Comments on: Future Squash http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/ Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:35:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Carl Brannen http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/#comment-52201 Carl Brannen Fri, 08 Jun 2007 21:09:23 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/#comment-52201 Clifford, here are <a href="http://www.brannenworks.com/eggs_with_eyes.jpg" rel="nofollow">koi eggs about to hatch</a>. The most visible thing is the eyes, after that, you can see the backbone (or notochord I suppose), particularly in the egg at the top left. Some of the eggs have little fish swimming in them, so some have undoubtedly hatched. God, I love summer. I don't know what the little dots are. They are alive. I guess I'll get out the microscope and find out. The rope is 3/8" nylon, I think. And of course the camera is a Digital Elph SD450. Clifford, here are koi eggs about to hatch. The most visible thing is the eyes, after that, you can see the backbone (or notochord I suppose), particularly in the egg at the top left. Some of the eggs have little fish swimming in them, so some have undoubtedly hatched. God, I love summer.

I don’t know what the little dots are. They are alive. I guess I’ll get out the microscope and find out. The rope is 3/8″ nylon, I think. And of course the camera is a Digital Elph SD450.

]]> By: Samantha http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/#comment-51659 Samantha Wed, 06 Jun 2007 16:06:10 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/#comment-51659 Squash blossoms (I have tried them from zucchini) are delicious dipped in buttermilk. then cornmeal and shallow fried in butter or olive oil. Squash blossoms (I have tried them from zucchini) are delicious dipped in buttermilk. then cornmeal and shallow fried in butter or olive oil.

]]> By: Clifford http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/#comment-51514 Clifford Wed, 06 Jun 2007 06:17:39 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/#comment-51514 I understood. I was just being playful with the culinary motif. I've a friend setting up house in the Seattle area. I shall ask her if she wants some koi. -cvj I understood. I was just being playful with the culinary motif.

I’ve a friend setting up house in the Seattle area. I shall ask her if she wants some koi.

-cvj

]]> By: Carl Brannen http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/#comment-51512 Carl Brannen Wed, 06 Jun 2007 06:08:27 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/#comment-51512 For critters that mess around in your garden, try a paintball gun. You don't actually have to hit them. And you'll find the experience very satisfying. Maybe I should write "<a href="http://www.jadedragon.com/archives/koi/koiart.html" rel="nofollow">koi</a> babies" instead of "<a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=koi+fry" rel="nofollow">koi fry</a>", which gives a completely wrong impression. Seriously, anyone in the Seattle area that wants a lot of koi babies to stock their pond can look me up. A one-pound female lays 25 to 50,000 eggs, and we've got a half dozen fish that are 2 to 3 feet long. I should get a photo of the eggs a day from now, just before they hatch, when they should have eyes visible. For critters that mess around in your garden, try a paintball gun. You don’t actually have to hit them. And you’ll find the experience very satisfying.

Maybe I should write “koi babies” instead of “koi fry“, which gives a completely wrong impression. Seriously, anyone in the Seattle area that wants a lot of koi babies to stock their pond can look me up. A one-pound female lays 25 to 50,000 eggs, and we’ve got a half dozen fish that are 2 to 3 feet long. I should get a photo of the eggs a day from now, just before they hatch, when they should have eyes visible.

]]> By: Clifford http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/#comment-51394 Clifford Tue, 05 Jun 2007 20:24:19 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/#comment-51394 Live in an almost-desert, such as LA! Very dry. Such creatures are relatively rare for my garden. It does not get very wet, and the usual excessive sprinkler use that compensates for that in gardens around here does not happen. I have drip system that delivers the water to precisely where it is needed. As a result, no snails or slugs. Well, occasionally I see snail shells in part of the front garden, but not near the grub. On the other hand, it only takes one curious and hungry skunk to find its way into the garden and wreak havoc. They love to dig. Guess where? Just about where there's some moisture - the roots of the plants of course! So they can dig up entire plants and thus destroy them. My solution for those? Fixing holes in fencing when I spot them. Adopting a mutually assured destruction policy if I see them in the garden. (They have nuclear weapons, after all.) This involves throwing things and turning a stream of water onto them to try to discourage visits. I can't bring myself to hurt them for real... once you forget their smell for a moment.... they are sooooo cuuuute! -cvj Live in an almost-desert, such as LA! Very dry. Such creatures are relatively rare for my garden. It does not get very wet, and the usual excessive sprinkler use that compensates for that in gardens around here does not happen. I have drip system that delivers the water to precisely where it is needed. As a result, no snails or slugs. Well, occasionally I see snail shells in part of the front garden, but not near the grub.

On the other hand, it only takes one curious and hungry skunk to find its way into the garden and wreak havoc. They love to dig. Guess where? Just about where there’s some moisture - the roots of the plants of course! So they can dig up entire plants and thus destroy them.

My solution for those? Fixing holes in fencing when I spot them. Adopting a mutually assured destruction policy if I see them in the garden. (They have nuclear weapons, after all.) This involves throwing things and turning a stream of water onto them to try to discourage visits. I can’t bring myself to hurt them for real… once you forget their smell for a moment…. they are sooooo cuuuute!

-cvj

]]> By: Mary Cole http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/#comment-51391 Mary Cole Tue, 05 Jun 2007 20:02:16 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/#comment-51391 I'm envious of the apparent lack of slugs/snails which are devouring the leaves of all the vegetables we are attempting to grow, despite our best efforts. Do you have a secret form of pest control?!!! I’m envious of the apparent lack of slugs/snails which are devouring the leaves of all the vegetables we are attempting to grow, despite our best efforts. Do you have a secret form of pest control?!!!

]]> By: Clifford http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/#comment-51366 Clifford Tue, 05 Jun 2007 15:00:16 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/#comment-51366 Well not these particular ones, but yes, there are related flowers that I've had that are very tasty. Will have to look into how generally edible they are. Not sure I'd be able to eat some of mine though, since I'd so want to wait for them to turn into squashes! -cvj Well not these particular ones, but yes, there are related flowers that I’ve had that are very tasty. Will have to look into how generally edible they are. Not sure I’d be able to eat some of mine though, since I’d so want to wait for them to turn into squashes!

-cvj

]]> By: Luo Lin http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/#comment-51364 Luo Lin Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:49:36 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/#comment-51364 Do you ever eat the flowers? I haven't cooked them myself, but I've had flor de calabaza in Mexico. I don't know if it's supposed to be from a certain kind of squash, however. Do you ever eat the flowers? I haven’t cooked them myself, but I’ve had flor de calabaza in Mexico. I don’t know if it’s supposed to be from a certain kind of squash, however.

]]> By: Clifford http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/#comment-51360 Clifford Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:09:04 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/#comment-51360 Hi... Thanks for the thoughts. Butternuts are maybe my favourties. Hard to say. Wow! Are the Koi good with a bit of butter too? -cvj Hi… Thanks for the thoughts. Butternuts are maybe my favourties. Hard to say.

Wow! Are the Koi good with a bit of butter too?

-cvj

]]> By: Carl Brannen http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/#comment-51300 Carl Brannen Tue, 05 Jun 2007 08:57:46 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/06/04/future-squash/#comment-51300 The thing I miss about not being in the US South is wide variety of fresh vegetables. For squash, I like the crook necked variety best. Fried in just a tablespoon of real butter, of course. By the way, squash are one of the fruit that require insect pollination. I would suspect that the incredible proliferation of insects has solved the bee deficit problem that existed at the beginning of the year. If not your squash will likely be deformed. You can pollinate them yourself. Anyone who wants Koi fry can give me a holler because I'll have many thousands this year. They have just <a href="http://brannenworks.com/netspawn.jpg" rel="nofollow">spawned.</a> The thing I miss about not being in the US South is wide variety of fresh vegetables. For squash, I like the crook necked variety best. Fried in just a tablespoon of real butter, of course.

By the way, squash are one of the fruit that require insect pollination. I would suspect that the incredible proliferation of insects has solved the bee deficit problem that existed at the beginning of the year. If not your squash will likely be deformed. You can pollinate them yourself.

Anyone who wants Koi fry can give me a holler because I’ll have many thousands this year. They have just spawned.

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