Found the mulberry tree! Food forest garden

I had the weekend off, so I took advantage of the nice weather to clean up the old garden, harvest some garden food and eat seasonal veg.

In the apartment garden, I've got some tomatoes and peppers still growing, as well as thr lime fruits maturing. The lime trees keep getting a black fungus on the leaves like soot. They also have been infested with white hairy bugs that I can't seem to ever get rid of. The same bugs were on our old Desert Rose bonsai no matter how many times we bathes in in peroxide or alcohol or just plain water and new soil. With that said, I'm not sure how much longer the lime trees have until they end up like our old bonsai.

Basil plants before a watering

With some Yellow squash, I made fritters mixed with flour, Ener-G egg replacer, nutritional yeast, salt, black pepper, onion & garlic powder. I also add a little miso paste and water to the mix and pour it in the skillet like batter. I serve these with chili crisps.

Yellow squash fritters 

While we've been cleaning the old garden, we came across some Ripe figs! They were delicious. 

Ripe Cold Hardy Fig

My second batch of fritters this week was with fresh cabbage and kimchi mix. I used plain flour, Ener-G egg replacer (not totally necessary- I just have it on hand), nutritional yeast (just makes it a bit cheesy), salt, black pepper, miso paste, onion & garlic powder. These were the best fritters I have ever made. These are really versatile, I've made them a million different ways. You can use zucchini, Carrot, potatoes, and probably any vegetable! I'm a southern woman, so anything fried is tasty to me.

I ate these with chili crisps again- chili crisps go on everything these days from Fried Kale to boiled potatoes.

Cabbage & kimchi fritters 

During the weekend off, I also went out of town to buy a Jackfruit. I wasn't on a mission to buy a Jackfruit, but, I had eaten a durian recently and felt like it was about time to endulge in another big tropical fruit that I don't always have access to eating. 

It wasn't the ripest it could have been, but it was pretty dang good.

Like I said, while we have been cleaning up the old garden, we picked a couple of Ripe figs, but we also managed to harvest more mulberries and pears 🍐 

Last week, I found my mulberry tree amongst the jungle of weeds. The only reason I realized what it was, was because of the berries on the tree. Otherwise, I'm sure I would have chopped it down completely! I'm not even sure when I transplanted this mulberry, and where I got it from! I'm sure it was a twig when I bought and transplanted it. Considering it's been nearly 5 years since I've planted anything at the old garden, I'm sure the mulberry has been growing little by little for the last 5 years, hiding and carefully becoming big and beautiful to produce its first batch of berries.

Mulberry tree growing berries in October 

Mulberry tree that grew for years with 
No care & maintenance

The mulberry survived amongst invasive
Ivy, thorns & other plants, growing 
Tall to reach the sun.

Second harvest of pears this year

Of course, I always like to stop by the fall scene every time I visit the grandparents. The gourds and colors are so inviting. 

September Fall Garden starting

You can tell Fall is setting in. Certain plants, like iron weeds grow this time of year; there's a different sound that Fall sounds like- like a creeping sound at the end of the day...like, the bugs are tired but still buzzing around. 

As Fall approaches, I have been sowing seeds, fertilizing and protecting plants I have also started. 

On Thursday, I went up to my garden and checked on plants. My lettuces, spinach,  beets, and peas have sprouted and seem to be doing good. This is the space I have fenced in, and while I was up there- I fertilized those rows of plants. 

As the cooler nights set in, I will also install the PVC piping to make a hoop around the plants to cover over with cloth or plastic. 

Horn worm on tomato plants

Rows of peppers still growing

Pepper plants getting hit by evening sunlight

Fenced in garden of peas, lettuces and other greens

Broccoli plants transplanted 

Tomatoes

Sowed radish seeds 

Planted extra broccoli in containers

Peas and greens fertilized

Fall scenes for a Fall Queen

Some of the remaining gourds I harvested from the garden...

Carved pumpkins and made a spooky bat and witch for festivities...

I made some bat wings for my little man...

And, snapped a shot of my grandmas beautifully displayed fall scene. There is oranges and reds far as the eye can see from the mountains to the yards...

Frost protection for Fall garden & Pumpkin decor

On this Hallows eve, I worked a bit in the garden. It is supposed to drop to 25 degrees F this weekend. So, I arranged water piping over the broccoli, cauliflower, kale plants. Then laid garden canvas over each. 

At my other garden, I did the same--covering thr kale, turnip, basil, cilantro, strawberries, radishes, and flowers. 

There are many ways to cover and protect plants from the cold and frost. What methods do you use? I have tried plastic jugs, jars, and plastic sheeting, and that's usually too harsh for plants because they scorch from the excessive heat. Cloth is usually the best! 

As these nights get colder, I've noticed bugs warming themselves in the carved pumpkins I've lit. Slugs, especially, have taken advantage of the little fires in the pumpkins. 

Did you carve pumpkins? Is that a tradition for you? For me, carving pumpkins are symbolic, and artistic. It is a favorite past time of mine. Pumpkins are a symbol of warmth, stability, plentiful, wholesome. To use these as nature's own little lanterns, makes me feel like I'm warding off the bad, the negative energy. This doesn't mean that that's what pumpkins are doing; but, that's the feeling I get.