Carmeta’s Corner
This space was created to discuss and exchange ideas about promoting good nutrition, food security and related matters – Blogmaster
This space was created to discuss and exchange ideas about promoting good nutrition, food security and related matters – Blogmaster
Pingback: Carmeta Fraser Smiles | Barbados Underground
Cudhear, Gervaise’s first husband (she outlived 3) was a cousin of ours.
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Wow!
A strong, smart and beautiful woman, and now I see a genuine superwoman too.
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Gervaise has worked hard after her husband died to raise her children. She did some of everything. She and the husband used to sell fish from their car after he got home from work with the H&T. then she started hawkering. All the children helped her and she bought land for them so they could build their homes. She is pushing 90 and I understand still working. She has a nice voice and sings at funerals, etc.
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When I taught at West St. Joseph Secondary in 1966, the school garden was about half an acre. They grew some lovely celery, my first introduction to the vegetable. They taught carpentry (shop) and agriculture. Agriculture was a subject at O&C at the ordinary level. My brother got a pass in Agriculture. Home Economics was taught and written at the O level and LCC. the Domestic Science room there was equipped and laid out like the one at the Modern.
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Oh dear! I had all that rain too but my ground drains rather well. I’m not seeing any damage at all. St. Philip and St. Lucy are the two driest parishes in Barbados. Usually it’s the drought that they have to deal with. Probably gambled that the drainage would not be a problem.
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I got a little wind damage.
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Cuhdear Bajan,
Only my banana leaves look like a frilly decoration. I was able to put my okra plants upright again. They were leaning a little.
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A time to plant, and a time to reap so I am eating home grown breadfruit, sweet potato, cassava, pumpkin, okra, spinach, cucumber, hot pepper, chive, garlic.
Today. Life nice.
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@Donna November 14, 2020 10:59 AM Cuhdear Bajan,
I finally have some okras coming. Sweet peppers too. Lettuce, basil, chives, spinach and eggplants also. Got flowers on my cucumbers and butternut squash. AND my hot peppers plants are thriving… Sweet potatoes, cassava and radishes growing well. Pigeon pea leaves peeping out. Beets looking leafy but no rooty. Watching my carrot leaves too and waiting for roots. Celery, parsley, marjoram and thyme fighting on.
Donna, you are doing wonderfully well.
I am picking about 50 pounds of okra a week. The pumpkin vines produced about 25, mostly over 10 to 15 pounds each, but some small sweet ones too. I’ve eaten some, including some in a nice soup today. I did not forget to put in a pigtail, but don’t tell my doctor. Lol! Some I’ve given away and some are still on the vine. I’ve started eating the cassava, but oh dear, i still have some of last year’s cassava in the freezer. The hot and flavor peppers did not do as well as expected. The cucumbers did beautifully. The late season avocadoes are beginning to fall off the tree, so I will pick some next week. I may pull up the cucumber vines next week and plant some new ones. It was too hot when we planted the carrots so the germination rate was poor, but still I am beginning to enjoy those. I steamed some marlin, with the usual seasonings and dressings, but added some finely sliced carrots. Delicious. Had it with some cou-cou made with my own okras. The butternut squash did poorly, but i still got a few. Haven’t tried the sweet potatoes yet but they are looking good. Harvesting more chives than I need for me and immediate family. I have never planted majoram by seed before but I’ve bough some seed recently and i plant to plant them out next week.
But I am still learning as I go along. The 10 inch rainfall which we had over 5 day period about two weeks ago seems to have rotted my latest okra seeds in the ground. I planted about 25 seeds at home [not at the plantation, lol!] and only a single seed has germinated. But the rain caused the mature okra plants to burst forth in hundreds of flowers and fruit. So very heavy rain seems to cause okra seeds to fail, but causes mature/bearing plants to really thrive.
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Cuhdear Bajan,
Thank you for the encouragement. Yesterday a man passed by and told me the sheep are going to eat me out even though I told him there are no longer sheep rearers in my immediate environs.
Negative people are draining. Your positivity is infectious. Grounded in reality of course. Thankfully he has been the only one so far.
My kale was doing well but stalled after I had to repot them after the pot was flooded in the last heavy rains. The soil my cousin transplanted them in was not well-draining soil. Often he moves so quickly he does not hear my instructions. He is not used to growing in pots.
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My first cucumber!
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@Donna November 16, 2020 9:06 PM “By the way…. today I saw my first cucumber.”
Wonderful.
My cucumbers this year were the ones referred to as “Bajan boys” hardier and more drought tolerant than the imported varieties. They do not bear as many cucumbers at the same time,but they do bear for a longer period. Today i picked one that I had allowed to over ripen on the vine, turned brown and crackled. I am drying the seeds now. Will try planting a few in a week or two, but may save most for the beginning of the next rainy season.
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I tried again today by planting some butternut squash. Also planted some marjoram and sweet basil by seed. This is the first time I have planted basil and marjoram by seed so I will see how it goes. Dis some de-bushing in the backyard last evening. Picked an avocado today. These ones generally take 6 days to soften up.
Found 4 giant snails in the backyard. May they rest in peace.
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Dear Lawson,
About 20 more cucumbers!
Cuhdear Bajan,
My butternut squash is flowering but the leaves are getting yellow and white spots.
You can’t win ’em all. I don’t like squash that much anyway.
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You ladies are making me jealous. My gardening is finished for the year. We had snow yesterday and it is still on the ground. The only thing left to harvest are brussel sprouts, thyme, parsley and some kale.
Donna ,look under the squash leaves, you may have aphids. Dish detergent and water should fix the problem. Pick off all damaged leaves and put in the garbage,not the compost.
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@ Donna and Cuhdear Bajan,
Hope yuh growing yard fowls.
https://www.nationnews.com/2020/11/18/ban-poultry-products-live-birds-uk/
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Hants, I wish that I could where I am, but sadly I can’t, because of covenants, space, zoning restrictions. But fish, jacks, marlin, snapper etc. is plentiful right now, so no suffering yet.
Dame Bajans, Yes we still have until about the end of January, with little or no irrigation. I find that February and March, and the first half of April [our winter, lol!] are too dry and too windy and too many hungry monkeys to bother, so I tend to take a break then. But at present i am enjoying myself, eating very well, earning a little extra cash Ground provisions and fish. I am good.
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Dame Bajans,
I looked it up on google and I did look but I did not see any. But I will look again and this time more closely.
Thanks.
Hants,
I’m afraid if I raise a chicken it would become a pet. My chicken comes from my cousin down the hill. I can survive without chicken until they stamp the flu out.
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@Donna,
Wait and see if the vines wilt. There is a pest up here called a squash borer. The fly is farily big with a red stripe on its back. It lays its eggs on the pumpkin leaf and when they hatch, the larvae climbs down the stem to the vine and bores in and eats the plant from the inside. It affects squash with soft fat stems like buttercup but not butternut or our West Indian pumpkins as the vines are very fibrous.
I have some big 8 pound cabbages I would like to get rid of. I have 3 in the garage and I have one soaking in salt water for coleslaw I will be making tomorrow for my friend’s Dad, my son and a Trini friend who helps in the garden. A neighbour brought me some soup last week, so I may return his container with slaw. I am getting tired of cabbage. The Chinese neighbour brought me cabbage soup, I cook cabbage in rice, I eat slaw, I have it stir fried with mushroom and pimiento pepper, I curry it, I eat it with salt fish and I have sauerkraut from about 4 years ago.
Dr. Lucas like he has abandoned us.
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Dame Bajans,
Will do.
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Raisins or it ain’t a conkie.
Enjoying one right now, with raisins. Still warm right out of the pot.
Life sweet.
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Both the marjoram and the sweet basil have germinated. Maybe the sweet basil is doing too well. Will have to keep a sharp eye on it.
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Planted some more cucumbers today, the second set since this rainy season began. I did not buy these seeds, they are from one of the “Bajan Boys” which I let remain on the vine. I cut open, remover the seeds, washed them, then dried them for about two weeks and have now replanted. I need to plant a few more once I have prepared another bed. I will see how it goes.
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Oh dear, dear me! I doubt I will be bothered.
Because…. Donna the novice has planted and is currently reaping… lettuce, cucumber, okra, spinach, sweet pepper, chives, garlic chives, basil and eggplant.
Next week the kale, which has recovered, should be ready. Beets are coming nicely as are the radishes. Sweet potatoes and cassava looking lovely.
Plum tomatoes and cherry tomatoes seedlings are hatching nicely. Pigeon peas are coming along well. Celery and parsley doing well.
Carrots, cabbage, chinese cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, water melon, honey dew melon, bunching onion, oregano already hatching.
Marjoram still alive, hot peppers also and slowly progressing.
Thyme dying, I think from over watering. I have learnt that you should allow the soil to dry out for a bit before watering. So too marjoram. So I have hatched new seeds. But I already have broad leaf thyme and a Jamaican thyme planted and thriving.
I pulled up the butternut squash. I think it had a fungus. It was flowering but going nowhere. New seedlings being hatched. My Rasta cousin is bringing me a pumpkin vine that bears what he swears are the sweetest pumpkins. Meanwhile he brought me two of the pumpkins for my first solo conkie attempt. Got my own banana leaves. Brought me some coconuts until he feels like picking mine. Brought me two of his sweet breadfruits for breadfruit cou cou and for my pickled chicken with breadfruit and steamed pudding.
Seeds still to be hatched next week – onions, coriander, dill, sage, sweet basil and gourmet basil.
Plantain and figs still outstanding. Guava tree taking its time in coming. Marrow and bay leaf also. Free planting material so I am not complaining. They will come.
Soon yam and Irish/English pototoes. Guava tree long promised but much delayed.
Grape vine promised too just this week. I think all that is left for me is garlic, corn and beans. I’ll get to them.
And then I will be done. I can’t plant EVERYTHING! lol 😊
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Radishes pushing above the surface. Another two weeks at most to reaping time!
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The cucumber seeds which I planted on November 26 have germinated. I am surprised that they have germinated so quickly.
Evidently I had forgotten that I planted some parsley seeds among the okras, so now the okras are almost finished bearing, and I’ve noticed “hey some parsley” so I pulled the weeds from among the parsley and from amnog the newly germinated cucumbers, and planted another 3 or 4 holes of cucumber.
Bought some beans and will plant those in the open field at the “plantation” on Wednesday weather permitting. Bought some tomato seeds too, will germinate those at home in a tray with some potting soil and plant in the open field later.
A bunch of bananas in the backyard is almost ready, but the monkeys have started hunting. We will see who wins. Will pick the last of the avocados this week.
For once I did not make conkies for Independence because good banana leaves were scarce because of wind damage. But I have a pumpkin maybe 20 pounds big on my kitchen counter. I plan to visit an elderly cousin tomorrow so I will take some of that for her along with some okras. Will make some corn pone tonight or tomorrow for the grandchildren’s after school snack. Will grate and freeze some and if Little Susie manages to get to Barbados and through quarantine for Christmas maybe I’ll make a dozen Christmas conkies. Sometimes imported [from the Philippines I think] banana leaves can be found in the fancy supermarkets, but I did not see any this year.
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Independence Day Honours 2020
BARBADOS SERVICE MEDAL
For meritorious work in the civil, fire, military, police, prison or other protective services or any other similar field of endeavour
• Gervis Isabelle Forde-Parris – for her social and economic contribution as a hawker in Barbados for many years and her community spirit.
Source: Nation News, November 30, 2020
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Cuhdear Bajan,
I was wstching saw and wondered at the time if it was the Gervais you and Dame Bajans spoke about. Cool!
I have chinese cabbage, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, honey dew melon, garlic chive, cucumber, cherry tomato, plum tomato, thyme and sweet basil already hatched. The cucumber hatched in a couple of days. Waiting on chive, butternut squash, oregano, water melon, zucchini, parsley and celery to peek out. Beets and carrots doing well in the ground. Better than those in the pots.
I am going to check now online to see if the radishes I see rising above the surface are ready.
Still picking okra, lettuce, chive and garlic chive, spinach, eggplant, sweet pepper, basil and cucumber.
Beet and carrot rooting slowly in the pot. Kale so pretty I don’t even want to pick it. Marjoram still alive. Celery was bought as seedlings andbI did not know it does not produce a thick stalk so I think it is about ready. Parsley thriving now it is out of the pot.
Pigeon pea growing but I wonder if they will be ready in time for Xmas.
Sweet potato taking off but the cassava leaves are only now turning back green from yellow. Too much rain, I think.
I actually still have a few good banana leaves. Got the almond essence from my friend but had only a half pack of cornmeal. Made cou cou and salt fish early last week with the rest. Will see if it is back on the shelves today.
Last week was a good week for Bajan cuisine. Had breadfruit cou cou as well. For my son I made a breadfruit pie with a cheese sauce using breadfruit flour from BADMC. A little deviation from a recipe in my Carmeta cook book. Had pudding souse and spinach and fish cakes. Gonna try some cassava pone outta Carmeta cook book as well. My son will make the pumpkin fritters and sweet bread. I am going to the mauby and sorrel just now and peel the veg for a big soup.
Still feeling Bajan!
Think I’ll try some jug jug this Xmas. Used to help my grandma but never went solo.
My Carmeta cook book is a treasure! I don’t think I would be planting or cooking Bajan without her. Her big personality captured me long ago. She was as colourful in person as she was on tv.
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Everything but the chive has germinated. My Rasta cousin planted lemon grass yesterday and he put a pineapple in a pot. But it takes two years to grow apparently and so I told him I would need to plant a pineapple patch. That is for later.
Going to start onion, cress, coriander, sage and dill today. And some more lettuce and kale.
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Pulled my first radish. Incredibly easy to grow, apparently. Didn’t even get to fertilise. Worms were the only problem. They love the leaves. Neem extract takes care of that. Has to be sprayed every few days and every day if it rains heavily. Best time to spray is 4 p.m. That’s teatime for most of the bugs I’ve seen. They hide on the underside of the leaf. White flies or aphids are killers to cucumber plants. Came out at dinner time to spray and found they had done tremendous damage at tea time. One plant has not recovered. I pulled it up.
I have a multitude of beautiful birds and ladybirds helping me to fight. My bees and butterflies are also doing their pollination job rather well.
My earthworms are saving my plants by aeriating the saturated soil.
I am having great fun watching nature at work. So sorry I waited this late.
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None for me, please! I got Bajan yard fowl from my cousin down the hill.
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@Donna
You are no fun…LOL
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Nice story with color photos about Gervis Forde-Parris on pages 14A and 15A of today’s Sunday Sun
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Recently I bought a leg of Bajan black belly lamb from a man in my natal village. That is for for Christmas dinner. He threw in 1 dozen yard fowl eggs free. Those will go towards making a lemon pudding [cake for the non-Bajans here] also for Christmas.
Had a soup for lunch today. Included in the soup were my own pumpkin, carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach and okra, and a bit of the aforesaid lamb as a loose bit had been thrown to “make up the weight.”
I am not quite billionaire rich yet. But I am certain that I ate as well as any builionaire did today. Perhaps even better.
Not “starve-out” not yet.
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Planted some beans yesterday and today.
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@ Donna re Bajan yard fowl.
You probably already know that green paw paw is a great tenderizer,
Green paw paw tase and texture similar to christophene when cooked.
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taste
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Cucumber, zucchini and sugar baby water melons planted out yesterday. Tomatoes, plum and cherry to be planted out today as well as butternut squash.
Okra plants bearing more this week. Eggplants and spinach just will not stop although the eggplants are not so big. Sweet peppers also small. Kale leaf finally as big as my palm. Beets in pot getting big enough to pull. Celery and parsley now taking off. Carrots and beets growing steadily on the outside. Most radishes ready to be pulled. Hot peppers, marjoram and chives still holding on. The heat is causing the lettuce to bolt. Had to cut it right down. Basil bolting incessantly. Have to keep cutting it off. Pineapple catching on. Cassava and sweet potato looking lovely.
Other seedling to be transplanted this weekend – honey dew melon, cabbage, chinese cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli,
Thyme, celery, bunching onions and garlic chives still delicate. Oregano not yet germinated nor the chives that I thought had done so. Wondering if the seeds were good.
Life is very interesting and about to get even more interesting.
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My spinach has gone to seed. producing many seeds, and only small leaves now. Also not a green as previously. But the birds are enjoying the seeds.
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Cuhdear Bajan,
Some of my spinach has done the same. I like the small leaves. They are still green and there is no cutting needed for my spinach and eggs. A piece of vine that I threw on the compost heap started to grow.
You just saved me the trouble of reseaching what was happening to my spinach.
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I forgot to mention the Italian parsley and the curled parsley seedlings that are still delicate but coming along nicely.
Never did hatch the onions, sage, coriander or dill. Nor the new lettuce.
Will do that next week.
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Ah boy, the joys of gardening and eating the food you grow. Sweet for days. Nothing beats a home grown tomato, carrot or beet. I plant my cress in two containers, not in the ground…slugs. I get a plastic contain and fill 1/3 with water, then I get another container with holes all around the sides which I fill with dirt and place in the water one. Then I sprinkle the seeds on top of the dirt and in 2 weeks I am eating water cress. The only person who gets some of my cress is my Canadian friend who watches my house and waters my plants when I am travelling. She also comes in and resets the burglar alarm if it goes off by power outages. She came Tuesday and helped me make my Christmas cakes. Two have been delivered already.
I made 24 conkies for Independence and have 4 left in the freezer. I will make some for Christmas.
Yes, that is the Gervais that we talked about. The first husband ‘Forde’ was our cousin. The last husband was Parris. She outlived three. I am glad for her. When I read it in Nation on line, I sent the link to my bros and sisters.
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Dame Bajans,
Joy indeed! Got some cress seeds too. Thanks for the tip.
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@ Donna December 10, 2020 1:36 PM “You just saved me the trouble of reseaching what was happening to my spinach.”
My experience is that spinach goes into a period of dormancy in the dry season, during which time most of the plants energy goes into producing seeds for next season’s crop. The birds, especially the “Gyanese pigeons” [the large grey birds with the very elegant flight pattern] will eat some but not all of the seeds. Those which fall to the ground will produce new seedlings when the rains start again next year. The “mother” plant may or may not survive. You may want to give it a little water in the dry season to help it survive [not thrive]
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Cuhdear,
Thanks.
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Quite true about the lack of co-operation between farmers. They all tend to grow the same crops. This I know having worked with them.
On the upside, my neighbour has watched me picking and singing in my garden and is going to start his own with the help of my helper who has received many requests from being seen at the front and side of my house doing his wonderful work.
I love it when a plan comes together.
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And my pineapple is progressing nicely. The pineapple patch will be started next year.
We Bajans ought to be ashamed of ourselves importing pineapple.
Steupse!
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A Bajan friend of mine up here grows pineapple in pots in the house. She puts them out in the summer as they need a long season. She just takes the tops of the pineapple and plant it.
Now I am off to drop my cheques off at the Food Bank and the Salvation Army. The poor have to eat this Christmas.
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Yup! My pineapple top is in a pot outside. Next year I will buy a pineapple a month, cut off the tops and plant them until I have one for every month.
I never take in my Salvation Army envelope so they stopped sending them. I just drop money in the kettles whenever I pass.
Going out now to spray with neem. Four o’clock is the worms’ tea time. I am fifteen minutes late for tea.
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I have made two attempts to grow pineapples without any success. I suspect that my problem is I am cutting it much too close to the top.
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My pineapple top would be decomposing by now if it was not alive so I assume I’m good.
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@Hants
Excellent video
I planted two pineapples in pots this summer and they started to thrive, then I transplanted them to the garden. At the end of summer, I replanted them in pots and one is coming along slowly but the other one died. Pineapples are grown for local consumption in Antigua and a friend from St. Lucia tells me that his father also grows pineapples.
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Typical Hants! I’ll be sure to consult the video later.
A Bajan guy was featured in the newspaper a few months ago growing them. First time I knew they grew from cut off tops.
Mamoud Patel also grows them at Coco Hill. He has coffee beans, nutmeg and other crops we ignore for whatever reason. It is a tourist attraction as well.
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Source: Nation
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To all the gardeners and wannabe gardeners, MERRY CHRISTMAS. Bought a pineapple yesterday for $1.88 and will be planting the top.
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A belated Happy Christmas and a healthy New Year to Dame Bajans and to all of the other gardeners.
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@Simple Simon
Have you chased away Dr. Lucas or is he suffering from Trump withdrawal.
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I am not sure. I respect his science, but not his politics.
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Still 24 more days for those who love Trump and his administration to enjoy.
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Still 20 more days for those who love Trump and his administration to enjoy.
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“Still 15 more days for those who love Trump and his administration to enjoy.”
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Sometime in May I had a yam in the kitchen as as yams do it started to grow. I cut off most of it and was left with a “yam head” that is about 3 ounces from the top of the tuber. I decided to stick it in a hole in the back garden at home. It grew on the fence and produced truly beautiful foliage for many months. Yesterday I harvested about 4 pounds of yam, so I estimated that the “return on my investment” is about *1,600%, and in addition I will get to eat my investment and share some with my planting buddy. There are some other yams on the “plantation” so by mid-month I will see how those have done.
*64 ounces divided by 8 months which is an increase of 200% per month, multiplied by 8 months equals 1600% My math is probably incorrect but I’ve never claimed to be good at math.
For Donna: Yams are mature when the lovely green leaves start to turn yellow and brown. Plant yams in early May, even if it is still dry, as the yam plantings are pretty drought tolerant and the young leaves wil emerge in a month or so just Bout the time the real-real starts in early june. Harvest early December to early January. The harvested yams will keep without refrigeration for many months. Our main source of carbohydrate was always yam from January to August. No pasta, no rice. Traditionally my parents planted on May Day because on that day there were many little willing hands, and harvested on New Year’s Day for the same reason. But harvesting is “tough guy” work, so a couple of really good male agricultural laborers were always hired to help with the harvesting.
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Dr. Robert Lucas has forsaken us?
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Planted some “string” beans at home and at the “plantation” few weeks ago. They are in bloom now and I expect to be eating beans in about three weeks. Beans seem to prefer the slight “cooler” weather. Cooler meaning Barbados cooler, that is under 29 Celsius for most of the day; so I planted some more yesterday to stretch out my harvesting period.
I should add that I hate beans, but I will eat them never the less.
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The majoram grown from seed is finally behaving itself and growing nicely. I am hopeful that I will have a good crop after all.
Gave away some leaf garlic, basil, sweet potatoes and okras today; and some sweet potatoes and okras yesterday.
Had a nice curried chicken with a St. Joseph breadfruit today, with sides of my homegrown okra, beans and pumpkin. A glass of orange juice afterwards settled things nicely.
Will do 2 hours of gardening before sunset.
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Uh-oh! Missed all the greetings! Healthy New Year to Dame Bajans, Cuhdear Bajan, Hants, David, Robert Lucas and any others who visit this corner.
As usual, thanks for the tips, Cuhdear Bajan. Do you soak your yam heads in any solution to protect it from ants? I was told I should.
My marjoram is doing well too, finally. Trial and error have taught me. Haven’t got the fine thyme right yet though. One day of overwatering seems to be enough to kill that off. Got some seedlings coming again. Going to keep them in the window in my eyesight.
Got about forty crops coming. Everything I eat except beans and corn.
Hants,
Thanks for the video!
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Good stuff Donna!
#keepingitgreen
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@Donna January 18, 2021 7:31 AM “As usual, thanks for the tips, Cuhdear Bajan. Do you soak your yam heads in any solution to protect it from ants? I was told I should.”
I don’t, although perhaps I should. My father however used to soak his in a whitelime and water solution for a day or so before planting. My father generally planted an acre at a time to feed us his many children, so he was serious about getting it right.
Today I ate some of the single one which I planted on my fence many months ago. The tiny head yielded 3 yams. The one which I kept for myself is enough for about 6 to 8 servings.
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Now there are beans on the vines and I expect to begin harvesting within 5 to 7 days.
I like dried cassava better than fresh so yesterday I pulled enough to share with a couple of cousins, and enough for me to begin preparing dried cassava which I began doing today.
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Picked my first beans at breakfast time. Ate them at lunchtime.
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I just started my sweet potatoes and my seasoning peppers (pimento). Will start my tomatoes in the middle of February. the remainder I will plant from seed or seedlings.
Good luck to you gardeners who have year round sunshine and occasional rains.
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Still harvesting sweet potatoes and cassava.
Panted some cassava today. Will continue on Monday. Still light rains most nights, so I am hopeful that they will be strong enough to survive the extra dry period which typically occurs from mid_February to mid-April. We use irrigation for the “soft crops” but not for the cassava which is indigenous to Barbados and the region, and wonderfully drought tolerant.
Now I remember that I must pick beans later today Sunday, so maybe I’ll have some of those for lunch.
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Today I am having oxtails, cooked them half way last, put outside for the fat to harden on top, removed fat this morning. With red lentils in rice and stir fried bokchoy, gai lan, sweet onions (vidalia) and orange sweet pepper. Followed by mango cheese cake and Foursquare rum. Later I will soak my bajan spinach seeds for planting in pots tomorrow.
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“Cooked them half way last night”.
wish there was an ‘edit’ button on this site.
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Dame Bajans,
So do we all wish for an edit button but David says it is not available on Word Press.
Cucurbits are hard to keep fungus free, I have found. My Rasta cousin used colourless dish washing liquid to remove it but the leaves took a beating. I think he did not dilute it enough. Next time I will be sure to check the underleaf daily before it spreads.
But… the plants are still alive and I am removing the old leaves gradually.
The aphids are attacking my cucumber leaves despite the neem. The ladybirds have not returned since I pulled up the old vine. The problem with the neem is that you have to be careful with the strength of it as that too damages the leaves. I am hatching more basil to plant amongst the vulnerable crops. Going to hatch some marigolds next week too.
Still, I am still able to reap cucumbers, got honey dew melon coming and squash.
Planted some onions out back away from the chives as directed. A few have germinated and risen above the surface.
The eggplants are still overwhelming me!
Crops still going apart from those above – cassava, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, radishes, pigeon peas, sugar baby, cantalope, tomatoes, sweet peppers, celery, parsley, chives, garlic chives, sage, dill, coriander, cabbage, chinese cabbage, chinese greens, lettuce, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, okra, majoram, thyme, lemon grass, pumpkin and one pineapple being tried. Spinach seedlings springing up without my help.
Banana, paw paw, sugar apple and pomegranate still going well. Still awaiting the others that were promised.
Sweet lime hedge underway.
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Forgot the oregano.
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And the bunching onion!
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Donna, there is a small yellow and black beetle that eats the young cucumber and squash leaves. If the Neem not working use dish detergent and water or Safers Soap. Up here we buy plastic or netted food covers and put over the plants until the leaves get bigger. I use row covers on most my young plants. Try Carters, they are reusable and they allow the rain and sun to get through. If row covers are not available, go to one of those cloth stores on Swan street and buy yourself some fishnet. You can buy landscape pegs or staples to hold it in place. Works like a dream and probably cheaper than the row covers. My Jamaican friend bought a bolt of fishnet for her cabbages.
There use to be a large hedge of sweet lime on Beachmount corner When the Bowrings owned the house, dont know if it is still there.
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Calling Dr. Lucas, come in Dr. Lucas. Gardeners to Dr. Lucas, we cant hear you.
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@Donna, lol. I actually planted nuff Lemon Basil among my tomatoes and String Beans and was amazed at how good they grew without any pest. Have ample I can leave some with security at GG for you. Just google my contact info and send me an email so I will know when to leave as de young old boy never leaves home other than to visit de farm.
Plenty duckworms abound on my lots while the other 29 farmers all use a copious amount of chemicals I pull my grass, wack and use cover crops quickly as soon I take out a crop.
Flowers to attract bees are employed to help with pollination.
@BU David, perhaps we can have post on Food Security and Sovereignty. Every year we have much wastage due to a lack of food processing and a lack of easy to market research. Agriculture in Barbados is chaotic and disorderly.
Met Carmeta, had many days chatting with Carmeta Fraser in her office in Wildey and Searles. Sam Lords Sunrise Salad was a salad concocted by the late food genius.
The late Professor Oliver Headley, shared his knowledge with me on constructing Solar Dryers for drying crops and had one at Searles Plantation by the airport. Its a pity his notes are not available to the wider public.
We need to start producing value-added products and not just grow crops. BMC needs to be refocused to be export and product driven by local agriculture by products.
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