• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
    Luckily i create an offsite backup once a week! this has now been restored so we have lost a few days posts.
    im still fixing things at the moment so bear with me and im still working on all images 90% are fine the others im working on now
    we are now using a backup solution

Veggies

S

Stitcher

Guest
I have always grown veggies in the back garden, caught it from my dad I suppose in the 40s. Anyway, when my son was a toddler he would be down the garden and if I asked him what he had been doing he shrugged his shoulders. Next time I went down there I would find a lille heap of empty pea pods hidden behind a large cabbage. He always denied any knowledge of how they got there but it could only have been him.I would sometimes find the outer leaves from a sprout he had eaten. He is 38 now and says that sprouts are his favourite but he loves all veggies.
 
judy 39, It is true and it rubbed of on him too because he grows his own now.
 
My son Steve had a little patch at the back of the garden. He stencilled STEVE'S PLOT on the fence. Every time Pete paints it steves plot always shows through. Pete his twin brother decided to prune our Peony one year that had just come into bud. Couldn't tell him off as he thought he was doing us a favour. They both tried to grow lettuce but they went stringy. The thing they did grow successfully was cress in ornamental faces. The cress looked like hair. My dad used to grow rhubarb. Bye. Jean.
 
Hi Stitcher

Both my sons are vegetarians and both have their own allotments. They are keeping busy there at the moment. My youngest son's favourite vegetable when he was young was sprouts - which are usually hated by most children.

Jean, my eldest is Steve as well.
 
Judy39, glad to hear they like their greens. I would not comment on being a meat eater or vegetarian but we should all eat veggies. I dont think we have come across a vegetable yet that we did not like.
 
Judy thanks for wecoming Helen. Meeting up with her dad this week. Steve's my youngest son by 20 minutes. He grow his own veg and Pete his brother was vegie until he began eating chicken again last week. Eats a lot of fish and is the cook in his house. [good at it as well] Bye for now Jean.
 
Gee Gee Jean, I am growing an old vegetable this year, it is called CARDOOM. To be honest I had never heard of it but came across some seeds somewhere and tried them. According to the net they are a leaf, a bit like spinach really I suppose. They are supposed to grow rather large and the stem out of the leaf can be used as a normal green veg, and the actual feaf should be steamed until it wilts,again a bit like spinach. They seem to be growing alright and I will let you know more when we try them.
 
NAS, my dad too did the rhubarb thing as did I with my son. He is 37 now and grows his own. I had to stop it along with the goosgogs because the acid in both aggravated my arthritis. The thought of dipping the rhubarb into the sugar still makes my mouth water. Happy Days.
 
Sticks of rhubarb Norma, I remember my grandad who lived next door growing rhubarb, just loved the taste with or without sugar. I am very fond of rhubarb pie too.

Regarding peas I would shell them for my mom, but she made me whistle so I wouldn't eat any LOL
 
We had a rhubarb patch too. I love it in a crumble. Not a sugery person. Sweet enough. Hm Hm. Jean.
 
Gee Gee Jean, I tried growing proper watercress one year. I grew it in gravel inside a large lined tray I made from floorboards. I changed the water each day and it did alright. I was pleased but after we had eaten it I was told that because the water is not constantly running, it could be a breeding ground for nasty things. The best one being salmonella. The thought of anything worse scared me so I tried American Land Cress. You and others may already know this but it was news to me at the time. It tastes the same or even better than watercress. It looks very similar but you grow it in the ground like any other plant. I now grow loads of it as we like salad leaves.
 
Bought some watercress today from Perry Barr indoor market. It is in a bunch not a packet. I like tortilla wraps putting various fillings in. Ram as much green salad in as possible. Makes a nice filling snack. Peter still has to have his bacon and egg sandwiches for breakfast. His blood pressure is normal and his cholesteral is low. Lucky person. Still the same weight as when he was in his twenties. Aint fair is it. His dinners are large although he is not a pudding person. Bye. Jean.:cry::cry:
 
Gee Gee Jean I have always had a voracious appetite. It may stem from when I was a kid. Our mom did not like us to leave anything so I always eat what is put. Believe me Jean, if you have not tried American Land Cress it is lovely. You should try growing it next year. I plant a few seeds in the greenhouse early spring and when I put them into the garden I plant a few more. Each time we finish eating one batch I plant another . It is quite easy to get into the system and we have fresh cress all through summer.
 
Will give it a try Stitcher love cress. So do my tortoises. Steve has a large greenhouse and I will get him to do it for me. No room in our garden with Pete's big shed and his fish ponds take up at least a 1/4 of our garden. We could have one at the back of the waterfall but that is lovely large run for the tortoises [and beleive you me they can shift] By. Jean.
 
Nas, I dont know where you are but mine are still green. I have grown most outdoor varieties in the past and for the last few years I have grown them in the greenhouse. This year I have tried tumbler, in baskets. They have grown quite well and are literaly smothered in green tomoto's and flowers. I am hoping we get enough sunshine to ripen them. Do you believe as I do that the first one like you had yesterday is the best one? I have a friend who is a keen gardener, a retired Rover toolroom worker. He has a seed catalogue that lists many tomato types and each year he grows diferent ones. Some have been like a short banana and several different varieties of yellow ones,one year he grew the largest ones I have ever seen. I did not like them because they were very watery.
 
Nas do you have summer where you are. Ours has got lost this year. See you for that drink in a minute. Jean. ps. proud of that hat are we not.
 
Norma have you tried sliced zucchini rounds browned in butter, then added crispy bacon bits, its delicious served with turkey

By the way Trevor, I love dainty watercress sandwiches. I am not sure if I have tried American Land cress or not. The cress we have here in Canada is rather a large leaf?
 
Last year we were given a greenhouse so I tried tomatoes for the first time and had about 120 tomatoes from the four plants that survived.
This year a tried a 6 pack of seeds and at the moment most are green with just about 7 tomatoes red but I am growing one lot in the greenhouse and the other outside with very mixed results, one type are just one stem with most of the leaves dropping off and one flower head full of toms and yet other ones of the same type are full of green leaves and no flowers!!
I think I'll just carry on buying them at Somerfields for about £1 a tub!
 
Al denté - Ooh get her. You my girl will be disowned by Brummies and Weegies alike if you go on that way ;)
 
We have 12 tomato plants in the garden besides other veggies. By the end of the summer we will have more tomatoes than we can eat. They are not ready yet. When we start having a frost I hate to see the tomatoes zapped so I pick them all and wrap them in newspaper and put them in a card board box.
They will last for several months like that and gradually turn red, although they are not as nice. I use them for salad or cooking. Most fruits will store like that as long as they are dry. Once the frost comes here that is it with the garden.
Norma I like all the veggies and peppers roasted in the oven or in tin foil on the BBQ with a little oil or salad dressing to keep them moist. Mmmm:) Mo
 
Sakura, we do all sorts of thing with the green ones. Have you tried green tomato chutney? I like it but I dont know if it is an aquired taste.
 
Nas, they need to in total darkness thats waht the paper is for and although they should not be kept cold, artificial heat will cause them to deteriorate. We wrap ours in newspaper and keep them in a drawer.
 
I do like tomato chutney but I tasted it while I was cooking it once and the recipe had mustard in it. Wow it burnt my mouth. I'm th only one who likes it so I don't make it now. :) Mo
 
Beryl a few posts back you mentioned zuccini. Sounds delicious but what is it please. Love trying different things. Jean.:wave::wave:
 
Thanks Norma, I'm just going to get lunch so I will raid the beet jar. John and I both love it. Salad is my lunch almost every day.
Jean they are a vegetable that looks like a small marrow, probably is the same thing as I have had them grow huge. We get them when they are a few inches long, smaller than half a cucumber. We eat them several times a week or rather my daughter who is a vegetarian and I do, John is not fond of them as there is not much substance to them. Man thing eh!
Our favorite is in stir fry with peppers and mushrooms and anything that is going tossed with a little soy sauce and noodles. Before we add the sauce we sometimes add a beaten egg and stir it until it is all mixed and cooked. Must go and get lunch this makes me hungry. :)Mo
 
Last edited:
Nas Sakura I've tried to force myself to like beets but they have beat me. [Excuse the pun]. I heard they are very good for several health issues. See you both later for a drink. Ann b may be joining if Keith has ok'd it. Jean.
 
NAS, We always have a jar in the cupboard and some years I grow plenty as well. I will eat them anytime.
 
Jean, Norma here is a photo of a zuchini. But as you say Norma the size varies. This is the size we like. Sometime I slice them long ways and grill them with some seasoning on top. :) Mo
View attachment 15973
 
In an earlier post I said I was growing an old leaf vegetable called 'CARDOOM' No one replied, does that mean you have all tried it and didnt like it or hav'nt you heard of it?
 
Back
Top