Honeybells - Bananas - Coffee??

The last time I went into town to do groceries, I came across a deal I couldn’t pass on; Honeybell oranges, $2.50 a bag.  I picked up 4 bags, took them home, and peeled all of them with a little (very little) help from Tank.  We removed pith and separated segments. I setup for canning, and canned 10 pint, and 3 quart jars of Honeybells.

 

Honeybells segmented



4 quart jars for the refrigerator

 

For the pantry, excuse the bread in package above (son likes this crap)

A present for my compost

 

 

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While out and about, I decided I was going into the big city; Oklahoma City, to make a pit stop at Whole Foods for some specialty items to include fish, and these unique bananas.  They’re from Guatemala, red bananas, also known as Spanish Red, Colorado, or Lal Kela.  When this banana ripens it will have a thick maroon peel with a pink-salmon flesh, and is sweet and creamy with raspberry highlights.  I’ve never heard of this banana, and decided I was going to snatch up two, bring them home, and give them a couple of days to ripen.  Then Bulldog Man and I can test them and not share with anyone else in the family, lol…………………….

Have you ever heard of, or tasted these bananas?

 

 

 

 

Free coffee grounds! 

Huh?  You heard me, free coffee grounds.  While in town, I stopped off at Starbucks to pickup a free bag or two of used coffee grounds for my gardens and compost.   And…..well…. maybe a cup of coffee. Okay, there you have it, I splurged.  Note: you don’t have to make a purchase to get the free grounds.  These grounds are packed back in the original coffee bag, sealed and placed in a basket inside the store for customers to help themselves.  If the basket is empty, ask the clerk if they have used coffee grounds you could have, they will be more then helpful and pack you a bag. 

Anyway, back to the coffee grounds.  These grounds are a great source for acid loving plants i.e. parsley, blueberries, thyme, and basil.  Coffee grounds are also great for late summer, early-fall vegetable gardens. 

Coffee is another ingredient, when added to your compost, that will help create a well balanced nutrient for your garden.  When composting, please remember to use 1 part greens (coffee grounds, vegetable peels, egg shells) to 3 parts browns (paper, leaves, straw, pine needles).  You always want to make sure your compost pile is moist and turned periodically.

Hard to see, adding to compost

Another great reason for using coffee grounds is that earthworms love coffee grounds.  It provides the worms with nutrients, and in turn you will see the worm population increase, making great soil and nutrients for your garden plants.