I have let a bunch of pumpkins over grown the garden again. I'm allowing it, not because I expect to get great pumpkins. I'm allowing it because the pumpkin vines are great squash bug traps and I am eating the pumpkin blossoms.
The pumpkin leaves seem to confuse the squash bugs. They are mostly laying their eggs on top of the leaves instead of safely underneath. I've just been cutting off the infested leaves and throwing them in fire pit to be burned. One clutch of eggs did hatch. I just lifted up the big leave and sprayed them all down with soapy water. They were very dead very quick. I'm hoping this activity will give my actual squash plants a fighting chance.
I remember making fried squash blossoms last year and they were yummy. Because of the diagnosis of MODY 2 diabetes, I have been on a very strict ADA diet for the past nine weeks. I decided to try to fry the pumpkin blossoms with beaten egg whites instead of breading them. The results tasted good, but were far to greasy. I may make them with breading for Manly and the Monkeys, but I'll keep out of it myself.
A better alternative for me was pumpkin blossom soup. Just chicken stock, chopped up pumpkin blossoms and a little lemon juice. Easy peazy. I will put the soup through the food processor next time to smooth it out. The texture of the blossoms was a little too spiky.
Today I made a Noonday onion, pumpkin blossom, pepper, cheese and bacon frittata. It was extra yummy. The pepper and blossoms were from my garden, the eggs were from local chickens and the onions from Noonday, Texas. The only things not local were the bacon and cheese. I think I can find local sources for those for next time :)
Anybody else eating out of the garden yet?
Letting the garden grow
10 hours ago
