Overwhelming Produce!!

First crop of tomatoes.

Average produce over a week.

Doesn't that look pleasing to the eye.

Feast for the eyes..

Blooms from 2008

Blooms from the plum tree.

Blooms from Dosakai Creeper.

Blooms from the creeper rose.

Blooms of Japanese Eggplant.

Sunflowers !

Thoota koora Pappu.

The Ingredients for Thota koora Pappu.
Thota koora, Toor Daal

For Seasoning: Red Chillies, Fenu greek seeds,
Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds, Urad Daal, Garlic, Turmeric,
Canola oil


Thota koora pappu with Neyyi (Clarified Butter).
Awesome combination.

Home made food from garden fresh produce.

Dosa Aavakai, A very savoury pickle. This pickle has shorter shelf life. But it can be stored in the refredgirator for a little longer.

A Pickle made with Dosakai.
Other ingredients include:
Powdered mustard seeds.
Salt,
Chili Powder
Lemon Juice
Cumin Seeds
Canola Oil
Garlic

Welcome Visitors.

Meet the most frequent visitors to our little yard. There are about 6 of these desert lizards. They love to play around in the back yard. On a nice sunny day we would spot them relaxing in group in the Porch looking at the garden. Most people would these creepy crawlies very iky but we adore them. I always admire how well they have been designed to live in the desert.

This is a Gold finch a common bird one would find in the desert here.

They look very similar to the common Indian sparrow. This guy would perch on the roof top

everyday during spring and chirp his favourite tunes.

Meet Mom, She has little nest in one of the Brazilian pepper trees.

She would find the food for her 3 young chicks from the some where. You can see that she has

a tasty morsel in her beak, she saved that for her babies. She would refuse to feed the young in our presence. Hats off to the mother !!

I simply love the Color of this dragon fly. These little guy visits us every single day. In fact there are a bunch of these, they made our yard their home. We often wonder about the

completeness of the Eco system our garden creates.

Need i say more about the Bees & Sun Flowers.

Very First Egg Plant ..And weekend Harvest

Here is a well groomed presentation of the produce & flowers.



Here is today's produce. The first egg plant. 3 Japanese egg plants, Thota koora (Will be good for curry or Pappu), Thota koora kaadalu (Good for Pulusu),Malle puvvulu (Jasmine), sun flowers, Bendakayalu and tomatoes.




This year so far i got 6 cantaloupes. About 60 Pounds of Tomatoes,
and a few pounds of thota koora, about 1 pound of Okra.

Tell me what do you think about it ?

Garden Art

Well Well .. What is a garden with out a piece of Art?
Don't you think gardening is an art, science and nirvana ?
I do enjoy many styles of garden art.

Desert style, Victorian Style, Japanese style and of course the Indian style ;). The desert style is really what goes Well in the Desert.
Desert style is about the Creepy Crawly metal art, terracotta SUN, Lizards, Silhouettes of Road runners and quails. Here in the desert people Love the cactus flowers, humming birds, Cowboy art.Well its all about the rustic style... The garden art I have bare minimum. A terracotta sun,
2 terracotta tortoises, One of which serves as a pot for Succulents. I find the garden art at Walgreens both affordable and beautiful.

If you grew up in India you would know Terracotta has a very special place in your life.
My grandmother used to have terracotta pots filled with water and stored away in a dark corner of the room . Beneath the pot was some sand that helped the pot stay in place with out wobbling and also help keep the drinking water cool.
Now that's a great and green Idea.

My mother used terracotta pots to set some yogurt. The pot absorbed the extra water in the yogurt and gave the yogurt a nice firm body. Most people in India even today use terracotta pottery for storing food , water and to grow plants.