The Maple Hill Hop 149

Welcome to 

The Maple Hill Hop.

This is a hop for folks who love the outdoors.

Feel free to post about anything that's going on

OUTSIDE

in your neck of the woods,
no matter the season.

(Please share only outdoor posts.)

*Grab the button above to link back to Maple Hill 101.*

This week we reconnect with Farm School,
where for the past 3+ years,
I've been learning how to grow all kinds of veggies.
You can check out all our Farm School adventures
by clicking on the tabs just under our header.

It's okra season here!
Summer is a difficult time to grow veggies,
but okra is one of the few crops that savors summertime. 

The beautiful blossoms signal that it will soon be ready for harvest.
Okra is a prolific producer
and must be picked twice daily to stay on top of the crop. 

 Faye & Lynn use a 4-inch stick
to ensure the perfect size is harvested.
These are the ideal length to fit into a pint-sized jar. 

This is what happens when the okra 
doesn't get picked on time.
The stuff grows so quickly that it must be picked on schedule.
The pod on the left is not good for much
unless you have livestock or a compost pile. 

 Within a few minutes,
we had almost filled our buckets.
Some folks enjoy eating okra raw,
others roast it or add it to soups and stews.
Pickled is my preferred choice.
You can find the recipe here. 

Faye and I kept finding gem after gem.
There will be plenty of pickling going on! 

   
Even though we've been working together for almost four years,

there's always something new to learn at Farm School.

Last year in our Seed to Table Series,

we profiled okra here. 

That's what's happening in our neck of the woods.

What's going on outside where you are?

HOP on!

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

 

Harvest Time Series-Broccoli Tips

We wanted to give you a head's up about an upcoming giveaway!

Mary, from Mary's Heirloom Seeds 
will be sponsoring a giveaway on 
The Maple Hill Hop 
next Tuesday.
Be sure to stop by and enter to win a fabulous gift package.
While you're there, we hope you'll join the HOP party!
See you then!

We're starting a new series today called 
Harvest Time.

We'll feature tips on how best to reap what you sow,
so that you get the most from your veggie and herb gardens.

Today's focus is harvesting broccoli.
Here in Central Florida, this crop is started mid-fall.

By the time winter rolls around,

we are picking fully-formed heads.

If the gardener is careful and efficient,

this generous crop will reward you well.

Execution is everything.

We talked about cutting the main head at an angle here.

This allows rain or irrigation water to shed easily away from the stalk

in order to prevent disease problems.

Once the head is removed,

the opportunity for tips emerges.

If you enjoy eating broccoli,

you will have as much as you can stand!

This is one of the tips that grows from the space provided.
They are even more tender than the head.

You can see where the new tips are growing.
It's kinda like The Sorcerer's Apprentice,
they just keep making more, and more, and more.
When you cut the bigger tip off,
you want to make sure you don't disturb the new tips forming.
Again, cutting the tips off at an angle will ensure that tips keep on comin',
and prevent disease issues from occurring.  
Lynn uses a sharp pocket knife to cut across the base of the stem,
and then stops just short of going all the way through.
He then gently pulls up what's left,
allowing the leaves and new tips to continue to form.

This is one crop that just keeps giving.
Knowing techniques to help make your harvesting easier and more efficient
is what this series is all about.
We hope to continue it as the season progresses.
Enjoy your harvest!