Blooming Thursday

 The garlic vine (mansoa alliacea) is blooming, the colour of the flowers will change tomorrow to pink and the day after to white and then die.

 I am growing orlaya grandiflora for the first time and I am quite pleased even though it took some time to grow from seed.

I planted out one of my loquats recently and am hoping to get some fruit in another year or so.

 Alocasia tea cups doing well in a soggy soil. These can be grown in shallow water and are great for pond banks.

 Remember the blackberry I had grown from seed? Well I transplanted it into a tyre pot made from a recycled tyre. Since I have read the roots do not grow deep I think this is an ideal container for it.

 The other two seedlings are doing well and I am looking to transplant them soon.

 I am also growing jicama for the first time and they do resemble a terrible wild vine we have call cow itch that is dangerous if the fine hairs off the seed pods get on your skin.

 The tuber is edible while the flowers and seed pods are toxic. The tuber is sweet tasting and is used raw in salads or stir fried with other vegetables.  These should be soon ready for harvesting as soon as the seed pods are dried. I read they can be eaten about now but I am waiting for seeds to replant. These were grown many years ago here in Barbados by the Taiwanese who were assisting our farmers on agricultural projects. When they left the jicama was forgotten.  I plant to resurrect this crop again.

 The leaves, flowers and seed pods contain rotenone a natural pesticide however that doesn't deter the slugs and snails. Rotenone is the pesticide most often used to kill fish. 

Rotenone is a naturally occurring compound derived from the roots of certain tropical and subtropical legume plants. Humans have been using it for centuries to harvest fish and manipulate fish communities. Rotenone kills by interfering with cellular use of oxygen.

I had some sweet potatoes that started growing so I cut off the growing tips and planted them in a container. I peeped and look what I found. Will harvest them at the end of the month.

The morning sunlight across the the orchard.  We have had rain almost every day in January. That was the wettest January I can remember. The garden is loving the extra moisture. I am hoping our dry season won't be as dry as last year. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

West Indian Sweet potato pone

A pone is a traditional bread made by American Indians from flat cakes of cornmeal baked in ashes. The pone has evolved not only is it from the traditional cornmeal, it is also made from cassava, and sweet potato. It is popular in almost all of the Caribbean islands with each island having their special way of making it. The sweet potato pone is a favorite in the islands of Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago. It can be served as a dessert or a snack. It is made from our local sweet potatoes, coconut, sugar, spices and raisins.

Our sweet potatoes come with red or a pale cream skin. The flesh is white or pale yellow or sometimes orange. These are not like the North American sweet potatoes, these are more starchy.
To make it you will need 1 grated the coconut, I did mine in the blender with about 1-2 cups of water however you will have to cut the coconut in small pieces for the blender, 1 large sweet potato grated, 1-2 cups of sugar, zest of lime, pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg, dash of angostura bitters.

Here I have cut up the peeled sweet potato to use in the food processor.

The sweet potato should look like this after grating or mincing in the food processor. It will turn a bit discoloured but that is not a problem.
You should have about 2 cups of water added to the grated coconut making a milky mixture, if the blender cannot hold it all the water, you can add it after it has been removed from the blender.

grated coconut and water mixture

Mix the some of coconut milk with potato mixture in a large bowl, add about 1-2 cups of sugar or sweeten to your desire, stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in a generous pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg, some lime zest and a couple dashes of Angostura bitters. Add about a 1/2 cup of raisins and mix thoroughly. The mixture should look like a fairly thick porridge and pourable. If the mixture is too stiff add some more of the grated coconut milk mixture little at a time. If all the coconut has been used you can add some plain water, a little at a time until the right consistency is reached.

Pour into a 2 1/2 to 3 inch deep greased pie dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours until it is golden brown or when there is no more liquid on the top and brown at the sides. For variations, you can add some grated cassava, pumpkin or tania eddoes. Remember the drier the mixture the crustier it will become. I prefer it both with a crust and without. If you use foil tins remember these will cook faster than glass or stoneware. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Cut into slices or cubes and serve warm or chilled with some rum sauce and whipped cream. Refrigerate after cooling. I prefer eating it the next day after it has been thoroughly chilled. Delicioso!