Bees and Blooms

Bees are buzzing and the garden is blooming. Lured by the sweet nectar on the fragrant orange blossoms, families of bees visited my backyard over the past week. Hopping from one flower to the next collecting nectar, the bees unknowingly pollinated the flowers.

Eggplants:



Trellis' galore (Tindoora, Ridge Gourd, Indian Broad Beans, and Bitter Melon):



Okra, Sweet Peppers, and Squash:



Pole Beans, Basil, and Cucumber:



Blooms and More:

Okra Lee-



Eggplant-



Bitter Gourd -



Thai Pepper -



Jalapeno Pepper -



Bell Pepper -



Burgundy Okra -



Eight Ball Squash -



Lettuce -



Pole Beans - this plant is prolific. I harvest 10-15 beans a day.



Orange Tree (Honestly, I am surprised that this tree bloomed again. Apparently it is quite difficult to grow citrus. The whole backyard smelled like orange blossoms. I just sat outside with my Mom enjoying the fragrant air.)



The bees buzzed around and viola...we have tiny little oranges...





Cucumbers - I only planted these about two weeks ago and look how fast they grew. I attribute their growth to the monsoon we experienced recently in Houston.





I saved the best for last. This is a ridge gourd flower. When I spotted it, I couldn't stop staring at it. It's amazing how nature creates such beautiful things. It was like looking at white star with a floating halo. The tendrils reminded me of lace fraying at the edges. Hope you enjoyed this week's post!

Harvest Monday - 7/12/2010

Harvest Monday - My mom was in town for the past few days so my harvest post is late.

I've been dying to send a "Harvest Monday" post to Daphne's Dandelions for over a year now. My garden yielded such small harvests last year that they didn't warrant sending a post. However, this year is another story!!! Granted, my garden is much smaller than some of the other bloggers but for being inside the city, it's a great use of space and provides ample vegetables for the both of us.

This is my first real harvest from the garden and I am truly excited. Vinay and I can actually make a meal from this harvest. On the menu tonight, (1) beans stir-fried in lentils, cumin, and mustard seeds and (2) garlic infused dal with sorrel.

This weekend, I will purchase a scale so that I can weigh the harvests. Daphne, thank you for uniting all the gardeners across America and helping us stay passionate about gardening.

Harvest:

52 beans
19 sorrel leaves
36 thai peppers