 Basil  Chervil  Sweet Marjoram Blueberries Today was not a good day for photo shooting. It was so cloudy and humid most of the day. But the green of my herbs looked really refreshing to my tired eyes when I came back from work today, and I couldn't help taking some shots. :) Categories: Garden |
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Garden Report - May 2008 -
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17 comments:
Those look lovely! My herbs are coming along nicely too - I have thyme, 3 types of mint, sage, oregano, a lemony herb (don't know the English name), chives and rosemary in my garden and usually sow some parsley, coriander and dill to supplement. As you can guess I don't have to make do with a balcony garden. :)
still looks great!
Those do look quite nice. I planted some herbs and vegetables about a month back, and most of them are looking rather poor. I think my lemongrass is the only thing that is not dying or getting eaten by bugs.
The blueberries are coming along quite nicely too. I hope you get a lot of them this year!
Cloudy weather is the best for getting vibrant colours in your pictures, so don't worry about shooting photography on overcast days. Those shots tend to turn out the best.
excellent.
Wow. Your herbs are growing really well! I think I started mine too late, the basil is just beginning to sprout now.
I think your photos look good - for some reason overcast days always bring out the greens.
Thanks for blogging - I'm a long-time reader but just started my own blog!
wow, good shots! are we going to see these herbs used in more delicious foods? :)
Oh, you're going to have some lovely blueberries soon! I look forward to seeing what you make with them :)
Blueberries looking good this time obachan! Ganbatte!
I am having pest problems in my garden! So I haven't attempted herbs. Well, I do have rosemary, but after picking off & hosing off so many "spit bugs" my rosemary is too unappetizing for me. It looks good & is very fragrant, but the idea of all those bugs ugh? bugs me! Other pests are snails and aphids. Any suggestions?
Rei
Japanese-Style Spaghetti con Vongole
Serves 4-5
This recipe is adapted from "Izakaya: The Japanese Pub Cookbook" (Kodansha International Limited, 2008), by Mark Robinson. Shimeji mushrooms, sake and julienned nori seaweed are available at Asian grocery stores.
1 pound fresh littleneck clams (or steamer or vongole)
1 pound spaghetti
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon red chile pepper flakes
1/2 pound shimeji mushrooms, root removed and mushrooms separated, or fresh shiitake, sliced
2 teaspoons sake
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup julienned nori seaweed
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
Instructions: In a medium bowl, cover the clams with cold, lightly salted water. Place the bowl in a cool, dark place for 2-3 hours to allow the clams to expel sand and dirt. Wash the clams under running cold water, gently scrubbing shells clean.
Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
Meawhile, heat up the oil in a medium skillet over low heat. Add the garlic and chile pepper and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and clams. Add the sake, give the contents of the skillet a quick stir and cover with a lid. Turn heat up to medium-low and cook until the clams open, about 5-6 minutes.
Discard any clams that did not open up. Stir in soy sauce. Turn up heat to high, add cooked spaghetti and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
Arrange on serving plates and sprinkle with the nori seaweed and scallions. Serve immediately.
Per serving: 530 calories, 34 g protein, 79 g carbohydrate, 7 g fat (1 g saturated), 52 mg cholesterol, 227 mg sodium, 8 g fiber.
not on topic, but i thought you'd be interested ;)
masa
Ea
Wow, you never need to buy herbs, right? I bet you enjoy making loads of wonderful dishes using your herbs.
BTW, I like your drawings.
K & S
Thanks. :)
Sirpaul
Oh, the weather is not nice over there? Talking about bug problems, my mitsuba is in a big trouble now. Yeah, the plant louses.
My blueberries are looking fine, but I should be happy if I can get as many berries as I did last year. I thought I took a better care of my blueberry plant this year – I gave it some fertilizer in early spring and even pruned it. But it does not seem to be making such a big difference.
Ghanima
Maybe you’re right. But to get a good outcome on a cloudy day, I should understand all the functions of my camera. :P
Ronw
Thank you.
Skye
Yeah, I have noticed that sometimes the greens do not look good in the photos taken on a real sunny day.
Congratulations on starting your own blog. It’s so much fun, isn’t it? Enjoy! :D
Hollywood tai tai
Yes! (hopefully)
;)
Christine
Like I wrote above, I guess all I can expect is getting around 20 blueberries this summer. Sure they would be lovely but what dessert can I make with only 20 of them?
Pinkity
Arigato!
Rei
I don’t know if this works for you or not, but here many people use beer for killing slugs and snails. (I’d rather drink it myself, though. ;)
Masa
Oh, thank you so much for the recipe! :D It sounds yummy. I seldom make vongole myself, but this recipe is so tempting that I might try it out sometime soon…
your garden is looking wonderful!
Anything you want bringing over? We should be coming first week in August (in time for Yosakoi) so if theres anything you would like let me know :) we are staying for 3 weeks this time so hopefully we have time to catch up with you.
This is my 3rd blueberry season since starting to read your blog. I am awaiting to see how well your blueberry plants do this year, and what you do with your blueberries!
Hi Obachan,
Thanks for your comments. Yes, I rather drink beer than use it for slugs and snails. I'm afraid collecting the drunk/drowned critters will ruin my enjoyment of beer.
Rei
Sorry for the late response! I'm terrible with older posts...
Lina
Thanks. Now the blueberries are ripening and the photo is coming soon. ;)
Demon
It's so nice of you. Don't worry about bringing omiyage. Just seeing you and your wife is more than enough gift for me. Honestly. Your friendship means so much to me. It's great that you're staying for that long. I'll keep in touch. ;)
Lannae
I used some fertilizer in early spring this year, so I was hoping that the harvest will be doubled. But looks like I'm going to get a little more than 20 berries this year. Each berry seems to be a lot bigger, though.
So, maybe... blueberry tart again? I can't think of anything else at the moment.
Rei
Yeah, right. :D
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