Mystery Vegetable/Fruit Identification Please!

Mystery Plant

I add compost from our kitchen vegetable/fruit scraps to some of my potted houseplants.  This glossy-leaved plant started growing from the compost-rich potting mix in the last month.  I am not sure what it is.  I did have some citrus trees growing there ealier and tried to repot them, but wasn't successful.  Does anyone know what this plant is?  It has to be growing from the remains of something we ate this year! 

It has been fairly cold for the past few weeks, and though we have some bright sun today, it still is -26 C out there.  Everything is sparkling today!  Inside, we're still working on the leftovers from the Christmas feast.  I hope everyone out there is keeping warm!

Winter Evenings

Echeveria under lights

 There are not that many thoughts of the plants outdoors this time of year.  The snow makes it more difficult to get around and has covered the traces of summer's green things.  I have some growing indoors, including succulents, herbs, orchids, and a lonely Spanish lavender.  We had a great orzo pasta salad with fresh basil this week that made that pot of basement-grown basil very worthwhile.  I planted a few more basil and cilantro seeds today for the benefit of future winter foods. 

Parsley, cilantro, basil and peppers under light

 I have some pepper plants started, though they will outgrow the little plastic dome at full size.  They will push up into my lights and I will have to pollinate them with a paintbrush.  We will have to appreciate them in a special meal too. 

Snowy yard and frozen lake this evening

Snowmobilers have been out on the lake ice for a few weeks now, thought they are likely the bravest (stupidest?) ones.  However, the temperatures of -20C and below this past week probably did add thickness to the lake ice.  Soon we'll be having ice fishing contests and then the sled dog races will be upon us.  Our dog has focused squarely on barking until she gets inside to watch television with us and eats the kids snacks when they are not paying attention.  Her winter coat will be growing in soon.

My reblooming orchid - A Bletilla or hybrid?

Otherwise in blogger land, the great Google has told me that I ran out of storage space for the blog and its pictures.  Thus, I will have to pay for more.  I don't want to stop blogging for now, so I'll pay them the few dollars to keep posting with photos...

Flowers and Last of the Squash

Short season variety of butternut squash

 My green bell peppers ripened to their intended deep chocolate color indoors after they were picked last week.  I hope my freshly picked butternut squash get a bit more "buttery" colored indoors too.  The vines look mostly dead, so I thought it would be a good time to bring them in.  I started the vines 6 weeks before putting them outdoors in spring. Squash-type vegetables would never ripen in time to sprout from the ground and ripen in our short season.  I've already stored away the pumpkins as purees in the freezer.  Mmmm.

The colors are great this year and I love the late-flowering perennials, like this geranium "Rozanne".  What a beautiful contrast!  I've yet to plant the tulips, which arrived in the mail two days ago.