Items from my pantry, appliances from my cupboard and produce from my garden
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
LADYBIRD
This little girl made it all the way from Christchurch after the earthquake last February. I hope she enjoys her new home in my garden free from aftershocks and tremors.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
These fruit trees are found within a kilometer radius from my house.
This apple tree is on my neighbour's boundry fence, literally less than a meter from my garage. It is stick thin, but you can see lots of apples hanging.
This is a crab apple tree which is only about 5 feet tall ( slightly taller than me *grins* ) but has a very heavy crop every season. I was told by the owner who is one of my neighbours that you can't actually eat the apple but you can turn them into crab apple jelly. I've got no idea what he meant by that. Cannot eat them but can make them into crab apple jelly..... Huh?!? On this street that I'm living, I love this tree the most.... it's so pwetty.
I was doing my Meals On Wheels delivery one day and saw this abnormal tree with abnormal amounts of fruits on it. I'm not quite sure what fruit it is, but my guess is it is a kind of pear. Some of the fruits are huge.... as huge as my Samboy's head ( look at the picture on this blog sidebar )... I kid you not!
I pass by this tree every day on my way to the supermarket ( yes, I do go to the supermarket every day! ) Each time I pass by, my heart will ache and I wish I could have a tree like this in my back yard. And no it's not because I love to eat peaches, but it's just so that I could admire them on the tree. Hehehe.
I have never seen an avocado tree in my whole life.... little did I know that for the past 3 years I have been driving right past a HUGE avocado tree almost every day.... hmph! For those who have not seen and for those who claim they have not seen an avocado tree, I suggest you look at a mango tree, and that is exactly how an avocado tree looks like.
This fig tree belongs to a British neighbour who lives 5 doors away from me. He was the inspiration for me to start my own vegetable garden. Whatever he grows, he grows them well, whereas for me, whatever I grow, the plants struggle to survive.... muahaha!
This is a feijoa tree. The taste is similar to that of guava as I have been told, but I disagree. Can't describe the taste, but definitely not guava! This tree also belongs to my inspirational neighbour.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
GREAT FINDS
I went to the Farmers market a couple of weeks ago without any intention of buying any apricots. I never liked apricots as I find them tasteless and sour / tart. I came across a stall manned by two teenagers and they were handing out samples of various varieties of apricots. People were swarming around their stall and buying kilos and kilos. This got my attention so I had to give the apricots a try. I tried a few and stumbled across a variety called Moorpark. They totally changed my opinion of apricots. They were full of flavour and sweetness, but I was still reluctant to buy some as among all the varieties available, the Moorpark is the most unattractive. Other varieties looked so much nicer, deep yellow, so plump and juicy in appearance.
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I happened to have a chat with an old couple who told me that among all the varieties, Moorpark is the best in flavour as they have the most apricot taste. Because they look so unattractive, supermarkets seldom carry them so most people are not familiar with this variety. They sell the newer varieties as they are nicer in appearance but unfortunately do not taste anywhere near as nice as the Moorpark apricots. As you can see my opinion has now changed and I bought about 2 kilos of them. From now on, I'll be on the lookout for Moorpark... and so should you!
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Since living in New Zealand, every December to March you can see cherries being sold everywhere. Last year, I discovered the Sweetheart variety... of course at that time I did not know they were called Sweetheart cherries. This year, I was super excited come December as I would be able to indulge myself with cherries. But everytime I went to buy some I discovered the flesh was soft instead of firm and was often disappointed as not only were they sour but also tasteless. I started to frequent Farmers markets in hope of finding the type of cherries I like. When I described the texture of cherries that I am after to the seller, they often tell me that those cherries are only available in February or March. It never occurred to me to ask the variety name as for me a cherry is a cherry, an apricot is an apricot, an apple is an apple...
While buying the Moorpark apricots, I found my beloved cherries. Only then did I learn they are called Sweetheart cherries. So, if you are like me who is fussy, and not any old variety of fruit will do, do learn the names of the variety of any fruits that you like... not the brand, mind you. It is true that the Sweetheart cherry tree is one of the last cherry trees to ripen during the season. It is also true that the cherries from these trees remain firm when they are picked and eaten.
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