Pickled!

 

Today I patted myself for having come a long way indeed. From being that carefree girl in my 20s who didn't know how to cook and neither was interested in learning, to this awesome aunty in my 50s who is not only churning out three nutritious meals a day but also preparing perfect seasonal pickles or 'achaars' (right from gajar-shalgam to amla to red chillies). 

Wonder what my mum would say had she seen me in my present avatar. She always complained to her relatives that though I had a thriving corporate career, I just wouldn't learn cooking. So much so that when my then boyfriend (and now husband) came to ask for permission to marry me, she tried to dissuade him by saying what good would it be marrying a girl who couldn't cook!

But coming back to my achaars, I'm loving just how my little extra efforts have paid off well (thanks to a sunny winter). The family is enjoying each of my preparations and that gives me the encouragement to try these again next winter.

Chorchori Chronicles

Traditionally the Bengali staple mixed veg preparation called chorchori is supposed to have potatoes and spinach along with any three seasonal vegetables. As my mother taught me, there are five main players, hence the alternate name paanch-mishuli. So in winters, veggies like radish and cauliflower routinely make it to the chorchori mix, while in summers one finds bitter gourds, brinjals and pumpkins getting added.

Now here I was cooking chorchori in the rains, so the essential spinach was missing. It is anyway advisable not to consume these greens during monsoon as they spoil faster and host a few creepy crawlies. So I decided to try leaves from my moringa tree instead. Totally not kosher, as any Bengali mashima would tell you! 

Moringa tree in the backyard 

But while being experimental I discovered that the moringa leaves added an interesting nutty flavour to the chorchori. Also since they grow high above the ground unlike spinach, their leaves do not get spoilt by the rain. And, their health benefits are many. 

A closer view of our moringa forest

Moringa is a hardy tree, pretty resistant to the vagaries of the weather. Then why not give a modern twist to the traditional chorchori and enjoy it every season. If the spinach is unable to pull through our current climate change, an alternative is on hand already.

Going Organic - Part 8

 

Writing an organic farming post after a long gap but today I will focus on summer vegetables that are easy to grow. And both of these can very easily be grown in containers, so are a blessing for balcony gardeners. 

The best part is that you do not require any special seeds or starters; just sourcing from your kitchen at the beginning of the season (around March-April) will ensure you have a steady produce in autumn (September-October).

Colocasia

This root vegetable (also called arbi/kochu) has giant leaves resembling elephant ears, and can be a showpiece for the garden all year round. The fresh leaves that come aplenty during the rains can also be steamed and made into a scrumptious side dish (patod/paturi/pathrodu). You can find an easy recipe here.

Colocasia or Elephant ears 

After the first season make sure to remove the produce, cut down the leaves, and replant the colocasia. They multiply easily and quickly; remember the more plants you have, the more produce you get. I had about four-five plants and got half a kilo arbi at one go.

Half the total produce

Bitter Gourd

On spotting well-formed seeds in some karela I bought from the market at the beginning of summer, I planted them on a whim just to see if they take root. And the rest, as they say, is history. 

'Karela' blooms 

Occasional rains ensured that the plants grew quickly, and by the second week of August we started getting flowers and the first batch of bitter gourd.

Five in one go!

Bitter gourd leaves have such a beautiful shape that I love incorporating them in my artwork. Of course, there are other creatures that seem to love this vegetable too! 

My garden of Eden!

So keep an eye out for infestation and spray pesticides if required. Adding NPK mix to the soil in the beginning ensures a good crop.

Happy gardening!

The Many Moods Of March

 

Unseasonal rains in March brought down the unusually high temperatures of February and gave us a prolonged spring, with pleasant weather and blossoms everywhere. Here is a visual record:

Meanwhile, the story of the purple sunbirds also took an unexpected turn. 

While the female was comfortably ensconced for some days and nights, and then seemed to be feeding her newborn chicks, something seemed to have happened that scared off the sunbird couple. 

One fine morning onwards they discarded the nest, though they hovered around in the vicinity and kept an eye on it. Whenever other similar-sized birds tried to get near, the sunbirds chased them off. Yet they wouldn't return to the nest, leaving us pretty much heartbroken.

Towards the end of the month, a large peepul tree in the lane was chopped down, just a day after I photographed it. The tree canopy was full of shiny new leaves, and it was time for the rosy starlings to arrive when this happened. 

It was saddening to see how completely disastrous the timing of this exercise was. No shade in summer in an uncaring world.... unfortunately that is where we seem to be headed now.

Monsoon Diary

 

This year the monsoon has been kind to us. Keeping it cool and pleasant without drowning us out. So here's a visual diary of the season which is otherwise so welcome for the relief and renewal that it brings.

As the plants heaved a sigh of relief after battling the unbearable summer heat, one could see the garden looking visibly happy, and producing both flowers and vegetables. 

However a squall brought down the Gulmohar tree beside our house, damaging a car in the neighbourhood. And I promptly put up a piece of the lopped off trunk in the front garden. Had been meaning to add a tree trunk for a long time.... finally managed.

As the skies turned gray, the bright rain liles and portulacas provided perfect contrast by making the garden vibrant with their colours. Little pops of happiness!

Even though we diligently water our plants through summer, it is always amazing how a few drops of rain makes everything flower in such abundance. Our portulacas have been a source of joy, much like the beautiful skies above.

And flying the tricolour at our home to mark 75 years of India's independence added to our monsoon fun.

Hope the rains will remain enjoyable henceforth, and leave us with some good memories of this season.

Colours of Spring 2022

 

After one of the coldest winters on record, spring just didn't last long enough this year. Though this is a gripe I have almost every year, day temperatures warmed up so quickly this time that it felt as if we moved straight from winters to summers. 

But before we melt in the intense heat of full-blown summers, here are the best shots from the front garden.

I also changed my planting strategy this time and focussed on the hardy varieties that blossom easily without much fuss. 

Plus I created mixed pockets of colour all over the garden instead of keeping each area of a specific colour/variety. 

Decoratives and edibles blossomed side-by-side, like the poppies and brinjals.

Our newly created mosaic garden stake only added to the colours and drama.

Our red roses blossomed well, and were huge. Though we didn't get any cauliflowers, we got a profusion of gobhi-ke-phool!

In the final burst, lots of roses and some phloxes added a burst of colour. 

But they barely lasted a week since summer arrived a whole month early. And even as I write this post, Spring is already over!

Backyard Bonfires

 

Earlier this month, as the Sun-worshipping harvest festivals of Lohri and Makar Sankranti or 'Poush Parbon' arrived, the hubby decided to light a bonfire in the backyard as we had a large pile of twigs lying around after our autumn tree chopping. And guess what, his impromptu plan turned this into one of the most memorable celebrations ever.

We first started attending the community Lohri bonfire since the time our kids arrived, just to make them experience it firsthand. Now with restrictions imposed by an oft-raging pandemic, doing our own bonfire made sense.  

A celebration of the frosty cold weather involving sun worship

The festival days were cold and grey, with low maximum temperature and the sun barely visible through the dense layer of fog. Windows remained frosted for a large part of the day. As we shivered through the day, we prepared the token specialities that were associated, just so the kids got a feel of the festival.

Plateful of patishapta with kheer fillings

Growing up as a kid in a typical Bengali household, I never much cared for Sankranti because it involved eating certain delicacies I wasn't particularly fond of, and I'd see my mother slave for hours in the kitchen after a tiring workday, and that didn't really seem worthwhile to me. However, time and age have wisened me enough to find workarounds or easier alternatives, thus ensuring that everyone can enjoy.

Lohri/Sankranti bonfire

So on Lohri and Sankranti evenings, as our bonfire crackled, we had a chance to get together as a family and add our special twist to the traditional celebration. We were novices at keeping the fire going, and used every combustible material on hand - right from oil and camphor, to newspapers and dried leaves from the mango tree. 

The second day we even baked veggies in the wood fire. Had roasted potatoes with sour cream for breakfast the next morning, along with roasted tomato/eggplant and garlic bruschetta.

And all these things made it a 'Poush Parbon' worth remembering!

Going Organic - Part 7

Pumpkins

Since pumpkin seeds are easy to source (you can use the large, well-formed seeds from market-bought pumpkins), I decided that pumpkins would be a summer staple in our kitchen garden. We had planted pumpkins last year as well but that had only yielded a few flowers back then.

We added some compost and other minerals to the soil, and replanted fresh seeds this summer. To ensure maximum chances of getting healthy plants, I used a mix of seeds from different batches. We soon got three healthy plants that grew well. But the old problem surfaced - only male flowers showed up.

A male flower and a tiny pumpkin

After the rains (that went overboard this year), all the pumpkin plants showed a growth spurt. So fast were they spreading that the hubby uprooted one plant. One died in the strong sun that followed the rains.

Now we had little hope of getting any pumpkins, but were happy with the huge produce of flowers from the single remaining plant. Every day we would diligently pluck them, even distributing some to neighbours and helpers.

Till one day, a couple of female flowers finally showed up! Then there was no looking back.... The bees arrived as if by magic, timely pollinating the female flowers. And our single plant produced four pumpkins within a month.

Pumpkin hanging with support from okra plants

The sturdy okra plants provided perfect support to the pumpkin vine, helping it reach up to the sun. We had to create a hammock for the largest hanging fruit, and keep the pumpkins covered to protect them from fruit flies. 

Pumpkins ripening on a sunny window sill

We harvested the pumpkins around Halloween, and then dried them in a window sill that received direct sunlight. The pumpkins turned out a lovely bright orange from inside, and were delicious in taste.

If you are interested in more content related to organic farming, do check out this YouTube channel for some detailed videos.

Going Organic - Part 6

Since last year we have tried focussing on growing the basics - potatoes, onions and tomatoes. This post recounts our experiences with each of these.

Potatoes

The first time we tried growing these in a large, deep pot. The plants were healthy and there were flowers too. But the plants started withering right after. So we were hopeful that the crop may be developing. But when we dug in, there was nothing.

This year we decided to plant directly in soil in our kitchen garden patch. And after a point, we kind of forgot about the plants. In fact, we didn't even see any flowers this time. Till they all dried up and the husband went to uproot them and clear out the patch. And wonder of wonders, a lovely crop of baby potatoes was harvested!

Surely the best Mother's Day gift came from the father. 

Onions

Planted an onion directly in soil in early winter, and throughout the season it gave healthy greens. I used the greens to make parathas and vegetables. Towards the end of the season, a couple of florets were formed and again, once they started withering I dug up the soil but no onions there. 

Probably we made the same mistake with both potatoes and onions - losing patience and digging up too soon.

Tomatoes

Last winter the husband ordered and planted a whole packet of tomato seeds. Lots of plants showed up, but it was difficult to maintain their scraggly growth. Tomatoes need to be tied firmly or else placed within a support structure. Mealy bugs were the other problem area, and required careful monitoring and frequent spraying with a mixture of neem oil, detergent and water.

Our efforts finally paid off and we did get to harvest some tomatoes. Though the regular-sized ones threw more tantrums and gave lesser output, while the cherry tomatoes came in bunches and were delicious. So a rewarding experience on the whole!

Going Organic - Part 5

In continuation from my last post on organic vegetable gardening, I thought of giving you a glimpse of the summer garden and its produce. The picture below is the view from my kitchen window; adding colour to the garden is the trumpet vine in the background.

Capsicums and Okra
As our Capsicums/Peppers and Okra/Ladyfingers have picked up pace, this is how the big patch looks. The tall plants in front are the ladyfingers and the bushy ones behind are the capsicums. And the produce is pretty satisfying.

Pumpkin Vine
One of the easiest to grow summer staples, the pumpkin vine can be started by planting seeds in late spring (March-early April). The aim here is not the fruit or flowers; the leaves and vine are also edible. They make delicious fritters too besides adding some much needed greens in the dry summer heat. Is container garden friendly.

Mint
Another summer staple, mint can be started by a mere sprig. It is hardy, grows lush quickly (especially in rains), and smells great.

Can be easily grown in containers. My little patch gives me enough leaves for fresh chutney every week.

Going Organic - Part 4

Back to share more about our organic adventures in the last few months.

Come March everything we knew as normal got challenged due to the outbreak of the Corona virus and the resultant countrywide lockdown. Sourcing and consumption of vegetables had to be handled carefully since the bi-weekly markets were off, and vendors were few and far between. In such difficult times our organic produce came in really handy.

Fenugreek and Spinach

The last crop of both these greens saw us through the early days of lockdown. If the veggie vendor gave our lane a miss, the backyard always had an alternative to offer. A relatively prolonged spring helped us enjoy these leafy goodies well into April.

Cherry Tomatoes

Umpteen salads and pasta bowls were lavished by their yummy presence. Again most of April we were blessed by their sweet, tasty goodness.

Garlic

The pods we had planted in early winter yielded tiny garlic. We had enjoyed their leaves through the winter so no regrets at the small size of the bounty.

Peppers and Ladyfingers

May onwards our summer crops took over. 

Peppers and ladyfingers (okra) got off to a slow start due to the steadily increasing heat but their yields were consistent.

A few spells of rain in early June have ensured that the May temperatures aren't coming back, and so we can hope to harvest both veggies till autumn.

Going Organic - Part 3

Despite the unusually cold, wet and grey winter this time, our backyard has yielded a decent winter harvest.

Enough coriander for a jar full of chutney.

A big bowl of spinach that will get used in a salad for dinner tonight.

And then there are the radish and beetroot greens that are doing great through growing in plain water (hydroponics). The beet leaves also go into our salad while the radish greens, along with garlic and onion greens, make for yummy paratha fillings.

So grateful for this organic goodness on our plates and in our tummies!