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...

Chillies, figs, pumpkins, watermelons

As always, autumn here is so pleasant.
The air is dry and cool... only thing is the remaining few pesky mosquitoes...
Been enjoying the garden all along and ignoring the blogging...



This is a picture of the chillies I am growing this season.
The roundish ones are the so-called (second by now?) hottest chilly, habanero.
It is really hot but soaked in vinegar, it is quite lovely especially with noodles.
The greenish one is jalapeno, thick flesh and crunchy, not too hot...
The slim, red, longish one is called taka-no-tsume in Japanese, literally, claws of the falcon...
The whitish one is really flagrant and spicy... brought the seeds from my village in Kedah...
And finally, the classic big red chilli, which is called super chilly here...

Think I mentioned before that figs is one of my all time favorite fruits.
Was invited by a Japanese friend to harvest from his field.
Wooh, heavenly it was to stroke the fruits right off the trees...

Was quite successful with pumpkins this year.
The dark green ones are really tasty, with a chestnut-like flavor.
The elongated, yellow ones are called spaghetti pumpkins...
The flesh is somewhat like noodles, am looking forward to eating them.

And tha-da... watermelons from my garden...
This one weighed about 800 grams, not too big but sufficient for two...
Sweetness was alright and ooh, what a feeling to sink my fangs into the juicy meat...