FRUITY FRIDAY : LEMON ON MY FRONT YARD

POOR CANNA...

I was so surprise when I found a bunch of peach flowers on the raised bed yesterday.

Actually, for several times I didn't check intensively my back yard, caused by the bad weather and limited time.

Down pour makes some beauties have broken...

Look my peach Canna...

It looked so beautiful before the rain, but after the rain...

The slim stalk doesn't strong enough to support the flower.

Oh... my poor Canna...

Should I support it with my fingers?

THE LITTLE COSMOS AFTER THE RAIN

Rain, rain, and rain

Give us the freshness.

Give us the water for our garden.

And give us the beauty.

Look my back yard after the rain...

We can find so many cosmos flowers are blooming.

My little cosmos plants (Cosmos caudatus) have collapsed.

The beauty that remains after the windy rain.

Please enjoy the beauty...

A HIDDEN ORCHID

During this terrible weather along this month, I only have a limited time to do outdoor activities, especially gardening.
My garden looks so messy.
So many plants grow so wildly, and the others broken, then rotten.
Today, we are having a sunny morning, so I'm checking all part on my back yard.

Several days ago, I found that some vine have covered the row of orchid clumps on the wall.
I put some Dendrobium clumps on my back yard wall.
So, this is the time to tidy up this part.
Oh, actually there are two stalks of orchid there.
I'm so lucky that the orchid clumps are safe during the terrible weather.

But I don't know why, maybe I pulled the vine to strong.
Oh no...
What a shame... a stalk have broken!
A stalk that there are three orchids have blooming.

Now the orchid clumps are free from the vine, I hope the the stalk remain will grow well and get blooming soon.
And of course the orchid will safe too.

A hidden orchid have exposed now...

FERN : FORGOTTEN BEAUTY

During this rainy season, the wet and warm weather make all plant grows so fast, especially the wild plants and weeds.

I have never payed attention to this wild one.
Yes, a wild fern grows on the edge of raised bed on my eastern back yard.

Time by time it looks bigger and bigger.
Now,  looks so lush, and beautiful... of course...

I let this fern grows wildly.
I think this fern is more than a year old. 
As I remember that the last time I pulled out the wild ferns was last year, and this one was 'safe' from my 'land clearing program'.

Now, I can see the beauty, a forgotten beauty...

MANGGIS : PART 6

During the harvest season, we can find lots of manggis on the markets or groceries.

On the 'manggis area', we can find lots of non permanent stall along the road side that sell fresh manggis from the garden nearby.

Here, manggis that sold on the road side stalls is usually arranged on a long arrangement that we call it 'karang'.
A 'karang' consist of ten fruits, that tied with a rope, that it's hanged on the stall.

The fruits are hanged not just for good display, but also to get better air circulation, so the fruit will keep fresh longer.
Thank you so much for following this series.
I hope you have a great week.
Keep .

MANGGIS : PART 5

Yesterday, I have shared about making manggis rind juice.
Now, I will share about making herbal tea from the manggis rind.
First, wash the rind on the flowing water, then drain it.
Break it into a small size
Put the clean rinds on the bamboo strainer, then it's sun dried for about 3-4 days.

To make sure the rind is well dried, we can put it in the oven for about 15 minutes.
Put the dry rinds on the airtight jar, to keep the rind have long storage period.
The herbal tea from the rind is ready to be used.

Put a table spoon of the dry rind  on the cup and pour the hot boiled water on it.
Let it for about 15 minutes, then strain it.

We can add  honey if we like the better taste.
The herbal tea is ready to be served.
A healthy drink...

MANGGIS : PART 4

Yesterday we have talked about the benefit of the manggis rind.

Now, we will make a manggis rind juice.
We only use the fresh rind, because the rind will be drier and harder soon.
And the color will turn blackish soon.

To make a glass of this juice, we need :

1. fresh rind from a manggis fruit
2. a glass of drinking water 
3. a tablespoon of honey (depend on our taste)

First, wash the fresh manggis rind on the flowing water.
Then, remove the outer (hard) rind.
I use spoon to remove the outer rind.
We only use the inner rind that has softer texture.
The color of the inner rind is reddish, and the outer rind is blackish.
After that, put the inner rind and water on the blender or juicer until it becomes a smooth texture.

Pour the juice in to the glass and add the honey to give better taste.
Actually, the manggis rind juice has a little bit bitter.
So, honey or coconut sugar are usually added to improve the taste.

As I have said before,  that the rind is high on pectin, so the juice has creamy texture.
Pectin is usually used on food industries as thickener, especially to make fruit jams.
Pectin is also well know as anti-cancer, anti-cholesterol, and a soluble fiber that good for digestion problems.
Now we get a healthy juice...

MANGGIS : PART 3

The manggis rind is rich in pectin.

It also contains catechin, tannin, and black dye..

The fruit rind is used to tan leather and to dye black.

Both the rind and the bark have several applications in traditional medicine.

Manggis rind have so many benefit for our health.
The main component that has very important benefit for our health is Xanthone.
Xanthone have already tested in the laboratories.
This component prevents and treat diabetes, cancer, heart-disorder, diarrhea, lower high blood tension, lower the cholesterol level, insomnia, toothache, asthma, osteophorosis, and many more.

It's well known as a supplement to help maintain our body health, great antioxidant.
Here, we use to make so many traditional medicine that made from these fruit rinds.
We sometime make juice from the fresh manggis rinds.
Some time we drink the decoction of manggis rind to treat so many health problems.

We also make a herbal tea from this rind, by drying the rinds for several days, then packed in air thigh package.
It's sold on pharmacies or drugstores.
Some pharmacy factories process the manggis rind into capsules, tablet or herbal drink.
A great rind...
Will you waste it?

MANGGIS : PART 2

The young unripen manggis shell is so fibrous and firm.
But when the fruit ripen, the shell becomes soft and easy to pry open. 
To open manggis, we usually cut the shell with a knife.
But we can hold the fruit in both hands, then pry gently until the rind crack.
Then, it's easy to remove the flesh.
The color of the unripen fruit is pale yellow, and will turn dark purple when the fruit ripen.
Actually, during peeling of ripe fruits, the purple shell juice may stain our skin or fabric.

Manggis has white edible flesh.
It has the same shape and size as an tangerine.
The number of fruit segments corresponds with the number of stigma lobes on the exterior.
More fleshy segments also corresponds with the fewest seeds.

More fleshy segments means that each segment is smaller, and it's usually seedless.
Actually, the seedless is much better to be eaten.

The composition per 100 g edible portion of manggis (PROSEA,1993):

• water 79 g
• protein 0.5 g
• carbohydrates 19.8 g
• fiber 0.3 g
• calcium 13 mg
• phosphorus 17 mg
• iron 0.9 mg
• vitamin A 14 IU
• vitamin C 66 mg

The energy value is 340 kJ/100 g

It's a high nutrition fruit...
Next we will talk about the fruit shell or rind.
Thanks for following this series.

MANGGIS : PART 1

I'm so sorry, last month I didn't post monthly series cause I didn't have enough time, a very busy month.
This week we will talk about an exotic tropical fruit as a monthly series.
Manggis (Garcinia mangostana) or purple mangosteen is a tropical fruit
It's a member of family Guttiferae.

Februari until April is the peak of the harvesting season.
So... I think this is the right time to explore this fruit.
This fruit is very popular in South East Asia.
Thailand is the highest producer of this fruit, followed by Malaysia, Philippines than Indonesia.

The fruit is mostly eaten fresh.
Both of the shape and taste are so exotic.
The fruit has a long in storage period, so... it's good for far away shipping.
Readers, have you ever taste this fruit?

PARTY TIME FOR SNAILS

During the rainy season, we have a very wet weather.

High humidity...

So... this is the very favorable condition for the snail and slug to grow up and multiply.

Snail and slug always be a serious problem on my garden.

They usually eat the seedling and shoots.

Lots of snails on my garden, and it's really bothering.

Readers, I hope there's no snail and slug that disturbing your garden.

Happy gardening to you all!

FRUITY FRIDAY : KEDONDONG MINI

Nothing special with my Kedondong (Spondias sp) tree on my back yard.

But when I'm noticing this little tree, I find some fruits are hanging on this tree.
I grow two little Kedondong trees on my garden.
This is mini version, and seedless.

The sour but tasty flesh is so fresh for fruit salad.
It's well known as a component of Indonesian traditional fruit salad called 'rujak'.
This fruit is usually peeled, cut and then sweetened.
I think I will pick some, then peel it and boil it with sugar.
It become a very fresh pulpy drink.  
Hmmm...

I can find some little fruits too.

I love it...

Readers, how about your fruity Friday...

MY TORCH GINGER TODAY...

Look my kecombrang or torch ginger clump on my back yard...
Looks so lush, but there's no signal of flower bud there.

Maybe you still remember with my old posts about kecombrang.
I have been waiting for the flower that popping up from this clump.
Actually, I have planted kecombrang more than twice.
I don't remember how many time...
But this is the last and the only one that grow so well.
Before I can pick the flowers, I still use the leaves as a traditional 'herb' on cooking fish.
It has aromatic flavor, and reduces bad smell of the fish.
It will make the fish dish more aromatic and tasty.

I have to be patient to find the beautiful edible flower from this clump.
Hope I don't need a long time.
I wish...

THE RAINY WEEKS...

Windy and stormy rain almost happen every day.
My garden looks so messy.

So many plants get rotten...
So many branches have broken...
So many fruits get fallen...
Lots of leaves get fallen...
Lots of flowers get crushed...

Hope we get better weather next...