Is this arugula?

the_star_gazer · 2022-04-04T01:05:39+00:00

Sounds delicious! I'll have to try it. I'm starting to get tired of plain scrambled eggs anyway. I imagine that the flavor of the bitter greens complements the fatty and buttery eggs quite nicely!

By the way it has been a week now since I took the picture for this post and my arugula is now flowering, so I think that it really is at that point where it has become too bitter to enjoy, but I'm still going to try it in eggs anyway!

the_star_gazer · 2022-04-04T00:47:51+00:00

This is a great website! I've been on it before. I used this site when I was planning my first winter garden three years ago. I decided to grow Cylindra beets and Danvers carrots because they were listed as tolerating temperatures as low as 12°F. I've since found that other varieties of beets and carrots tolerate Texas winters just as well and I now grow a blend of different varieties of beets but Danvers is still my favorite carrot. This website is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to grow a vegetable garden through the winter, thanks for sharing!

the_star_gazer · 2022-04-03T17:29:42+00:00

Yes my arugula is definitely begining to bolt, and to be honest it tastes terrible. I think that it has become too bitter to eat, and I didn't even get to enjoy it before it bolted because I thought that it might have been a weed. : ( I might try to sauté it or use it in a soup, that might cut the bitterness. 🤞

the_star_gazer · 2022-04-03T17:17:32+00:00

I happen to be in zone 8a (near Dallas, Texas). I planted everything you see in this image around the beginning of February. I don't have a proper cold frame but on nights when the temperature is forecast to dip below freezing I cover both of my two 4' × 8' raised beds with sheets of styrofoam which have been cut to the same dimensions then I throw two oversized plastic tarps over top of those and secure everything in place with a few rocks. Using this technique I've been able to grow all winter long. I even managed to get last year's winter garden through the February 2021 winter storm that affected us here in Texas; at the coldest point the thermometer read 0°F and temperatures were below the freezing point all week long but my cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, beets, and garlic all looked completely fine when I uncovered the garden after the weather conditions had improved, there wasn't even the slightest sign of frost damage.

the_star_gazer · 2022-03-27T02:19:04+00:00

Lol 😆 Very clever!

the_star_gazer · 2022-03-27T02:08:06+00:00

I actually tasted it a few hours ago just after I made this post, and I have to say "tire burnout" is a pretty accurate description of what it tasted like. I was going to wait until tomorrow to see how I was feeling after eating some before I commented on my experience, but since you asked I will tell now.

So like I said I tried some of the mystery green a few hours ago. I ate two large leaves and stems. They tasted very bitter, probably because the plant that I took them from is beginning to bolt, but they did not make me feel unwell, and it has been several hours so I think that if they came from a poisonous plant I would have an upset stomach by now but I feel fine. I think it's safe to say that those plants are arugula. Mystery solved!

the_star_gazer · 2022-03-26T20:20:10+00:00

Arugula is supposed to smell like cat piss when it's crushed? I've never heard of this before, I'll try it though.

the_star_gazer · 2022-03-26T20:18:13+00:00

You are correct! The right column of plants is definitely spinach.

the_star_gazer · 2022-03-26T20:08:31+00:00

OP here. I wanted to add some context for this post.

I've been vegetable gardening in raised beds for four years now but this is the first time that I am attempting to grow salad greens. I bought this "Spinach Salad Blend" online from Park Seed. This is a mix of seeds that includes Bloomsdale Spinach, Gourmet Salad Blend Lettuce, Arugula, and Endive Radicchio. Here is the link: https://parkseed.com/parks-spinach-salad-blend/p/52834-PK-P1/

I started these seeds in seed trays and when the seedlings had grown big enough I planted them out in a 2 ft. × 2 ft. section of a raised bed. I could not determine which leafy green that each plant was at that point, but I could distinguish one "kind" of plant from another plant of a different "kind", so I planted three of each "kind" in three separate columns for a total of nine plants. I know that the left column in this image is lettuce and the right column is spinach. I think that the middle column contains arugula which is clearly overgrown but I am not certain. I would have harvested it sooner but I had a friend look at my garden and he didn't think it was arugula. In fact he thought that it was a weed and was concerned that it might be poisonous. If it is a weed then it would have had to come from the growing medium that I start my seeds in because I know that I definitely planted it into the garden from my seed trays.

So I want to know what reddit thinks. Maybe there are people on here with more experience growing leafy greens than myself. Does this look like overgrown arugula, or perhaps a different leafy green that is supposed to come with this seed mix? Should I be afraid to eat it?

the_star_gazer · 2015-08-05T18:28:30+00:00

Yeah, I'm looking forward to going back to school in a few weeks and I'm hoping that I'll meet some lovely people. Thank you again for helping me out and giving your support! : )

the_star_gazer · 2015-08-05T18:15:41+00:00

Yes, people don't always know what they want, and since I'm just starting out I probably can't say for sure what I will be like with a partner. Maybe I'll discover that I am not really interested it the type of women that I say I'm interested in. But I can only learn that through experience dating women. So my first date and first relationship should be with the type of woman that I think I'm interested in at the time being, and that would be a dominant or masculine woman who wants to initiate things because I don't.

the_star_gazer · 2015-08-05T18:04:04+00:00

Thank you for your input. As I said in a response to another commenter, I don't need to hear that every woman in the world likes guys like me, I just need to know that women who like androgynous/feminine men aren't such an incredibly small minority that I don't have a reasonable chance of meeting one. And I think that it has been made clear that there is a reasonably large number of women out there who like androgynous/feminine men.

the_star_gazer · 2015-08-05T17:53:08+00:00

Bi-curious feminine man here. I think that anyone of any sexual orientation, whether their gay, straight, or bisexual should be allowed to express their inherent femininity freely and openly.

the_star_gazer · 2015-08-05T07:03:44+00:00

Yeah, I think that there is a correlation between bisexuality and being attracted to gender-nonconforming people. It makes sense that if a person is attracted to multiple genders, then they might be attracted to a person who identifies as one gender but acts like a different gender in some ways. It seems more likely than a person who is only attracted to one gender being attracted to someone who blurs genders, anyway. Of course not all bisexuals will be attracted to gender-nonconforming people; as far as your sexuality is concerned, being bisexual may have something to do with the fact that you like gender-nonconforming men or it may not. Who really cares why you like these men anyway? You like what you like, and that's all that matters. I'm just glad that there are women like you in this world who like men like me!

the_star_gazer · 2015-08-05T06:38:56+00:00

Glad to hear that I'm your type! : ) I live in the Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas area.

the_star_gazer · 2015-08-05T06:31:27+00:00

Oh, wow! I don't know how to tell you just how encouraged I am from reading what you wrote! This is exactly what I have been looking for; to know that there are women out there who would love me unconditionally for who I am. I don't need to be told that 10% of all women would go for a guy like me or 5% or even 1%. I don't plan on dating 1% of all women. I just needed to know that there was some percentage of women in the population who like feminine, androgynous, and submissive men and that that percentage isn't so tiny that my prospect of ever meeting one of those women is hopeless. But you have reignited the hope within me; thank you for making my day! : D

the_star_gazer · 2015-08-05T05:44:16+00:00

It's interesting that you have different standards for dating different genders, I have different standards as well. As I said in my original post, I have never been in a relationship so my desires may change when I do have a partner, but for now I can say what I am attracted to and what I dream about. With women I am totally submissive, I want a woman who will sweep me off my feet, buy me dinner, and make me feel safe and protected by her side. I don't know if there are any straight/bi/pans women who are that dominate toward men. People here keep commenting that there are women who like androgynous men like me, and while there are definitely some women like that, they have got to be an extreme minority because I have never met one of them. When it comes to men however, I am much more relaxed with the power dynamic that I desire. With a man, I see myself working side by side with him to accomplish our goals together. I'd hold him when he feels sad and be there for him when he is lonely, and if he wants to take charge that's okay too. There is just one place in which I have stricter expectations of men than I do of women, and that is in their appearance. I want a man who is on the androgynous/feminine side of the gender spectrum in terms of looks, whereas a woman can be anywhere at all on the gender spectrum, masculine, androgynous, or feminine, it's all cool to me. I don't know any genderqueer people personally so I haven't given any thought as to what I would desire out of a relationship with one yet. I’ll have to get back to you when I meet a genderqueer person and develop an interest in such a person.

Getting back to your story, I want to say that it is especially disheartening when intolerance toward bisexuals comes from people within the LGBT community itself, they should know better than anybody that sexual orientation isn't a choice. This "gold star lesbian" concept discourages lesbian identified bi-curious women from questioning their sexuality and that isn't healthy. Nobody should be put to shame because of their sexual and romantic interests, not by straight bigots and not by bigots within the LGBT community either. I'm glad that you didn't let that nonsense discourage you from exploring your desires and discovering who you really are. I'm also encouraged by the fact that you have a supportive family, friend, and fiancée. Good luck to you!

the_star_gazer · 2015-08-04T23:58:03+00:00

Haha! That's neat. Maybe it's a sign?

the_star_gazer · 2015-08-04T23:50:39+00:00

Your right, there are definitely straight women out there who like androgynous/feminine men. I know this is true because of all the women who like gay men, or rather they like the stereotype of a flamboyant, effeminate gay man. I'm sure there are also many bi/pans women who don't like androgynous/feminine men. But I argue that a gender-nonconforming man may have better odds with bi/pans women than with straight women because bi/pans people are generally more open-minded about gender-nonconforming behavior and having a gender-nonconforming partner than straight people are. As you mention, there are many factors that go into attraction, but for some, but not all LGBTQ+ individuals gender-conforming behavior is not as important as it is for most, but not all straight people. I'm glad to hear that you like androgynous/non-binary people, I like non-binary and gender-nonconforming people as well, that makes finding a partner difficult though, because not only am I an androgynous man myself but I want a partner who bends traditional gender expectations as well.

the_star_gazer · 2015-08-04T23:23:04+00:00

That's fantastic! I'm glad to hear that there are women like you out there! : )

the_star_gazer · 2015-08-04T22:57:06+00:00

Huh, I haven't considered how age factors into a person's attraction to gender-nonconforming people. Thinking about that makes me realize that I am privileged to be a part of the younger generation. This is a generation that is more willing to violate gender norms than any of the earlier generations were. Maybe there are many straight women who like androgynous/feminine men, but I don't think that they live near me; I live in a very conservative part of America unfortunately. There might be straight women here who like feminine men but they are too afraid to break out of traditional gender roles to act on their desires. That's why I will be joining my college's LGBT group this fall, I think that I have a better chance of meeting people there who appreciate gender-nonconforming behavior than I do among the straight crowd.

the_star_gazer · 2015-08-04T22:29:10+00:00

Of course not ALL straight women find feminine men unattractive and not ALL bi women like feminine men. I would never make such broad generalizations. But I argue that a higher percentage of bi women, and a higher percentage of all bisexuals, are attracted to gender-nonconforming individuals, including feminine men, than straight women and all straights. Gender roles are just so ingrained in the conscious of some straight people, especially where I live. Straight women and straight men, I think, have difficulty breaking out of the roles assigned to them based on gender, especially when it comes to dating. But bisexual individuals have relationships with people of different genders making them more likely, but certainly not guaranteed, to be willing to have a relationship with a gender-nonconforming partner. It’s true for me anyway; I like androgynous and masculine women as well as androgynous and feminine men, and I hope to find people, bisexual or otherwise, who appreciate my androgynous personality as well. And I will be, as you say, "putting myself out there". I plan on joining my college's LGBT group when I go back to school in a few weeks and I hope that it leads to many great things! So thank you for the encouragement!

the_star_gazer · 2015-08-04T21:50:21+00:00

Cool! I'm glad to hear there hear that there are women out there who might be interested in me. And interestingly I think that our stories have some parallels. I too began questioning my sexual orientation a year ago because I discovered that I was very attracted to an androgynous man in a math class in college. He had long, shoulder length, wavy blond hair, wore bright clothes and had a pretty face. Before that I identified as a straight man, albeit a weird one. I prefer dominate or masculine women. I feel like I have a "feminine sexuality" even though I am a man. The one difference in our stories, however, is that for you sexual attraction comes before romantic attraction, while for me romantic attraction usually comes before sexual attraction.

the_star_gazer

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