Archive for the ‘Extra Info’ Category
Monarch Butterfly Haiku: Camera Madness
Dot’s Thot: “Butterflies are self propelled flowers.” – R.H. Heinlein
Monarch Butterfly Closeup on Asclepsis Buds
DoT's Monarch Butterfly Haiku #2, "Monarch Butterfly Camera Madness"
Monarch Butterfly Speeding Among the Agapanthus Looks Like It is Pasted In
The Monarch Butterfly Eluded Me, Charmed the Hubby
A few days ago, while I was out in the yard, tending to plants and flowers, I caught a vague glimpse of my hubby moving rather fast for the brand-new medicare guy that he is. He has one of those ridiculously low heart rates — at rest, somewhere in the 40’s (genetic, it seems) — and I am used to him being a genial, ambling sort of guy.
Don’t be mistaken, he can move fast when he has too and that brain is constantly on the go, although.in general, he appears to be relaxed and easy-going, but apparently not when it comes to monarch butterfly pictures.
I looked, but got engrossed again. I was in the back yard and he soon disappeared, headed toward the front of the house. I figured he had something on his mind, as usual. When he gets an idea, he wants to execute immediately.
Some minutes later, he returned all excited — “I saw your butterfly. I think I got some pictures for you for your blog. Come look.” He sounded not a bit out of breath, but somewhat breathless in excitement. As one of those “keeper” kind of men, he was all too happy to make me happy.
Persistence Results in Interesting Monarch Butterfly Pictures
Imagine my surprise when I took the camera in and uploaded the photographs. Some days before, I had tried to take a flip video of a Monarch butterfly and it just made me dizzy. I couldn’t get a good close-up and the flittering, fleeting, fluttering butterfly turned me around in circles.
I can appreciate how he must have run around and persisted to get the photos. I have included some here. Just an amateur monarch butterfly lover, I have tried to attract and journal the monarch butterfly life cycle for myself. I love the unusual pictures he managed to take: one where the butterfly is seen from the top as the wings are folded together, appearing like a sudden sliver of color among the leaves and one where he caught the butterfly in mid-flight as an orange, black, and white big “V” zooming low in the garden.
What shots these are — I can imagine the butterfly for myself. Some pictures look like they could have been digitally manipulated, because of the movement — kind of the surreal feeling butterflies sometimes induce in real life. In some of them, there is a feeling of “Where’s Wally?” as I hunt among the foliage and blossoms for the elusive butterfly.
Unusual Angle of a Monarch Butterfly as a Colorful Sliver
"Coming in Low to Strafe the Ants!"
Finally, as he followed it, the butterfly lighted upon, of all things, the butterfly bush or asclepsis that I have tended to for three years to foster the monarch butterflies. He took a series of shots and the butterfly is as magnificent as any I have seen. What a man — kind of an un-birthday present; therefore, I want to share them with you.
Aloha, DoT
Related Articles or References:
Related Posts:
- Asclepsis and Lantana: Food for Monarch Butterflies
- Scene in Hawaii: Monarch Butterfly Caterpiller in a Supermarket Garden Shop
- A Note on Monarch Butterflies in Hawaii
- Monarch Butterfly Sightings Haiku — the Asclepsis Gardener’s Reward
- Missed the Monarch Butterfly Chrysalis — Found It Empty
- Monarch Butterflies — Caterpillar Faith
- Monarch Butterfly Life Cycle Site Review — go visit
- Monarch Butterfly Egg Hunt — First Report
- Monarch Butterfly Egg Hunt is On
Grow Tomatoes Review: Golden Pineapple Beefsteak – “Guacamole Salsa”
DoT’s Thot: I generally like my guacamole very simple — only avocado, lemon juice, salt, and cilantro. However, when tomato season is on, I cannot help but throw some delightful tomato chunks in the mix.
Golden Pineapple Beefsteak Tomato with Other Ingredients
Journal Entry: 4 July 2009, Independence Day Golden Pineapple Beefsteak Tomato “Guacamole Salsa”
The Golden Pineapple Beefsteak tomato is a lovely golden yellow tomato with red striping on the skin and beautiful pink streaks in the flesh. Firm, meaty, and mild with the firm, smooth texture that is so complementary to avocado, I keep planting this tomato despite its tendency to crack a little more than some of the other heirloom tomatoes I plant. That says a lot for the tomato. One of the reasons I do not mind the cracking is because of dishes like the one I am going to describe where I can lop off all the cracked parts and take the good parts and eat them in the yummy dish.
For a great side dish, these ingredients are few and simple, relying more on the freshness and innate goodness of the ingredients themselves. First, use really good chunks of tomato. Often, with homegrowers, we will have some not so pretty results, where there are some cracks or some not so well shaped tomatoes or (as I am gradually learning about pruning, etc.) tomatoes of various sizes from the same tomato plant. These still have lots of good tomato flesh and the same great flavor. Don’t waste those — besides cooking and canning, fresh dishes where you chop the tomato chunks, like this one, are great.
Golden Pineapple Beefsteak Tomato Characteristics
The Golden Pineapple beefsteak tomato pieces in my picture resulted from my cutting up a large beefsteak tomato that had a large blossom end and a few deep cracks. This has been a very nice continuing member of the garden this year. As mentioned above, Golden Pineapple Beefsteak produces meaty tomatoes which are a nice yellow with red streaks. It is very pretty in a dish like this and it’s mild, sweet taste melds so well with avocado and lime. The flesh is firm, but has a creamy, not mushy texture. There are few seeds and you can see how visually appealing the tomato slices and chunks are, especially so in this dish.
Tomatoes and Avocado Chopped and Lime Juice Applied
Other Ingredients
You will need a ripe, creamy textured, but firm avocado. The cilantro should be fresh and bright green. Use either lime juice or lemon juice, but always fresh-squeezed. Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper finish the dish. Seasoned salt is always an option, if you prefer. If doing that, I like the variety with cracked black pepper in it.
The Process of Making the Golden Pineapple Beefsteak Tomato “Guacamole Salsa”
Clean all the ingredients. Remove the skin and seed from the avocado. Chop the avocado into nice half inch chunks. Remove any bad parts of the tomatoes (see above). Remove the stem and blossom ends. Chop the tomato, again into chunks about a half inch or less, if you like.
Place the avocado and tomato into a bowl. Squeeze the juice of the lime or lemon (about 1 to 2 tablespoons) over all and gently mix together.
Golden Pineapple Beefsteak Tomato "Guacamole Salsa" Served in Pretty Bowls
Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste and mix gently again. Put the mixture into pretty bowls. Chop the cilantro (again, use what you feel like eating — some people (like me) like a lot, some people like less and mix it in )– reserve a tablespoon of cilantro for each bowl as a topping. Finally put the results in pretty bowls, top with the reserved cilantro and serve it.
Suggested Uses for this Golden Pineapple Beefsteak Tomato Dish
If you like, use this as a side dish or pile it on chopped lettuce instead of dressing. You will find it goes well on top of short chunks of celery or flat ovoids of carrots or cucumber or with your favorite tortilla chips or whole grain crackers. Then again,sometimes, I just take the bowl and get a spoon.
Enjoy and Aloha, DoT
Related Articles or References
Related Posts
- Grow Tomatoes Review: Journal Entry – Early Tomatoes Were Hybrids in Pots
- Care Package of Tomatoes Packed to Go to Berkeley
- Tip: Stake Up and Tie Those Stray Tomato Branches with Velcro
- Grow Tomatoes Journal News: 2009 Late Blight hits East Coast
- Grow Tomatoes Journal: Review of Ingredients for 20 Cups of Salsa
- Grow Tomatoes Review: 18 Oz. Omar’s Lebanese Beefsteak Tomato
- Grow Tomatoes Review: Sugar Lump Cherry Heirloom
- Tomato Gardening Journal — Review of May 2009
- Grow Tomatoes Review: Orange Santa Grape
- First Tomato of 2009 — Pink Thai Egg
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Cultivate and Fertilize the Heirloom Tomatoes
Curry Leaf Plant Review: True Indian Curry Leaf Herb Has Mildly Pungent Aroma and Health Benefits
DoT’s Thot: “The gardener who cooks or the cook who gardens often has a preference for the freshly grown — including herbs and whatever spice elements we can get our hands on. The reward of growing an interesting, scented plant is enhanced by the aroma of a flavorful dish in the kitchen. ” — DoT
DoT's Curry Leaf Plant (Murraya Koenigii) Growing In a Pot
The Curry Plant, an Indian Herb
Thot you might enjoy a review of one of the more interesting edible plants I have. Here is one of the Murraya koenigii or Indian curry leaf plants in my garden that fits the garden plus kitchen category.
The Indian curry leaf plant has little leaves used as a fresh curry leaf herb that yields a mildly pungent and pleasant savory aroma. Some say it has a citrus aroma.
The curry plant is next to my hydrangea plant, so those are not blossoms. The blossoms on the curry leaf plant are tiny and white. The seeds form within a round, deep purple fruit the size of large black peppercorns or of very small blackberries.
Health Benefits of the Indian Curry Leaf Plant
The plant has been used in South Asian traditional medicine as well as being used in cooking. The conditions that the plant is applied to include diabetes, skin conditions, and the digestive tract.
The Curry Plant Leaves Adds Spice as a Savory Flavor
These leaves are used to flavor a number of Indian vegetable dishes. One of my family’s favorite dish is a flavorful and spicy tomato “stew” or “soup”, depending on how thick I make the dish, called tomato sabzi or subji (depending on who I am talking to — either spelling is OK with me). This dish is superb in summer when our tomatoes come in fresh from the garden, warm from the sun, redolent with flavor, in colors of fire — red, orange, gold, and yellow.
The curry leaves are used along with other spices and create a flavorful dish that also lends itself to canning or bottling for a quick pick-me-up or as a side dish during the rest of the year. In addition, those bottled, curry-flavored tomatoes afford my hubby a way out when I am not home. Instead of opening cans
DoT's Curry Leaves Close Up
of other stuff, he opens our bottled tomato stew and heats it, eating the dish with what happens to be on hand: plain yogurt, tortillas or Indian roti flatbread or pita pocket bread or a good whole-grain bread; or, sometimes, with brown rice.
He is a Gujrati or an Indian from Gujrat and in his native tonge, this herb is called “Mitho limado”. In Hindi, it is “Karipatta or Mitha nim, or Mitha neem patta”.
The Curry Leaf Plant Suitable as Decoration
The leaves are somewhat dainty and the plant could be viewed as somewhat decorative. I find it a charming addition to the patio as a potted plant and looking at it now, realize it deserves a prettier home. I think I will transplant it.
Dried Curry Leaves as Spice
If you cannot find the plant at a nursery near you or if the weather does not suit this plant, you can find dried curry leaves at an Indian grocer’s or through a spice store. I have included a source for the fresh curry leaves below, if online seems to be your only choice at this time.
Do give this a try and realize that these curry leaves are not synonymous to bay laurel leaves and once you taste the difference, you will likely want to use these authentic curry leaves for Indian recipes.
Aloha, DoT
Fresh Curry Leaves - Fresh South Indian and Sri Lankan Herb - Citrus Aroma
Online Source for Indian Curry Leaves
Fresh curry leaves from the Buy Spice Now.com store. It is found in the “Grocery” category with a search on “Indian curry leaves”.
List Price is $3.99
Features:
- 100% Natural, Fresh herb
- Exclusive sellers for Ajika on Amazon.com
- Adds fresh citrus aroma to food
- Essential herb in South Indian cooking
Description and Review:
Curry leaves are used as a seasoning in Indian Cooking. When starting a curry or soup dish, the curry leaves should be left in hot oil until they sizzle. Curry leaves are generally sizzled in hot oil with mustard seeds, ginger and asafetida and are added to salads, dals, fresh coconut chutney or vegetable dishes. Curry leaves are very important to South Indian cooking. Curry leaves add a fresh citrus fragrance to food that is simply irresistable. Fresh curry leaves have a short life in the fridge and dried tend to be bland. Fresh curry leaves will remain fresh for a week if kept in a dry plastic bag in the fridge. Curry leaves are not the same as curry powder which is a blend of dry spices. Curry leaves are a fresh herb.
Fresh Indian Curry Leaves Available In Grocery Category; Search "Indian Curry Leaves"
Related Posts
Related Articles or References
- For more pictures and information see Gernot Katzer’s Spice Pages.
- TIps on growing curry plant…
Grow Tomatoes Review: Journal Entry – Early Tomatoes Were Hybrids in Pots
DoT’s Thot: I love heirloom tomatoes and the vast majority of the crop planted in 2009 are heirloom plants with the fruit anxiously awaited, since we know that to eat the best tasting tomatoes, we have to grow our own. However, the plants that show up early in the home improvement and garden shops are often the hybrid tomatoes, rather than the heirlooms.
Early Tomatoes, 23 June 2009, Celebrity and Roma
Roma and Celebrity Tomatoes Sliced
This year, I also had the misfortune of being out of town during one of the best tomato plant sales at one of the colleges. I have not gotten the hang of growing tomatoes from seeds — so, currently I rely on the good gardeners who apply their talents to keeping the heirlooms viable. Fortunately, there are enough tomato nuts to support the efforts of several horticultural departments and we all benefit. Hence, being a tomato lover I planted some fair size hybrids in pots some time in late February.
June 23, 2009 — Two Early Hybrid Tomatoes: Celebrity and Roma — Hardy and Firm
Two early tomatoes that came ripe in the third week of June were Celebrity and La Roma. Both tomatoes are hybrids, showed a great deal of hardiness with smooth skins, unblemished, and very firm. Both are a sprightly red color.
While our favorite eating tomatoes are the heirlooms, these are not as easily found in the local garden shops early in the year. These two plants were bought in February and potted in those mega-pots sitting on our patio. Conical tomato cages and bamboo stakes prop up the branches. The hardiness of the plants is noticeable and appreciated.
We frequent the horticulture department sales at local colleges for the heirloom tomato seedlings and have to wait for the sales in March each year. Our main garden tomato seedling purchases are set in the ground en masse in March.
Picked ripe from the large patio pots, these were sweeter than the store-bought tomatoes and since these were the only two ripe tomatoes available on that day, they were simply cut into rounds and wedges and then made into a simple side salad.
Side Salad of Tomatoes and Onions
Tomato and Sweet Red Onion Salad
To serve with chilled slices of sweet red onion. cut little half moon slices of onion and soak for 10 to 15 minutes in some water and ice cubes. Serve the onions along side the tomatoes.
A little squeeze of lemon over the onions and salt and pepper sprinkled over all completed the simple salad side dish.
Better Than Sore-Bought, But Not As Interesting as Heirloom Tomatoes
Decidedly an improvement from store-bought, these tomatoes only whetted my appetite for the heirloom tomatoes to come.
Reading about heirlooom and hybrid plants, it may be a good idea to support the effort to protect the horticultural diversity of this planet. In addition, I find I love the taste of heirloom tomatoes best. I will, for the time-being, do so by buying the plants and seeds of heirlooms that others passionately preserve.
The shapes, colors, and characteristics of heirloom varieties are appealing in their range of differences. In fact, I kept thinking that the Old German heirloom tomato plan somehow reminded me of pumpking and squash vines. Just looking at those twiesting tomato branches made me think of Germany, the Black Forest, and fairy tales. I have to get some pictures and post those. Aloha, DoT
Related Articles or References
- What is a Roma tomato?
- Heirlooms versus Hyrids: A Common-sense Approach
- Care Package of Tomatoes Packed to Go to Berkeley
Related Posts
- Tip: Stake Up and Tie Those Stray Tomato Branches with Velcro
- Grow Tomatoes Journal News: 2009 Late Blight hits East Coast
- Grow Tomatoes Journal: Review of Ingredients for 20 Cups of Salsa
- Grow Tomatoes Review: 18 Oz. Omar’s Lebanese Beefsteak Tomato
- Grow Tomatoes Review: Sugar Lump Cherry Heirloom
- Tomato Gardening Journal — Review of May 2009
- Grow Tomatoes Review: Orange Santa Grape
- First Tomato of 2009 — Pink Thai Egg
Summer is Grilling Season
Tip: Stake Up and Tie Those Stray Tomato Branches with Velcro
“Where but in a garden do summer hours pass so quickly?” — author unknown
Stray and Lengthy Tomato Branches
Dot’s Thot:
One of the tasks in the garden is to keep your tomato branches off the ground. I have tried a number of ways and tie-ups and while I’ll tell you my favorite tie-up method, you should use what works for you and suits your situation.
I have tried fabric strips, vegetable ties, roles of plastic coated wire, plastic strips, and finally velcro strips. Vegetable ties deteriorate pretty quickly. Most plastic strips are impossible to untie and retie.
At this time, my favorite tie-ups are strips of velcro that come on a large roll. My reason is that I like the ability to move the strips upward as the plants grow during the season.
While I tie up the branches pretty low in the beginning, the tomato branches quickly grow taller and need staking and tying at a higher point. Often the lower stalk is now thicker and
Velcro Tie to Tomato Cage or to Stake
Circular Tomato Cage Supplemented with Bamboo Stakes Is Convenient Place to Hang the Roll of Velcro and the Scissors You Need.
stronger and no longer needs the tie, so I unzip that velcro and move it higher up the stalk.
With the other things, reuse tends to be problematic. With Velcro, I have a flexible tie-up. When I first cut the strip, I make it a little long so as to be able to handle the growing girth of the branches in later weeks. Depending on the plant and situation, I cut the strips appropriately. Most strips tend to be cut about 3-4 inches long.
The roll I buy at the garden shop or in the garden department of the home improvement store comes in a 45-foot length. I also buy the tallest conical tomato cages I can find and then insert bamboo stakes inside the topmost circle and sink those in the ground around the cage, between the metal legs of the cage. This arrangement makes it convenient to hang the roll of velcro from one of the bamboo stakes, resting on the cage’s top circle. I poke my little scissors through the hole of the roll and this keeps both of them handy for using. I am sure there are lots of other ways to do this right and am just sharing what has worked for me.
I have included a reference to a video about pruning tomatoes, which is my one resolution for growing tomatoes better next year. The video also includes a demonstration of string trellising around a row of stakes — maybe I will try that another year.
Aloha, Dot
Related Posts:
- Grow Tomatoes Journal News: 2009 Late Blight hits East Coast
- Grow Tomatoes Journal: Review of Ingredients for 20 Cups of Salsa
- Grow Tomatoes Review: 18 Oz. Omar’s Lebanese Beefsteak Tomato
- Grow Tomatoes Review: Sugar Lump Cherry Heirloom
- Tomato Gardening Journal — Review of May 2009
- Grow Tomatoes Review: Orange Santa Grape
- First Tomato of 2009 — Pink Thai Egg
Indoor Tomato Grower
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