tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80241001565731159152012-04-23T13:38:19.499-07:00leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.comBlogger137125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-8696116097778424162012-01-30T14:16:00.000-08:002012-02-25T20:29:54.262-08:00

We're facing an already-picked stack of green papayas, and the clock is ticking...they were picked because of the freezes and now I need to use them...all!  As I don't have a pressure canner, I'm trying my hand at various green papaya recipes.There seem to be some Asian recipes online that include green papaya.  Molly Wizenberg's recipe for Thai Green Papaya Salad did sound delicious, (there are

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-28970598086260693152012-01-29T12:45:00.000-08:002012-02-25T20:29:54.262-08:00

Once upon a time...What do olive oil, egg, lemon, vinegar, and salt grow up to be? If you do it right, it makes great mayo!If you don't, you fall into the category of folks like me that got downright slimed in the kitchen.  But there is hope, and I survived the learning curve and am here to tell you about the quickie 2- minute stick blender method I just tried...and found successful!Mayo SchmayoI

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-50031011057525472382012-01-23T21:59:00.000-08:002012-02-25T20:29:54.262-08:00

I've never cooked green papayas before, so I wanted to start with something really easy.  I decided to just peel, cube, and boil/simmer till cooked, about 20-30 minutes.  We have an excess of papayas right now and they have not been quick to ripen indoors, so it was time to experiment.I chose one and peeled it easily.  There were bead-like white immature seeds inside this one, and I removed those

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-73631110935954659892012-01-23T01:24:00.000-08:002012-02-25T20:29:54.263-08:00

Six weeks ago, I picked some of our treasured wild medicinal plants--Y'know, those things some folks refer to as weeds?  Included among them was a harvest of fresh pine needles.I had read this recipe in which a pine needle vinegar is made by combining apple cider vinegar and clean chopped pine needles.So I gathered, cleaned, and snipped enough pine needles to pack into a jar, and covered it with

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-62671171177616630582012-01-19T15:23:00.000-08:002012-02-25T20:29:54.263-08:00

Seen in passing, from the car window, on one of our day-drives in more rural areas.  Due to my affliction of a wayyy too urban-based past, I have no idea what a butt pen is.But I  know where you can get one! And making up some possible definitions with Jack was pretty entertaining...  lol   :-D.

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-66837362419976039242012-01-19T15:09:00.000-08:002012-02-25T20:29:54.263-08:00

Beautiful, and it smells as good as it looks!  There's nothing quite like receiving packages in the mail (anything but bills, right?), and today the bar of handcrafted calendula tangerine soap I won (yay!!) in the recent giveaway over at LaughingDuckFarm arrived.  Thanks, Melodie!  I'm passing along the link one more time for anyone who wants one of these fragrant and skin-nourishing bars for

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-5747232554549343332012-01-17T17:15:00.000-08:002012-02-25T20:29:54.263-08:00

Thrift Store...the phrase makes me nearly as happy as the phrase Junk Store! (as in the antique store in which you can spend hours digging through dusty boxes, and most things are not overpriced)As we've de-cluttered, I've been loathe to fill up the cleared spaces with more stuff.  However, I do have a pretty scaled-down mental wish list of a few items I look for in thrift stores.I've hit the

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-27841020862883112152012-01-15T21:15:00.000-08:002012-02-25T20:29:54.263-08:00

There was recently a giveaway over at Laughing Duck Farm's blog, and yippee, I won some terrific handcrafted herbal soap!!  I'll take pics when I receive it...I've always wanted to learn to make wonderful soaps, but just haven't taken on that project yet.  I love seeing the great originality and beauty of the diverse handmade items from so many other blog neighbors out here.For a peek at

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-44790204842461529932012-01-14T20:23:00.000-08:002012-02-25T20:29:54.264-08:00

This was the first year any of our papaya trees bore fruit.  We never had any put on fruit until this year, and we weren't sure how long the fruits would last before a freeze threatened.  We found out... One of the trees appeared to be a yellow-fruiting papaya, and the other the ruby type fruit.  We watched with great anticipation as the fruits developed in a spiraling pattern up the trunks,

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-5722108817279103352012-01-09T15:25:00.000-08:002012-02-25T20:29:54.264-08:00

This past year, I enjoyed taking beginner's steps in making some of our own herbal medicinals.   Many medicinal plants are what mainstream gardeners consider weeds.  Others can be found as easily as looking right in a basic spice collection.My focus is to use herbs to both help cleanse and regenerate...detoxify and nurture healing.  We use most of our herbs right now in the form of teas made as

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-27421397426926899722012-01-01T12:19:00.000-08:002012-02-25T20:29:54.264-08:00

Greetings...Again...No, really!Whew, has it really been that long since I posted on the blog?  Well, Happy New Year to all and I hope your winter and holiday seasons have been warm and great!HolidaysWe had a very low-key celebration of Hanukkah, except for a visit to our friends about an hour away who always put on a lavish and homey homecoming for family and friends.  It was a repeat of

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-959614716278410282011-12-05T16:36:00.000-08:002012-02-25T20:29:54.264-08:00

Leaf types from top right, clockwise: Jujube, Gynura procumbens, Guava, Moringa , Narrow Leaf Plantago (plantain), Dollarweed, Nopal cactus padsIt's hard to believe winter's upon us and yet outside in the backyard everything is still green.  But so grows Florida!  The papaya tree now has 16 fat and heavy fruits winding up its stem, and counting...what fun!  The second one has smaller round fat

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-84213817652909658612011-10-24T13:08:00.000-07:002012-02-25T20:29:54.264-08:00

Oatmeal made with addition of apple pulp from juicerThe juicing continues!  The resulting juicer pulp also continues!The  nice thing about juicing is that it fits into any diet, ramping up the veggie and fruit content considerably.  We're all for eating those good things fiber and all (fiber's good!).  It's just that we're concentrating our nutrition for some specific targets nutritionally for

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-37195296767999507682011-10-15T23:00:00.000-07:002012-02-25T20:29:54.265-08:00

(Pics enlarge if you click)I don't know how many times I've been in my local supermarket produce section and have passed through the small organic section after curiously eyeballing the only bulk item they carry there...carrots.  I'm not much of a carrot eater per se, at least raw carrot sticks.  Sure, we use them in stews, but never to the point where I need 25 lbs of them in my refrigerator at

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-41378129210151229162011-10-09T18:46:00.000-07:002012-02-25T20:29:54.265-08:00

These are calabazas from a prior year....our version of the fall pumpkins!  We're headed into the fall and today is the day after Yom Kippur.The slate is clean and white, a new year ahead!  What am I determined to remember heading into the upcoming months?1.  The dream is not dead.   Dreams change, alter, of necessity.  When I began this blog some years back in 2007 (or was it 2006?? ack, my

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-31071684915959446582011-10-04T15:46:00.000-07:002012-02-25T20:29:54.265-08:00

 (all photos can be clicked on to enlarge)Here's a closeup of a Gulf fritillary, one of dozens surrounding these half-feral stinging chaya bushes with fluttering clouds of color. We initially planted the stinging chayas for their prolific growth of nutritious edible (cooked, never raw!) leaves.  We discovered their modest white flowerets lure certain butterflies...constantly!Don't be fooled by

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-32100268665102932242011-09-07T21:04:00.000-07:002012-02-25T20:29:54.265-08:00

(Can click on pics to enlarge)I can't believe how fast August came and went!  There's about a week's delay in these pics.  We got one...uno...and not any more...blooms on one of the two guava trees.  That's a first!  The two trees were the only survivors of several we've planted the last few years, small ones.  This year may be different, as there was no partial shade available on that lot until

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-9238495190396364072011-08-04T20:26:00.000-07:002012-02-25T20:29:54.265-08:00

I (clicking on pics will enlarge)I haven't been here much for updates, but thought I'd post some pics of our jungle.  These are from last week, and Jack was just beginning to catch up with mowing after our mower was in the shop for almost three weeks.  Since the rains began in earnest (hooray!!!), any delays in mowing made for some pretty thick growth.  Just another reason to either have the

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-48799041393209245882011-07-27T12:38:00.000-07:002012-02-25T20:29:54.265-08:00

(clicking on pics will enlarge)Here's a pic of one of our cherished loquat trees. We simply love them...they give so much back for so little effort on our part, and they are truly lovely! If you've read one of my recent posts, we are harvesting their leaves for use as a home medicinal.Here is one of the groupings of moringas, most of which are in their second or third year since being started

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-38715343645265501572011-06-27T15:58:00.000-07:002012-02-25T20:29:54.266-08:00

I'm almost reluctant to post this because I don't want to inspire anyone to tinker in an irresponsible way with their own health, or have anyone mimic what has worked for me without seeking their own medical supervision.   So whatever you read here is simply MY experience, not my recommendation for anyone else.I am my own guinea pig...that's what I'm saying.And the second thing I'm saying is that

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-63346798124333746492011-06-19T11:09:00.000-07:002012-02-25T20:29:54.266-08:00

Happy Father's Day to all you great dads out there, and all you men who step in to be the man in a child's life a father should be.And as is the case for some of us whose good father was the Almighty alone, I am daily thankful for Him!!!Happy Father's Day to my husband, Jack, who is the earthly man in my daughter's life who best defines the term Great Dad   :)

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-33280645471480896722011-06-17T16:57:00.000-07:002012-02-25T20:29:54.266-08:00

"...I have given every green herb for food." Bereshit/Genesis 1:20Gynura procumbens and fresh Bidens Alba, enough growing to have some regular harvests...a delicious medicinal "mess 'o greens"!What wild and/or intentionally-grown green's in your salad bowl or stewpot?

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-86379204119758513712011-06-05T13:31:00.000-07:002012-02-25T20:29:54.266-08:00

Ding dang dong...I think the "heat stress" that I assumed resulted in the  yellowing of the cucumber plants is really Mosaic virus.  They look yellow and blasted (the leaves) and have a geometric pattern across them.  Internet search indicates Mosaic virus, spread by aphids most likely (even though I have seen none).And there are blooms all over the plants!Does anyone have any experience with

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-19044313164315376082011-06-03T15:02:00.000-07:002012-02-25T20:29:54.266-08:00

I'm trying my hand with some cuttings from our indeterminate tomato plants while they're in their first flush of good growth and vining like crazy.  If they can root and grow into mature plants, it sure would make for some happy tomato harvests ahead!I read a lot of suggestions online, but decided to go with the easiest of them, which is simply placing the stems of the cuttings into some basic

leny prianggorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852361529100871671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8024100156573115915.post-50312801808253129412011-06-02T18:46:00.000-07:002012-02-25T20:29:54.267-08:00

(apologies ahead of time for maiming the original Baby, It's Cold Outside)Baby, It's Hot Outsidewarped lyrics by me I really can’t stay (Baby, it’s hot out here)It's blazing today  (Wouldn't you like a beer?)The garden's not in (That sunburn across your nose...) It's hot as sin (...want me to spray you with the hose?) I melt when I step out the door (I'll turn down the AC some more)My windshield

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