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| Purple Pea Pod |
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| Purple Pea Flower (Pretty, isn't it?) |
There's a purple pea pod growing in my mini vegetable plot, that is just about ready to be picked! This is the first time I've grown purple pea pods; it's going to be interesting to see how they taste and compare to the green ones. There's another green pea pod that's about ready to be picked, too:
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| Green Pea Pod |
I only have four pea vines (two green, two purple) so, the pea pod harvest will be no more than a handful at most, but, that is okay. Maybe next year, I will be able to make a proper planting bed for them and grow more peas! Today, one of my cousins reminded me that the pea shoots and tender leaves make a great stir fry with garlic, but, as I told her, I don't have enough pea vines for that! Unless I buy another packet of peas and see if I can grow them (the pea vines I have now are from seeds that M shared with me).
M was unable to tend to the garden, on Friday, but, he made up for it, on Saturday, instead. We planted two of the new fruit trees, today! The Fuyu persimmon and the Asian pear trees. That was all the time he had before he had to go to his next client's house. But, we will plant the other two fruit trees and the three blueberry bushes in the course of the next couple of weeks. I have my instructions to water them well!
My daughter made egg salad in the morning and we had an egg salad sandwich each for breakfast. Later, she made a Korean spicy chicken stew, called dak dori tang, with potatoes, carrots, and onions:
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| Korean Spicy Chicken Stew |
It's both spicy and a little sweet. We had a bowl of it served over rice for a late lunch.
Later in the evening, N (neighbor S's daughter) brought over a container of butternut squash soup that she had made. Daughter decided that we needed some crusty bread to go with it. She found a recipe online for a quick bread using baking powder instead of yeast and made it with whole wheat flour instead of the white flour called for in the recipe. Baked on a parchment lined cookie sheet, instead of a loaf pan, it made a dense, crusty bread in about 30 minutes:
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| Crusty, Whole Wheat Baking Powder Bread |
We had the butternut squash soup with some of the bread for dinner:
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| Butternut Squash Soup and Crusty Whole Wheat Bread |
They were both delicious! What a blessing to be able to enjoy such wonderful meals prepared by my daughter and my neighbor's daughter!
Today, I am grateful for:
- Daughters (mine and my neighbor's) who cook!
- N sharing some of the soup she made
- M helping to plant the new fruit trees
- Garden vegetables
- Chatting on the phone with friend R
Today's joyful activity was enjoying all the good food my daughter and N made!
I love stir fried pea shoots. The farm where I get my eggs also grow them for the restaurant trade but with the restaurants closed during lockdown, they have been selling the pea shoots at a reduced cost to anyone who wants them.
ReplyDeleteAs always, the food looks so tasty.
That's nice that you can get the pea shoots at a reduced cost! Maybe you can try growing some in a pot in your garden, too?
DeleteThank you, Eileen. I am enjoying the different dishes that my daughter and her friend make!
Happy Valentine's Day! I can smell that bread from here. Yummmmm!!!! xo Diana
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentine's Day to you, too, Diana. Yes, nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread!
DeleteEverything looks and sounds delicious. Happy Valentine's Day to you and your daughter!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Martha. Happy Valentine's Day to you, too! Hope your son's wedding went well, yesterday, and looking forward to hearing about it. :)
DeleteThe stew looks delicious. Do you have a recipe for it? :)
ReplyDeleteI'm making some butternut squash soup tomorrow, I could use some of that delicious bread to enjoy with it. My shopping is all done and put away. The supermarket shelves were full, so I was able to get everything on my list. X
My daughter found the recipe online. I think if you do a search for dak dori tang, you will find a recipe for it. Otherwise, I can ask her for the link.
DeleteI'm so glad the supermarket shelves were full and you were able to get everything on your list! That makes it easier to follow your meal plan, doesn't it? Enjoy your butternut squash soup (and maybe you will make some bread to go with it?)
I haven't seen purple pea pods before. You'll have to let us know what you think of them. Maybe I'll plant some this spring.
ReplyDeleteThis is actually the first time I've seen and grown one, myself! Last year, I tried growing regular peas and the mourning doves ate all the shoots! This year, they are growing closer to the house and the birds are leaving them alone!
DeleteThe beautiful pea flower jumped out at me and at first I thought it was a sweet pea flower. I love sweet peas and once had them in a bridesmaid's posy decades ago! I've seen a wild beach pea that has purple flowers but I don't know if the pods would be edible. I hope your food peas turn out to be as delicious as they look!
ReplyDeleteI remember my mother growing some sweet peas at one time - the flowers were very pretty. I am planning to pick the purple pea pod, tomorrow, and will do a taste test. :)
DeleteOoooh - butternut squash is one of my favourite soups! And there are so many variations! I have some squashes which I have been saving for several months - finally a couple of weeks ago I made a chutney from one. It has to mature for a while but when I hear if people like it I will decide whether to make more or just use all my squashes for soup! Win-win either way!
ReplyDeleteI'd be curious to find out how the squash chutney turned out (and what kind of squash). I've a pumpkin that my daughter would like me to use to make chutney!
DeleteI'll let you know what people think about the chutney. I used butternut squash but the recipe said any pumpkin would do. It claimed to be a good alternative to mango chutney, which I really couldn't imagine but the bit I tasted from the preserving pan did indeed remind me of mango chutney!
DeleteOoh, that sounds delicious! Mango chutney is one of my favorites!
DeleteI'll send you the recipe I used. Can't send a link as I amalagamated two and tinkered with the method. You can see what you think - or wait till I get my "reviews"!
DeleteDo they sell Geeta's mango chutney in the States? It is the go-to brand among the congoscenti, here.
Thank you, Lady Ella.
DeleteI don't know if that brand of mango chutney is available, here. Maybe it is, in the Indian shops (or online - seems like just about everything is available online, these days!). I usually buy the Sri Lankan made mango chutneys from the Sri Lankan store. MD (Marketing Department) brand is usually what I buy.
I've just googled MD Mango Chutney and found pictures! It doesn't look familiar, but I will remember to check for it next time I am in the ethnic supermarket.
DeleteHope you get to try it. :)
DeleteTBH I don't really like mango chutney! Well I don't mind it - if it was on the plate I would eat it but I don't tend to take it from choice. I delivered a jar of the butternut chutney to Dad today, and sister just called and said he has put it on the table waiting to be tasted with tonight's meal...
DeleteI'll send the recipe at the weekend ... is that soon enough?
Commercially made mango chutney doesn't always taste as good as homemade. My daughter bought a jar of it and said it tasted too sweet.
DeleteHope your butternut chutney passes the taste test! Send the recipe at your convenience, please. The weekend will be in plenty of time. :)
What a nice variety of food at your house!
ReplyDeleteThe stew & bread your daughter made looks delicious.
I'm glad you got your fruit trees planted and look forward to seeing their progress
Thank you, Debra. The bread was best on the day it was baked. There is still a small piece left, but, I think I will make bread crumbs with it.
DeleteThank you! I've two more fruit trees to be planted, but, I think we will be able to plant at least one of them, today!