The Song of Nature!

The wise often tell us, “Count not on mere faces!”. What they mean to convey is that we should always rely not just on individuals, but on the love of all existence that shines and expresses itself through them. Help often comes forth from a total stranger or a casual acquaintance, rather than from a dear friend or a relative you were counting on, when you need it most! Nature strives in her own mysterious, immaculate ways to show us this truth, ever so often, in our lives. In her own humble, silent way, she whispers.

“Through thy friends or relatives,
Through thy pets or utter strangers,
Via the cool shade of trees,
And the soothing music of streams,
Through the sun that warms thy back,
The cool breeze that kisses thine cheeks,
All through this life or the next,
Never ever forsaking thee,
It be I alone that love ye always,
For verily, it is I that became thee!”

Air potato!

Ever seen potatoes growing on vines? Long before potatoes became commonplace in our cuisine, the people of Kerala were consuming adathape (അടതാപ്പ്) or air potato. A strain of diascoria bulbifera has been cultivated in Kerala for centuries not just for its taste and value as an edible tuber, but for its repute to cure knee pains as well. The planting material is the potato which grows on long twining vines and falls to the ground when mature. It is stored in the shade for a month or two for sprouting, and then planted in the garden. The planted potato grows like a yam to the size of a football or larger, and each vine produces up to 20 kilos of edible air potatoes. Resistant to most pests and diseases, these plants can be grown on organic manure alone to provide delicious potatoes. When the vine dries up in winter, the heavy yam-like potato in the ground can also be dug up and enjoyed. You can make delicious stew, curry, stir-fry, French fries, chips and more! Take care not to confuse the edible cultivated varieties with the wild invasive varieties which may be poisonous. The potato in the picture is the first one of the season growing in my garden.