Florida gardeners can easily grow borage. The blue flowers add interest to any garden, and honey bees love them. The plant is short lived as it dislikes the heat.
One of the things I love about a Florida winter is that the Borage will grow. Borage is a fuzzy-leafed, blue-flowering plant. Its leaves make a delicious tea. The little flowers are blue, or sometimes pink, and star-shaped. They can be used in salads and ice cubes.
Saved borage seeds, from last winter, were planted in the yard this Fall. The borage really began to take off in January. Now, in February, it is getting leafy and some of the plants are showing off lots of flowers. The flowers attract honey bees.
(All photos on this page are my own and are not free to use.)
borage flowers with beeborageMorning blue flowers
Borage likes the cool weather. It wilts in the sun on hot days. Soon I will be collecting some seeds from the early flowering plants.
At this time of year it can be cold or hot. We had a very cold January, but February has been very warm with temps near 80 during the day (in the sun).
Borage plantBorage in sun is wiltingBorge leaves drying
I have been picking, rinsing and drying borage leaves to freeze. The plants won’t last once the weather is consistently hot.
Borage can be grown among vegetables to keep unwanted pests away. The leaves are very hairy and prickly.
Three bees visiting a flowering borage plant.
Borage is a medicinal herb (read more here). I pick the leaves fresh and make tea. The seeds are rather large and are easy to save, if they can be found before dropping from the pod.
The bees are also on the newly flowering red Lantana. I planted this red one and two others (yellow and dark red) last year. This is the only one doing well. The Lantana will still grow and bloom in the heat. When the Borage has gone by, the bees will have other flowers to visit.
Lantana
More Garden Stories
My newer posts are from my Florida gardening experiences. Any stories with snow were created when I lived in New Hampshire.
I’m done growing the Daikon radish. It grew so well in my garden over the winter, but I just can’t handle the taste.
When Fall arrived, I planted some daikon radish seeds. They began to grow right away. After a while, I planted more. I was really hoping I would like them. I tried. I don’t. This is my final word on this vegetable.
Daikon radish and new dirt section for plantingSeeds planted Sept. and Oct.
They are milder than a regular, small red radish. But they are still radishes. I tried numerous times to eat them in salad, or as a slaw mixed with carrots and sugar.
I would mix up the grated carrots, Daikon, sugar and oil, then let it sit for a while. This slaw mix ended up being okay mixed with greens as a salad. But not great. Honestly, it wasn’t worth my time and effort.
Daikon slawIt lasts about 3 days.
Now it is almost February. This means Spring planting is right around the corner. It was time to pull up the Daikons to make space for something more edible.
Growing Daikon Radish in Zone 9B
I had great luck growing the Daikon radish in my garden. The first seeds were planted September first. It is still very hot here and they grew. I planted another variety in October. Both types seemed to taste exactly the same, but the Miyashige White grew bigger. I bought the seeds at Annie’s Heirloom Seeds.
Some plants were a bit close together, but I don’t have a lot of space. They grew without any problems, through heat in early Fall, and cold, drought, and rain in January. Figures. All the foods I DON’T LIKE grow super well here. (Okra is on my mind.)
Many radishes became quite large, but others were still small when I pulled them. It is amusing how they push upward out of the dirt.
It might be a fun crop for kids to grow. Be aware that the leaves are a little bit prickly.
A big guy
I began a new compost pile with all the radishes I wouldn’t be eating. Nothing goes to waste. These will break down and provide rich soil to put back into the garden.
New compost pile, and FontanaNo waste gardening
I think that the only thing I can say about growing these big radishes is that they help to break up the soil. The roots are very long. Because they are so large, with bunches of greenery, they add goodness to compost. It’s not a good reason to grow them, so I am done.
Fresh garden greens can be used in many ways besides making salads. They can also be cooked and added to many dishes for additional flavor and health.
Now that winter has come to Florida, I am growing a variety of greens, and I love it! It’s the best feeling to be able to walk into the backyard and pick my own fresh food.
Let’s first define the “greens”. Obviously, typical salad greens, like arugula, lettuces, and spinach are included. Broccoli and cauliflower leaves, and sweet potato leaves (use in summer) are some others I include.
During winter months I use my Chijimsai spinach and arugula leaves to make salads. Honestly, I do get tired of eating salads.
Fresh green leaves can be added to many dishes and they can even be sautéed. The garden provides greens year round in one form or another. The trick is to have them always available, and not letting them go to waste.
Cook Rice in a Healthy, Green Water
I’ve never been a big rice eater, but lately I’m eating Basmati rice mixed with vegetables. The type of rice does matter, and it has changed my mind. The vegetables may come from the garden, or can be store bought. Either way, a little bit of rice, with loads of vegetables, works well to create a healthy meal.
My Rice With Greens
From the garden I have picked one beet leaf, three small parsley sprigs, one piece of oregano, Chijimisai spinach leaves, arugula, and mustard greens. I’m using what is available right now.
After rinsing everything off, I rolled it up and chopped it finely. The green bits were added to water, along with dried basil, chopped onion and poblano peppers. I let it simmer for 20 minutes and then added the rice.
Greens (and one tomato) from the gardenSimmeringBasmati rice cooked with greens
Once the nutritious rise is made, combine it with just about anything!
When it’s time to thin the carrots, beets, Broccoli, and other edible seedlings, eat those as microgreens!
Fresh Greens For Flavoring Soup
Pick greens fresh, rinse and add whole, or chopped, to any type of soup or stew. Unless the leaves are very large, or a bit tough, like kale and broccoli leaves, throw them into the soup whole.
Often I will sauté some greens and use them to fill an omelette.
More Ways to Use Fresh Garden Greens
There are many ways to add your garden grown greens to food. Add to sandwiches, tacos, and any place traditional “lettuce” is used. Iceberg and Romaine can add crunch, but arugula and sorrel will add a flavor punch.
This page at Taste of Home has some nice suggestions for recipes that include all kinds of greens.
If you are not afraid of chopping, fresh greens of all types can be part of a Florida gardener’s meals year round.
Winter vegetables in my Florida backyard garden are mostly doing well. I’ve found that cabbage will be something to add to my planting list.
After gardening for only a few years, I’m still learning what grows best when. We can grow year round, but winter is a good time to grow the things that are normal. Carrots, onions, beets, broccoli and herbs do best in cooler weather. I’ve had success with all of these.
Cabbage
This year I planted a few cabbage seeds. I don’t have a lot of garden space, so I only grew a few. Now I am wishing I planted more! They took a long time to sprout. Once the cool air arrived, the big leaves began to show up. Now they are growing like mad. That is borage you may see amongst the cabbage leaves.
Next winter I will be adding more cabbage to my garden.
Cabbage and a few Borage leaves poking through
Although I had loads of Tatsoi and arugula last year, I’m struggling to grow it this year (photo below). I have been looking forward to having fresh greens, but I only have tiny little plants.
The Urban Harvest sells Tatsoi seeds and I didn’t get mine from them this year. I think they were sold out.
Tatsoi greens
The Rest of It
Cherry Tomatoes
The Apricot cherry tomato plant is giving me a few tomatoes. I struggle to grow tomatoes so I’ll take what I can get. They are yellow, not red, but yummy.
Tomato plants may grow in summer here, but no tomatoes will form. This plant was begun in late summer from seed. It kept growing, in a fabric bag, and is now full of little tomatoes. I have one more cherry tomato plant I will put into the ground in February.
Apricot cherry tomatoes
Squash and Zucchini
I am not fooled by this tiny squash and flower. Squash (of all kinds) and zucchini don’t amount to anything in my garden … ever. I won’t grow them any more. I threw some leftover seeds in just for fun. That little squash has since died.
Seminole Pumpkin Replaces Squash
In my sub-tropical garden, the Seminole pumpkin replaces squash. I love orange vegetables and need them to help my old eyes. The Seminole pumpkin tastes a lot like a butternut squash.
Alas, I had only one to eat this year. That doesn’t mean I will give up. The vines are long, and they trail all over the yard but I don’t get many squash. I will definitely try for more of these this summer.
Seminole pumpkinYum
Loofah or Luffa
Loofah is a crop that is grown in summer here, I think. I planted seeds in summer and they did nothing. So, I took a chance and planted some seeds this Fall. One plant grew and I have one loofah on it. Supposedly, you can eat the young gourds as a replacement for zucchini. It doesn’t sound appealing.
The bees love the big, yellow flowers and it would be fun to have some dried loofah to use. See how to use homegrown loofah in this video. With any luck, I will have seeds from this one. I need a good trellis if I plant more.
Loofah
Healthy Beets, Even If I Only Get Greens
Beets grow very slowly but are worth the effort. They never get very big in my garden, or maybe I am too impatient. I love that I can use the greens as well as the root, so I will keep growing these. They are perfect for planting in a shallow grow box.
Golden beet
Looking Forward to Spring Planting
January has been a pretty cool, gloomy and windy month. We went camping for a few days in the beginning of the month and after that the weather went downhill.
We haven’t had any freezing temps yet, but it’s been dry. While the rest of the country is getting deep freezing temperatures and ice and snow, we are safe with temps in the 40’s for lows here. So far.
As most gardeners do, I am looking into the future and planning my Spring and summer planting. I have two Vegega metal raised beds to assemble. Then they need to be filled. I’ll have to get this done soon so I can plant seeds and seedlings. There is a lot of clean up and planting planning to do.
Winter garden & Skittle the Cat
Meanwhile the seeds I started a few months ago are growing – mostly. I’ll have a few things to put into the beds. First I need to harvest that broccoli.
I cooked a garden vegetable soup the other day (with some beef) and wanted to share the informal recipe here. Make it vegetarian too. My garden has beets, carrots and herbs, which I used for freshness.
Whenever I make homemade soup, I know it will never be the same as the last time I made it. Soup should contain local and seasonal vegetables, if possible. I choose ingredients from my garden whenever possible. Depending on the season, I will have different food to use.
I’m not a food blogger, so this is an informal list of ingredients I used along with approximate cooking times. It is meant to be a guide.
Garden Soup Ingredients
During Florida winters, we can grow root vegetables and herbs. These are the ingredients I ended up using for my soup. You certainly don’t need to use the same ones. Feel free to add more, or use less. I pulled / picked vegetables (beets, carrots, and herbs) from the garden to supplement store bought. My soup ended up delicious and flavorful.
You will notice that I do not include amounts. I add whatever I think appropriate.
Ingredients
Chop celery, garlic, and onions and sauté in the bottom of a pan. I used my Staub pot on the stove. Then I moved it to a single electric burner (Amazon paid link) to slow cook. (My stove doesn’t work properly 😡.)
Add broth. I used approximately 6 cups total of vegetable (or chicken / beef) broth. I made all the broth myself and saved it in the freezer, plus beet juice from cooking my garden beets.
Chop and add: Carrots, beet greens, herbs (parsley, dill, basil & a rosemary sprig – pull out the stem after cooking). Sliced beets would work here, but mine were pre-boiled so I added them at the end of the cook time.
2 bay leaves (remove at the end), 1 -2 Tbs. tomato paste (or can of diced tomatoes). A slice of jalapeño pepper for added flavor (removed at the end).
Garden thingsBeets
Dried peas, lentils, and rice
Adding dried items like rice, beans, lentils or even pasta, can help absorb some of the liquid in the soup. This will help thicken up the liquid. I added a little bit of all three items to mine. One of them alone would work well. Read my post about soup basics if you are new to soup cooking. I have more advice about how to thicken soup without using flour.
Brown rice
Split peas
Red Lentils
Adding the partially frozen broth, chopped greens, veggies and lentils / peas / rice.
Slow Cook
Cook the vegetables, herbs and additional ingredients on a low setting for about 2 hours, or until the vegetables are soft.
Add near the end of Cooking time
Once the main vegetables are cooked, add these and cook on low for an additional hour to heat through. Personally, I rarely add salt to food while I am cooking it, but you might want to.
Any vegetables that are pre-cooked. My beets were cooked ahead of time so I added them about an hour before the end.
Beans – I used Cannelloni white beans
Chopped beef brisket (or any pre-cooked meat). It’s not necessary to use any meat. I happened to have a small amount of beef to use.
Vinegar – small amount (tsp. or so) – optional. Helps bring out the flavors.
Once my soup was completely cooked, I divided it up for freezing. The 2 cup Weck jars are the perfect size to store a healthy, future meal in the freezer. And I ate a bowl of it too!
Making a nutritional and good tasting soup is such an achievement. Homemade goodness can’t be beat. I have a few tips for making sure the flavor and consistency is there.
When the weather finally gets cool, or downright cold, here in Central Florida, I want a hearty soup. I rarely follow a recipe to the letter. Recipe tips combine with my own ingredients and knowledge to create a delicious soup.
I have cooked for many years. I have found some good ways to make sure my soups and stews are loaded with flavor and goodness. I’m sharing my ideas on this page.
Soup With Flavor Plus Good Consistency
Often the troubles that come when cooking soup have to do with blah flavor and / or watery consistency. There are simple ways to deal with these things. Easily make delicious soup every time. And, you don’t have to stir in flour or a thickener.
Flavor It
1. The best way to start a soup is to use a good broth or stock. I like to make my own and freeze it for things like this. Many places sell lovely broth as well. Read the ingredients and make sure it is good stuff. I also like organic.
One of the easiest, homemade vegetable broths is created from the water used to boil, or steam, vegetables. This is very easy to do. It’s perfect for vegans or vegetarians. Don’t pour that good nutrition down the drain. If you don’t want to save it, take it outside and pour it onto the plants!
I use Weck jars (paid link) with plastic lids, and add to them each time I have vegetable water leftover. *Be aware that only certain types of Weck jars are made for the freezer. and they must have the right type of lid that is plastic – not glass. The link goes to Amazon, but I buy mine from Weck.com.
My Garden Soup – Recipe to come
Beef bone broth, as well as turkey and chicken broth, are popular too. It is very easy to make a stock, or broth. Use the crock pot, or an Instant pot to cook the bones on a low temperature for many hours. I always use my saved broth when cooking rice.
2. Herbs are a must. Herbs not only add flavor, they add goodness in the form of healthy nutrients. Get to know your herbs and how they taste. I’ve come to love Rosemary and grow it in a pot out back. I had never added it to soup until recently. Parsley, dill and basil are regular additions to my food. I grow them all so they are readily available at various times of the year. Dried, organic herbs are just as good and I use them too.
3. Cut and chop fresh vegetables. Fresh is key for a good tasting soup. If you are a grower, check the yard for anything that can be added. If they come from the store, find the freshest looking.
I had one pea pod – yes, only one – when I checked my garden the day I made my soup. I included about 10 little peas in my Garden Soup. Even though I may never even taste those peas, it’s the nutrition value from a backyard food that was added.
I also pulled some beets (and the chopped greens) and carrots. It all went into the soup. You can probably see why my soup comes out a little different every time I make it!
BeetsGarden carrots, beans, basil, dill, & one tiny tomato
Thickening Without Flour
There are a couple of ways I like to thicken my soups and stews. They are all easy, and don’t involve flour or cornstarch.
A favorite method is to blend some of the soup, without meat pieces, and include some liquid. Make sure to cool it first. Pour the blended soup back into the pot. About a cup full of soup will work.
Add some type of white liquid like coconut cream or milk. It doesn’t really thicken it much, but looks better!
Include dried things like rice, split peas, and / or lentils. They will soak up some of the liquid. (I added a little of all of them to my Garden Soup!)
Savor It and Save It
Once the soup is made it can be saved in the freezer. When I cook soup, I end up being the only one who eats it. The frozen jars of deliciousness often go camping with me. Or pull it out on a cool day when soup is appealing. Vegetable soup is a good side to other food also. Enjoy!
