Grapes in the tropics!

I bought three small grape vines back in October 2017 and frankly my expectations were pretty low.

Of course I planted them anyway and kept an eye on them (and kept watering them regularly too).

They grew super-fast, which was only half a surprise, considering almost everything grows fast here given regular water. The huge surprise was that it started showing promises of fruit. A lot of fruit.

It seems to need to hide somewhat under the leaves, or maybe I'm wrong? I really don't know how to care for grape vines in the tropics. Someone told me they would give small, but tasty fruits. I can't wait.

Isn't it the prettiest thing you've ever seen?

The vines have reached the roof. And then some. Actually they are starting on the cables stabilising the antenna on the roof. I'll have to do something about it, soon.

Now which variety is it? I don't have a clue. I don't really care at this point. I just hope it'll mature nicely and be tasty. 

A word to the wise: please contact me if you want to use any of the materials published on this blog. It's the polite thing to do, and it's the law. Thank you!

Mango tree

I mentioned so often drowning under gazillions of mangoes that I felt posting pictures of the one tree I get them all from was long overdue. There are many mango trees on the property, but I can't possibly deal with all of them and sell or process everything. This one tree gives me about 100 fruits a day in season (two seasons a year).

Should you ever visit me, you would sleep in this bungalow next to the infamous tree. The first night is bound to be disturbed by the noise mangoes make while falling from the tree. Coconuts too fall haphazardly and can be startling before you get used to that sound too.

Now, these are very fiber-rich fruits, that are not so easy or pleasant to eat as is, despite being juicy and tasty. I've found that they make delicious unsweetened preserves, though.

I just peel them, put about 40 of them in the slow cooker overnight, then stone them and purée them (I've found that a traditional hand-operated vegetable mixer like this works best). I put it back in the slow cooker for another night so that it concentrates and caramelises in its own juice and natural sugars. That's it. Zero sugar, sweeteners or flavours added. The kids and I have it almost every day of the year.

A word for the wise: please contact me if you want to use or repost any materials published in this blog. It's the polite thing to do, and it's the law. Thank you!

Noni

I got two seedlings of noni (Morinda citrifolia) which I started in pots and then transplanted in my garden. Although noni is supposed to be (yet another) miracle plant, I find the fruit's smell and taste close to revolting. Why did I plant it in my garden? I guess part of it is hoping I'll some day get over the smell/taste and do something good for my health. In the meantime, it's very quick and easy to grow and is rather good looking.

This is how the fruit starts: you first see a cluster of white flowers, then the flowers fall down and the base grows into the fruit itself.

I'm told it's ripe when it's white, which feels somehow counter-intuitive to me, but I'll give it another try. In the meantime, it looks good, which is rather important for an ornamental garden.

Boring but necessary: all text and pictures in this blog are my property. If you want to use them, please contact me beforehand. It's polite, and it's the law. Thank you!

Miracles of lasagna gardening

Because I'm too lazy to do proper compost and I also fail to see why I should put so much work into something when doing nothing will garner me the same result, I've fallen in love with lasagna gardening. Because I'm too negligent to do it right, it ended up being (in 7 easy steps):

1. Choose a place in your garden where you would like things to grow.

2. Arrange a few stones gathered on the spot around the said place (mostly to remember where it was).

3. Dump the bucket with all kitchen organic waste in such place once a week (or more often if the kitchen tells you it's time to get the bucket out) and spread loosely.

4. Add about the same volume of black soil (that's how we call here whatever is supposed to be more fertile than the more widespread clay or laterite or sand - clay in my case); spread loosely.

5. Don't do anything. This is the rainy season, so watering is unnecessary. Sit back and relax.

6. Visit the place now and then, to see what's happening.

7. If nothing happens after, say, 3 weeks, repeat the process from step 3.

After a few weeks of this (hard) "work", here is what I have in patch No. 1.

The big green leaves are watermelon. I bought one for my partner, who loves it (I don't), but forgot it in the fridge. I just dumped it behind the house when it started getting mouldy. Although the leaves are plenty and cover the soil nicely, I can't get very excited about them.

The brownish green leaves in between are a complete different story. The mango season has started and, living in mango country (mango orchards as far as the eye can see and beyond), we gorge ourselves with them. To the point of becoming quite picky about which variety is best. My conclusion is that a certain medium sized, yellow with bright red 'cheeks' variety and a characteristic beak are the best I've ever eaten. You don't have to chew. You just put it in your mouth and it melts in it. Like a ripe avocado pear, only so much better because, of course, it's mango, and it's juicy, and it's sweet, and it's full of flavour.

So yes, I'm extremely excited to have THREE of the pits I threw there growing already. Isn't life beautiful?

Long time, no post!

I can't believe it's been almost two years since I last posted! Lots of things happened, as usual. I don't have so much time to sit down and blog, and there are so many things I'm (more) interested in that blogging had to take a back burner position.

A short update: I bought a small piece of land in the bush, close to Shai Hills Resource Reserve. Because of the numerous baboons one can see on the road, I dubbed it "Baboonland". I'll start building a little retreat this year and hope it will be completed by mid-September. I'll welcome the change of scenery, the isolation, the newness of it all. Actually, I can't wait to be there! More space for the (now 3) dogs, the opportunity to have an orchard (mango trees abound in the area, but I also plan on having lime and orange trees, avocado pear trees, guava trees, pawpaw of course... and probably many more!), a kitchen garden (I even found online a nice trick for my lazy back AND to protect my herbs from 3 male dogs marking, see here!).

Back to the dogs... It has been a long time since I last wrote or published pictures of my dogs or of any indigenous dogs. I was asked last month to write a piece for a U.S. dog paper and online magazine. I was happy to be contacted, and wary too, for the same reasons that led me to stop "advertising" the indigenous dogs. I decided to write the article anyway, complete with an explanation of my reluctance. I will see whether it is published and if so, how much it will be edited. Another aboriginal dog fancier, of the less normative type, also asked me to send an article for the Primitive and Aboriginal Dog Society's journal, whose interests are closer to mine. I intend to gather more information, especially about hunting with dogs, before I finalise my contribution.

Again, a lot of very different things to do, a lot of interests to weave into my already quite full life... But I've never been comfortable with idleness, so I won't complain!

To be continued!