I have this Kaffir Lime tree in my garden for about a year now. I bought it from a nursery when it was only about 6 inch high. It is almost five feet tall now except I have to prune it so it would stay dwarf. I would gather the leaves for my Thai cooking and the rest I put in the freezer for future use. It last long in the refrigerator but longer in the freezer.
The leaves have a very pleasant smell that makes your Thai recipe an authentic one. I like the shape of the leaves which is really an identifying factor of the Kaffir lime. It has like an hour-glass shape which makes it different from other citrus trees.
It’s good to use in Tom Yum Soup, a spicy Thai soup with hot peppers and lemon grass. I use it in our sour soup called “sinigang”. Tamarind is the souring agent in the soup and the main ingredient can be pork, beef, fish or shrimp. Unchoi or Kangkong is the vegetable to use with it.
I do not expect for the tree to bear fruit anytime soon but it’s okay, the leaves are more important for my cooking. Watch out for the thorns, they’re quite dangerous, although in the Philippines, we used the thorns for picking the snails from the shells.
Kaffir Lime leaves
May 13th, 2012 by Maria No comments »Summer is here
May 5th, 2012 by Maria No comments »
The flowers in the picture is from the long beans I transplanted a couple of weeks ago. Don’t they look like small fairies? I saw some long beans forming already.
The society garlic is blooming again with a profusion of lilac-colored flowers. I like to watch the long stalk of clustered flowers sway with the breeze.
Nasturtiums is also showing off with its brilliant crimson red color petals and good to eat too. The taste is a cross between radish and wasabi.
The okras are also getting taller and I just spotted one flower today.
The cherry tomatoes are also generously giving me fruits now which is really good tasting and juicy too, a quick plus to your green salad. Speaking of salad, I have these lettuce in the garden called the oakleaf lettuce and I have been enjoying it for months now. I made succession plantings so I would not run out of lettuce for green tossed salad. I actually have some other varieties too like the prizehead lettuce and the atoll variety. I just can’t help myself when it comes to mixing lettuces even in the garden. It’s like planting mesclun except I get to choose what I want to mix. The kale plants are also getting taller now and although I have problems with them having whiteflies, they are still standing and looking good with their grayish green leaves which is full of vitamins and minerals. By the way, I used dishwashing liquid soap with a few drops of oregano oil and put in a spray bottle to combat the spread of whiteflies in the garden. It worked for me.
The green eggplants are giving me enough to be able to make pinakbet. The Waimanalo long eggplants are still in the process of growing.
The lilikoi vine is still giving me all kinds of fruits. I can’t wait till they ripened so I can make jelly which I can also use to flavor my tea or the shortbread cookies I plan to bake.
The pink ginger flowers are peeking amidst their bright green leaves. I can’t believe they’ve grown so tall now.
The cannas with their bright red flowers are always a standby in the garden. Ever since I have them, they just keep popping here and there which is good for me cause I love having flowers in the garden to please the guests like butterflies and bees.
I almost forgot to mention the fig tree which is full of green fruits too. They turn light yellow when ripe.
All of these things happening in the garden at the same time and I said to myself summer is really here.
Fig Tree
April 26th, 2012 by Maria No comments »
My fig tree in the garden came from a cutting. I took some branches when the tree owner decided to prune her fig tree which grew into a tall tree about ten feet or more. We can only grow up to five feet plants in the garden. Luckily the fig cuttings grew and actually have been giving me fruits to enjoy whenever I’m in the garden. I have the tree for about four years now. I just planted it in a pot and it grew horizontally which is good for me because I don’t want it to grow taller than five feet. I have pruned it a couple of times to maintain its height. The fruit I get is green that turns into yellow as it ripens. I also have to feel it too. When it is soft to the touch then its ready to eat.
Common fig tree (ficus carica) is native to the Middle East. It thrives in sunny, dry climate.
The fruits can be eaten fresh or dried and can be made into jams. I only knew figs before in Fig Newton cookies. It also have nutritional benefits like calcium and fiber, and micro nutrients considered as antioxidants. It also have laxative properties.
Fig has been mentioned in the Bible many times and I guess the importance of fig in ancient times cannot be overlook.
Chinese Broccoli
April 22nd, 2012 by Maria No comments »
Chinese Broccoli also known as Kai-lan or Gai-lan is one of my favorite vegetable to grow. It is also my favorite vegetable to stir-fry. I first encountered these delectable leafy vegetable when I traveled to Hongkong a decade or so ago. Most of the restaurants in Hongkong serve these delicious leafy greens mixed with meat, chicken or seafood. They are simply prepared but so good just the same and they are reasonably priced too. You can eat your heart out in Hongkong without breaking the bank or your wallet.
Chinese Broccoli is a leafy vegetable greyish- blue in color and have thick stems just like the regular broccoli. It will develop florets that would open into a bouquet of white flowers which the bees love. Planting is not difficult. The soil must be amended with compost and manure. You can sow the seeds directly into the prepared bed. I would dug up a trench then sow the seeds and cover with soil lightly. I would then cover the bed with window screen to protect the seeds from the birds before watering. Keep the soil moist during the entire growing season. Harvest them before the flower form.
Chinese Broccoli is also nutritious. It has Vitamins K, C, A, B-vitamins especially Folic Acid and Minerals like potassium, manganese, zinc and calcium.
Just like its cousin the Choi-sum, you can steam the leaves then add oyster sauce and fresh garlic or you can stir-fry it with other vegetables like green bell pepper, celery and carrots with tofu for vegetarians or with beef or chicken. For beef I always use top sirloin because it is tender than other cuts. For chicken, you may use breast or thighs, they are both good.
Chinese broccoli is in the family of Brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale are some of them) which are well-known to be cancer fighters that’s why I grow them. Not only it is tasty, it will help me stay cancer-free.
Oakleaf Lettuce
April 9th, 2012 by Maria No comments »
I have been experimenting on the types of lettuce that will grow well in my garden. So far I’m successful. Like this red oakleaf lettuce I planted a month ago. They are so good, crunchy and sweet. I like the red color in combination with the green leaves of the Manoa lettuce in my salad bowl. I tried to do succession plantings so I won’t run out of lettuce for my salad. So while I am enjoying this red oakleaf lettuce, I have already sowed another variety called prize head lettuce. It is also a loose leaf type but the leaves have a tinge of red or maroon color. It is also crispy and sweet. I am ready to transplant them as soon as I find a space in the garden.
Lettuce is rich in minerals and vitamins A,B,C, D and E so it is really worth planting them even in a pot if you don’t have much space.
Lettuce is easy to grow. It needs loamy soil and consistent watering. I mix blood meal and compost to the soil and just dress a little bit of a balance fertilizer every two weeks during the growing phase. It needs nitrogen for good leaves and blood meal provides that. Chicken manure is also a good source of nitrogen, but sometimes it is so strong that plants wilt. It also needs full sun but needs protection during summer months because the intense heat will cause it to bolt prematurely and that will make the leaves to taste bitter. I cover the lettuce bed with window screens if intense heat is in the forecast.
