Hump Day!!! Camel Pix Posting Day!

[Nasturtium 500]

You may very well have "Ichiban" or another one of the hybrids, especially if you bought it as a plant. I think "Ichiban" is pretty popular because of it's good growth qualities balanced with disease resistence and fruiting. You could probably reseed/replant the squash now still... since you have such a long season. I've got a bunch of squash/pumpkins/melons/cukes coming up at this point because we finally warmed up into the 80s/90s. Our problem is if we plant too late, long-maturing things like winter squash and melons don't get enough time before frost.

Just let me know about the seeds. You could also mailorder if you'd like, Baker Creek has great seeds. http://rareseeds.com/seeds/ I've found about 1-2 weeks until you get your stuff from them is pretty common. All of their things are open-pollinated as well, so you don't need to worry if you'd like to save your seeds and don't have any crossing plants nearby.

Setcreasea pallida/purpurea (would help if I wasn't in a hurry and spelled it correctly, sorry for the dyslexic moment) is a trailing version also known by the genus Tradescantia.

It has this awesome variegated version, which adds a bright spot of color.

You know I did that in the field too, asking a bazillion questions about the plants around me. What I found was somewhat disturbing to me-- that they had as little idea of the names of plants as the average American. I took a ton of photos and ended up looking things up on the internet myself half the time. I could not believe something as simple as capers was a mystery to people in the area. Many have really lost touch with their native plants and what can and can't be eaten.

http://www.khammash.com/

the above is my friend's BIL's site. If you look at the bottom there is an icon for "Jordan Flora" which is where I got some information. I imagine this would contain a certain ammount of the same plants for Palestine as well. Ammar has done a lot to bring nature/environmental issues to the forefront (as much as it can be) for Jordanians, and he has even been out discovering new species of things. It's kind of neat. ANyway, he doesn't have much but he has good information.

I think it's a sad loss of culture, personally, that many don't know about their surroundings-- here or there-- anymore. Ammar (my husband) told me the other day though, that they eat the tops of Daucus carota, Queen Anne's Lace. I was surprised and asked him if he realized those were wild carrots. He said they never touch the roots but eat the flower head somehow.. he couldn't remember if it was in seed or before bloom. It's something his mother taught him when he was little, and his mother was 50 years older than him-- so it was some old village knowledge. He learned a lot of things this way, by learning things from his mother and father who knew the old ways.

That's exactly what I would do in Palestine -- point to stuff and say the name I know. A couple of times I didn't recognize something and whoever I asked didn't know either, but they would always say "let's find some old person and ask them -- they will know."

I don't think I'm familiar with secretsia -- will have to look it up.

I have Japanese eggplant -- they're fairly small, long and narrow (sounds like what you describe as Ichiban.) My squash is next to the onions and the tomatoes -- didn't seem to phase the beetles. My method of control was to flick them into a cup of soapy water, and destroy their eggs underneath the leaves. They're gone now, but the squash has not sprung back.

I was just googling about okra -- you're right, it's not too late. I did check Wal-Mart and Home Depot and Lowe's and all the usual garden spots, but no one had any plants out -- maybe they don't think A HUNDRED DEGREES TODAY was hot enough You're very kind to offer up your seeds -- you know okra is native to Africa... so you've got seeds from the motherland. Let me see if I can find some seeds around here tomorrow, or I may have to take you up on that offer !

Oooo Mahmoud has just arrived bearing gifts of falafel AND shwerma !!!!!!! :dance:

Hey WOM, don't you have a falafel recipe? Hmmmm? Am I remembering rightly?

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

You may very well have "Ichiban" or another one of the hybrids, especially if you bought it as a plant. I think "Ichiban" is pretty popular because of it's good growth qualities balanced with disease resistence and fruiting. You could probably reseed/replant the squash now still... since you have such a long season. I've got a bunch of squash/pumpkins/melons/cukes coming up at this point because we finally warmed up into the 80s/90s. Our problem is if we plant too late, long-maturing things like winter squash and melons don't get enough time before frost.

Just let me know about the seeds. You could also mailorder if you'd like, Baker Creek has great seeds. http://rareseeds.com/seeds/ I've found about 1-2 weeks until you get your stuff from them is pretty common. All of their things are open-pollinated as well, so you don't need to worry if you'd like to save your seeds and don't have any crossing plants nearby.

Thanks for the tip ! I will try to obtain some seeds around these parts today so I can get cracking -- we love bamia !

Setcreasea pallida/purpurea (would help if I wasn't in a hurry and spelled it correctly, sorry for the dyslexic moment) is a trailing version also known by the genus Tradescantia.

It has this awesome variegated version, which adds a bright spot of color.

Oh wow I know this plant -- it's growing in my yard (it predates my arrival.) It is extremely heat and drought tolerant, and has pretty pink flowers. Actually I looked up secretsia and found a match -- it's a form of tradescantia that I know as Wandering Jew. I have it growing in hanging pots.

You know I did that in the field too, asking a bazillion questions about the plants around me. What I found was somewhat disturbing to me-- that they had as little idea of the names of plants as the average American. I took a ton of photos and ended up looking things up on the internet myself half the time. I could not believe something as simple as capers was a mystery to people in the area. Many have really lost touch with their native plants and what can and can't be eaten.

http://www.khammash.com/

the above is my friend's BIL's site. If you look at the bottom there is an icon for "Jordan Flora" which is where I got some information. I imagine this would contain a certain ammount of the same plants for Palestine as well. Ammar has done a lot to bring nature/environmental issues to the forefront (as much as it can be) for Jordanians, and he has even been out discovering new species of things. It's kind of neat. ANyway, he doesn't have much but he has good information.

I think it's a sad loss of culture, personally, that many don't know about their surroundings-- here or there-- anymore. Ammar (my husband) told me the other day though, that they eat the tops of Daucus carota, Queen Anne's Lace. I was surprised and asked him if he realized those were wild carrots. He said they never touch the roots but eat the flower head somehow.. he couldn't remember if it was in seed or before bloom. It's something his mother taught him when he was little, and his mother was 50 years older than him-- so it was some old village knowledge. He learned a lot of things this way, by learning things from his mother and father who knew the old ways.

Well young people are always like that, but I have found that the old people always know, especially in the rural areas I will check out the link -- it's a wonderful endeavor -- knowledge like this is so important to preserve.

Hey WOM, don't you have a falafel recipe? Hmmmm? Am I remembering rightly?

I posted one for you up in Sultan's Kitchen -- this one is dee-licious !

[sara535 15]

Oh wow I know this plant -- it's growing in my yard (it predates my arrival.) It is extremely heat and drought tolerant, and has pretty pink flowers. Actually I looked up secretsia and found a match -- it's a form of tradescantia that I know as Wandering Jew. I have it growing in hanging pots.

A couple of months ago I wanted to get a hanging plant for my sister because she just re-did her kitchen and had a perfect spot for one. I was walking in to whole foods and saw they had several beautiful Wandering Jews outside, so when I was in line at the checkout I told the guy I wanted one of them. He proceeded to lecture me for a good 5 minutes (including the time it took to go outside with me and get the plant down from the high hangers) about how politically incorrect and insensitive it was to call that plant a Wandering Jew and couldnt I think of a better name for it??

I was like, I dont know any other name for it, I've always called it a Wandering Jew and honestly never thought it was offensive. I told him that everyone called it a Wandering Jew, then he informed me that he himself had NEVER heard it called that . wow.

so I am glad to see someone else call it that!

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Oh wow I know this plant -- it's growing in my yard (it predates my arrival.) It is extremely heat and drought tolerant, and has pretty pink flowers. Actually I looked up secretsia and found a match -- it's a form of tradescantia that I know as Wandering Jew. I have it growing in hanging pots.

A couple of months ago I wanted to get a hanging plant for my sister because she just re-did her kitchen and had a perfect spot for one. I was walking in to whole foods and saw they had several beautiful Wandering Jews outside, so when I was in line at the checkout I told the guy I wanted one of them. He proceeded to lecture me for a good 5 minutes (including the time it took to go outside with me and get the plant down from the high hangers) about how politically incorrect and insensitive it was to call that plant a Wandering Jew and couldnt I think of a better name for it??

I was like, I dont know any other name for it, I've always called it a Wandering Jew and honestly never thought it was offensive. I told him that everyone called it a Wandering Jew, then he informed me that he himself had NEVER heard it called that . wow.

so I am glad to see someone else call it that!

Well it's by far the most popularly-used common name for that plant. I haven't ever heard that it's an offensive term, as it is comparing the plant's ability to spread easily - even in heat and drought -- to the Biblical story of Jews wandering the desert for 40 years. I wonder how some of our Jewish members feel about it.

Anyway, some folks will take offense at all sorts of things -- even "Have a nice day" will send some people into a rage. I think "Wandering Jew" is much more beautiful/poetic name than "snotweed" LOL. You should have asked the guy what *he* called it, since he was so dern smart.

[Nasturtium 500]

LOL! Well, I have some Jewish ancestry and I don't care... I call it Wandering Jew lol. I was reading up on wild carrot and realized that the seeds are used as birth control. So something tells me that they were not eating the seeds, probably the flower umbel before it opened. Or who knows, they did have 13 kids (2 died as children), maybe they were using it as birth control! Thanks for the recipe. I also put up a bazillion photos in the photo thread for "what's blooming in your area".