Vegetable Farming, First Time

I think we're fairly successful in our first attempt to plant vegetables from seeds! If one gauge is if it tastes well, then I think we're on our way to organic farming :) Seriously, my local staff are not as certain with radishes and bokchoi as they are with eggplants and beans.

Their ideal for leafy vegetables are flawless and commercial-looking, and I guess the same goes for radishes. But for crying out loud, I'm more concerned that they don't have carcinogenics! It's perfectly fine that they're not "perfect." Considering that radishes are root crops, ours look quite gorgeous! We did not use synthetic fertilizers (actually, not even organic) and all the more, pesticides. Nevertheless, we are asking around for healthy methods how to do this even better.

Loofah

Some days back, I was amused no end to find some loofah sponges drying in the wooden walkways. When I started the farm, I admittedly dreamed of harvesting truckloads of coconuts or making our coffee beans well-known, but never did it cross my mind we will ever come up with loofah sponges!


Yes, they're from our own produce! I do have an inkling that it comes from a plant but it's different if you walk through your yard, knowing you'll find vegetable patches with gourds, but instead you stumble upon a bath accessory.


Believe it or not but loofahs are mature patóla (sponge gourd), the same vegetable we eat with misuă soup. To cook the gourds, you have to pick them while they're still young. But if you leave them on the vine until they mature and let the skin dry up, you'll end up with the sponge that we know. That's it! It's that simple.


It's awesome that at this age, there are still a lot of simple and mundane things that we do not realize are actually very elementary. I grew up seeing these packaged and labeled and marketed and distributed. Conversely, the locals might wonder why my curiosity is so piqued by something that they actually consider wastage (from patola that was not picked). Wait until they see I actually blogged about it!