April 2008 | The Ivory Hut

Monthly Archives: April 2008

Roses, a daffodil, and the promise of homegrown fruit this season

24 April 2008

Here are a few photos to make up for my recent delinquency, which will turn into my future delinquency as well because I leave for California in 8 hours. If my posting can be sporadic even when I’m home, who knows what it’ll be like when I’m away for almost two weeks.

So, in the meantime, here are a couple of roses for you.

And here’s an invader daffodil from my garden out front. It was the first to come up, but it was at a spot where I never planted any daffodils. Plus, it’s a bright yellow, and I only planted white daffodils.

I just love these mysterious plants.

And finally, the pear tree that I just pruned has started growing a whole bunch of leaves everywhere. And yesterday, I saw something that made my heart sing. (And my mouth water.)

Houston, we have flowers. I can’t wait! I may not even let the pears ripen. This season may just be the opportunity to find out if pear chow tastes as good as mango chow.

Okay, I’m off to finish packing. I told my plants and flowers to please slow down on the blooming while I’m away, so I can still photograph them when I get back. I hope they oblige.

But I won’t be surprised if they don’t. They’re little buggers like that.

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Mango chow

23 April 2008

Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you mango chow, Trinidadian style.

I know it sounds strange, but trust me. It’s addictively sublime. I’ve been eating a lot of this lately, and I’m telling you, it’s impossible to get tired of this. It’s sweet, salty, tart, spicy, and oh by the way, incredibly healthy too.

Here’s what you do. Take a half-ripe mango and cut it into bite-sized slices. Take one clove of garlic, minced, and tablespoon or so of cilantro chopped roughly, and a sliver or two of your favorite hot pepper. Here at home, we use either a homegrown Caribbean red pepper or a congo pepper (also known as Scotch bonnet). Add in a teaspoon or so of kosher salt, some ground pepper if you want it, and lightly toss everything in a bowl to mix.

Then grab your weapon of choice and enjoy. I’m usually too impatient to reach for a fork by now, and just start picking the slices up from the bowl.

Excuse me while I go make this for breakfast.

You can do this with other fruits, like orange slices, halved grapes, or plum slices. It works best with tart or semi-tart fruits. And if you put the whole thing in a blender, you end up with a really fresh tasting fruit chutney. Excellent with grilled meats or curry dishes!

Excuse me while I go make that for lunch.

P.S. If someone can please tell me why those crazy Trinidadians name this chow, I’ll be forever grateful. (I’m allowed to call them crazy. I’m married to one.)

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Ten lashes for slacking off

22 April 2008

Except, I wasn’t really slacking off. Really. I’ve been doing stuff. Lots of stuff.

Honest.

But I did still find time to shoot my daily photos.

I photographed food in my kitchen:

And some trees outside:

One afternoon, after finding myself uncharacteristically fatigued (and I mean f-a-t-i-g-u-e-d, as in I could barely walk and every ounce of my being was screaming bloody murder), I even managed to somehow find enough energy to pick up my camera and shoot whatever I could spot from my comfy seat out in the deck.

And yes, I even took a dirty picture. Please avert your eyes.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

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More of the mystery plant

14 April 2008

Remember these mystery flowers from a few days back?

To help identify it, here are some non-macro shots of the entire plant. Please, no comments about the water spots on my vase. They already gave me half an hour of grief as I was viewing the shots earlier.

Here is a closer view of the leaves. They’re a bit fleshy and have a snap to it. I know that because I broke a few of them. Shhhh. Don’t tell anyone.

And finally, here’s a shot to give you an idea of the size of the plant. Yes, that bottle there is purely for scale. It’s not open, and it doesn’t have less than a third of its contents left inside. Nope nope. It’s there in the name of science and the pursuit of accurate nomenclature of botanical species.

I heard the tannins from red wine can help individuals recall all the big words they learned in college. Even those they memorized for a few hours late at night cramming for an exam the next day.

But of course, I wouldn’t know anything about that.

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