Avocado Sprouted

After well over a month, the avocado pit that I have been trying to start, just sprouted. Hopefully avocado trees are slow growers, as they do get quite large and I'm really not sure where it will go.

Actually, this is my 4th attempt at trying to get one of these things to start, so in reality, I wasn't expecting too much this time either. Well....surprise!

I have tried burying the pit loosely in soil, sticking toothpicks into it like a small tripod, then standing the pit in shallow water.....nothing was successful. This time I left over half of the pit exposed, putting only a little of the bottom into the pot of soil, then kept a clear plastic cup over the top of it. It worked!

Pineapple Patch

The pineapple patch has a mix of producing plants and young plants. Some of these plants were started from the tops of mature pineapple fruit by cutting the tops off and setting in shallow water or on top of a soil filled pot,  allowing them to take root, then add to the patch. Other plants, however, started as "babies" from the adult, producing plant, similar to the way a spider plant produces babies.....only not quite as many.

It should be noted that a mature plant will produce only one pineapple in its' lifetime.

Coconut Harvest

It has been coconut harvest time at parent's place. The palms were full this year and the coconuts just keep coming!

The worst part is taking the husk off. It is the most labor intensive part. But, after the coconut itself finally comes out, it gets easier!

After we drilled 3 holes in the end to drain the water (and save it), simply tap around the middle or the equator of the coconut, and it will crack. Usually quite nicely. The white meat is then broken out of the shell, usually in chunks and pretty easily too, once you get the knack of it.

Good, sweet,  homegrown coconut! Next, some fresh coconut candy.......

Drying

Been doing some dehydrating once again. Peppers and tomatoes from the garden, The colors were so vivid as the foods were drying.

So, what did I do with the results? The peppers have been stored in a dry containers, while the tomatoes were stored in oil. Some tomatoes that were crispy, chewy dried, will be ground up for tomato powder. (Yummy for a dip ingredient!)

I also recently got my third dehydrator. Will post soon on how it goes. Last summer I really got hooked on cheese making and dehydrating. I can't wait to experiment!

Cattle

Just completed the manuscript for "Raising Cattle", for Hatherleigh Press (Random House distribution).

It is available for pre order.

Processing Coconuts

There are 2, full coconut palms on my parent's property, and the ripe ones are dropping daily! So, we were processing.

Once we got the coconuts open, using a machete, hammer and wedge, the meat itself was pretty easy to remove from the shell.

Of course, the food processor was acting up, so I used the immersion blender and attachment to grate the coconut. In lieu of drying,  it was placed in plastic sandwich bags, 1 pre measured cup per bag, and placed in the freezer.

Oh yes....the fresh, home grown coconut is delicious!

Saving the Tin Pan

I absolutely love my old tinware, especially the frying pans. Like my cast iron, the tin is versatile too. I can take it from the stove, to the fireplace, to the grill or the campfire.

However,  every once in awhile a pan gets some rust. Either it didn't dry well or somehow got some dampness in it that sat.

I have found that I can save the pan if it isn't too awfully bad, with a steel wool soap pad and vegetable or olive oil.

I simply clean the rusted area with a little water and the soap pad. This may take a few washings. In between washings, dry quickly on a warm stove burner.  When rust has gone, generously rub the surface with the vegetable or olive oil and let sit for a few hours. Then, wipe out any oil that may be "floating" yet in the pan. The pan should not be wet with oil when you put it away.

When you put the pans away, layer waxed paper between to keep bottoms clean. It also doesn't hurt to do this occasionally as a rust prevention step.