Tag: carambola

Plants – Mid-Spring Garden Update

On By TimelessladyIn Plants13 Comments

I’ve been spending a lot of time in the garden: planting, weeding, watering and tidying up. Likewise, the garden has been the subject of quite a few recent posts. Here are a few quick updates on some past posts, and then I’ll try to turn my blogging intentions elsewhere, at least for a few days. 😀

Birdie, birdie in the tree

Sparrows made use of my birdhouse and the tree has been a-twitter with the chirping of baby birds for over a week.

Koi in Pond

I’ve been enjoying the pond, it is on the small size, but the koi are huge. They don’t seem to mind the small confines. Two have grown to twelve inches from three/four inch sized babies.

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A coleus grown from my own gathered seed has finally, after years of pampering, become a beauty. I love the finely edged leaves and vivid pink color. I named it Raspberry Twizzle. It has the characteristics of other coleus I have grown, but I have never seen such a brilliant pink in other coleus. I love it.

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I love my potted pansies and dahlia near the front porch.

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I found an old favorite, Mimulus, or monkey flower at a local nursery. The plant is heat intolerant, so I am growing it in pots on the porch.

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My Meyer Lemon and  Carambola sprouts are also vacationing on the porch for the summer. At some point I am going to have to decide which to keep and which to give away or discard.

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I replaced a rose that didn’t make it through our long winter with one of the Hasslefree Roses variety. I love this beautiful apricot beauty called: About Face.

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The Tomato Transplants in the Straw Bales are doing very well, so are a crop of mushrooms. The mushrooms sprout up overnight and succumb to the heat of the afternoon sun. They don’t seem to be doing the tomatoes any harm. This new technique of growing tomatoes has been a lot of fun.

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The Square Foot Gardens are up and doing well.

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Our Iris plants in this area are blooming weeks later than usual. Here is my favorite. I can’t remember the name, but oh the joy I feel when it unfurls its amazing pink petals. The blooming of this beauty prompted me to go on my yearly “Iris Hunt.” My “hunt ” is a long, circular bike ride through all the surrounding neighborhoods to find and photograph as many gorgeous Iris as possible. More on this at a later date. Thanks for looking, and thanks to those who have been asking me for this garden update. Blessings on your day!

Plants – Updates/A Bit of This and That

On By TimelessladyIn Plants5 Comments

Several of my past projects are thriving, or at least still growing.  The Meyer Lemon Seed sprouts are deep green and perky in appearance, but growing very slowly.

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Growing a Meyer Lemon Tree from Seed

One of my Carambola seeds finally sprouted after many weeks sown in potting soil. I was about to give up on this planting attempt, but saw green just in time.

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How to Sprout a Carambola Seed

In a day or two after sprouting the seed fell away and tiny fronds emerged.

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My Coleus seeds, sown in January, are showing many colors, but in sync with the carambola and lemon sprouts, growing slowly. This week I will take the seedlings outside to the screened in porch and let them begin the hardening off process. If there is a forecasted frost I will keep them in the garage overnight. Coleus are extremely susceptible to cold temperatures.
How to Grow Small Seeds/Coleus

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Are my Morning Glories blue or pink? The stray pink Morning Glory was a fluke, most of the flowers are blue. Unfortunately, in their quest to face the sun, the plants and flowers grew toward the window. I decided they would create a better display outdoors.

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I had to be ruthless and cut the vines and flowers off at the top of the pot, leaving many inches of vine to wither on the venetian blinds. The Morning Glory plants will be better for the harsh pruning. Each cut vine will branch out in many directions.

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This weekend I gridded and planted a few squares in my Square Foot Gardens. I forgot to take a picture afterwards, so the only image I have is from this morning, taken from my upstairs window in pouring rain.

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Happy Gardening my friends!

Produce – Carambola

On By TimelessladyIn Produce6 Comments

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In my continuing quest to try new produce, both vegetable and fruit, this week I chose the Carambola or Starfruit.

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What I loved about star fruit: The fragrance was amazing. I had a hard time bringing myself to slice and eat the fruit; I didn’t want to give up smelling the soft, flowery scent. The preparation was minimal. I washed the outer skin, sliced and ate. They are unique in appearance when sliced and live up to their name. Oh my! The taste…so unique, very tropical…absolutely delicious. I have a very picky husband, and even he liked the starfruit. A bonus: The seeds can be planted and grown. Hooray!

What I disliked: NOTHING, absolutely nothing.

Will I buy one again? I can’t wait to go to the supermarket today and buy one…or maybe two!

I have probably eaten starfruit in restaurant fruit salads, and I have possibly bought one, way, way in the past…but it is new to me now. I’m thrilled with the taste and only wish I had made it a habit to eat starfruit decades ago.

 

“Carambola, also known as starfruit, is the fruit of Averrhoa carambola, a species of tree native to the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The fruit is popular throughout Southeast Asia, the South Pacific and parts of East Asia. The tree is also cultivated throughout non-indigenous tropical areas, such as in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the southern United States.
The fruit has distinctive ridges running down its sides (usually five but can sometimes vary); in cross-section, it resembles a star, hence its name. The entire fruit is edible and is usually eaten out of hand. They may also be used in cooking and can be made into relishes, preserves, and juice drinks.

Carambola is rich in antioxidants, potassium, and vitamin C; and low in sugar, sodium, and acid. It is also a potent source of both primary and secondary polyphenolic antioxidants” ~ Wikipedia

Star fruit seeds soaking in lime juice.
Star fruit seeds soaking in lime juice.

I came upon a good tip to follow when planting seeds collected from fruits. Often, in nature, the fruit is eaten and the seeds pass through the system of the animal ingesting it. This helps remove the hard, outer coat of the seed. To duplicate this process soak the fruit seeds in the juice of a lemon or lime overnight. What a great idea!

How to Grow Star Fruit From Seed.