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...

Snap peas, greens, potatoes, berries...

Beautiful weather these days in Shikoku, Japan...

It is supposed to be the rainy season, and I am hoping for rain, actually...

We ate the last of the snap peas this season...
My missus prefers to harvest them when they are more 'full-bodied'...
'Crunchy and meaty', she says...

Sowed some mini turnip seeds in April...
Used to sow them in rows, but I am quite hopeless at thinning the little plants after they germinated...
So, tried sowing them in discreet spots, spaced about 30 centimeters apart...
It makes the thinning process easier, and the plants grow better too...
They taste really good, stir-fried with bean curd...

Also sowed some chingen-sai last April...
They are easy to grow and are more resistant to pests compared to komatsu-na...
I normally grow these greens in the autumn season as there are less pests to start with...
Anyway, chingen-sai is also a very delicious vegetable...
I would also like to add, a very 'handsome-looking' one too...

Planted two types of potatoes last October...
Danshaku potato (originated from Irish Cobbler potato) and Kita-akari potato (which is an 'improved' strain of the Danshaku)...
From two kilograms of seed potatoes, I could harvest only seven kilograms of potatoes...
Hmmm... could this be proof of the amateurism of the farmer?

We were very excited to see so many fruits in our two mulberry trees in May...

Come June, to our dismay, the fruits turned whitish and rotted away...
The same thing happened last year, and we had thought it was the continuous rain that brought about the rotting...

Did a check on the net and found out that the tree was suffering from 'popcorn' disease...
The recommended treatment is to 'remove and bury the infected fruit on the trees and any ground debris as it appears during the growing season'... (source)
I went a step further... I burnt them all...
Am hoping that the fruits will not be infected again next year...