Post on Compost

Maybe it was a mental block. Maybe it was hesitation, or feeling inadequate with the tools I have. But, finally, I am just glad to start the process of composting!

 I'm looking forward to good results. It seems simple enough: Layer the "brown" material with the "green",  place in a sunny spot, cover, and mix it each time you add more stuff.  Mostly, I just look forward to creating organic matter to improve my soil, so I don't have to keep hauling in bags of commercial compost!

Just in time for Halloween!

What is that?  Is it a Halloween wig?  

No.  It's corn silk. You know, that silky threadlike stuff that grows

around the ear of the corn,  like a protective buffer, nestled right in between the fruit and its husk.

The pictures below were actually taken on the same day, but represent different stages of corn husks that have been growing at their own pace. Each one is beautifully adorned with corn silk. Kinda reminds me of rocket fuel as it shoots from the tail end.  There is an entire anatomy and physiology lesson behind these guys.  But at its simplest, it is quite a marvel to look at, and knowing that these babies are not genetically altered, or grown with any pesticides, makes me happy as well :)

This is my first time growing corn. I was told it's fairly easy, though I did not believe it. I'd always associate it with farming in the midwest. Massive rows of corn in vast, pest-controlled fields. At least that's what I think when I think of places like Iowa, Oklahoma. Yes, I know, stereotypical.  But we are in the Southwest, here, and we too, have a long native tradition of growing corn. It is, after all, a Native American plant, and there are plenty of references to the indigenous people as the people of "maiz". It was their way of surviving, their staple.

  For this curious Armenian girl, though, channeling my agricultural ancestors means trying something new. Growing corn is very new to me, and I did not think these guys would make it this far, but still holding on.  Now, I pray that they will reach full maturity by Thanksgiving dinner, something authentically "garden-to-table".  What I should really pray for, is that the squirrels don't feast on them first! 

Hanging Tough

Just an adorbs picture of my baby green beans barely separated from their flower buds :)

 

Passionate Fruit

Here is something like nothing I've tasted before. Yet, somehow, in the recesses of my mind, the flavor is so familiar! 

My friend, Elizabeth, brought these to me, as a gift, from her own garden. 

At first, they appear as miniature eggplant, but feel so feather light, you think, "What could possibly be inside?"   Then, you cut one open, and pow!   Marvel of a fruit! 

Cavernous as a conch shell.  Sensual as a sea urchin, curious as a kiwi!  Beautiful,  almost sexual, the taste divine, not quite mango, not quite wine.....  mm......mmmm......and appropriately,  called:

~ Passion Fruit  ~

So, how to use Passion Fruit? 
There are several dessert recipes using passion fruit. But I followed a friend's suggestion, scooped out the tangy flesh, added to brewed tea (strong, Persian-type tea), then added some agave syrup, and let it all steep for a few minutes. 

Actually made a huge pitcher of this. Add some ice, and you got yourself passion-fruit iced tea, better than the stuff at your local Starbucks or Coffee  Bean! 

Another suggestion was to add the fruit to lemonade, in the same fashion as tea, stirring, adding some sugar, and there you go,   Extra dose of Vitamin C!   

Anomaly of the Week!

I just love fruit and vegetable anomalies!

 I think they are worthy of our attention. Some people may think anomalies are just freaks of nature. Well, they are.  But they are also the very living, breathing fruits and vegetables that grew wild and undisturbed. They never succumbed to human regulations and modifications imposed on our wild food source. Anomalies may look funny, but are just as beautiful and fascinating (and in most cases, delicious), as any perfectly round tomato! 

Below: Fungus likes to grow in my garden when it finds moisture combined with afternoon sun. But one of these little monsters looked quite peculiar.

 

Everything is OK with OKra...

My late grandmother, Veronica, who will have passed a year ago on October 26, had a certain culinary gift. More than her elegant food stylings and presentation, and use of the finest ingredients to feed her family, she had this gift of healing with her soothing stews, and healthy dishes. Among her super foods was Okra, a unique stalky bean known for its high nutrient content and versatility in dishes.
Though, Id be filled with joy at any one of her other hearty stews, whenever Id hear the word okra, my smile would just as quick turn to a pout. I'd make any excuse possible to avoid going to her house for dinner on those nights.  You see, not only was I not a fan of okra, I despised the darn hairy vegetable, with its nasty, slimy insides!  Still  I would grin, and chew, and add extra helpings of rice pilaf, to help offset the other flavors and textures. There was nothing more I could do, as we were fed by one source, and that source was grandmother.

One wild year, however, the year I turned 21, I visited my brother who was then living in Atlanta, Georgia. It was there that I satisfied my culinary curiosity. Among the corn grits and mac n cheese, I discovered this surprising Southern delight, in the form of fried okra!
Besides the fry factor, these diced up hairy buggers actually tasted good, almost nutty, palatable. I came back home to tell my grandma, but she, understandably, would not budge from her traditional "bamia", okra stew. After all, stewed in tomatoes and chunks of beef filet, this was the only fast track.to health!

So, in aftermath of losing a beloved best girlfriend, I had new insights and discoveries in the garden, some metaphorical, and others, quite simply symbolic, like the okra seed!   After planting the okra seed, and watching its beautiful flower give fruit, I wondered what Veronica might have done had I offered her them.  To stew, to fry...

Joy of Sharing Food

We get to experience unusually long, extended summers here in Southern California.  And one of the biggest joys (at least for me), is to share whatever harvest results from these hottest days, with close friends and family.  This summer, though, proved particularly difficult, with several tomato plants decimated by bugs and pests, and elements failing to come together just in time. Still, as with anything, you just pick back up again, and plant more seeds!

In the midst of the next growth period, I decided to have some friends over, with the intention of featuring at least 2 fresh ingredients from the garden.  With 2 baby watermelons already ripened I assembled a little appetizer using feta cheese, watermelon, and mint.  I paired this up with a vodka I infused overnight, with watermelon and mint (To tease the palate).  To follow the theme, I created "Caprese" skewers, (mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil), and paired these up with a citrus/basil infused vodka, again, as a palate-opener.

Garden herbs were also highlighted in my Mediterranean-inspired salads. I was able to harvest a couple handfuls of mature long green beans, and created a green bean, potato, and egg salad, with a Dijon grain mustard dressing.  I did a similar dressing (but using regular dijon mustard), in my lentil and garbanzo salad, which featured fresh thyme.

The centerpiece course (not photographed here), was a baked, herbed salmon, using chopped garlic, diced tomatoes, and bunches upon bunches of chopped cilantro.

Vodkas infused with fruits and herbs, prepared a day ahead (the longer they infuse, the stronger the essences)

Green bean, potato, and egg salad with grain Dijon dressing.

Orzo salad, with feta, sun dried tomatoes, and kalamata olives.

No middle-eastern girl's party is complete without a hummus!

Everyone enjoying a good time!