My harvest in December

My garden front is not looking good at all. Too much rain has rotted some of my plants and the most happy garden pests at the moment are the slugs! Each time when it is the rainy season, I can find them hiding in between the pots and up on my plants. I found their hiding spot inside an upturned pot. There are about a dozen garden snails, from baby snails to adult snails resting in it!

The only harvest that I had this month are the ever loyal Malabar Spinach, Belimbing Fruits, Spring Onions, Chives and one Bitter Gourd Melon. The most happy veggie that has been thriving well in the rain is the Malabar Spinach. 

I planted 6 seedlings of the Red Capsicum, one is surviving and the other 5 are eaten by the snails. My brocolli seedlings have not escaped the snails either! The other 5 seedlings of the okra seems to be doing well. More snails are having a jolly good time over at my back garden too, seems to be having a party with the grasshoppers! While the snails are enjoying the leaves from my Bitter Gourd Plant, I caught two big grasshoppers, that has been eating my beautiful big, green and healthy Tumeric Leaves. Now the leaves are filled with holes!

Malabar Spinach

 Malabar Spinach grown in styrofoam container

Harvest the leaves 

Stir fry, topped with fried garlic for dinner. The leaves are sweet and tender.

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Bitter Gourd

This melon wasn't yellow when I checked it two days before! Did not look at it until two days later, when I saw from my window that it has begun to ripen! Harvest it and since it is not very big, used it in omelete.  Surprisingly, it is not bitter at all, I think that with too much water from the constant rain,  must have affected the taste of the melon. 

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Belimbing

 Lots of fruits, have been harvesting it almost every week!

The fruits are especially bigger with the constant rain.

Brownie has moved! His owner has moved and taken him along about two weeks ago, kinda miss not seeing him around! Hope he is happy in his new place!

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I would like to wish everyone  

A HAPPY NEW YEAR AND A WONDERFUL 2012!

Sweet Basil, From Garden to Table, And Starting Over

I love the wonderful smell of fresh basil leaves. My basil plants was really lush and healthy a couple of months back. I have not been taking care of my garden for the past two months and my plants are not very happy! I should have cut and pruned off the stems when it starts to flower to encourage more growth but well, that did not happen.

My basil plant in September  : )

In November...  : (

I removed the whole plant as the stems and branches are not healthy. Harvested all the leaves, what did I do with all the leaves? ....

Made a jar of delicious Basil Pesto. It was my first attempt at  making this sauce and definitely won't be the last. I love it. Have you tried Basil Pesto before? It really is delicious and healthy. If you want to give it a try, the recipe is over at my kitchen, click here. What to do with this sauce? You can pour it over your cooked spaghetti, made some bread with it, cooked it with chicken, use it in salad, etc... ! How did I use my jar of Basil Pesto? ....

I made a delicious Pesto Pizza with a delightful crispy crust. If you are a pizza lover, you must certainly try this. For the recipe, click here.

I have a few basil seedlings in my potted garden, which hopefully will grow healthy with lush green leaves. I have finished my jar of pesto, and eagerly waiting for my basil plant to grow, for my next jar. 

Happy Gardening !