Tag Archives: Winter

A Look at Life

January 5, 2019 squash and awe 2 Comments

It is the new year, and I am enjoying watching the world around me, as it grows, and comes to life. January is an interesting time in upcountry Hawaii. Cool, misty rains will be followed by bright sun and high winds. It is our “wet season” where many vining plants will stretch out their arms, and cover their surroundings.

I often make a lot of comfort food in these cooler days. The slow cooker is often on, and jars of soaked seeds come to life on my countertop. It is a wonderful time to make these warm, slow cooked meals, and use the ambient heat to germinate those seeds who need a little more warmth. Heating pads could be used, but then I wouldn’t have the slow cooked soups. Tomato, bean, and chili pepper seeds will get this jump start germination, right before my eyes. I feel again like a child, as I spy on secret worlds in every corner of the pond, garden, and kitchen.

Mexico Midget Heirloom tomato seeds germinate in a simple jar

The greenhouse also wakes up for another season. A Japanese White Eye bird was found in there, and seemed eager for my assistance. Once freed outdoors, it quickly returned to feeding on the young banana blooms. Orchids also bloom, and multiply, and my aquarium guppies, will be freed into the flowing waters of the aquaponics system. Appearing like embers of red, flashing inside the glass vessel. I paused for a moment to take one last close look, before releasing them into a much larger place for them to explore.

Work is everywhere. Planting, and collecting. Repotting, and pruning. Full days, and cozy nights of Winter reading. I don’t even bother to make lists of what needs to be done. At this time of year, everything needs to be done, and every task completed is something to celebrate.

gardening, Hawaii, recipes, Zero waste

Raining Avocados

December 4, 2016 squash and awe 3 Comments

Upcountry Hawaii is often overflowing with avocados in the Winter. They have been sliced, scooped, mashed, and now roasted. I often clean my kitchen cabinets this time of year, and one of the items that I discovered was an unopened bag of Japanese style bread crumbs, known as Panko. With the winds, and heavy rains bringing down even more avocados, I roasted warm dish was in order. I selected a perfectly ripe one, cut off the bruised bit where it fell to the ground, and sliced it into planks. Next, I beat one egg, and dipped the avocado in it before dredging through the breadcrumbs. I lined them up in a baking dish, and sprinkled them with seasoned seaweed flakes. I set the oven to 450 and let them turn golden (about 15 min.) For a dipping sauce, I combined chili garlic paste, sesame oil, tamari (or soy) sauce, and two spoonfuls of my lemongrass tea (optional.) The result was a lovely warm appetizer with a Pacific twist. I ate it as a meal, but it could be served as a side as well. Simple, healthy, and using our produce abundance in a new, tasty way. Aloha.

Farming, gardening, Hawaii

Winter Garden: using up aging seed

January 6, 2016 squash and awe 1 Comment

Even with the highly variable days of a Hawaii Winter upon us, I continue to plant. In these short days, sometimes hot, sometimes rainy days, followed by very cool nights, squash can be sluggish to germinate and take off. I use this as a window of opportunity to get a other plants going nearby. I consider this a great way to make the most of my gardening time. I have been enjoying the holiday season in these past weeks, and part of that enjoyment is spent in the home garden. Fog, mist, and bright sun have all come through in unpredictable patterns, though this is not ideal for squash, other plants have enjoyed having their time to shine.

This seemed like an impossibly bad time to plant heat loving chili peppers, but in 2015, we had a very unusual year, leaving my chili plants stunted and at risk. I wasn’t going to give up on them, though. Our long come and go seasons can work for chili plants. Especially those that hail from cooler places, and/or higher slopes. I have raved about Aji Limon aka Lemon drop pepper, a widely available heirloom chili from Peru. It loves this mix of hot and cool, wet and dry. I am happy to report, in the past three weeks, those stunted transplants, when planted into the garden, have really taken off. They needed care, pronto. I waited, and waited for the right weather to come, but what they really wanted was to get out of the pot and into the ground. Here is what they look like now. Textbook pretty little pepper plants that are going into their fruit setting. The aging, weevil eaten seeds of the Christmas limas got a change to grow, and my beloved pipinola (chayote) climbs upwards. Also seen is the collard plant that also wanted to be transplanted.

I take great pleasure in trying to seed save, but I also like to keep the varieties actively growing, rather than storing the seeds. The downside of my process, is that my attention is often away from these seeds, so when I have some old, slightly buggy seeds, I get them in the ground quick. I remain grateful for the “save.” In an ideal world, all would be labeled and stored in climate controlled situation, but for me, I am thrilled if I find the time to dry the seeds and plunk them in a jar for home planting. Pumpkin seeds get VIP care, but beans and greens seeds often get less storage, and often just go from garden to shelf to garden again. Let’s look at the results. The “forgotten” seeds are pushing forth from the no-till garden. They will be great providers of fresh seed and of course a lot of meals this year.

I also take full advantage of the rarely clear space in the garden, by sprinkling any aging seeds about. Seen above, some lettuce germinates with radish through a simple, put effective means of my chicken proofing the plot. (Sorry Betty) Betty is a spurred hen, a real sassy gal with a wonderful love of high kicking her way through the garden. She puts the “free” in free range.

I think this time of year is a great time to get mizuna, mustard, radish, collards and kales going. I love my greens, beans, pumpkins and such. So I plant heavily, and put them “up” in ferments, or use them for fresh eating. I also freeze my lima beans for making soups and chili.

Yesterday, as I plucked plump chayote from the vine, a gentle, female Jackson Chameleon caught my eye. She was a teenager, enjoying the afternoon mist and using the chayote vine as a bridge across the garden. It is a beautiful addition to my workday in the garden. I hope your garden is also filled with inspiration!