Bataw or Lablab is a relative of the purple-hyacinth bean. It is a very versatile bean because you can use it in almost all type of cooking that requires beans. I particularly like to cook it stirfry with pork and shrimp.
It takes a while before the seeds germinate after sowing but when it does grow, it is prolific. You will always have bataw beans for the rest of the summer and beyond. The bees love the purple flowers.
Ubi or purple yam to me is a reminder of the Holidays in the Philippines. Christmas, Fiesta, and New Years is not complete without making a dessert called “halayang ubi” made of this delectable roots. This dessert can also be used as topping for Halo-halo and can be made into ice-cream. This picture was taken…
Caribbean hot peppers also known as Scotch Bonnet (because of their shape) is found mainly in the Caribbean Islands but widely used in West African dishes. The peppers are scaled at 445,000 Scoville units and a cousin of habanero peppers. Its name was derived from the city of Cuba called La Habana, or Havana in…
Snow Peas are one of my favorite vegetables. It is sweet and crunchy especially when it’s fresh. I eat them while gathering in my garden and I sometimes run out of beans to cook. Now is the time to plant this succulent vegetables. It is a little bit cooler and the rains we are having…
Eggplant is probably the quintessential vegetable in our times. Most recipes call for eggplants and it is also the most accessible in the markets. I love eggplants. If I don’t have anything to cook for the day, I’ll just get some eggplants and I can make it into omelet. Fast and easy and delicious too….
I have been gathering Swiss Chard in my garden for months now and it seems endless. I love Swiss chard. You can use them in salads when young and saute’ or stir fry those big leaves. The one variety I have is called Bright Lights because of the different colors of the stem. The leaves…
Kale is becoming the most popular vegetable nowadays because of the health benefits it provides. It has cholesterol lowering properties which is good for me because my cholesterol is quite high according to my doctor. It also lowers the risk of certain type of cancers like ovarian cancer which I battled with two years ago….