Some plants are happier than others.
The orchid (a gift from the realtor when our Ohio property sold in 2003) is quite content on the patio as long as it is watered often and protected from much direct sunlight.
This bloom struck me as somewhat odd (or even sinister) but it has grown on me. Speckled things are just charming, I guess.
And there are other heat-lovers, too. I am looking forward to ripe figs before long.
This 'bush' is now about 8 feet tall, equally broad, and very handsome. I have it heavily mulched with leaves at the base. What can't be shown is the wonderful aroma of this plant's foliage--unique and exotic.
I also have a lovely orchid in bloom - pale petals with reddish veins. I took a photo and am using it as a profile picture on Facebook. Our fig tree is absolutely loaded with fruit. What do you do with your figs? We try to eat as many as we can fresh off the tree, but I have to be careful as the flesh of the fig seems to give me a sore throat. We also freeze a lot of them and use them in smoothies throughout the year.
ReplyDeleteWe eat every single one with no thought for the morrow. When I was a young teen I spent several weeks in S. Georgia with my aunt, uncle, and cousins; it was wonderful. They lived on the huge International Paper Experimental Forest reservation, so we roamed at will, swam in the river or the pond, and every morning went out and picked tons of fresh figs. I've never forgotten the flavor! (Of course, we have to battle the birds for these.) Do you have to blanch and/or sugar the figs for freezing?
ReplyDeleteNo, I just wash them, let them dry and then put them in freezer bags. Have you eaten any native persimmons? We have a tree that has just started bearing fruit. I know we have to wait till a frost and then we can pick whatever fruit is left after the birds have had their way with them. Someone told me to peel off the skin as well. Otherwise - pucker city! The whole inside of your mouth shrivels up.
ReplyDeleteI go a long way back with persimmons. There is a tree in a nearby park, and I do check on it in the Fall, once we've had a good frost. I've always squeezed the pulp out and discarded the skins and seeds. I know there are recipes for persimmon pudding, but I've never bothered. It would take a lot more persimmons than I've ever had at one time to get that fancy. In California, the Japanese varieties are large, though.
ReplyDeleteI've had the Japanese varieties. They are indeed very large and delicious. I tried some local persimmon pudding that someone else made, and it was very good. I want to try making some with my persimmons. I will try that technique of separating the pulp and puree-ing it.
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