Time to Harvest Some Galangal!

It has taken just about 2 years for my Galangal (Alpinia galanga) plant to grow just under 3 feet, and produce enough rhizomes so that I can cut a piece to use in my cooking.  The rhizome, when sliced is that odd, round, firm piece that you find floating in a true Thai Curry dish. It looks a lot like a chunk of ginger root.  It is also an ingredient in curry paste, there is no substitute for it in a recipe.  

Here it is in flower, I didn't notice a fragrance to the flower but the leaves have a mildly aromatic scent. Galangal is a type of ginger and the flower does look similar to a ginger plant that I am growing.  You cut a piece of the rhizome once it begins to flower or just as it buds.  I wanted to wait for the flower to appear since I had not seen one before.  It is spectacular, although small and does not last long; might be the heat we have here.  In Southeast Asia this plant can be grown in the sun but I didn't want to chance that and have planted it where it receives shade most of the day.  It does get filtered sun from the tree overhead and a bit shines on it very late in the afternoon.  We also don't have the humidity found in its homeland, notice the tips are brown, probably from the lack thereof. 

Here is what it looked like when I bought it on June 3, 2012; the one in the center with only one rhizome shooting up.  Now I am off to find a very special Vegetable Curry Recipe!!

Long Overdue Post on the Garden!

 Heartsease moved in last spring on the West side pathway. I love this cheerful plant and am so happy to see it growing and blooming in every nook and cranny of the stepping stones. It does make for some eye-to-ground closeup weeding though! There are so many that are still coming in.


The kitchen remodel is about finished and with the sun shining just about every day now I needed to get going with some planting and spend more time outdoors.  I planted 6 tomato plants yesterday; this year I am trying to scale back some and will try to keep it around 10 plants.  We will see how I do...

San Marzano, my all time favorite paste tomato.

Gold Medal; I grew this one last year and the fruit is huge, over a pound to a pound and a half in weight.

Cherokee Purple, always a favorite.

Black Heirloom cherry tomato

Goliath, this one is new for me this year

Super Sweet 100 Cherry (hybrid) Tomato; this is an improved variety of Sweet 100.  The flavor of this cherry tomato is so sweet and wonderful that even though it is not an heirloom I wanted to plant one. It bears long clusters of sweet, juicy fruit. I will snack on these while I work at tying up the indeterminate tomatoes this year!

That's it for tomatoes, now on to some more goodies I found while strolling through the garden this morning...

It was early when I went out and the mist was still in the air.

 

Heartsease has been very busy while I worked on the kitchen, reseeding itself over the fall and winter into every little space it could find. 

These two Cymbidiums have been blooming for weeks. They are showing a bit of brown on the edges of the flowers now with the sun coming in stronger and more sun is hitting them.  We had one of our  pine trees  trimmed severely a couple of months ago, and I am regretting that now.  

Above, is a Galangal (rhizome) plant that I purchased last fall at City Farmers Nursery. I need to find a space for it somewhere so it can spread out.  It will get very tall, around 5 feet. Galangal is used in Thai foods, you may have seen a chunk of the rhizome in soups.

Pineapple plant is coming along nicely. We started this last fall from a pineapple we bought at the farmers market. 

Espazote  (epəˈzōtā)  plant, used in Mexican cooking is waiting to be planted out in the herb garden.  I am sure if I looked around the property I would find this "weed" growing but since I have not taken the time yet, I bought one at the farmer's market instead. It is good in beans, and is supposed to reduce the gas!  Although, you must not use but a few leaves in your dishes as the plant is Poisonous in very large quantities.  

Clivia in full bloom, but again with the sun beating down on them I am not sure how well they will withstand the suns ray and heat this summer. I am hoping that the Liquid Elms will provide enough shade for them now that the Pine tree won't be able to.

Madarense Geranium

I will leave you with a few more beauties that were showing off for me this morning.

Earl of Essex

Sage in the herb garden

Narcissus on the front bank

Pink rose in front, not sure if this one is Cecile Brunner or not.  It was a cutting from an old German gardener I met a few years back and he couldn't remember the name. It grows tall with a sprawling habit, might be a Blush Noisette; whatever the name it is beautiful!

Violets coming in everywhere!

"Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it."

-Mark Twain