Sweet Basil (also known as Italian Basil) is the most used herb nowadays. That’s why I have it in the garden so I can readily pick the leaves if I need to make pesto or just plain use the leaves in pasta. I particularly like it in Penne Pasta Alfredo with Shrimp or Chicken. Sweet Basil has many varieties. It is easy to grow from seeds or from cuttings. The rain we had in the past week or so helped the plants to be vigorous and green.
Kamansi also known as breadnut (bot. name- Artocarpus camansi – blanco) is a relative of breadfruit and jack fruit. The breadfruit has more pulp and small seeds while the kamansi has bigger seeds and less pulp and just like the jack fruit, the seeds are edible and can be boiled or roasted and a…
Chili or sili as we call it have different forms and shapes. Some are hot and some are not. The intensity of the heat from a chili pepper is measured in Scoville heat units. Habanero peppers are rated as the hottest, but before habanero and even before the Scoville measurement, I think we ranked our…
I have been experimenting on the types of lettuce that will grow well in my garden. So far I’m successful. Like this red oakleaf lettuce I planted a month ago. They are so good, crunchy and sweet. I like the red color in combination with the green leaves of the Manoa lettuce in my salad…
I always plant Okra in my garden. It is an indispensable ingredient in the famous Filipino recipe called “Pinakbet”. I actually just cook that today. I gathered enough eggplants, bittermelons, okra and winged beans today that compelled me to make pinakbet. I also gathered some tomatoes which is also an important ingredient for pinakbet. I…
Jicama or singkamas is one of the favorite snacks during the summer season together with watermelon, cantaloupe and pineapple not to mention mango. In our province in Zambales, there is a town called San Marcelino which is the main producer of this succulent, crispy and sweet jicama. Lots of buses and cars stop in the…