Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Swiss Chard

Lately I have been having great fun growing lots of exotic vegetables. Those living in temperate climate might not understand the fuss about growing vegetables like swiss chard or beet in our hot and humid weather but I like the challenge.

I know we don't really eat kholrabi here but that didn't stop me from growing them. The red kholrabi grew so well in my garden!

Currently I am growing kale, red beet and swiss chard. What I have noticed is they grow really slowly. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with the heat, but I find that the best way to overcome this problem is to harvest them when young.

In fact, growing babygreens has many advantages. You don't need much space as they can be grown on shallow trays. Growing them as baby greens also mean you do not need to deal with pests as they can be harvested in 2 weeks. They can be organically grown too.

The photo below is swiss chard that is ready for harvest.



Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Tomato and mango salsa


















 The tomatoes may be small and sour, they were perfect for making salsa. Adding sweet mango makes it even better. Toast some thinly sliced baguette and spread the salsa on top to make bruschetta.

The recipe for salsa is simple:
1. Dice tomato and mango.
2. Mix balsamic vinegar (or lemon juice) with olive oil and finely chopped garlic.
3. Toss in some chopped onion.
4. Pour dressing over the salad and garnish with coriander and black pepper.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Tomato story

Having grown cherry tomatoes (Roma variety) and regular tomatoes (seeds from Bangladesh), I find growing Roma is more rewarding because the plant stays strong and keeps producing fruits for more than 6 months.

While the latest attempt using seeds from Bangladesh was quite successful with about 20 tomatoes on the plant, it started dying soon after. Now, I'm left with many fruits on a dead plant.

Unlike the crisp and sweet Roma, these tomatoes are sour with thick skin. That explains why the deep red tomatoes are still on the plant!