TicTac
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Posts posted by TicTac
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There are a few places around the GTA that sell bincho tan. It's expensive stuff, and quite frankly - not necessary.
Find yourself some really good hard lump charcoal - I get mine from a guy who imports from Argentina and buy a few big bags for each season, but its really hard wood and burns hot and long.
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On 6/4/2022 at 9:58 AM, KennethT said:
I actually have 2 different types of fabric pouches - I'm not sure which I like better. I have the standard felt ones but I also use these. I have found that many times, marijuana growers are at the forefront of growing technology, probably because it's such a high value crop. The Radicle bags are a woven pvc mesh. My kaffir lime and curry leaf plant are both in them and they love them. I moved my lemongrass from a fabric to Radicle bag and its growth exploded, although I'm going to move it bag to fabric because I want to change it from a round pot to rectangular to make it easier to harvest some of the inside stalks. Right now it's in a 3 gallon radicle bag which has become filled edge to edge with lemongrass.
Just getting caught up here, sorry for the multiple replies...
I have used both a cloth pot (some cotton like material), and a woven plastic fabric one (root pouch - recycled water bottles - BPA free) - while I am still only part way through my first season with the woven plastic one, It seems of higher quality and far greater breathability. Great drainage. Will post an update pic soon, but plants are thriving.
On 6/4/2022 at 11:36 AM, KennethT said:I didn't realize that potatoes flowered. What happens after the flowers have been pollinated?
Gorgeous flowers, actually. You can mound more soil up to a few inches below the flowers and they will keep shooting out potatoes into the mounded earth. I am experimenting with a multi-stage grow in cardboard boxes.
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On 6/3/2022 at 7:11 PM, KennethT said:
No - the planter is just decoration. The fabric pot will sit inside with an inch of space all around between fabric pot and the planter.
I can possibly see some mold/mildew issues due to lack of airflow in that space; but like @heidih said; you are pretty detail oriented and as such, I am sure it will get figured out
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Just now, TicTac said:
Close. 100 Liters 😛
sarcasm aside, it's tough to tell scale. they are big beasts. I did a version of the hugelkultur method at the base 1/3 and then organic triple mix and manures etc in the rest.
Root Pouch - great company out of OR. Great product too, very thick compared to other fabric pots I have used.
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23 minutes ago, Annie_H said:
Mine have handles but no larger that 5 gallon. Yours look like ten gallon commercial?.
Mine are still looking good 5-6 years now.
Close. 100 Liters 😛
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12 hours ago, heidih said:
Wonderful. Aside from saute what are your favorite uses?
Though I no longer participate in alliums (thank you, FODMAP diet!) I used to love grilled scapes. From there, into salads, dressings, sauces, etc. Mortar and pestle and use the paste in anything, really.
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Congrats on the 25 - lovely dinner and view; will be tough to beat!
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Update on the recycled plastic water bottle tote experiment -
We've had about 4 big salads and 2 large spinach/chard dishes thus far from the garden - growing along nicely.
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5 hours ago, Duvel said:
For sushi I’d be 100% with you. For a broiled collar I’d go with the fattier Hamachi …Do a side by side; for me at least, textural superiority of the Kampachi wins. Interesting comment regarding the fat, I find it somewhat the opposite.
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45 minutes ago, KennethT said:
The last time I looked at the Kanoyama's menu, it was actually a kampachi collar rather than hamachi.
Especially if you get a nice big cut, and in turn, a larger portion of the belly - the fat and texture of the flesh I find on the kampachi to be superior.
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On 5/30/2022 at 9:05 AM, Duvel said:
God, I wish I could get my hands on a hamachi collar 🥺If you are wishing, might as well upgrade to Kampachi
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On 5/29/2022 at 3:43 PM, rotuts said:
very nice
vey pleased
you've studiedYoutDrinks
Over Time
and have a very fine set of Racks
to continue your studies.
congratulations
At least buy him a drink before commenting on his rack....
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On 5/29/2022 at 1:12 PM, Annie_H said:
Once the female stigma is pollinated by the male stamen the deed is done. Most varieties will produce many more male flowers so I take some of those and leave a few for pollination. I do take out the stamen and hand pollinate some of the open female flowers. I grow for the flowers and always get plenty of good sized fruits. I like to pick the females small like 2-3 inches. With the flowers attached. The flowers will curl and twist at fruit size 5-6 inches. They no longer need the flowers but it takes a few days to die and drop.
This link is short and sweet. hand pollinating
I realize it is not what you are asking but you can really amp up production if bees are not plentiful. But the links second pic shows when I harvest. Early morning when the flowers are open wide. The stigma and stamen look very different so I know right away what is what. I harvest and store in a loose lidded container lined in a dry paper towel with a lightly dampened p-towel on top. Or a 1/4 sheet pan if I'm collecting for a crowd. They last a few days, sometimes 5-7, fresh in the fridge.
I use clean straw mulch like Kayb. Keeps the soil cool and less splash up onto leaves from soil pathogens. Not sure about early death of plants but take pics. Could be a couple things. One cruddy looking leaf I remove at the base. A hand sprayer with baking soda, shakey-shake. I usually just look that recipe up every year if I see something like powdery mildew.
I have about 15 plants. I start with about 25-30 for insurance. Cull and keep the strongest. Cut worms and crap can take out a few.
I have three 5 gallon felt grow bags in a heap near the barn doors. Pretty plants those zucchinis and grow fast, and tossed in some trailing nasturtiums, lacinato kale, and dwarf sunflowers this year. So containers do work well.
Maybe a better answer is a female flower will perish quickly if not pollinated. Lower pic is harvested later than we like. 4-5 inches but the flowers were still fresh looking.
Thank you for taking the time to share that info. Clearly you have done this a few seasons!
I too have hand pollinated in the past with great success. I have done it both with a small paint brush and have also removed the male bit and painted it right onto the female bits. But usually the paint brush because I like to eat all those tasty bits 😛
I am with you as well, love zucchini at that size, about 4-6" tops, super sweet and no seeds.
Will experiment with removing the female flower at various stages of fruiting to see what if any impact it has, but I also typically pick smaller fruit (though I do leave some to get mid size for zoodles).
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2 hours ago, heidih said:
@TicTac I'm no expert but I've grown them for many years, not this time unfortunately. Not sure what you mean by "I try to take only females once a fruit has been established (does that harm the fruit)" Once it is picked what fruit are you harming? I love the flowers too and try to balancer my greed for them versus my liking of young zukes. One of my favorite "cucina povera" stories is an employee relating his mom in Michoacan MX having to sell their dairy and using just the squash flowers in quesadilas - flavor + color.
Perhaps the fruit might benefit from the flower remaining (and slowly dying) on the flower vs removing it (and how big does the fruit ideally need to be before the flower can be safely removed).
Love squash flowers in tacos!
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Question for any zucchini experts....we love eating the flowers, I try to take only females once a fruit has been established (does that harm the fruit) and males if we have a lot of them.
Any thoughts on the impact to fruit production this has on the plant? In years past we have had really vigorous production for about a month then it just seems the plant dies, slowly but surely. This year I have them in raised pots and am experimenting with that, so a new variable into the mix of the already lackluster track record! Fingers crossed.
Oh, and I am messing around with growing them vertically!
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Thanks for sharing - will have to take a look.
Disney is certainly smart with how they are diversifying their offerings...now I do not feel as bad for having a subscription basically just so that my 4 year old daughter can watch Frozen and Frozen II on mass repeat.
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3 hours ago, Duvel said:
Yesterday was Father’s Day. Tradition in the part of Germany where I hail from is to take a handcart, load it up with beer and other consumables and head out into the woods. Of course - now being older and so on - my friends and me downsized a bit, left out the handcart, took our families and the kids instead and made a leisurely stroll along the Bergstraße to reach the Gruffalo in the forest …
Still, there were a few beers involved and someone brought a bottle of Marillenschnaps, which sustained us on the hike …
We finally ended up at my place to conclude the afternoon with a BBQ and some refreshing beverages. Strangely, no pictures of the prepared food ☺️
A great tradition indeed. You Europeans are still ahead of us North Americans as far as the whole nature/life connection goes....
Solid spread as well. Though those poor plants need a drink (the non-alcoholic variety 😛 )
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Echoing the thanks for taking the time to share your anniversary adventures with us (congrats on 25, btw!).
The fish and seafood look amazingly fresh - any conch salad's on the island of note (one of my favourite things from the islands!)?
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On 5/18/2022 at 12:10 PM, KennethT said:
Sorry - that's not what I meant by explosions. Sometimes, when frying things wrapped in rice paper, there's a little free water there from wetting the rice paper to get it flexible and those drops of water cause explosions! Once you wrapped the rolls, did you blot them dry or anything or do a really efficient (no extra water) dipping job? Or just get lucky? 🤣
Must have been luck, but again I am using minimal amounts of oil in a non stick pan (one of the rare circumstances I use it), certainly was some splatter, but I did it on a lower heat this time and kept turning - came out well.
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I still find the texture of the end result when cooked in hot butter/oil from the start superior to a dry fried mushroom (with fat added at the end).
Experiment for yourself, but if you prefer a more moist and resilient interior, you will be in the fat camp.
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Made my morning (and month!). Can check off ‘finding morels in the wild’ off my Bucket list!
luckily I have some fresh local asparagus from the farmers market
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On 5/17/2022 at 10:29 AM, KennethT said:
What's the difference between your dumpling and a vietnamese spring roll? Seems like the same thing except for the filling and dipping sauce. How did you fry them to avoid the explosions?
Perhaps nothing!?
I did not over pack, and also double wrapped to create a thicker wrapping and contain said juices. Some did escape, but I did it on a med-high non-stick pan, in butter and rice bran oil - so no crazy temps for massive splashage.
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What kind of charcoal is used to cook on a hibachi?
in Kitchen Consumer
Posted
My kids like to help me gather dry sticks to use as kindling to start our chimney's. Not a fan of chemicals, esp near food!