Whats not for supper?

In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful.

pic Riyaad Devan

 27- 29 October 2014.

I started this blog post 2 days ago but every time I want to publish I somehow get distracted by chores, other writing, running off to buy garden supplies and the inevitable what’s for supper. A few days ago we received some fillet steak as a gift. I was tempted to let Abu do his fillet in creamy mushroom sauce but I had a hankering for crumbed fillet with sweet saffron rice, wedges of potatoes and a garden salad. It was delicious.



pic Riyaad Devan

On Monday, I like to cook fish Mondays, I took out some kabeljou and methought a good curry would be marvelous – a garlicky tomato base with lots of danya, a few fresh curry leaves and of course the wet seafood masalah from Shaikhs. I would throw in some fluffy basmati and a few side dishes, garden salad, light spinach curry to play second fiddle, hmm wonder how a few fava beans will sass it up? I peeped down the columns of beans and spied a few plump ones and as I did my rounds and saw the sweet pea flowers entwined around every plant within their proximity – an abundance of hues of lilac, mauve, magenta and aubergine. It took my breath away. I opened some pods and noticed that they are so well protected, the insides of the pods are literally like cotton wool.

The first fully developed onions were ready to be removed; we had been pulling them up and slicing into salads since they were babies. I noticed close to the bottom, the outer layers have dried nicely some brown and some red. I also notice that the delphiniums and Peruvian lilies are about to bloom as well as one or two foxgloves.

That was yesterday and I never did get to cook supper. Whilst I was picking the fava beans a wasp may have stung me or I might have touched my mouth after picking the beans but my lip just started to have a strange sensation and then it ballooned. I can laugh about it now but it was not funny then hey. It looked like a Botox shot gone wrong, this huge engorged upper lip that was tingly. So I took some antihistamine but it persisted and while I was worried, my kids took over cooking not wanting to look at me for fear of bursting out in guffaw. It was funny and sorry no pics!

Alhamdulilah it was all good this morning. What was not to be good? The weather was superb. A brisk shower; stroll around; a berry smoothie and off to get some compost and a few plugs on my way to IPSA to check on the gourmet beds. I got some red cabbages and beet plants and some chilli bushes. Mikaeel jumped into the van with us. “First tell your Mom!” said Grand daddy. “No lets go, close the windows!" said he. And off we went.

When I got to IPSA, girl was I impressed! The soil was moist, meaning that the watering and maintenance teams were on the job. The plants that we put in the last two weeks were standing strong, the cloched tomato plants had survived with only two casualties, yay. Well done gourmet gardeners! We have three smaller beds to fill with compost and plant in before the students go on study leave before exams. But we will get small groups to check up and water inshaAllah. Note to self – must take some marigolds and calendula to invite the pollinators to visit the gourmet garden.

Zulpha planting red peppers

Suhail patting down lavender

Riyaan and Faheem

Gwannie's boy

On our way stopped for some Neopolitan ice cream and cones for the boy. Ha ha, he sat and hugged that box all the way home.  Got home and I sommer had some energy to keep going so did a few rounds, picking and eating strawbs on the way.

Abu and I are druk besig transplanting herbs – thymes, rosemary, oregano so that they have a bit more space to grow bigger, staking the hanepoort while my daughter is busy transplanting the last of the irises and the smaller grow bags that the strawberries live in to bigger bags and pots. The small grow bags makes it hard for plants to absorb the water as their roots grow and fill the bag quickly.  And finally the rambling rose cuttings are ready to be planted close to spaces that will allow them to ramble up and over can’t wait for the little red rosettes , shukran Waseemah’s Mommy! Abu is also busy making small easels that sit on a table for the Art group.

Then I noticed three plants that somehow escaped my attention and had developed into fully fledged bushes like an arrangement of jagged swords. I thought it was the comfrey and this is me, “Wow Abu the comfrey is lush and huge, look at this?” And Abu says, “nope that is the comfrey in bed with the brinjals.” “So what’s this?” “Algerian artichoke!” And I am thrilled no end. I thought the seeds had vergaan and so I planted some in seedling trays and they are making steady progress among the Chaste trees. Thank you Allah.

Grow food and watch out for wasps.

Yasmine