Six things. In a garden. On a Saturday.
1 – Brad’s First Harvest. Brad is my husband. Brad loves all things hot & spicy. He decided to put in a garden of his own, mainly as a salsa garden. He probably has a dozen different kinds of peppers in addition to tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. His plants have been in the ground longer than mine, which means that he is already harvesting. I must say, the pop of those cherry tomatoes in my mouth has been absolutely worth the wait. Fantastic!
2 – Blossom. This beautiful yellow blossom is on one of my pumpkin vines. I think it’s perfect! Three quick thoughts: (1) When writing this, I couldn’t decide if it was a ‘bloom’ or a ‘blossom.” As usual, the internet provides plenty of support for using either word in reference to the flower. (2) I found lots of recipes for pumpkin blossoms, which is why I chose to list this as a blossom. (3) How many pumpkins vines would I have to grow to feel comfortable picking the blossoms for a recipe instead of letting the blossoms grown into pumpkins?
3 – Creature. What is this fascinating creature? I don’t know and I haven’t had time to look it up on the internet yet. I didn’t find it in my garden, but discovered it about 100 feet away on my back patio. I don’t know if it was injured or just making its way into the world, but it seemed a bit unsure of itself and wobbly on its feet. I seriously hope I don’t find it feasting in my garden later!
4 – Butterfly Bush. Remember the pot that Delaney gave me for Mother’s Day? It now contains its butterfly bush, which has been blooming for about a week. I just love purple flowers. I am so delighted to have this in my garden. Hope the butterflies like it, too!
5 – Farmer’s Market. So technically, this isn’t in a garden. There was a huge wind/rain storm last night, so I needed to give my garden some time to dry this morning. Seemed like a good time to check out the Edmond Farmer’s Market. This local market is in downtown Edmond, OK – my hometown. It’s a rather small market, but the produce is fresh and abundant. Eight-ball zucchini are the most popular item this week, with practically every vendor featuring this small, round variety. The heirloom tomatoes look marvelous! And I always have to stop and visit with the honey vendors. I love honey.
6 – Blackberries. Today’s spontaneous adventure! Cooper and I hit this u-pick place on the way home from the farmer’s market. It is about a mile from our house. Thank you Sorghum Mill Tree & Berry Farm for letting us pick even though we arrived late. Ms. Jean got us started, and then Michael showed us around. They have thorn and thorn-less varieties on five acres. $4 per pound. They are only open on Tuesday and Saturday mornings, while the berries last. Brad is hoping for a blackberry crisp but right now these delicious treats are serving as my afternoon snack!
To see what other gardeners are featuring this week, check out the post and comment section in this link: Six on Saturday. Until next time …
Patch405 
That fascinating creature is well equipped to camouflage itself on your peas, I think. Great to have a farmers’ market near you. We have one too, but only once a month🙁 That’s a sunny photo of your pumpkin flower.
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Beautiful photos!
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Ten minutes after posting my fascinating bug on a Facebook gardening group, I have an identification: Common True Katydid! Typically, they are found up in oak trees. On the ground, they are awkward and slow – which would explain the behavior I witnessed.
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Your blackberries make me hungry. Farmers’ Markets are the best. My marionberries are a good month away from harvest, and waiting is HARD.
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So many blackberries…already! Yum.
That creature looks like it belongs in Harry Potter! Never seen it but it’s beautiful.
I would say pick as many blossoms as you like if you have a recipe. Perhaps leave 1 as that’s all you need for a pumpkin. X
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Mmmm blackberries. I love pick your own growers! Here we have a local strawberry farm that I have been meaning to go to for years. My two are both old enough now that next year they are finally ready to pick strawberries. Can’t wait.
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Edmond?! Where are you at in the region? The ‘405’ got my attention. I sort of figured that you were referring to the area code, not the San Diego Freeway. I am completely Californian, but like many Californians, much of what I learned about horticulture was from Okies.
Oh, your Six are cool to – but Oklahoma is even more COOL!
Pumpkin blossoms, or simply ‘squash blossoms’ are popular among Italian American culture. The blossoms are still useful for cooked recipes after they are done and starting to wilt. If fresh ones are desired, the male pollinator blossoms can be taken without interfering with fruit production. You do not want to bother the female blossoms that are making the pumpkins until they are ready to fall of; or better yet, just don’t mess with them. However, you have likely noticed that many types of squash make more fruitless male flowers than they need. Some people take intact male flowers to dust the female flowers with, which makes the superfluous flowers even more redundant.
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I should mention though that squash blossoms are not often taken in large quantities. If merely adding them to a salad or a lasagna (or casserole), you do not need very many.
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