The day of fortune is like a harvest day, We must be busy when the corn is ripe. — Torquato Tasso
As June comes to an end, the day of summer harvest arrived. With the April flooding and the searing heat therafter, there was little luck over the garden.
Though the weather is not to blame fully, I was distancing myself away from the orchard after the flood wreck most of the garden—it was too unbearable to see the damage firsthand.
I also had to focus on my studies that I wasn't able to augment the soil, water the crops, and manage the weed growth.
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After months of caffeinated latenights, the second semester concluded last week! Though not fully confident until the grades will be posted, I am now feeling a bit free to work again at the orchard, or at the farm.
It's still around mid-June, so it's still fine to admire the flowers even if it is no longer May, also because by next month, it is expected to start raining again and it would be sooo muddy and gray.
Some volunteers grew within the raised beds, mostly flowers, including Cosmos, Marigolds, and Sunflowers. An exception to the equally happy colors that blooms in the property, is the invasive Singaporean daisy—it's quite difficult to eliminate.
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After more than a year of randomly sowing seeds around thw orchard, all of the established flowers had self-sown tremendously around the main bush, and it's an ongoing activity to keep sowing more to other unused areas in the property.
There were random, brief rainshowers in the past days, but the heat is more than enough to dry the ground in an instant.
I started my gardening todos again, but the pretentious shade was still crippling hooot. Though, still managed to fix a portion of the raised-bed for the cucurbits. Before the rainy season begins, I'm starting more organic barricades for the annual flooding and erosion, be it whatever, like swales, stickings, and live fencing.
So far, the soil has accumulated a few organic matter versus the initial state when I started gardening here—a great assurance that I am doing the right thing!
When the soybeans were sown, it was a bit promising, but after the April flooding, the growth of the remaining seedlings has been stunted. Though with the little harvest, I still plan to try again next month.
About 15 weeks ago, I planted pineapple crowns, now it has rooted and became a new plant. It will still need about a year and half before each can bear a fruit.
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After about 7 week, it's time to harvest the radishes. If left longer, it will start to taste bitter. The radish raised-beds weren't doing well because of the month-long blazing heat and my lousiness over my gardening responsibilities, so at the time of harvest, the radishes were sooo undersized.
To preserve it, I was torn between brining and doing kimchi, but the latter seem more enjoyable to eat, though having shorter shelf life.
Recipe? Remember it's all approximates, I don't weigh and measure everything when I prepare food.
 | Radish Kimchi Recipe |
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1/4 kg radish, julienned
2 small spring onion, sliced
2 tbsp salt for brining
1/2 L water for brining
2 cups water for boiling
5 tbsp rice flour
1 small ginger, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 tbsp gochugaru
5 pcs dried achiovies, whole
5 tbsp fish sauce
- Brine radish for 10-15 minutes, to clean and remove strong taste, fully drain afterwards.
- Boil rice flour, constantly stir until translucent then cool down.
- Homogenize spices, anchiovies, and fish sauce (except spring onions) with the rice slurry.
- Mix the slurry with the radish and spring onions, then store in room temperature for 12-24 hours, refrigerate afterwards.
Kimchi can be eaten as a side dish, but goes well with fried meat, or mixed in fried rice and in fried noodles.
A lot of leafy greens can be kimchi'ed. If you opt to add other greens, be sure to use the ones which has a crunch and not the ones which goes slimey easily.
So far, it is easier for me to do brini g and fermentation to extend tge shelf-life of my harvests. When I get successful with other crops, I will be explore drying to make vegetable chips or dried herbs for infusions.
How about you, what are your wins over your garden? Share in the comments section down below. :)
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About Me
@oniemaniego is a software developer, but outside work, he experiments in the kitchen, writes poetry and fiction, paints his heart out, or toils under the hot sun.
 | Onie Maniego / Loy Bukid was born in Leyte, PH. He grew up in a rural area with a close-knit community and a simple lifestyle, he is often visiting his father's orchards during summer and weekends, which has a great impact on his works. |
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Gardening is fun and looking at you, you seem to have enjoyed the process. It is true that we must be busy when the crop is ripe. It is a very consuming task to take care of plants.
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