Unusual Vegetables

Feeling like a new adventure in the garden? Try growing some unusual vegetables. These are not new vegetables because they have been around for thousands of years, but are not common around here.

Romanesco

Romanesco (Roman Broccoli) grows a tight, spiral head. Its flavor is much milder than regular broccoli. This is one of Gordan Ramsey’s favorite vegetable.

Cucamelon

Cucamelon is nothing but a gherkin cucumber for pickling. These smooth-skinned fruits are good eaten raw or pickled with a slightly bitter taste. While the size of a large grape, they are one of the most prolific plants.

Lemon (apple) cucumber

Lemon or apple cucumber grows to the size of a small apple with yellowish or white fruit. They are very mild and not bitter. Also makes good, sweet pickles.

Tomatillos

Tomatillos have been grown in Mexico forever. They are a berry with a paper lantern covering the fruit. Belonging to the nightshade family, so all parts of the plant are poisonous except the fruit. Two plants are enough for a family and grown like a tomato. You can dry the fruits which will taste like cranberries with a hint of tomato taste.

Winged bean

Winged bean (there is also a pea plant with winged pods) which can be cooked like a regular bean. Most varieties need something to climb on.

Bitter gourd

Bitter gourd (balsam pear) resembles a cucumber used in Asian cooking. When mature, cut them open and eat the sweet, red pulp.

Kohlrabi

Most of us know what kohlrabi is. For those who do not, it is related to the cabbage family with a bulb (swollen stem) that form above ground. Can be eaten raw or cooked.

Salsify

Salsify is a root vegetable tasting like oysters. I grew it one year and liked it. The only thing salsify needs are loamy soil and not compacted soil. You can also eat the stems.

Celeriac

Celeriac is a vegetable that forms a swollen stem above the ground. It can be eaten raw or cooked tasting like celery but can be grown with less water.

Prickly pear cactus

Prickly pear cactus, while not grown much as a garden vegetable here, it is down south. The fruits which a sweet and juicy, can be eaten raw. The leaves (pads) are stripped of their needles then sliced and cooked.

Carrots

It’s stated that all carrots started out purple. A Dutch Queen wanted orange carrots, so after much breeding, they had an orange variety that gains popularity. We are going back to the darker colors because they have more nutrients than their orange cousins.

Paint Color Trends for 2021

Paint color trends for 2021 will reflect the mood in the coming year. This year’s paint trends reflect a more subdued direction mimicking nostalgia and nature. As this year was so filled with anxiety and unrest, 2021 colors reflect calm and comfort.

Colors of Nature


Many colors reflect nature neutrals as earthly browns, watery blues, and dark greens of nature. The greens are still the mainstay adding beige as accents.

Blues for Accent or Main Colors


Another timeless color is blue. Whether an inky blue to a less dark blue can be paired easily with other colors.

Aegean Teal


Benjamin Moore came out with Aegean Teal, a blue-green often found in eggs of certain breeds of chicken eggs.

Urban Bronze

Sherwin Williams came out with Urbane Bronze, a dark brown color that mixes well with a warm white paint.


Painting is often the cheapest way to update a room. Either you know what color you fell in love with or not, that is why they make paint samples.

Backyard Birds in the Winter

What to feed the backyard birds in the winter. Starting with mixed seeds which are good for beginners bringing different types of birds to your feeder. They can be messy because birds will pick them through to get to the special seeds. The smaller seeds will end up on the ground, but the ground feeding birds will pick them up.

Platform Feeder

Black oil sunflower seeds will attract blue jays, cardinals, finches, chickadees, nuthatches, and sparrows. Sunflower seeds are the most popular bird food.

Niger sock feeder

Niger seeds are tiny, black seeds that require a special feeder with small slits so the seed does not run out. This will attract goldfinches and other types of finches.

Flicker Woodpecker

Suet is a block of animal fat mixed with seed. This type of food is a healthy source of protein when it really gets cold. The favorite food of woodpeckers. Many seed feeders have a suet cage on the ends for inserting the suet.

You can feed peanuts, cracked corn, peanut butter, and a mixture of fruit both dried or fresh to give the birds a variety.