Monday, July 14, 2008

Blooms day July

Another Blooms day thanks to Carol at May Dreams Garden
This month I have many more blooms, thanks to some rain and a little plant TLC.

The Bahuinia Galpini finally managed its first real flush of blooms-so pretty!


this is a new plant-tecoma elata "burnt orange". A quick grower and prolific bloomer.

cool white plumeria pudica

Euphorbia-the 365 days bloomer

what could be more pretty than fuchsia bougainvillea against the blue sea and sky?

oleander


My two Geiger trees bloomed


and the firecraker I had neglected

this weeping crape myrtle is now starting to take off. Crape myrtles do look much nicer in the bright light of the Caribbean.

A bevy of bougainvilleas-to me one of the most marvelous flowers for the tropics


Saturday, July 12, 2008

Enchilada Pie


Yummy and fresh, yet still “junky” tasting. This pie can be served a main or side, and refrigerates and reheats well. I think it tastes better the next day.

Sauce (You can also substitute a 16oz bottle of enchilada sauce)

1 large can whole tomatoes plus 1 fresh tomato if available, pureed in blender
2 tablespoons oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoon minced hot pepper ( chili, habenero, jalapeƱo-whatever is your tolerance)
2 tablespoons pureed chipotle pepper or two whole chipotles (optional)
3 tablespoons ground cumin (geera)
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Heat oil in a saucepan, add garlic and hot pepper and fry for 1 minute. Stir in ground spices, frying for 30 seconds longer. Add tomato puree, chipotle, salt, and sugar. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Filling
11/2 cups ricotta cheese or crumbled queso fresco or crumbled feta cheese or chevre
3 cups grated monterrey jack cheese
2 cups fresh corn kernels (2 ears) or 1 can corn kernels, drained
2 cups chopped spinach or other greens eg amaranth
¼ cup chopped onions
1 tablespoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon nutmeg

3 large or 9 small corn tortillas

Garnishes:
Diced avocado
Sour cream
Chopped green onions

Method
Preheat oven to 350°
Steam corn for 8 minutes if fresh and drain excess water. If using canned corn no need to steam. Steam chopped spinach or greens for 3 minutes and drain excess water.
In a large bowl mix together cheeses, set aside 1 cup. Mix in vegetables and seasonings.
In oiled round dish place one large or 3 overlapping small tortillas. Place half the filling and top with half the sauce. Then do a layer with tortillas and filling and top with remaining large or 3 small tortillas. Press pie down firmly with palms of hand or fingers, then cover with sauce and sprinkle with reserved cheese..
Bake 20 minutes. Let cool enough to set. Cut in wedges and serve with garnishes of choice.
Option: For individual enchiladas you can divide the filling between each tortilla, roll up the tortillas and place seam side down on an oiled baking dish. Cover with sauce and grated cheese. Bake 15 minutes.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

The well designed garden



Ten years ago, in anticipation of having a garden a few years later, I bought John Brookes's Garden Design Book. I am glad I kept this on on my bookshelf, as a few weeks ago when I once again opened the book and browsed the chapters it was such a revelation-here was no coffee table book with mere pretty pictures, but an actual course in garden design. I realised that in using this book one actually could learn how to design a garden, as opposed to merely copying arrangements and vignettes. It doesn't matter what your climate or topography or type of plants-this book is a TOOL.

I dug around the Internet and learned that John Brookes is among the most highly regarded and innovative garden designers; having designed over 1,200 gardens worldwide. He ran design courses from his own garden in Sussex, England, as well as in the South of France and Japan. He has won numerous awards throughout his career, including Gold Medals at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show, and he is a member of the Order of the British Empire for his services to horticulture in the United Kingdom and overseas.

Indeed, going through his books I see how the new the generation of garden designers were inspired by his work-dozens of “new” ideas and designs were derived from his. I ordered several of his books and all are superb. Like Room Outside.



Formerly “Garden Masterclass, the Essentials of Garden Design is rightly touted as “The definitive sourcebook of garden ideas from the "godfather" of contemporary garden designers”. Each chapter is devoted to a single design concept eg Context, Pattern, Shape, Scale, Proportion, Dynamics, Hard materials.



The Well-Designed Garden is crammed with instructional sketches and garden ideas


The book that started it all. See the use of instructive grid and diagrams.


On arelated note, a fabulous idea book for those in arid regions-this book by Debra Lee Baldwin is chock full of not only design ideas, but plant, soil and propagation info.


I love the look of bold, architectural agaves

Monday, June 30, 2008

Agave



I have always loved the striking, architectural forms and artistic detail of agaves. In this respect, I have been quite a contrast to the majority of the people in the Caribbean, who dislike agaves and treat them as weeds, or at best, security hedges. I suppose it’s because many people’s ideas of a garden-clipped hedges and rolling lawns with neat flowers, palms in a row-were imported and handed down from the days of colonialism-the same way baby care techniques were.
That’s why as a baby I was swaddled in a woolen blanket, with wool booties and cap-all specially imported from England- before being taken outside-never mind that the temperature here is always 64-85 degrees F, not chilly Britain in winter where an unwrapped baby could catch its death from pneumonia.

So, it was so refreshing on my recent visit to San Francisco to find like minded gardeners-as agaves and succulents are all the rage there now. I also love reading all the garden US and UK blogs and articles on the xeriscape garden. So, here is my fledgling collection of agaves, along with some info on their source.

My very first agave was the sisalana, traditionally used to make rope and cultivated in plantations. I have posted pics of my 5 year old specimen in bloom. Source: side of road.

Blooms and bulbils





I recently bought the excellent book Designing with Succulents, by Debra Lee Baldwin and noted the agave/bougainvillea combo pictured-hey I did that one years ago!



I got this one, I guess Americana, at the courier’s office about 7 years ago. I asked if I could pull out some pups and the guy looked at me as if I were crazy for actually wanting the plants. He warned “it would run all over the yard”. Well, of course there is a thing called containment in the ground and container planting, but I didn’t bother to explain that. I am glad I pulled out a few pups there and then, as soon after the entire clump was removed and some much less drought tolerant, and in my opinion, less attractive, plants were installed. The new plants look terrible in the dry season.



I love the cool powder blue



A couple agaves I got at the nursery-some sort of Americana and I suppose the second one is filifera.






I got several desmetiana at the nursery and agricultural center about a year ago. Very elegant form with smooth edges, my only regret is I didn’t get any all green ones.



The Deputy Governor is another agave fan, and I bought this, lophanta, from him at a charity sale last April. It had two pups which I divided; the medium pup is now the size of the mother plant when I bought. The mother plant is now 12 inches wide. Not bad for $5. This does look like a rather dangerous agave, and I will have this strictly as a container plant.




At Flora Grubb Nursery I got
Bovicornuta, potatorum and blue glow. Alas they are small pups, and so need a year or 2 to fully come into form.

At gosuccluent.com I got stricta and attenuata. Since they are small offsets I will need to use images from Wikipedia commons

Stricta (photo by Herve Febvre)



Attenuata or foxtail agave-a soft leaved, thornless agave



As for my plans for my grown agaves, I have been inspired by several garden design books and also http://www.penick.net/digging/

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Red & White

Its that time of the year again, for the magnificent blooms of the flamboyant, or Royal Poinciana These two pics were taken at the Ministry of Agriculture. Coming to think of it, there is a towering flamboyant tree in every Ministry of Agriculture office I have seen in the Caribbean!




Then my coral hibiscus bloomed- I just love the lacy,intricate look-I can't believe this is an old variety, it looks like some fanciful thing a modern plant breeder might think up


These cool white blooms on the hosta surprised me

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Pesto!



I have saved this post for summer so that everyone can use the recipes. In the tropics, one can grow and enjoy fresh basil year round (as I do) but the strange thing is that in the tropics many people aren’t even aware of culinary basil! While I use basil almost every day, (Thai, lemon and cinnamon basil being the most heat tolerant) my favorite thing about growing it is the ability to make fresh pesto.

The beauty of pesto is how flexible it is-you don’t really need pine nuts, I find walnuts, almonds or cashews work fine, or nuts can be left out. You can make your pesto light and refreshing by adding mint, or aromatic with a sprig of rosemary (to top pizza) or zesty with some arugula, or rich tasting with flat leaf Italian parsley.

As if that weren’t enough, you can also mince in some chopped olives (green or black, each will give a different flavour) or sun dried tomatoes.

What to do with pesto-toss into hot, cooked pasta and add some chopped tomatoes for a yummy main course or side dish; drizzle on pizza or mashed potatoes; use as the dressing for potato salad, a sandwich spread or spread on wraps, use as a sauce on fried fish, as a stuffing for chicken breasts, add to cubed curried chicken with tomatoes and cucumbers to make a quick salad, add to layers in lasagna, as a basting sauce for grilled shrimp or fish, add a touch to scrambled eggs.

What’s your favourite way to use pesto?



My favorite pesto recipe

4 large garlic cloves
1/4 cup pine nuts, walnuts, almonds or cashews (you can make a nut-less pesto)
2 oz freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or parmesan or pecorino, (2/3 cup)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups loosely packed fresh basil
Minced hot pepper eg ¼ tsp habanero or chili, or pinch of red chili flakes or 1 whole aji dulce or seasoning pepper (optional)
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Food processor or food chopper method:
With food processor or food chopper running, drop in garlic and finely chop. Stop motor and add nuts, cheese, salt, pepper, basil and hot pepper if using, then process until finely chopped.

Food processor: With motor running, blend in oil.

Food chopper: Remove mixture to a small bowl and blend in oil with spoon.

Mortar and pestle method
Combine the nuts and garlic in a mortar. With the pestle, grind until smooth. Add the cheese and olive oil, grind again until smooth. Finely chop the basil and hot pepper and add it to the mortar. Grind up with the other ingredients until smooth. Add black pepper.

Note: I do not store pesto, except for a day, covered in the refrigerator, because of the dangers of botulism developing with garlic in oil.

Here are some combos to try with arugula and cilantro:

Arugula Pesto
2 cups arugula leaves, packed
1/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup freshly freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or parmesan or pecorino
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled

Cilantro Pesto

This one is cheese-less-try on Mexican themed food! Eg guacamole, chili, nachos, fajitas, sour cream.

3 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro, thick stems removed
1/4 cup almonds or pistachios
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup olive oil
¼ to 1/2 teaspoon minced hot pepper of choice
Squeeze of fresh lime or lemon
Variation: add some fresh mint leaves

Sunday, June 15, 2008

June Blooms day

A very small post today because a. it’s very hot so that the garden isn’t awash in blooms and b. some pics came out of focus but its too hot for me to go and try to get new shots.


I love the deep fushia and green tones of this bougainvillea


Agave post bloom-with lots of bulbils


Ever blooming plumeria pudica


Purple Allamanda


Allamanda


Always photogenic euphorbia