My Mexican oregano bush has always come down with a bad whitefly invasion this time of year, but didn’t this year. Looking deep into the plant to try to find some whiteflies, I found a couple of praying mantises, which no doubt explains things.
They are here!
I’ve chucked that plant.
Now that you mention it, I could always find a mantis earlier in the season
…but none lately.
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It’s fall, and it’s soggy, but there are still a few things left in the garden to round up. Today’s job was cabbages and more grapette tomatoes.
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Your garden is an astounding paradise!
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Please tell your plans for those goodies!
Rhubarb growers: I still have a lot of rhubarb. Some of the stalks are comically enormous: some are regular-sized.
I’ve learned I don’t use rhubarb when I freeze it. So I’m not going to do that. But I’m not sure such late-season stuff is worth eating at all. I’d love to bake a cake or two with it, but I’m worried it will be not delicious because of the lateness.
Thoughts/experience ?
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Time to revisit some of my favorite cabbage stir-fry dishes:
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Do you make fermentables with the cabbages?
I have not made fermentables. My favorite thing to do with them is stir-fry, and for fish tacos cabbage is an absolute must.
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I’ve used late season rhubarb. Most recently for a blackberry rhubarb jelly dessert with Knox gelatin.
Sometimes it’s woody, so better for syrups or jellies.
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I had a mantis fall in love with my shishito peppers one year. Hung out there all summer long. He (she) was so cute, but never came back - nor any of its progeny.
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You’re right- first time I got tacos with cabbage in Mexico I was surprised, but it makes so much more sense than lettuce and tastes better
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For me it’s all about the texture. That crunch!
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Today’s peppers (and a few cherry tomatoes).
A Scotch Bonnet “Jean” and Aji Amarillo.
Can anyone help me identify this spider I saw on a pepper plant?
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Aww, what a cute little critter!
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Beautiful harvest mix!
The spider looks one of many species of Jumping Spider. It may be the Bold Jumping Spider, Phiddipus audax. Jumping Spiders are great predators and use excellent eyesight to hunt insects, and even other spiders. They cover a lot of ground. Many color forms exist of P. audax.
They remind me of little gorillas!
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I seeded some spinach and peas under cloche this week for wintering over, and with that I am done! End of 2023 Gardening Job List.
There’s still some clean-up to do, and plenty of late season scrounging of produce items if we wish, but otherwise, it’s time off until January 2024. 
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I’m starting salad greens in my Aerogardens!
Also writing a little blog piece about them.
True or false or other…four types of “lettuce” are
· Cos or Romaines.
· Butterhead or bibb lettuces are appreciated for sweet, tender leaves.
· Summer crisp, French crisp, or Batavian lettuce
· Leaf lettuces include “
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I was gifted one of those by my employer and haven’t taken it out of the box yet … I really should.
