All posts by epicureasian

a gardening gamer girl in search of good grub
Bites and Finds, Dining

Yam and coconuts

2009_0622-ube-and-macapuno-icecreamI possess fond childhood memories of this rare and delightful treat: ube and macapuno ice cream. Ube is a purple yam while macapuno is the flesh of a “mutant” coconut. Together, ube and macapuno make for amazing desserts, cakes and muffins among them. Memories of its mild nutty/starchy flavor and the beautiful color combination of purple and creamy white–it is food porn-worthy material! I imagine that I can count the number of times in my entire life that I’ve indulged in this treat on one hand–and it is not nearly enough! Next on my list of rare Filipino ice creams to revisit: corn ice cream.
Ye Olde Garden

What’s wrong with my maple?

Is it leaf burn, too much water, or a lack of feeding? My Asahi zuru is displaying browning on its mottled leaves, which appears to radiate from the leaf center. I’m repositioning it into full shade to see if it will help banish what I suspect is leaf burn. Variegated japanese maples are supposedly sensitive to the heat than most cultivars, so I am hoping this is the case here. Pulling it into the patio shade will also distance itself from the water sprinkler, though I seriously doubt this is a case of overwatering. I haven’t yet fed this maple since it I got it…perhaps its time to research its diet. In any case, I’ve also had to prune a topmost branch since it looked and felt dried out. I hope this isn’t the beginning of the end…

6/21/2009 Japanese Maple Leaves (1) 6/21/2009 Japanese Maple Leaves (2) 6/21/2009 Japanese Maple Leaves (3) 6/21/2009 Japanese Maple Leaves (4)

Ye Olde Garden

Drying the Rosemary

6/16/2009 Rosemary drying outI’ve determined that the rosemary bush on my patio is getting way too much water, thus it has been slowly browning from bottom, working its way up. I’ve decided to hard prune the plant and remove it away from the sprinkler heads that water the rest of the patio garden. I’ve also removed the surviving lavender plants as well, to keep the rosemary company. They all still get morning sun, but hopefully they won’t have to suffer root rot due to over watering. I’m contemplating moving the rosemary to a larger pot and changing the soil medium into something that won’t retain moisture…perhaps some gravel and sand.