More Bounties from Yard

I had this blueberry plant for 15 years that never produced a fruit. So this spring I transplanted it to another spot where it can get a little more sun. Boy that made such a difference! The new branches started shooting up, and yes, finally I was able to collect a handful of blueberries. It wasn't even a bowl full; but enough to adorn the morning cereal. So precious!


These brown heirloom tomatoes are called Cherokee Purple, about a size of palm full. I kept making the simple sandwich of toasted English muffin, schmear of cream cheese, basil and thick slices of these sweet tomatoes for the morning. Lettuce leaves, also picked from the yard, accompany many sandwiches during the summer.




Each year my landlord (we share the yard) plant three things: tomatoes, hot peppers and cucumbers. And this summer they are particularly bountiful; perhaps benefiting from the hot weather. So, yeah, something good does come out of the sweltering climate...

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Foraging the Yard

There are a lot of weeds growing in the yard. Most of them are systematically pulled before they get out of hands. However, there are few weeds that I intentionally leave alone because they are edible.

On the right: Dandelions, hated by many homeowners with meticulous front lawn. On the left: Purslane, unfamiliar and indifferent until I learned they are edible and good source of Omega-3.

The salad of purslane and tomatoes is very simple. All you have to do is make a dressing (a clove of garlic & small chili pepper minced, olive oil, vinegar, salt & pepper), chop the parslane and tomatoes, and mix them in the bowl. It was delicious, albeit pungent! I waited until most of the co-workers have left the building to start the meal.

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Gratuitous Kitten Pix

The Backyard Kitten is growing up fast! Somewhat feeling responsible, I am putting out the food twice a day. I think they know they hit the jackpot! For the feral cats not have to worry about food and shelter must relieve a huge percentage of their daily struggle.



Protective mother still approaches with hissing and caution. The baby is imitating the cute hiss, but then comes running toward the food bowl. So much for the lesson in caution...

So I'm calling the mother Nom Nom and the kitten Jumpy, for now. I don't think they know nor don't really care, though.

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Hot Weather, Cold Noodles

Oh my, it's too hot to even stand in the kitchen!

Every morning I prepare all the food for the day. For breakfast I pack either cereal or oatmeal, for lunch I make a sandwich with whatever the protein I have in the fridge, and cook a supper. Well, in 100+ degrees temperature, no one wants to turn on the gas. And if you absolutely must use the stove, let's minimize it.

So I turn to this cold noodle dish "hiyashi-chuka", the dish that personifies Summer. It's basically a cold noodle salad. You cook the noodle and just add any toppings you like. Drizzle the tangy sesame oil dressing and voila! I like it because I can use just one pot to make the whole thing.

Yes, a true life saver when the heat is on.

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Yard Update: June 2010

So...a month later, the yard looks much more lush in green. Thanks to cleome (pink & white flowers) and orange mint, the garbage can is now invisible beneath the thick green curtain. The hostas are about to flower (foreground). Lettuce plants in the green planter (mid-right) are providing enough young leaves for a sandwich everyday.


Some of the early tomato plants are getting bigger! Next to the tomato pot, sunflowers are totally loving this spot where strong sunshine is abundant.






Closer look at the cleome flowers: in between you can see the deep purple cluster of lavender flowers as well. Orange mint is really going strong - almost too strong - so I cut back quite often. Then I let the bruised leaves infuse the water, mix in some lime juice and bit of sugar. Very refreshing.

So far, so good. It's easier to control the weeds this year because the allotted area is significantly small. Yeah, that was a good plan.

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To The Dad...

Mother's Day gets all the attention...

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Rooftop Farm!

A few Sundays ago I participated in the free composting seminar held at the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm. I heard about this place a while ago, and ever since I have been very curious. So it was a great reason to finally check out this operation.




I used to get invited to watch the rooftop viewing of glorious July 4th Fireworks up close when this building was an AIR. Now it is a converted shooting studio and full-fledged, albeit small scale, farm overlooking the East River on top. Somehow it feels fitting; to see the rows of growing vegetables against the Manhattan skyline evokes comfort and strange satisfaction.



Yes, chickens live there, too!

Plenty of practical information was given at this seminar. Now I'm ready to fill my compost bin in the yard! Sounds like I can put almost anything from the kitchen and the yard: fruits & vegetable scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds & filters (great!!!), seaweed (wha...???), and food-soiled paper towels & napkins (good news because these cannot be put out to recycling in NYC), dead leaves, pine needles, etc. Technically grains, cereals, breads are OK to compost too, but probably wise not to because these foods attract unwanted attention from certain small creatures. Well then I can feed them to the sparrows, blue jays and cardinals instead.

Now, let the compost begin!

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Faux Gras

Ok, ok, I have to admit it's not the greatest pun... Well, the point is: I love monkfish livers! I consider them as "foie gras" of the sea.

In Japanese restaurants you may encounter them as "ankimo", often steamed and with grated daikon radish and dipping sauce. But my favorite way of cooking this rich, sweet liver is to quickly pan fry it (dredged in thin layer of flour) and marinate a la escabeche, in hot & sweet soy sauce vinaigrette - nanban style.

Its flavor is thick, almost sea urchin like briny sweet mousse, so a few pieces goes a long way. Not metallic or bitter at all; the characteristic sometimes associated with the liver from other species. This dish came together as I sometimes get the illogical craving for spaghetti. So I simply combined the said marinated monkfish liver and broiled squids. For the green, because you need some greens in your lunch, I sauteed broccoli rabe with garlic and hot pepper flake. A pickled ramp bulb completes the ensemble.

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Kitten Dilemma

Look at this cute kitten! Just look at it!

Well, we spotted it (not sure if it's a boy or a girl) in the backyard with its nursing mother on Friday morning. Then it got us terribly worried: The mother disappears hours at a time, leaving the baby by itself. The internet tells me the baby should be fed every few hours at this stage (we're guessing, about 3 weeks old). What should we do? Intervene? Leave it alone as the nature takes its course?

There are numerous cats roaming our neighborhood. Some are house cats allowed to spend time outdoors. Others are feral, fending off on their own. This kitten's mother is clearly the latter. That means this little one will follow her pawsteps and grows to become another feral cat, procreating the offspring at will. But if it's given the proper food, shots, necessary surgery and home, we think it may live a long and considerably happy life. Or is it just our arrogance to think that...?

Well, right now we're leaving it alone. It's probably better to have the mother nurse it until it can eat the solid food and learn about the certain facts of life. But the situation is closely monitored. And we're ready to step in when necessary.

Our weekend was totally ruined! Total distraction! Oh well...(but we didn't mind.)

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Getting There...

The month of May is, perhaps, the most crucial. Because this is when the decision is made: what to plant this year.

Right now it looks like this. The perennials are almost reaching their full size: you can see two kinds of hosta plants in front. Farther back, you can see the long, narrow leaves of, what I think are related to, day lilies. Their leaves grow so fast in early spring (seriously a few inches in a day!) till June, by when they become all yellow, brown and eventually dry up. Suddenly in early- to mid- August, bunch of stalks shoot from the ground, almost overnight. And only for a few days the delicate pale pink flowers blossom. There are three kinds of evergreens in this tiny yard too. They provide the partial shade that is much needed in this otherwise totally sunny yard. Some of the weeds - peppermint, lemon balm, aster and green/red shiso - are allowed to stay, though in 'designated' areas.

This year's big addition is the compost bin. It is really exciting that all the vegetable scraps that used to go to waste can be recycled! Also a big change in planting location this year: normally occupied by the tomatoes (and eventually overtaken by evil, evil weeds), I'm experimenting the front area to be flower- and herb- centric. You see; the plantable area is not that big because there are many perennials already staking the room. On top of it there is a chunk of concrete foundation buried in the middle. So when I found a discarded metal trash can on the street the other day (yes, I am a proud dumpster diver!), I got an idea to use it as a raised planter that can also cover the foundation. Right now it still looks like a trash can half sticking out of the yard (=ugly!) but, I'm hoping, in a few months, the creeping rosemary and orange mint will nicely trail down the side. The cleome flowers, supposed to grow tall, are all around it.

Well, it was utterly satisfying planning, clearing, buying and planting for the past few weekends. But the 'instant gratification' moment is over. Now you have to be patient. I will post another picture in a few weeks to see the progress...

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