Friday, July 23, 2010

A taste of spaghetti pumpkin...

Just for the fun of it...
Bought two spaghetti pumpkin seedlings
Not very productive
Or, is it the farmer that is the issue?
We got to harvest only two fruits
This one weighed about half a kilo
Not big by any pumpkin standards

Sliced into halves, the texture unfolds
As the name implies, the flesh resembles spaghetti
or noodles  if you like

In Korea, was onced served 'pumpkin tea'
And why not try making our own?
Not as sweet as that of the 'normal' pumpkin

Missus made a vinaigrette concoction to go with it
Sprinkled with a bit of sesame
Ummm...the pumpkin by itself is quite tasteless
But with the vinaigrette dressing, tasty enough to warrant a second planting season...

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Greens growing well...

Due to the unexpectedly constant rain for the past few weeks
The greens in our potager have been flourishing...

Bayam or amaranth(green pointed leaves)...
red ladies finger, nasturtium...

Parsnip... seeds from Cairns...
trying it for the first time...
Daikon (Japanese radish)...
First time to grow this crop...
Korean perilla amongst komatsu-na...
The perilla self-seeded and they grow faster than the weeds...
Good for us as we love the taste of it...
Komatsu-na... aka mustard greens...
A patch of moroheya...

Am not sure of the name of this vegetable....
Got the seeds from my mum...
in the village, we call it 'mak choy'...
I like its plain taste... excellent as a soup...

Red amaranth...
bought the seeds from Malaysia...
The taste is as good as the green version...

Planted swede for the first time...
also called rutabaga or yellow turnip...
supposedly a cross between cabbage and turnip...
Bought the seeds from Cairns...

Some folks say swedes do not like transplanting...
I did, un-knowingly...
And it is looking surprisingly good...

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Plums

Missus bought two plum seedlings two years ago...
Santa Rosa and 'O-ishiwase'...
Like apples and pears, they belong to the rose family...
Flowers are pretty, like sakuras...
This fruit was ripe on the tree...
Birds came by to peck on the skin...
 Another fruit on the O-ishi, with a companion... 

The size was slightly bigger than a ping-pong ball...
Quite small by commercial standards... about 50 grams?
But the taste... ummm...
Absolutely crunchy, juicy, and delicious...

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Gooseberry, Mulberries, Raspberries

 July is paddy growing season here in Japan...
We get to enjoy looking at these fields right from our house...
the green really reminds me of home in Malaysia...
Harvested some raspberries, gooseberries, mulberries the other day...
Tried my hand at making mixed berries preserves out of them...
Turned out very nice... I think...

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Honey suckle... beets...

Been raining all day today...
As in last week, I am not able to work in the potager...
Still, it feels super good to go there, umbrella in hand...
just to breath in the air...
Each time, there is always something to discover... to gasp at...
This time, it was some strawberries hidden amongst the leaves...
The potager is bursting with life, as in the wild honey suckle above...
Tried growing beets for the first time...
What a pleasure it is turning out to be...
The colors by themselves, are a joy enough to gaze at...
They are a lovely addition to our menu...
We boil them lightly and then just add some vinegar...
Hmmm... real nice...