This post probably says a lot about me and what sort of gardener I am :-)
Strange things happened in my allotment garden recently. Back in May one of the kind old men at my allotment complex gave me several plants for in my greenhouse. One of them was a cucumber plant.
As my diary was full over summer, I had decided to keep the greenhouse empty. I accepted the plant gracefully, but was in doubt whether to be pleased with this generous gift or not. Having plants in the greenhouse means that I have to go to garden at least thrice a week. Which is a lot for a busy woman like me.
Well, you can't throw away a gift and healthy plant can you, and what if the kind old man would come and check?! So I gave the plant a beautiful light position in the corner of the greenhouse and watered it regularly. The plant started creeping and beautiful yellow flowers appeared.
I was really surprised to find green apple sized' balls on the plant when I arrived home from holiday in August. They did not look like cucumbers at all! I had never heard of round cucumbers before, but when I Googled it, there appeared to be several varieties of round cucumber. The lemon cucumber is one of them. So, I had a lemon cucumber in my greenhouse......Lucky me!
The next time I watered the plants, the colour of the balls had changed into yellow. They couldn't be melons, could they? I asked the kind old man who gave the plant to me, about the curious case in my greenhouse. He said they were melons indeed! Lucky me to have melons in my greenhouse!
Alas......it was not to be. When I wanted to water them last week they had turned orange. I can tell you my neighbours at the complex must have thought I was out of my mind. I couldn't stop laughing.......Oh why didn't I see it before..... They are pumpkins! Lucky lucky me!
But..........are they?! I am still not sure. Their size is still that of a large apple and they are spiky. Aren't they decorative squash? Please help me out here, before I poison myself and my daughters and make pumpkin soup out of them :-). Love to hear what you think it is!
The flowers on the photo's above are a combination of clover and grasses picked from the fields. I added some Montbretia from my garden.
Wishing you a fun week!
Love,
Madelief x
I love your flower color noise.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenIt is balm for the soul.
And how lush your garden is still a lot of choices.
Much has already become withered with me and it makes
located in autumnal garden.
And pumpkins you draw even zoom ... beautifully.
I can serve only with purchased; 0) laughing.
Wish you a beautiful late summer time.
Dearest greetings, Moni
MADELIEF! Good morning! I seem to be the first one here, and I am happy because I adore being in the garden early, early in the morning! I would take one of these orbs to a garden center that you trust and get a professional opinion! YES! Or at least take a good photo to show them, so they can identify it! But pumpkin sounds pretty accurate. OH the joy of pumpkin soup! Then as you serve it, top it with crème fraiche and pumpkin seeds and good bread.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenYou too are busy! I started school this past week and have neglected my flowers that are all dead now, except one urn of very persistent white petunias!
Wishing you luck on finding out what that fruit is, and also, a lovely Sunday! Anita
Wat een verhaal Madelief, de ene verrassing naar de andere, een gegeven paard...enz. maar gelukkig hield jij de plant en heb je een paar mooie momenten beleefd met die plant..en wat het is???
BeantwoordenVerwijderenGeen idee.....de tuinliefhebbers helpen je vast op weg, maar wat het ook is, het verhaal erachter is al zo mooi:)
Lieve groet, Eefie
Wat een prachtig boeket met dat oranje en paars! Als ik je laatste foto's zie dan lijkt het op een pompoentje. Ze groeien ook over de grond als ik het goed zie? Dat doen pompoenen ook.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenSucces ermee:) Lieve groetjes
Wat een mooie bloemenfoto's weer. En zo mooi met het geborduurde kleed. Prachtig! XX Esther
BeantwoordenVerwijderenYour flowers match your embroidered cloth perfectly Madelief ……. so pretty.
BeantwoordenVerwijderen….. and, whatever you have grown, they are magnificent ….. I'm afraid I don't know what they are but don't eat them until you do …. I would miss your beautiful posts !!!! haha.
Sending love from the UK on a sunny Sunday. XXXX
Je bent toch lekker bezig zeg! Het lijkt mij een sierpompoen. Ze worden hier in Zeeland veel gekweekt en verkocht aan de kant van de weg. Voorzichtig met koken, ik weet niet of je die kunt eten! We willen jou niet missen. Groetjes,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenHetty
Hi hi wat een prachtig verhaal! Ik ben erg benieuwd wat het uiteindelijk blijkt te zijn, want zelf heb ik geen idee.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenFijne week! Groetjes van Aleta
Lieve Madelief,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenWat een kostelijk verhaal, ik heb er helemaal beelden bij...ook bij jouw verbaasde gezicht bij elk moment dat je weer een verrassende ontdekking deed. Aangezien ik er totaal geen verstand van heb, moet je geen waarde aan mijn woorden hechten, maar als ik de foto zie, denk ik ook aan een pompoen. Voor de zekerheid zou ik het alleen voor de sier gebruiken, dan zit je hoe dan ook safe.
De gulle gever moest eens weten wat zijn geschenk allemaal heeft losgemaakt ;-).
Fijne week! Veel liefs, Ingrid
Your photos are allways wonderful Madelief! I love pumpkins, I love Autumn.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenI wish you a nice end of sunday and good evening,
Hugs xxx
I guess the answer will be to cut one open when you think it is ripe! I wish you fun and luck working it out! They are obviously very happy whatever they are!!! xx
BeantwoordenVerwijderenHi Madelief - type into Google 'pix of round yellow squash' - you will see SO many different ones and I'm sure one may be your particular veggie! From your yellow flowers on them I'm certain it's a squash of some type - there are apparently even round yellow zucchini now. Someone is always playing with our basic veggies and fruits and coming up with a new version it seems!!! Hopefully they will make a good soup or casserole.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenDoesn't the gentleman who gifted you with the plant really know what they are? Perhaps not melons!
Your garden, as always, looks spectacular - and the flower photos with embroidery are just lovely.
Happy day - Mary
They definitely squash of some sort Madelief but whether they're edible or not I have no idea!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenI LOVE the story of how they turned from thing to another though!! :)
V x
I wonder if they are lemon cucumbers? I love your bouquets.. I have a big one on my table of perfect sunflowers! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
BeantwoordenVerwijderenYou do have a wonderful garden.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenMerle......
A mystery plant! I would guess some kind of squash by the blooms, but it's one I've never seen before. Your garden is a place of wonder. Beautiful flowers with the embroidery. Have a good week.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenDearest Madelief,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenHaha, that is quite a story! Guess they are decorative pumpkins indeed and you will soon find out. Love the color and it is fun for having a surprise develop.
Sending you hugs, got way behind with reading blogs. My HP PC died and now I have to re-learn everything on a new Mac. But I love it already!
Mariette
At first I thought it was round yellow zucchini but in fact it's more like squash! Bon appétit :)
BeantwoordenVerwijderenYou can eat ornamental squashes too, the only ones you don't eat are gourds which have very tough skins and taste bitter.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenIf yours is fleshy inside then it should be ok - taste a small piece raw and see what you think, if it is bitter than leave it alone.
One thing is certain - you cannot expect the correct answer from the 'old man' as first it was a cucumber, then a melon, and now it appears to be a squash.
What a curious story - the plant which kept changing its name. I have no idea what it is, not a vegetable I have ever seen. However, I love your embroidery, very much, matching so well with your jug of flowers.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenWat een grap, Madelief. Elke keer weer een andere gedaante aan te treffen van een vrucht.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenZe lijken erg veel op sierpompoenen.
Kun je in elk geval een mooie creatie van maken.
Je foto's zijn weer geweldig!
Liefs, Gerry
I think it is a cucumber Madelief, there is a variety called 'Lemon Apple' and if you search it on the internet you should find some images. Hope that helps! They look wonderful and your photos are amazing, as always. Have a lovely week. Jane xx
BeantwoordenVerwijderenMadelief, what an amusing post! Your gift from the old man has presented a fine mystery. I await the solution...maybe you can have a group of folks gathered together in your drawing room for the unveiling of What It Is. We already know who done it!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenBeautiful flowers...as always. xo
Wat een kleuren explosie prachtig !!! Ben heel benieuwd wat het nou zijn ...het lijken callabassen...liefs fijne week Ria x
BeantwoordenVerwijderenHi Madelief, what a fun post. I think your dear old man is having a laugh. I think they are squash, judging by the flowers and the leaves, but I am no expert! I think it quite unusual for you to have orange flowers, but they are lovely! Thank you so much for visiting and for your kind comments about my home. Yes I do know that you love to have visitors, especially in your pretty garden! Much love to you, Linda xx
BeantwoordenVerwijderenOh this is such a fun post dear Madelief!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenI've eaten apple cucumbers that look very like yours - with the same prickly skin.
Can you take one to the garden centre ad ask them to positively identify it for you!
I'm fairly certain it is not a pumpkin!
Good luck
love
Shane x
Once again beautiful photography Madelief. The colours of the flowers work so well together - just perfect for September.
BeantwoordenVerwijderen... I think it's a type of squash and not pumpkin. Could you take it to a nearby garden centre to see if they could help identify your mystery plant.
Do hope your week is going well.
Take Care
All the best Jan
Once again beautiful photography Madelief. The colours of the flowers work so well together - just perfect for September.
BeantwoordenVerwijderen... I think it's a type of squash and not pumpkin. Could you take it to a nearby garden centre to see if they could help identify your mystery plant.
Do hope your week is going well.
Take Care
All the best Jan
Dear Madelief, your garden is just beautiful, I love the colours, the oranges and the pink and perfectly well matched with your lovely vintage linen. I loved the story, haha...I wouldn't have a clue what it was...lucky for you you now have pumpkins for Halloween! Have you ever thought of printing your photos into a photo book, your photos are exquisite and worthy of any coffee table. Have you heard of Printicapp its an APP where you can print your IG photos and your camera photos into books, they are based in Holland I believe and it comes all boxed up in a pretty orange box. Earlier this year I printed a small book with them and was pleasantly surprised at the quality. Have a lovely week dear Madelief! Sharon x
BeantwoordenVerwijderenAutumn is my favorite time of year...the fresh air, the colourful flowers and the garden is soon going to take a timeout. Its a beautiful time!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenHave a lovely week,
Titti
My gardener husband says "lemon cucumbers" is what you have in your garden. Loving your beautiful bouquet and the conversation on identifying your fun puzzle from the garden.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenHi Madelief,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenSuch a pretty and fun post......not only do you take beautiful photos but
you are a very creative writer as well!
I have never seen anything quite like it but maybe a squash of some sort.
Have a good week!
Carolyn
p.s. My sister is off to Holland again soon for a couple of weeks.
She lives on the other side of Canada from me.
coucou
BeantwoordenVerwijderenje pense aussi à un petit " potiron " ou une " coloquinte "
l'automne arrive à grand pas avec ses couleurs chatoyantes
une saison que j'aime beaucoup
le bouquet de fleurs est superbe
tendresse
et un grand MERCI pour le petit mot sur mon blog
A very interesting round something or other. Is it possible that perhaps he gave you a plant that may have been cross pollinated with something else so that you end up with a squash looking pumpkin? We have had some weird crosses in our garden if we plant squash of different varieties too close together. Once again your photos are romantically beautiful.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenOh what can your mystery round spiky vegetable be?? I hope we find out! It does look like a small pumpkin but the spiky bit is puzzling! I love the gorgeous pictures in this post....the vibrant flowers and the embroidery look so wonderful together.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenHelen xox
Dearest Madelief,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenI don’t have any idea, what kind of "unshaved" pumpkin (or melon or cucumber ;o)) this is.
I hope someone is able to help you because I’m afraid the old man is not the best informed gardener, too ;o))
Whatever, your photos are great – and your flower-decoration is pretty.
Many hugs & groetjes, my dear,
Traude
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http://rostrose.blogspot.co.at/2015/09/oldtimer-rallye-2015.html
OH! My Dad gave me a lemon cucumber from his garden yesterday and I am going to have it with my dinner tonight!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenYou have a lovely blog, full of life and COLOUR! (There I spelled it that way for you!)
Kedves Madelief, szép a kerted, a virágok, a csokor és illik hozzá a terítő. Jól látom, hogy az egy kalocsai hímzés?
BeantwoordenVerwijderenÜdvözlettel:Tilia
The combination of the orange and pink flowers is wonderful! I think I would have preferred the pumpkin to the cucumber! Sarah x
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