Deja Grew

Three seasons ago there was a contamination scare that involved melons. It made me very glad that I was growing my own melons that year. Now I am experiencing the double whammy of a salmonella scare involving cilantro and cucumbers sending shock waves through the produce sections of American food stores.

Fortunately the FDA is right on top of this and has isolated the source of the contamination in each case. And even more fortunately, I can get all the cilantro and lemon cukes I want from my garden.

Food safety isn't the main reason I like to garden, but it is a really great side benefit.

Misdirection

Do you love magic? I certainly do! I've never taken the time for a serious study of it or tried to learn a trick well enough to perform before an audience, but I love to watch it. And I think I understand the basic principles involved fairly well. What does this have to do with gardening? One word, misdirection; you see the lemon cucumbers in the photo aren't produce I forgot to harvest, they're decoys. We have a couple of squirrels in the neighborhood and this is the time of year they start eating anything and everything they can get their hands on in order to put on weight for the winter. Now I don't want them munching on my tomatoes, which are still coming into their own. So I'm hoping the cucumbers will be enough of a distraction to keep the little critters busy and well fed and my tomatoes off their menu. So far it seems to be working.

When Life Gives You Lemons....Pickle Them!

Well, you can pickle them when they're lemon cucumbers. They grow to be about the size of a baseball and at first glance they don't look as though they have much in common with their green cousins. But slice into them and take a bite. The aroma and the taste will tell you that they are indeed cukes. And need I mention that they are great when pickled?