Regrown celery

Some time ago, I learned it's possible to regrow celery from a purchased stalk. When I first saw the pictures on Pinterest, I was intrigued - and a little skeptical. I went to the fridge, whacked off the celery root, and stuck it in a cup of water. Within a day or two, it was sending up new growth. In due time I planted it in a pot and watched it grow. My first impression was that even if it didn't grow celery I could eat, it was a lovely green plant. I've been playing with celery ever since. That all changed this summer. 

Earlier in the year, I invested in some grow-bags to serious about growing some of my own vegetables. I've been growing celery in flower pots but the grow-bags are a much better home for any veggie.

This past Tuesday, I harvested three celery plants. The ribs were diced, blanched, and frozen for in soups and stews. The leaves were dehydrated for the same purpose. 

What amazed me was on Wednesday morning I discovered the oldest plant had responded to being harvested by quickly growing another four inches. With any luck, I'll get another harvest before cold weather descends. 

Here on the manor, we enjoy trying different things. Some things work and some things don't work, but we always manage to smile and get on with our day.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor

Pepper's last bud

last bloom on the bell pepper

The ability to grow peppers has eluded me all my life- until this year. My family has a long tradition of gardening but I got short-changed on the gene. I've tried and tried to grow decent green bell peppers but it's been to no avail. But this year, I did it. 

I planted two different varieties of peppers side-by-side in grow bags. Was that the trick?  Who knows? But I did get a small pepper harvest, enough to freeze several ziploc bags for use in cooking. I couldn't do it today, but I hope to make up several batches of Potatoes O'Brien for in the freezer. It's nice to know I have the peppers ready to go. 

The peppers didn't grow to a large size, but size was not my measure of success. The fact the plants produced at all was a victory. Maybe the young doe eating the top out of the one was a factor in the pepper size, too. I've got a few ideas on how to improve the pepper harvest for next summer. I've even gone as far as to save some seeds to see if I can get them to sprout in the spring. 

Peppers were not a crop my grandfather grew. Oh, he had a plant or two so my grandmother could add fresh pepper to her rather famous potato salad, but that was about it. I'd be willing to bet my mother never cooked with a pepper her entire life. I certainly do not remember them being in the house when I lived with my parents. Where my love of peppers came from is a mystery. 

I thought the peppers were finished but then today I noticed one more bloom. Does it have time to form a pepper? I doubt it, but I'll let the plant work and see what happens. 

So we shall see if the summer of 2021 will be a good year for green peppers. Maybe I can build on the success of this year and raise a pepper worthy of stuffing. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor