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.

My heartbeats bloom for thee!

My gentle gardener, my friend,
With hands deft and strong,
Thou mixed sand, earth and compost,
Filled pot ‘most up to the brim.

From where I was lying a-wait,
I saw thee shake the pot,
And tap it gently on the floor,
Oh, perhaps, a home for me?

Yea! Thou didst pick me up, a tuber,
And pushed me in, pressed just right,
To keep me tight,
In my dark and cozy new home!

Cool water descended, nectar sweet,
As I drank my fill, my joy burst forth,
Spread roots through the soil,
And colorful leaves in the sky.

Daily, waited, watched, did I,
As thou didst approach, my love!
Watering can in hand, a wary eye for insects,
Thou bathed me in showers of thine love!

Morn after morn, thou and I,
We bathed in the warmth of the sun,
Gazing at each other, celebrating our joy,
Our hearts beating in love as one!

As my love grew and grew,
Buds burst forth from my bosom,
And my heartbeats bloomed for thee!
Yea! Dearest, they bloomed just for thee!

Goodies from the garden!

A little gap in the rain. It is time to hurry outside, pluck a few goodies, and run back in again. There are guavas and cowpeas. The bigger fruits are soursop. They are sour and sweet when ripe. The mature green ones can be curried, stir-fried, or made into fritters, and are quite delicious, tasting like breadfruit. The seeds are not edible, but can be used as pesticide like those of custard apples.

Knock Knock!

Knock, knock!
Knock, knock, knock!
Come, open your window,
Let me in! Let me in!

Chilies!

Organic hot, ripe chilies from the garden, ready for drying. When the different varieties of chilies (hot peppers) are dried and powdered together, they give your chili powder a unique blend of flavor and taste.

Nighttime Visitors!

Two nighttime visitors sitting together, enjoying their kinship in peace. The larger one, a cicada, is waiting for the lights to be switched off to start its music – no mike required!