Sunday, June 24, 2012

Amaranths, peanuts, malabar spinach, shiso...

Thanks to the frequent rains, things are growing very well at the potager...

And thanks to Diana of Kebun Malay-Kadazan girls for sending the amaranth seeds...

Grew eight patches of these amaranth and had been eating them for a while now... they taste very good...



Meanwhile, the amaranth we had bought some years ago, self-seeded...

Am still keeping the packet, and the label says 'Perfect red'... they don't lose their color even when cooked... and the juice that oozes out of them is pinkish red...

The taste of homegrown peanuts is really 'out-of-this-world'... am I exaggerating?  :-)
Manage to grow about ten plants with seeds save from last season...

And Malabar spinach... ooh, I just love growing and eating them...
I germinated some of them although they do self-seed as well... 

An acquaintance of mine drove over to our house one day just to give us some seedlings...
Japanese shiso or perilla is shown in the picture above... she also gave us myoga ginger, and yellow tomatoes...

19 comments:

  1. You always have a continuous supply of organic foods.

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  2. Anonymous6/25/2012

    beautiful plants...love the amaranth, such a lovely color! years ago I grew some peanuts, it was great fun...sort of like bring "coal to Newcastle" though, since I lived in the peanut growing belt of the south!

    we're having lots of rain...from the storm in the gulf! perhaps it will save my sad plants on the patio (if it doesn't drown them first ;)

    happy day to you and you wife!

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  3. Peanuts have been on our wish list of things to grow for years now. I had a friend whose father farmed them in Mexico and I've always been interested in trying. Are they hard to grow? How much space do they take up?

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    1. Thank you for dropping by...I find that peanuts are quite easy to grow... they do need some space to spread out so as to be able to reach the soil for the peanuts to develop...

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  4. Hi Lrong,

    I tried growing a green Perilla for the first time last year. It grew well but I wasn’t struck with the taste and texture. However this year I have the red Perilla and boy do I love it!! I think the mistake I made last year was not watering it enough and then eating the old large leaves which were tough and slightly bitter. The new tender leave from this year’s red Perilla are simply divine. I can’t wait to use it in cooking. Any tips from your wonderful missus?

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    Replies
    1. GD... old leaves from the Perilla is not very good for eating... the young tender leaves are good... as for the red ones, we use them for two purposes: (1) making juice (2) preserving plums... we seldom use them for 'cooking' in the real sense... good luck with your cooking...

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    2. Hi Lrong,

      Please do share the recipes for these as I would be most interested indeed! Many thanks!

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  5. The amaranth looks worth growing just for its beautiful coloration! I'll have to look up your other posts to find out more about growing peanuts...

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    1. Try growing peanuts... you will not regret it... Good luck...

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  6. Some people here also eat the native green amaranth, but i haven't tried it. I just know i don't want the Malabar spinach, we call here as 'alugbati', there is the green and purplish variety.

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    1. The purple type is not as tasty as the green ones...

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  7. I too grew green perilla last year and struggle to know what to do with it, aside from table salad that is. Recommendations would be great.

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    1. The Japanese folks are fond of using them with sashimi... we sometimes consume the leaves with Japanese noodles... and of course, as part of the salads...

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  8. Beautiful red Amaranth! I never really have luck with them though...! ;(
    Such a kind friend to give plants!

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    1. Amaranth is actually quite easy to grow... I have very little trouble with them, and pests are not a problem...

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  9. I am so envious of your vegetables! I would love to be able to grow plants like you did, but sigh! nothing ever grows in my mini garden!

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  10. Would you believe I forgot to plant my amaranth? When I remembered, it was a bit late but I sowed some seeds nonetheless, will see if anything happens.
    All your plants look healthy and beautiful.

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  11. I am happy that you enjoyed the amaranth very much and it grows very well in your potager. I always wanted to grow peanuts too but could not find the seeds here. Even in organic shops the peanut has been roasted. I remembered my mother planted some before when I was a teenager and I like it when previously I don't like peanuts. Wonders how different home-grown and commercial one taste like.

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  12. My missus and I sometimes jokingly call the vegetable produce sold at the stores 'broiler vegetables'... home grown peanuts, like other home-grown veggies would then be vegetable version of 'kampong chickens'...

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