My New and Improved Plog

[Sunfrogolin]

This flower only blooms for one day. It opens at night and lives the day then dies. The cacti is really cool because it resembles a snake. I don't know the name of it. I took this picture at night by using a hand held led flashlight btw.

In other news, I fixed the brakes on my car. Ho hum.

Not much else happened today.

[PigsnieLite]

This flower is in your garden? WOW.

[Sunfrogolin]

It's not in my garden it's a cactus flower.
The zucchini and watermelons are in bloom in my garden.

[shoegirl]

Pretty cacti flower

Take a photo of your blooming watermelons for us Sunfrog

[Sunfrogolin]

The watermelons stopped blooming after you posted that Shoey.
On the bright side, I have two adorable watermelons growing and I harvested another zucchini today. I only ate half of the last one because it was so huge. Half of it is still in the fridge. I am saving the seeds from it to grow next season.

Today I tried to get my mom to teach me how to make spelt tortillas. Everything went well except I didn't use enough shortening and my tortillas were not round. I think only 1 out of 12 turned out round. lol

However, they do taste good. Spelt is an ancient variety of wheat and is chock a bloc with vitamins.

In other news, it was a pretty boring day. Ho hum.

[Sunfrogolin]

My zucchini is so big and shiny. What should I do?
Zucchini plants are huge now. They take up 2/3 of my garden. I think I need a separate garden just for them.

[shoegirl]

You can give them a light pruning if they are getting too huge (your zucchini plants) just avoid the areas with flowers.

[Sunfrogolin]

Apple Fun Facts

Apples are a member of the rose family.

Archeologists have found evidence that humans have been enjoying apples since at least 6500 B.C.

The apple tree originated in an area between the Caspian and the Black Sea.

Apple varieties range in size from a little larger than a cherry to as large as a grapefruit.

There are apples that have an aftertaste of pears, citrus, cinnamon, cloves, coconut, strawberries, grapes and even pineapple!

Planting an apple seed from a particular apple will not produce a tree of that same variety. The seed is a cross of the tree the fruit was grown on and the variety that was the cross pollinator.

Apples have five seed pockets or carpels. Each pocket contains seeds. The number of seeds per carpel is determined by the vigor and health of the plant. Different varieties of apples will have different number of seeds.

It takes energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple.

Fresh apples float because 25% of their volume is air (thank goodness, or none of us would have ever experienced bobbing for apples!).

Apples ripen six to ten times faster at room temperature than if they were refrigerated. For optimal storage, apples should be kept at 35-40 degrees with relative humidity of 80-90%.

A bushel of apples weighs approximately 42 pounds, or 19kg. A peck of apples weighs 10.5 pounds, or 4.8kg.

The average U.S. consumer eats an estimated 45 pounds of apples a year. Europeans consumers eat 46 pounds a year.

Sixty percent of the 2002 U.S. apple crop was eaten as fresh fruit, while 39 percent was processed into apple products, and 1 percent was not marketed. Of the 39 percent of the crop that was processed, 18 percent was used in juice and cider; 3 percent was dried; 2 percent was frozen; and 12 percent was canned. Other uses include the making of baby food, apple butter or jelly, and vinegar.

The apple is the official state fruit of Rhode Island, New York, Washington, and West Virginia. The apple blossom (Pyrus coronaria) is the official state flower of Arkansas and Michigan.

The old saying "an apple a day, keeps the doctor away" comes from am old English adage, "To eat an apple before going to bed, will make the doctor beg his bread.

[Sunfrogolin]

Here are some baby carrots and basil that I harvested the other day. They went into a stew I made.

Today I went to my usual haircutting place to get a haircut and they were out of business. They went belly up.

[PigsnieLite]

Oh, thats sad. Maybe your mum can cut your hair. Or your weird brother. The cawwots look like they need a trim too.