Zucchini Trombonica

Zucchini trombonica

This has to be one of my favourite summer plants. The texture is like a pumpkin (trombone) but the fruit grows like a zucchini in length. Actually, the longer it's on the vine, the longer the fruit grows. Long and skinny. It's a fabulous plant and delicious steamed or in stir fries. I bought the seeds from Diggers. Not sure how the seeds set as there's no internal cavity like pumpkins for seed production, so have been somewhat thwarted in my seed saving for this plant! Apparently the process is to allow a single fruit to grow full size & become hard. This will take about two months after the flowering stage when the plant will be focussed on seed production. Store the fruit after picking to further mature the seeds. Then scoop out seeds, wash, dry for 2 weeks. My plant was still growing and producing fruit in June last year and none of them had any seeds inside. I'll try again this year!

Lebanese eggplant - seeds

I have really become a keen seed saver - and have become incredulous about how much seeds cost given the sheer volume of seeds in most plants. Even on e-bay people give a miserly half a dozen seeds for something like an eggplant - these Lebanese eggplants crop fantastically in summer and produce huge numbers of seeds for the next season. I've bought some of those little plastic seal bags that jewellers sometimes use, and insert info on a small piece of paper about the seeds and how to grow them. Then I give the seeds away to friends and neighbours.  I reckon everyone can grow SOMETHING, even in a plastic milk container with holes in on a dish on the window sill. I'll be preparing my spring 'giveaway' packs soon for neighbours and friends. Fiddly but fun in anticipation of what the seeds will turn into.