Bells of Brazil

We return for another virtual visit to the San Francisco Botanical Garden -this time to Brazil. I noticed that lots of the blooms in “Brazil” were tubular or bell shaped.

I do not know what this tree with the most unusual blooms is but I want one!

This unknown "fuzzy balls" shrub with the fuchsia was just stunning


Peachy abutilon


Is this a perfectly elegant brugmansia bloom or what?


The pink passion flowers are so cool-and the plant/s had hundreds



Fuchsia bells



I love these purple tubes

Succulent acquisitions

I envy the people who can casually walk into their local nursery or even Home Depot and see row upon row of succulent plants for the taking, often at low prices. For on this warm, dry island that gets a maximum of 30 inches of rain a year there is nary a succulent or xeric plant to be found for sale. I actually have an agave, yuccas and aloes I grew from seed-such is my desperation.

Here are my proud new acquisitions from SF, a city certainly in love with succulents and xeric plants:



Aeonium cuttings looking good so far. Any help with ID will be appreciated.

Another freebie: I got three pups from this agave-I believe Americana? It actually looks a much deeper blue/green here in the tropical light. The leaves of the pups have a silky texture.



I bought 10 plants in 4 inch pots from GoSucculent
This is the second time I bought from them-the last time being May 2008. They have a fairly good selection of small plants at reasonable prices and the plants were all healthy.

The aloe striata I got and what I hope it will grow to be




Tiny sharkskin agaves. These grow into the most lovely structural plants. I could have bought one or two larger plants but I could not resist the 8 for $13 deal LOL. Especially since I am sure they'll be big plants in about 3 years.


Alas the aloe plicatilis and mangave bloodspot did not survive so have to make do with this pic from Flora Grubb


Aloe petricola

I like the form on this euphorbia hybrid


Some of the plants I got last year from gosucculent-aloe aculeata and agave vilmoriana having grown a lot are now in 3 gallon pots. These are ready to be taken out my "nursery' and be put in the garden.



Agave stricta grew much less and is in a pot now crammed with succulents-with an aloe maculata pup I transplanted and self seeded Kalanchoe blossfeldiana


I love the perfect symmetry of these echeverias I got in the nursery here last December- a once every few years experience of finding succulents for sale locally. They didn't look as nice as this when I got them-their colors were all insipid. After a couple months when I saw what beautiful plants they were ( after being repotted and getting sunlight) I went back to get more but they were all gone.

Can anyone help with the ID of the first two? Those two are also very prolific in sending out pups. The other two are I believe are E pulidonis and E black prince.

Blooms Day in the Caribbean Garden

Another rushed blooms day post-we are preparing for tropical storm Ana, followed by hurricane Bill. See how bright and perfect the weather is-its always that way the day before a storm.

We really hope Bill doesn’t hit directly. The rain isn’t a problem as we have excellent drainage-it’s the high winds that can cause damage where we live.

Already done: fresh linens; water for drinking, bathing, cooking and flushing; canned foods, bread, spaghetti; blackberry and cell phones charged. Still to do: bring in potted succulents and aloes which may rot from all the rain.

Agave sisalina bloomstalk


Love my aloe maculatoa. Coral blooms with grey tips!

Always a favourite-bougainvillea

Euphorbia milli in hot pink and red


Turk's cap cactus-flower and edible fruit

Thai Red Curry Pumpkin

My version of the Thai Red Curry Pumpkin at Osha
Totally scrumptious, for this you really need a superb flavored pumpkin, like Kabocha or Red Kuri and a creamy, rich coconut milk (fresh if you can make it).

The (vegetarian) South East Asian food I had at Slanted Door, At the Door and Osha in San Francisco is amazing, as good as or better than the vegetarian food I had in South East Asia.

Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium or 2 small onions, cut into wedges
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1-2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• 2 teaspoons fresh gingeroot, minced
• ½ cup vegetable stock
• 1 3/4 cups coconut milk
• 1 ½ -2 pounds kabocha squash or red kuri squash, cut into one and a half inch cubes ( peeling is optional)
• 1- 2 cups vegetables eg ½ cup sliced bell peppers with 1 cup sliced bamboo shoots and/or cauliflower and/or sugar snap peas and ½ cup cubed tofu or 1 cup asparagus, halved and 1 cup young squash eg pattypan or yellow squash, thickly sliced, or 1 cup sweet potato, peeled and cubed and par boiled 5 minutes and ½ cup sliced bell peppers.
• Sliced lemongrass ( optional)
• 1 fresh or dried Thai chile (optional- only if you like it hot!)
• 1/2 cup fresh Thai or sweet basil

Method
Heat oil in wok or deep frying pan. Add onions, garlic, ginger and curry and stir 1 minute. Add stock and coconut milk and bring to simmer. Add the pumpkin, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add vegetables (and lemongrass and chile if you are using) and cook another 5-7 minutes until the pumpkin is soft. Taste for salt. Stir in basil leaves leaving a few for garnish. Serve with jasmine or brown rice. Garnish with fresh basil leaves. Serves 4.

Paws and brushes

A little visit to Australia via the San Francisco Botanical Gardens

Kangaroo paws-I really want some of these for my garden




Spilling over...



I love bottlebrush and this pink is gorgeous



the red one used to be a popular plant in the Caribbean when I was a child



Banksia



Seedpods




cool blue berries

Peck of peppers

According to Wikipedia “A chipotle is a smoke-dried jalapeño chili used primarily in Mexican, Mexican-American, Tex-Mex, and Mexican-inspired cuisine… Until recently, chipotles were almost exclusively found in the markets of central and southern Mexico .”

Well that last sentence quite explains why barely anyone in the Caribbean knows what a chipotle is.

I first had chipotle when friends took me out for dinner in Virginia and I tried the chipotle mashed potatoes at their suggestion. I loved it-the warm smoky flavour and just a slight kick. I subsequently bought a packet of chipotle and tried it in baked potatoes, black beans, stews etc. Everyone I served these dishes to said “what’s that smoky taste? It’s delicious”. Chipotle suppliers could very well look into the Caribbean market, as its apparently something that appeals to Caribbean taste buds.



I recently tried the ground chipotle and found it really convenient for quick dishes or when prep time is limited. Its also pretty dusted on top of food.



I stocked up on these whole and ground chilpotles at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market in San Francisco.