Watch My Food Grow ~ A South Florida Raised Vegetable Garden

Florida Backyard Raised Vegetable Garden

Night Blooming Cereus Update

May 13th, 2013 by Lila Steinhoff
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Short-lived Flowers

It’s been four days since the first blooms opened on the night blooming cereus in my yard.

blooms on night blooming cereusFlowers on Night Blooming Cereus

Dying Flowers

When doing the previous post on the night blooming cereus, I pointed out that, contrary to many sources, the flowers on my cactus did not die after opening.  Instead, they closed and opened again the next night, along with newly opened buds.

However, today is the fourth day since the flowers first opened, and I noticed that the flower pods are wilting, turning black and dropping off.

black flower podsFallen Flower Pods

Even the flower pods that have not fallen, are turning black on the cactus.

green fruit budsBlack Flower Pods on Night Blooming Cereus

There are a few flower pods that will continue to open, because not all opened on the first night. I’m guessing that all the flower pods will be gone soon, and the branches will be covered with green fruit buds.

IMG_0863Green Fruit Buds

I am not sure how long it will be before the fruit mature, turn bright red and are ready to eat. It’s something to look forward to.

 

 

 

 

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Night Blooming Cereus

May 10th, 2013 by Lila Steinhoff
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Gift from a Stranger

Many years ago, Ken came home from a bike ride with a hunk of cactus strapped to his bike.

mother plant - night blooming cereusMother Plant

Ken rides at night in the summer, because it is cooler. During one of his night rides, he noticed a huge cactus covered with 6-inch wide, fragrant, white flowers. Another time, he rode during the day, saw the Lake Worth, FL, woman who owned it and stopped to compliment her on the flowers he had seen. She grabbed a saw and cut off a piece of her cactus and gave it to him with instructions to stick it in the ground and it watch it grow.

It Grew!!

It did, indeed, grow. In less than two years, it was a single 10-foot tall cactus. It stayed that way until pieces of it snapped off in one of the hurricanes of 2004.  We took the pieces and stuck them in the ground in the farthest corner of the front yard.

10-foot tall night blooming cereus10-foot Tall Night Blooming  Cereus

In a couple of years, there were several 10-foot tall cactuses that began to flower and produce fruit.

Night Blooming Cereus

Night blooming cereus is a term used for many types of night blooming cactuses. The flowers of all varieties of night-blooming cactuses are white. The white color reflects the moonlight and attracts the pollinators. Some flowers have a fragrance. Most sources say the flowers last only one night and die when the sun rises.

That is not the case with cactuses in our yard. The flowers open each night by about 10 PM, close up before the sun rises and open again the next night.

Nocturnal Flowers

Two nights ago, I returned home around 10 PM to find that the buds I had seen earlier on the cactus had opened, and there were huge white flowers covering the branches.

blooms on night blooming cereusFlowers on Night-Blooming Cereus

bloom on night blooming cereusFlower on Night-Blooming Cereus

blooms on night blooming cereusFlowers on Night-Blooming Cereus

blooms on night blooming cereusFlowers on Night-Blooming Cereus

In the Daylight

The following morning, I checked the cactus for blooms. The blooms were gone, but the original buds were still there. The flowers had closed up overnight.

closed flowers on night-blooming cereusBuds on Night-Blooming Cereus

A difference was noticed in the buds of flowers that had closed overnight and those that had not yet bloomed.

closed flowers on night blooming cereusBuds on Night-Blooming Cereus

White petals could be seen inside the partially opened buds of the ones that opened the night before. The ones that were yet to bloom were tightly closed.

Second Night

Last night, the cactus was full of white flowers, again. I took more pictures, and upon comparison, the pictures show flowers in the same place as the previous night, as well as, new buds that had opened.

blooms on night blooming cereusFlowers on Night-Blooming Cereus

flower in fenceFlower on Night-Blooming Cereus

night blooming cereus flowersFlowers on Night-Blooming Cereus

Add to that, there were no dead flowers on the ground anywhere. No doubt, that the same flowers are opening and closing. Pictures are the proof.

A Bit of Cactus Trivia

Because the flowers are only open at night, sphinx moths* and nectar-feeding bats rather than bees are the pollinators.

(* a side note:  It is ironic that sphinx moths are necessary for pollination. Sphinx moths are the adult form of hornworm caterpillars…  like the ones found on my tomatoes last season.)

After Pollination

Once the flower is pollinated, it wilts and dies and the green fruit bud sets.

fruit bud Wilted Flower with Fruit Bud

There are a lot of pictures with this post. I just couldn’t help myself. Flowers that bloom only at night are fascinating, and they are beautiful!

Click on any picture to make it larger. Use the arrows on the left and right to move through the pictures in the post.

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Fried Green Tomatoes

May 1st, 2013 by Lila Steinhoff
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LOTS of  Green Tomatoes

This is the fourth year that I have grown tomatoes in a raised garden, but it’s the first year that I have had tomatoes or any other plants that have grown with such gusto. I do believe it is the soil I used this year, but that is a story for another time.

tomato plantsTomato Plants

green tomatoesGreen Tomatoes

I have so many green tomatoes that the temptation to fry up a bunch… even before I have had ripe ones… was just too strong.

Gave into Temptation

I couldn’t resist any longer and picked two of the biggest green ones on the vine to make fried green tomatoes.

green tomatoesGreen Tomatoes

How to Fry Green Tomatoes

While there is no mystery to frying green tomatoes, there is a difference of opinion among cooks as to whether flour or cornmeal should be used. I am totally a flour person. Period.

Firm, green-as-grass tomatoes are  sliced about 1/4 in thick,

sliced green tomatoesSliced Green Tomatoes

 lightly salted and dipped in flour… front and back.

flouring green tomatoesFlouring Green Tomatoes

Place the tomato slices in a heated skillet with oil on medium high heat.

frying green tomatoesFrying Green Tomatoes

Turn the tomatoes when the side is lightly browned. I have found that a large fork works way better than a spatula for turning the tomatoes. Watch the tomatoes closely, as they cook pretty fast.

IMG_0284Cooling Fried Green Tomatoes

When they are done, remove the tomatoes with a fork and place them on a cooling rack that allows any extra oil to drip off.

I have to say that most times, the finished product never makes it to a plate. I eat them right from the rack. Yum! I am the only one in my house who likes them, so the standing dining experience is all good. Lucky me!

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