG - February 17, 2025, 07:38:37
I've grown kailan (it has various spellings).It's easy and quick growing. It goes to seed fairly quickly from what I remember. You get little broccoli type heads. Again it's good in stir-fries as so many eastern brassicas are.

I haven't tried Kangkong. Does it need a lot of watering? Let us know how you get on with it.
#3
Edible Plants / Re: Got a plot again… after 20...
Last post by tobiasthedog - February 16, 2025, 18:04:41
I love the thought of the apple tea. I would love to make some apple pies, strudel and maybe a chutney too.
#4
Edible Plants / Re: pok choy
Last post by tobiasthedog - February 16, 2025, 18:03:19
Restarting this thread after a while. I've been quite successful with growing pak choy in my garden for several years. It's really easy to grow and I can harvest it 4-5 times per year. It tastes delicious in stir-fries and is so much cheaper than buying it in the stores - it's really expensive compared to typical UK vegetables.

Thinking of trying my luck at growing other Chinese / exotic vegetables. I came across this list and am thinking of starting with gai lan (chinese broccoli) and Kangkong (water spinach). Does anyone else have any experience and suggestions on these? I'm looking for something that's really simple to do.
#5
Edible Plants / Re: Got a plot again… after 20...
Last post by historygardening - February 14, 2025, 15:05:42
how do you plan on planting you plot. how big is the plot?
#6
Edible Plants / Re: Seed Saving Circle 2024
Last post by galina - February 14, 2025, 10:12:21
A fruit day according to the moon sowing calendar, so absolutely perfect for those early peas.  Yes, Mr Bound's Pea Bean, to give it its full name, is one of the stars of the non sweat peas, great in stews as an alternative to dried, reconstituted beans, as mushy peas or hummus. Pea Bean, because its seeds are as large as a field bean, well nearly so.  A nice tall variety. 

Soup peas are really no different from shelling peas as they also have inedible pods, but there are subtle differences.  The classic shelling pea is white flowered and has sweet tasting, juicy peas inside.  What is also knows as 'garden peas', the pea type found in the frozen foods section of supermarkets with the Captain's logo.  Kelvedon Wonder, Onward and Telephone spring to mind as varieties. 

Soup peas are generally less sweet and more starchy.  Still perfect to eat shelled as green peas, but not with that same sweetness that tempts the gardener to shell and nosh them raw, right there and then in the garden. 

Hope all our seeds will spring into life readily and will grow into beautiful and productive plants before long.  I wonder what it is about aubergines that makes them so difficult to germinate.  I had failures too earlier this year and will be using the paper towel method for my next attempt.  Did they get too wet? I wonder. 

Thank you Jan, happy sowing and good germination for you also. 
#7
Edible Plants / Re: Seed Saving Circle 2024
Last post by JanG - February 14, 2025, 06:49:01
I wonder whether anyone else has begun to sow seeds yet? I get a lot of pleasure from the first sowings.

I had an interesting experience with @juliev's Czech Early aubergine seeds from 2023.They disappointingly failed to germinate last year. So this year I gave them another try on damp kitchen paper and had 100% germination! Perhaps some seed is more viable after a resting period. Some of course is much better fresh. Seeds never cease to amaze with their varied germination habits. But thank you for several good strong young plants @juliev.

I sowed @vetivert's sweet pea, Valentine, in early January (appropriate to mention today!) and the plants are now about four inches tall and at that stage where it's recommended to pinch out the tips, a job for today perhaps.

I've sown @vetivert's Chinese Pink celery which is just beginning to show on the compost surface. I guess it needs to be under glass or plastic at this stage but the seedlings are pretty hardy it seems. Tiny and slow to develop. 

Otherwise it's time in my schedule to start thinking about sowing some peas. I sowed @juliev's My Bound's bean pea yesterday. I've classified it in the database as a shelling pea rather than a soup pea. HSL describe it as having a nutty flavour reminiscent of broad beans so I'm interested to try it fresh as well as dried. The peas themselves are certainly huge. More pea sowing today, hopefully.

Happy sowing this season, everyone!
#8
The Shed / He is at it again!
Last post by Palustris - February 10, 2025, 10:48:11
Newest book out on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DWMPRCQC/
I say newest, I actually wrote this story over 40 years ago, but never really did anything with it until now.
#9
Recipes / Re: help with a pie name?
Last post by Metanurb - February 07, 2025, 16:14:43
Just guesswork but my money would be on Essex, only the sa is missing from savoury which implies 2 letters rather than 3. There is also the east end pie/mash thing which would suggest that area.
#10
Edible Plants / Re: Got a plot again… after 20...
Last post by JanG - February 07, 2025, 07:40:55
Sounds great. Congratulations!

Hope the clearing of it is enjoyable. Do keep reporting on what you discover. What are you most looking forward to?
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