As I enjoy the blooming spectacle being put on by the flowering trees in my area, I can't help but think of what can be a false dichotomy between "ornamental"...

reBlogged to trees fruit flowers on May 6, 2008, 12:30AM

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to flowers, fruit, trees on 2008-05-07, 05:31:29

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Whenever the claims of a new 'wonder' fruit or veg make the rounds, you're always left trying to decipher fact from fiction - or in this case myth from miracle. Yet after reading a few journals, chasing links around the web and testing the solidness of some of the claims, it appears that Miracle Fruit, Synsepalum dulcificum, is all that it claims to be and more.

The fruit, shaped the size of a grape with bright red skin carries a rather large pip for its size - think avocado or mango here. Within 24 hours of picking it begins to deteriorate and turn brown, not that this changes any of its effects, it just doesn't look as appetising. . ..

reBlogged to fruit on Apr 28, 2008, 7:32PM

Posted by scrobins@westnet.com.au (Stuart) Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2008-04-29, 06:32:36

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Posted by Nicole Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2008-04-12, 06:32:19

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Chard ('Sea Foam' from Pinetree -- an excellent cultivar), carrots, sorrel, tomatoes & coriander. In a bed that I designed in circles.


Granex onions finally starting to bulb up. First time I've grown onions: Found a huge bunch of starts for sale in a hidden corner at Lowe's this winter. I've been thinning them and eating the young ones as scallions. Like most short day onions, these are sweet and therefore keep poorly, so I plan on leaving them in the ground as long as possible, pulling them as I need them. In a bed fmade from leaf mold. . . .

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Posted by Central FLA Gardener Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit, vegetables on 2008-04-12, 06:04:59

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Here's the view from the backyard of my parents' house. There is a
very old orchard that needs rehab but still produces very well.

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Posted by Jane M. Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit, trees on 2008-04-11, 06:51:52

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A bit of an aphid invasion of my pear and apple trees. The trees are tough, and the aphids don't last long around here. I gave them a good spray with a mix of neem and peppermint soap. The smell alone should chase them away. Ladybugs, where are you???

On my pear tree:

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Posted by Central FLA Gardener Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit, pests, trees on 2008-04-11, 06:46:54

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Coconut palm

The coconuts have grown quite a bit since I first showed them to you in October. Let's see...it's been five months. I have no idea how to tell when they are ready − do they fall on your head. . .

reBlogged to trees fruit on Apr 3, 2008, 2:46AM

Posted by La Gringa Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit, trees on 2008-04-08, 05:53:56

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My childhood is expressly remembered reaching into the limbs of our pineapple guava trees and filling our faces with this gorgeous fruit. The supply never seemed to wane nor did our appetites, and we would often chase down the plumpest specimens to gorge on.

So it was with fond memories that I purchased our own guava tree and planted it in the backyard. This feijoa, a member of the Myrtaceae family and a resident tropical fruit, was perfectly suited to our garden. The climate, the soil, the annual rainfall - all good. . ..

reBlogged to fruit trees on Apr 1, 2008, 7:36PM

Posted by scrobins@westnet.com.au (Stuart) Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit, trees on 2008-04-03, 06:00:51

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" It is probable that the lemon is the most valuable of all fruit for preserving health. "

~ Maud Grieve

( A Modern Herbal - 1931)

~ Meyer lemon

reBlogged to fruit recipes

Posted by joey Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit, recipes on 2008-03-28, 17:58:45

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reBlogged to fruit vines

Posted by Elizabeth Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit, vines on 2008-03-27, 06:14:31

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reBlogged to fruit trees on Mar 22, 2008, 12:47PM

Posted by Green Talk Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit, trees on 2008-03-23, 23:49:29

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Posted by Leigh Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit, trees on 2008-03-17, 00:01:35

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My young Eureka Lemon bush is blooming and setting fruit. I'm getting so very excited. I do however have a dingy brown fungus on the leaves that I think is called copperleaf (???) I really need to look this up and treat the bush. I do not want to loose all these tiny fruits!

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Posted by ldybug Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2008-03-17, 00:01:12

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Posted by Central FLA Gardener Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2008-03-14, 01:00:43

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Sometimes when you go to the store to get windshield washer fluid, you wind up coming home with a fig tree. . . .

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Posted by Anthony Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit, trees on 2008-03-14, 00:30:49

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Few gardening disappointments are as great as not getting any fruit on your fruit trees. By the time you notice there's nothing there, it's too late to do anything...

reBlogged to fruit trees on Mar 11, 2008, 9:01PM

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit, trees on 2008-03-14, 00:29:59

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My daughter asked me what fruits I had growing in my garden...

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Posted by Central FLA Gardener Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2008-03-13, 00:04:23

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What is citron and can I grow it? (answer).

From The Old Farmer's Almanac.

reBlogged to fruit on Mar 9, 2008, 11:00PM

Posted by The Old Farmer's Almanac Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2008-03-12, 00:12:00

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Sun kissed in Phoenix Arizona

oranges grow abundantly ..

it seems that everyone grows orange trees. . .

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Posted by Naturegirl Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2008-03-12, 00:10:46

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Home grown papayas

Papayas are so big! At least the ones we grow or buy here in Honduras are. We can't hope to finish one while it is still fresh, even though we've been using a lot lately in our homemade yogurt.

reBlogged to fruit on Mar 6, 2008, 5:32PM

Posted by La Gringa Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2008-03-07, 18:43:26

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Jujubes. You can eat either the green ones, which were slightly crunchy and more balanced in its acid/sweet, or the yellow and leathery one, which tasted exactly like dried apple. I don't know what this varietal is, but I wasn't terribly impressed with the flavor, though I was eating fruit that I'd picked up from the ground around the tree. Judging by the smell around the tree, you could make some pretty potent wine from these.

The Jujube tree at ECHO is huge, much larger than the ones I've seen advertised that top out at twenty feet. Gnarled and twised, like a mulberry.

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Posted by Central FLA Gardener Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit, trees on 2008-03-03, 18:17:41

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Introduction.
I know some of you have been waiting a long time for me to post this recipe, Katrina! Hopefully you still have some lemons that need a home. . . .

reBlogged to fruit recipes on Feb 27, 2008, 3:00AM

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit, recipes on 2008-02-28, 06:17:03

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Posted by Nickie Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2008-02-26, 06:23:34

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Platanos/Plantains

This stem of platanos (plantains) would never be considered a good harvest on a professional level but it's fine for us. We can never eat them all before they get ripe and neither of us cares much for ripe ones anyway. We always end up giving most of the bananas and plantains away. . . .

reBlogged to fruit on Feb 17, 2008, 8:40PM

Posted by La Gringa Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2008-02-18, 19:50:33

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I’m home! Thanks for your patience, and for sticking with us in my absence. Matt’s doing well, and enjoyed the time he had with you all. He’s busy working away, earning money so that we can continue our wonderful lifestyle. . . .

reBlogged to vegetables fruit on Feb 16, 2008, 11:20AM

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit, vegetables on 2008-02-18, 00:23:50

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PARAGUAYOS - or Doughnut Peach.

Last year we found these funny little fruits in the market. They look like a pale squashed peach and as long as the fruit was soft and yielded a little to the touch (matura) they tasted 10 times better than a peach or nectarine. We asked Gonzalo if he could graft some onto a bitter almond tree and this week he obliged. Down came most of the branches of the almond, cuts were made at the top of what was left, little twiglets put in, wet bandages wrapped round, then sealed with plastic and hey presto, fingers crossed these unprepossessing twigs will start growing and maybe next year we'll have some fruit.

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Posted by ladyluz Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2008-02-13, 15:33:48

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The annual winter meeting of the PA Backyard Fruit Growers was well attended and focused on the topic of growing organic apples in the home garden or orchard.

The main speaker was Michael Phillips author of “The Apple Grower,” an incredible book loaded with information related to ecological apple growing. Also on hand to present a lecture on cultivating organic apples was Greg Krawczyk of the Penn State University Organic Research Program. . . .

reBlogged to fruit gardeners on Jan 31, 2008, 8:34PM

Posted by Kenny Point Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit, gardeners on 2008-02-02, 05:58:13

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How about some Bluejay Blueberry bushes? Bluejay bushes, available at Burpee, grow 5-6 feet tall and promise a very high yield of very large berries perfect for pies and preserves. What's more, these babies are ornamental -- with foliage that turns dramatically crimson in autumn. . . .

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Posted by Jessica Damiano Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2008-01-24, 18:20:27

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The California Rare Fruit Growers held their annual scion exchange in San Francisco and I consider that a good enough reason to put up with Bay Bridge traffic to get over there. The number of fruit varieties represented in the piles of pruned wood at a scion exchange is a little staggering, but it's pretty fun to rifle through it all, searching for just what you need or for something new you didn't even know you want. . . .

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Posted by Claire Splan Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2008-01-21, 00:42:14

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Drupe (drūp): Any of several stone fruits in which the outer part of the ovary wall forms a skin, the middle part becomes fleshy and juicy, and the inner part forms a hard pit or stone around the seed; e.g., peaches, plums, apricots

reBlogged to fruit on Jan 19, 2008, 1:02PM

Posted by Chris Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2008-01-21, 00:40:04

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This was from El Jefe's mother's tree, which is only about 8 feet tall. Amazing.

Blog contents copyright © 2006-2007 La Gringa. All rights reserved.

reBlogged to fruit on Jan 17, 2008, 9:33PM

Posted by La Gringa Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2008-01-18, 05:57:49

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Do you know what a dragon fruit is? Do you know where a dragon fruit comes from? Well don’t feel bad; until a few days ago, I didn’t know what it was either and it turns out I was growing them in my back yard!
Last week, while surfing the gardening blogosphere, I came across the Garden Views blog where I found a post about this unusual fruit. Seems the author had purchased the Dragon Fruit at her local supermarket. I realized that this was the same fruit I had picked from my Epiphyllum plant!. . .

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Posted by rusty in miami Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2008-01-18, 05:56:36

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Apparently I’ll do anything to keep from preserving! Today I perused our cookbooks for recipes involving lemons, and I came across an old favorite of mine. . . .

reBlogged to fruit recipes on Jan 17, 2008, 3:01AM

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit, recipes on 2008-01-17, 17:54:58

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This is a quince fruit, in case you're not familiar with them (as I wasn't prior to this past weekend). They are lumpy and somewhat pear-shaped, with fuzz almost like you'd find on a peach. Generally considered inedible when raw due to their sour taste, they smell divine, however - all sweet and perfume-like - which makes sense when you consider the quince tree, Cydonia oblonga, is from the family Rosaceae. Here are a bunch of yummy-sounding quince recipes, should you find yourself with a surplus of quince but no desire to can.

reBlogged to fruit recipes on Jan 15, 2008, 9:06PM

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit, recipes on 2008-01-17, 05:47:28

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JANUARY EATS;

We've just had the last of last summer's apricots which I'd blanched and frozen and, my, they were delicious. Two bags of frozen yellow plums are left and that will be that until May and the new lot come along. . . .

reBlogged to fruit

Posted by ladyluz Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2008-01-16, 05:59:27

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I haven't been doing a lot of gardening lately other than ogling my lemons, watching birds, and watching my potted amaryllis grow several inches a day on the kitchen windowsill. Its plump buds are just beginning to open. It was an 'Apple Blossom', plucked from the bottom of a nearly empty bin in the plumbing aisle at Emigh Hardware. . . .

reBlogged to fruit on Jan 3, 2008, 3:30PM

Posted by Angela Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2008-01-05, 00:24:00

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This box is filled with my Florida souvenirs. As I suspected, my own garden is still covered with a foot of snow. As I plan for next year's garden, I'll enjoy these fruits from Florida. Two avocados, seven grapefruits and a lemon.

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Posted by carletongardener Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2007-12-30, 00:14:56

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My little sister planted a grapefruit seed about 30 years ago. Now it is the most fantastic tree in the backyard of my parents' Florida house. Thirty feet tall and every year filled with juicy Florida sunshine. Too many to even count.

What is it about growing food in your own backyard that is sooo satisfying? It tastes delicious and is just there for the picking.

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Posted by carletongardener Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2007-12-30, 00:14:43

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What region of the United States is best for raising kiwifruit? Is the Alabama climate suitable? (answer).

From The Old Farmer's Almanac.

reBlogged to fruit on Dec 25, 2007, 11:00PM

Posted by The Old Farmer's Almanac Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2007-12-28, 00:35:58

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Simple. Apparently....

Watch this video:

Basically it involves the same practice as Vegiforms. Rather than try and get the fruit into the bottle once it's mature, the bottle is placed over the fruit blooms and the fruit grows inside the bottle.

Once the fruit is fully ripened then the bottle can be removed. Then it's just a matter of filling the bottle with your favourite liqueur and storing. And these can be stored for years - the longer the better.

reBlogged to fruit on Dec 13, 2007, 5:51PM

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2007-12-15, 00:43:39

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Out walking with the baby yesterday - something I spend a lot of time doing these days - and I became (possibly irrationally) annoyed. Walking down a posh private road some distance from my own slightly less salubrious area, I spied a big house with several apple trees dotted about the large front lawn. They were smothered in unpicked fruit. I am not an apple expert but I do know they should have been harvested long ago. What a waste! I guess it seems like a lot of work, but how rewarding to eat (or juice, or cook with) your...

reBlogged to fruit on Dec 13, 2007, 3:54AM

Posted by Jane Perrone Reblogged by Old Roses to fruit on 2007-12-15, 00:37:29

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Apple: "The main technique employed in tropical climates that don't meet chilling requirements is manual defoliation of the leaves. By seasonally pruning off all of the leaves on a tree, the apple is fooled into believing that natural defoliation has occurred due to winter, which causes chemical hormone changes in the plant that lead to the onset of flowering. The method is simple, but effective, and if done properly can yield 2-3 crops per year. In rarer cases, less-tropical apple varieties that have higher chilling requirements can be grafted onto the 'tropical' apples and through defoliation, can be coaxed into fruiting."

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