Okinawa Gardener : May 2021

Sunday, May 30, 2021

Mulberry Tree

The Mulberry tree cuttings I planted on 11 April are starting to produce buds.

New Summer Orange Tree

I planted three seeds from a New Summer Orange fruit on 9 May and they are all sprouting.

Myoga (Japanese Ginger)

Myoga (Japanese Ginger) is at its peak and starting to produce the edible flowers, which grows at the base of the stock.

Peach (Momo)

The Peaches are developing well. I've lost a few, but in generally the tree and fruit are healthy.

All the Dragon Fruit plants are growing well and two have reached the top of the trellis. I hope they produce fruit this season. I'm curious to see what type these are. A neighbor gave me the original cutting, but she was not sure what type it was. We'll see....

Bougainvillea Vine

I got these Bougainvillea vine clippings from a neighbor on 11 April and they are growing well and starting to grow leaves. Of the 9 cuttings I planted, 8 survived.

Though Bougainvillea are vines, I plan to grow them like a tree and keep them about a meter (3 ft) tall similar to the picture above, which I took at a local nursery.

Guava (Strawberry and Red)

I have 8-9 Strawberry Guava bushes spread out around my property and they are all full of fruit. Eating them fresh is the best, but I think I will get more than I can eat. I need to research alternative ways to use them.

The red Guava has about 40 fruit on the tree and they are growing quickly. I absolutely love red Guava and can't wait until they are ready to eat.

Onion (Tamanegi)

I planted Onions (Tamanegi) 6-7 months ago. When they first came up there were so many, so I had to dig them up and spread them out, plus I planted some in a different container. I placed the containers under my second floor balcony so they would not get direct rain. Onions do not do well with too much water and it rains a lot here.

I can start to see them take shape.

The stock of this Onion died so I pulled it.

It's a beautiful Onion.

Friday, May 28, 2021

Papaya Fruit

I picked a Papaya and let it ripen so I could cut it up and freeze to make smoothies.

Cut it in half to remove the seeds. An unripened fruit has white seeds and a rip fruit has black seeds. Sometimes there are no seeds, so do not be surprised.

Remove the seeds.

Cut the Papaya in sections and cut in chunks. This will make it easier to blend.

Wrap about 100 grams of fruit in plastic wrap. 100 grams is about the right amount for a smoothie.

Add all the packages to a ziplock bag and freeze.

Acerola Cherry Jam

I picked all the Acerola cherries I could about two weeks ago and let them ripen to make jam. The first step is to remove all the stems using a tooth pick and wash the cherries well.

After I rinse them I typically weigh them. This is not necessary, but just for my curiosity.

The next step is to squeeze each cherry and remove the seeds. There are typically 3-4 seeds in each cherry. If you wish a smoother jam, blend the pulp. It is very important to weigh the pulp. This will determine how much sugar and pectin to add. Add 45% sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of pectin per cup of pulp.

354 grams pulp x 45% = 159 grams white granulated sugar

354 grams pulp / 250 grams (1 cup) = 1.5 teaspoons Pectin

Add the pulp, sugar, 100 cc of water and 1 tablespoon of vanilla to a pan and cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the desired thickness is reached. Wait to add the Pectin or follow the instructions on the package.

After the desire consistency is achieved, add the Pectin to a few tablespoons of water and add it to the mix and cook a little longer until it thickens. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool.

Lastly, pour the jam in a sterile jar and refrigerate. The last time I made Acerola jam I used brown sugar and the jam was brownish. It tastes fine, but color is important.

Acerola Cherry (Barbados Cherry) Tree

I got over 1kg (2.2 lbs) of Acerola cherries so far this year and now the tree is blooming again. This tree typically blooms 3-4 times each year.

Lemon Grass

The Lemon Grass in the back of the house is growing quickly and looking healthy. I am surprised nothing is bothering it so far.

Guava (Red)

The Guava on my red Guava tree are starting to develop. This is a three year old tree and about four foot (1.2m) tall, but has about 40 fruit on it. I cannot image how many fruit it will produce next year.

Bitter Melon (Goya, Nigauri)

My Goya plant recently started to grow and it has taken off.

Strawberry (Ichigo)

I'm starting to get Strawberries. They are not as large as I hoped, but they are sweet and have a wonderful aroma.

Santan Flower (Jungle Geranium)

Santan are starting to blossom.

I love the beautiful orange flowers when in full bloom.

Mikan Orange Tree

I grew this Mikan Orange tree from a graft I took earlier last year. It is growing slowly, but looking healthy. I expect it will start bearing fruit in about two more years.

Chili Peppers (Togarashi)

This Chili Pepper plant was looking quite poor 4-6 weeks ago, so I removed all the peppers and added some fertilizer. Within days it started to flower and now has many healthy peppers.

Green Peppers (Piman)

This is the Green Pepper plant that I did not think was going to make it. It has fully recovered and producing peppers. I'm leaving some of the peppers on the plant until they turn red. The red color enhances your dishes and they are sweeter.

Thursday, May 27, 2021

Exotic Flowers

One of the great things about living in a sub-tropic region is all the exoctic flowers. They are all around. I can grow some, but can buy most when I want so cheaply. Of course I have many of the standard sub-tropical plants, like Orchids, Hibiscus, Passion Fruit and various Lilies, but here are just few from today.