"Starting" Over: a photo tour

Since getting back a month ago I've had to re-start the garden. With warm tropical temperatures day and night and just enough sunshine in between rainstorms, my new seeds have been spoiled into sprouting! Here's a rundown of my recently-started starts:

the results of a mixed bag of bell peppers. i can't wait to find out which varieties i've got.

and turning over a new leaf: turnip top greens! Seven Top turnip greens are grown only for their leaves, with no edible root to speak of. their flavor is much like mustard greens, they lend a spicy zing to sandwiches.

Not sure what type of chile peppers I have here--a friend brought the seeds from Mexico. Its gorgeous red peppers have a light, fruity spice

Gulp, here i go AGAIN with the upside-down tomatoes. i am so determined to have a healthy tomato plant!! (If you are unfamiliar with the upside tomato technique, see my Last attempt which was not successful; I did actually cultivate fruit during my first time around.)

Out in the garden, heavy rains nonwithstanding, my bush beans sprouted and are growing with a ferocity that would impress old Jack. Beautiful violet blossoms just showed up.

Finally, I started new luffa seeds, as my first plants have all died off. Since the luffa grow along the fence, I also planted a few cucumber seeds thinking they may be a nice climbing pair. Now i am unsure which is which!
The old luffa harbored one last fruit, which was looking a little too brown by the time I went to pick it. Our frequent rains are great for growing plants, but don't allow much time for anything to dry out. Several of the final luffa fruits rotted on the vine. anyway, as I was leaning in to harvest this last one, I stopped short. Someone was taking advantage of its dark color!

do you see who i see?

I didn't want to disturb the speckled one, so the rotting luffa remains.

the incredible, edible.... luffa?

Of how many plants can you say: it's EDIBLE, ORNAMENTAL, and.....

GIVES A GREAT BATH!
?

What appears to be your common vining squash is oh-so-much more.

I didn't believe it at first either.
Luffa sponge: in the tub.
Luffa squash? must be an unfortunate incident of coincidental nomenclature.

but no.

The luffa is widely renowned for its life post vine, after having matured into a fibrous seed pod, peeled, packaged, and marketed in your local pharmacy as an all-natural exfoliant.
Nobody talks much about the flavor, or the culinary uses of the reputed "sponge."

Luffa acutangula

In truth, luffa is also named Chinese okra, silk squash, and silk melon, amongst others and is a savored veggie in Asian cuisine.
I am also elated to report, after devastating failures with zucchini and yellow squash, that luffa is a tropical plant! It LOVES the heavy rain! thrives on relentless sun! i'm talking a vining potential of 20 ft and fruit up to 2 ft long!
In mere weeks, my luffa seeds sprouted, grew several inches, flowered, and have now produced fruit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Luffa connoisseurs recommend harvesting tiny 2'' long specimens in order to yield a tender, nutty flavor. As of today, i have only one developed squash, but i decided to give it a try as we are about to abandon the garden for a several week vacation. (By the time we return, i fear most squash will have become sponge-worthy!)

This is what i got:

Chopped, sauteed, and tossed in to my tortilla soup, I confess the elusive luffa evaded my taste buds. Hopefully in three weeks time there will still be delicate, edible squash to sample. if not, to scrub with?

Let them eat sponges!

Minding my Qs

It's not a yam, it's not a sweet potato, it's....

Quequisque!

What? ( pronounce it as KAY-KEYS-KAY)
Well, that's the local name for this world-popular tuber, more commonly known as malanga, cousin to taro. Despite its rather unattractive outer skin (they resemble burnt chicken legs, no?), quequisque reveals a tender white flesh when peeled.

I hear that this hardy root crop is cooked up in every way imaginable in cuisines around the globe; in Nicaragua is it mostly commonly incorporated into soups and stews. The flavor is, hmm how to describe it...... bland? Much like a potato. but with a stickier texture, lending a thickening quality to said soups.

Personally I admire quequisque in the garden.

This beautiful plant could easily pass for an ornamental!

Once I learned to identify the bright green flaps of quesquisque, I started recognizing its "elephant ears" along roadsides, bordering fences, amongst coffee farms, and in urban patios. The locals already have it figured out! Plant one of these hairy monster eggs in the backyard, and enjoy its splendid green foliage until harvesting its bounty. Is there anything cooler than an attractive edible??Folks around here do not seem practiced in eating the leaves; however, in other lands they provide a nutrient-dense source of roughage. But be warned! The leaves are known to contain needle-like calcium oxalate crystals which irritate the mouth and throat. This irritation is avoided by boiling the leaves for an undetermined period of time before consuming. maybe i'll try them, no rush. I am told it could be up to six months before the tubers are ready to harvest. Let's reconvene in febrero.

On to another Q in my garden, also an eye-catching edible:

Can you guess?

Even if you are as big a fan of this South American GRAIN, as I am, odds are you are not familiar with the plant. Or maybe you've never heard of it: Quinoa! (pronounced KEEN-WA)

Quinoa is a tiny seed championed for its incredibly complete protein content. For vegetarians, quinoa provides all the goods that typically require a legume + grain formula for plant-based proteins. It cooks up into a fluffy, nutty dish that is delicious at breakfast with milk and fruit as well as a compliment to a stir-fry, as a substitute for rice.
I look forward to the day when I shall harvest, eat, (and display online) my Qs. Until then, I will work on keeping both my Ps and Qs in order.

out of the garden, into the frying pan

The past few months of gardening I've been testing different seeds, various varieties of my favorite vegetables, most of which i purchased in the U.S. For this reason i've planted sparingly, noting which plants are adaptable to the hot tropical climate, which are pest-resistant, which are tasty, etc. Later i will know which varieties i want to plant in great quantities.
i came home the other day with my latest harvest, eager to cook up a farm-fresh meal!
except,
this was my bountiful cornucopia:

Succotash?

Luckily, i have access to an excellent local market where other farmers regularly bring in diverse harvests! So with a little help from my friends,

and this friend,

dinner began to take shape.

My corn and zucchini, plus broccoli, peppers, onion, carrots, and cabbage quickly fried in olive oil, tossed with a garlic, ginger, and soy sauce combo, toasted cashews on top, all served over brown rice:
One day i hope to grow such a gorgeous array myself!
I tried garlic earlier this year; somehow it all disappeared. rabbits? And ginger grows here as well, though i haven't been able to get its watering needs right. keep on keeping on, eh?

I am bringing in a larger percentage of this delicious Italian favorite:

BASIL ALMOND PESTO

1 large bunch of basil
1 head garlic
1/4 cup almonds
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

1) Separate basil leaves from stems and rinse well; peel garlic
2) Toast almonds (if raw) in an ungreased skillet over high heat, stirring CONSTANTLY, until golden brown

3) Blend all ingredients in blender or food processor (sorry i have no photos of this, but i'm sure you can picture it), adding salt and pepper to taste
4) Spread pesto onto homemade carrot bread

and find a taste-tester

Success!

I used almonds because pine nuts are unknown in these parts, as is fresh parmesan. i've also heard of using walnuts, but you don't see those around here either.

Las Tres Hermanas

As a gal with two brothers, perhaps i was especially drawn to the idyllic notion of a Three Sisters Garden. Or maybe it's remnant passion from my anthropology undergrad days--i was completely riveted for an entire semester of Native American "Indians," and to be honest i still maintain a fascination with any indigenous culture. OR just maybe, as i initiate myself into the cult of gardening, it is a right of passage to attempt this historical romantic and much-hyped traditional technique.
i did my research. many tout the awesome triad of responsibility that corn, squash, and beans share amongst each other in the garden:

CORN
the eldest sister, she provides strength and support,

SQUASH

with her wide-spreading vines and large leaves, squash acts as a living mulch, shading out potential weeds and holding in moisture for herself and her sisters,

and finally BEANS

the littlest sister winds her way up the corn stalk, and as a legume fixes nitrogen in the soil to feed her sisters.

SOUNDS groovy. however, lots of serious gardeners consider the three sisters gig to be an impractical, unproductive waste of space; they commonly argue these three (non-sisterly) points:
1) Corn is not always the sturdiest stake, and pole beans are an impressively aggressive climber. true story.
2) Scientific naysayers claim that the beans are technically not able to provide nitrogen to their sisters, as the nutritional benefit to the soil is reaped after the fact.
3) Lastly, the everyday farmer notes that tripping through tangled squash vines to harvest corn and beans is ANNOYING and UNNECESSARY.

Holding fast to my sister-less native-people-obsessed gullible-gardener persona, i embarked on the 3 sisters garden project regardless. the above fotos are MINE! after barely one month of transplanting the corn (golden bantam) and squash (saffron yellow), VOILA!
Different native american tribes reportedly grew the three sisters together, though in different patterns. I crafted my garden with interspersed mounds: corn and pole beans in one, squash in the other. i have also seen layouts with squash surrounding each corn/bean mound as well as a huge block of corn with beans and squash planted around the perimeter.
i unwittingly chose a non-spready squash variety, reducing treacherous foot trapping. the sweet corn got blown to heck in its early days, but gosh darnit if the lovely ladies aren't supporting pole beans AND sporting EARS already!!! mira:Without even having tasted the full bounty of el projecto de las tres hermanas, i am already hugely satisfied, pleased, and proud. Like all healthy sibling relationships, las tres no son perfectas...(the squash are bitter and full of seeds; the corn is way short; beans cannot grow to full height, etc) but that's family for ya. Does is it seem like somewhat of a pain in the ass? Yes. Do i LOVE the three sisters anyway? totally!
p.s. my rain dances are starting to pay off:

¡BIENVENIDOS A LA LLUVIA!