0 Persons are tagged with #zone9b

#zone9b

claralistensprechen3rd@friendica.myportal.social
Clara Listensprechen

Plus what you grow yourself always tastes a lot better than what's in the store. ❤

♲ Melanie - 2024-03-21 01:49:22 GMT

The harvest. The dinner.Honestly one of the most rewarding things in my life is being able to walk outside & pick actual food that I grew myself.

Gardening is hard. It's a lot of work & a very long wait for something that sometimes, despite your best efforts, might not even yield results.

But when it does, it feels amazing.

Info & details in alt-text

#gardening #TexasGarden #Zone9b #VegetableGardening #veggies #food
Fresh picked vegetables on a bamboo cutting board. Harvested this evening from my garden. Vegetables include a small head of broccoli (variety "Early Green"), a large Swiss chard leaf (variety "Rhubarb"), a small pile of snow peas (variety "Melting Sugar"), and an asparagus spear.</p><p>Additional notes: the broccoli could have been larger but it was just beginning to show signs of bolting and we're forecast for even warmer weather next week. So I went ahead and picked it. Even though it's small, I'll still get several meals from this one head.
A plate of fried rice on a bamboo cutting board.</p><p>Homegrown vegetables include broccoli, snow peas, swiss chard, asparagus and carrots. Note: the carrots are not shown in first photo because they were pulled up yesterday & already in the fridge. I forgot about them when I took the picture (lol).</p><p>Cooking details: One of my go-to meals that I eat all the time. It's my version of a cross between stir-fry and fried rice. The vegetables are lightly steamed, then cooked along with garlic, ginger, and eggs. Then quickly sautéed over high heat with white rice & soy sauce. Finished with fresh calamondin juice (also grown in my garden) squeezed over the top.

Melanie (@MelsGarden@universeodon.com)

419 Posts, 342 Following, 1.56K Followers · Avid gardener. Butterfly enthusiast. Autistic. "for they love peace and quiet and good tilled earth." J.R.R. Tolkien Eclectic mix of interests. Mostly gardening & nature photography (see 📌s). The...

claralistensprechen3rd@friendica.myportal.social
Clara Listensprechen

GORGEOUS Giant Swallowtail! And yeah--they'll pupate in weird places just like all the other butterflies out there.

♲ Melanie - 2024-02-22 18:59:34 GMT

First butterfly of the year!And omg what a wild story. I found this swallowtail IN MY HOUSE!

So here's what I think happened. We had a freeze last month & I brought both of my calamondins inside to protect them. Citrus are hosts plants for Giant Swallowtails.

I'm guessing a chrysalis was accidently knocked off one of the calamondins & it hatched in my house. I found the butterfly in the same spot where the pots were. It was on the floor, unable to fly (which is why I'm guessing newly hatched - the wings were still wet.)

Gently scooped it up & put it outside. It's been resting in the same spot for the last hour. I've seen other newly hatched do exactly the same to dry their wings.

And honestly I have to laugh - I tried ALL LAST YEAR to get a decent Giant Swallowtail photo. Never managed it. Every one was blurry. And this year starts off w one my "holy grail" butterflies right in my own house! 😂

#butterfly #swallowtail #Lepidoptera #NaturePhotography #TexasGarden #Zone9b
A Giant Swallowtail butterfly resting on a stem of broccoli rabe. Dorsal view with the wings spread wide.</p><p>Further detail: the butterfly is black with a horizontal yellow band stretching across the forewings and additional yellow markings down the sides of the hindwings. There are two small red and blue patches on the interior hindwings. Background is a tangle of long, tapered green leaves and a small cluster of yellow broccoli rabe flowers.

Melanie (@MelsGarden@universeodon.com)

751 Posts, 346 Following, 1.52K Followers · Avid gardener. Autistic. "for they love peace and quiet and good tilled earth." J.R.R. Tolkien Eclectic mix of interests (see 📌). Mostly gardening & nature photography. The occasional sci-fi &...

One person like that