Monday, December 31, 2012

Saffron, figs, etc...

Just returned home to Japan after a little visit to my native country, Malaysia...
It is about 5 degrees here, compared to about 30 degrees in Malaysia...
Shot these pictures some time ago but did not have the opportunity to post them...
The above shot is that of the Crocus sativus...
We have quite a few bulbs but have not been taking good care of them...
Still, we can harvest some saffron from the flowers (which we use for cooking)...
Apparently, the saffron is among the most expensive spices in the world...

Had the opportunity to harvest a few fruits from our fig tree...
We got their seedlings from a neighbor some years ago...
They tasted really sweet and good...
Next season, I certainly plan to give more care to this plant as figs are one of my favorite, favorite fruits...

The Chingen-sai, as this vegetable is called in Japan, was thriving well before we left for Malaysia...
I took a look at the potager after coming home today...
Hmmm, they looked kind of wrinkled, probably from the effects of the cold...
And yes, I mean, no... the wild boars have definitely made their mark on my potager...
Their foot prints can be found here and there on the beds...

The Chingen-sai stir-fried with a little ginger and garlic...
 Lovely taste...
The cauliflower plant is still growing well, despite the cold...

The lettuce too, is thriving and giving us a lot to chew on...

The Komatsu-na too, is quite resistant to the cold and is growing well..

This is the last post for the year 2012.... I'd like to wish all my friends and readers a very happy 2013, and may the new year bring you and your loved ones much joy and happiness...

Friday, December 7, 2012

Beans, winged and long... and nuts of the pea-type...

Tried to grow for three seasons, winged beans from seeds taken back from Malaysia...
But no cigar... just as the plants began to flower, winter came along and killed them all...
Could it be that these these beans are too used to the perennial summer conditions in Malaysia so much so that they could not adapt to the changing seasons in Japan?
Finally purchased some seeds from a dealer in Japan...
And woah, the accumulative harvest came to about 200 pods...
Meanwhile, long bean seeds taken back from Malaysia coped very well with conditions here...
For many seasons, they have been fruiting quite profusely...
Sometimes, my missus cooked these long beans omelet styled...
They taste good, I must say...
Peanuts... yeap, I love growing them... and of course, eating them too...
Last summer, had three plots of them...
Forgot to weigh the harvest but it was quite substantial by our standards...
Am enjoying the nuts bit by bit these days...