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They say cauliflower's hard to grow. I carelessley planted a few seeds last May, not expecting much. And then I discovered that one of my leafy, bowl-shaped plants was hiding this!
It's only about two inches wide, but suddenly, I was VERY interested in growing this little thing. Did some quick online research. You're supposed to time the planting so that they DON'T come to maturity in the heat of summer. Oops. Mine looks like it's doing great despite 2 weeks of very high and humid temperatures. I "blanched" the head, meaning that i loosely folded over some of the leaves to cover the top and protect it from strong sunlight, which can alter the taste and make it turn green.
So exciting!
And then there's this:
I also blanched these. (The definition of "blanched" here is different, meaning to parboil in boiling water for just 3-4 minutes.) Then I froze them. I have more than I can eat at the present moment.
Yesterday I pulled up the little row of spent snow peas and some of the bolting lettuce. I had to plant something that would mature quickly, seeing as how we're already into mid-July. I planted more beans and more cauliflower, which should do even better because it will be coming into its own as temperatures decline, and cauliflower is a cool-season crop.
I've still only had one ripe cherry tomato; the rest are all still green. This is how it always goes. It seems to take forever for green tomatoes to ripen, but once they start,you can barely keep up with picking them daily.
I'm also impatient to see what happens with the soybeans. They are much slower than the other beans,although they're the same size now. They've gotten as far as small flowers. No pods yet. But I should be picking when I pick tomatoes,which means lots of edamame, tomato, corn salads to come.
I need to go vote today on the town budget. The voters have already spoken four times and they have said: We don't want higher taxes.
I want to ride my bike there, just as I rode my bike to the mortgage bank yesterday, but I am feeling so sluggish. I felt like the ride, in this heat, took a lot out of me yesterday. But I still want to do it, because I know I can and it tickles me to get around without the car.
Aside from that, I need to get back to work on the sales brochure project. I need lots of focus to do that. Maybe I will hear from either one of the 2 contract jobs I spoke with recruiters about yesterday. One was editing for a translation company for $20 an hour, the other was a long-term contract writing job for a well-known NY-based life insurance company, paying $47/hr. Huge range in pay, huh?
Next week I want to get my oil changed and have the mechanic at least eyeball stuff like possible frayed belts and air filters, in prep for the start of my driving job July 23. I started using the less expensive Portuguese mechanic my mother uses, rather than the dealer, but he likes to have you drop the car off and then pick it up later, which is really inconvenient as he's not in my town. He lacks the large, air conditioned customer waiting area with free coffee and tea and theater-style seating. Being in his garage brings back fond memories of my grandfather's gas station, where I used to spend time as a child while my grandmother manned the pumps.
My version of a miracle: cauliflower baby
July 12th, 2012 at 12:16 pm
July 12th, 2012 at 01:12 pm 1342098736
Loved the tidbit about grandpa's gas station! My grandpa owned one too, on a street corner in a Chicago neighborhood ~ fun, fun times here!
July 12th, 2012 at 01:58 pm 1342101483
I DO remeber the price of the sandwich sign by the road was .29 a gallon!!! This was in the 1960s.
July 12th, 2012 at 02:34 pm 1342103653
July 12th, 2012 at 02:47 pm 1342104440
July 12th, 2012 at 04:48 pm 1342111702
Have you done any grant writing? There is money to be made from individuals who are excellent researchers but haven't a clue about obtaining the grant and it's process. For example Engineers have a ghastly time with the writing side of the process.