And what have I been doing the last month and a half? Lots of baking that I share. I also buy as much as I can from the street vendors and then Otto goes to the store and buys basics and delivers it all to those in need. I also ended up with 3 bags of tomatoes. I had peppers and onions and seasonings so for the first time I made marinara sauce and canned it. I got 6 1/2 pint jars and started sharing that. I got rave reviews so I am going to buy a lot of tomatoes and make more. It is time consuming. I peel the tomatoes before I cut them up. I roast the red peppers and peel them before I cut them up. I cut up the onions before I sauté them. I leave things a little chunky. Some of the seasonings are dried and some from my garden. I have jars, thank you Heather. And I can them so they don’t need to be refrigerated until they are open.
And, speaking of garden, it has come a long way since I moved in the middle of February. Of the things I moved here 1 orchid has bloomed and the other has buds. The Lantern tree has blooms, 3 bougainvillea are blooming, the ground orchid has tons of flowers. Several others also. My biggest concerns are the lemon tree and the hydrangea. Jose says they will come back now that rainy season has started. The peanut butter tree has tons of little leaves. The mango tree died but I have a new one started and planted and 7 more sprouting in the kitchen. I also planted a pineapple.
I am also trying my hand at farming. I have planted ayote, squash, 2 kinds of melon, zucchini, tomatoes, ground cherries and cucumbers. I have rosemary, basil, thyme and oregano. I need garlic. I forgot I have onions too.
The area in front of the house was looking quite neglected so this week Jose and his crew came and I now have 2 big patches surrounded by rocks. There were lots of plants in the ground or in containers that I thought would work great out there. I even have a bamboo teepee poles with a tomato planted under it. Some things are looking shocked and droopy but I am hoping with sun and rain they will perk back up. I think it really makes a difference in the curbside appeal.
My friends here, Ligia, Otto, Jose and Emilio have been so great about doing all my errands. Emilio keeps me well stocked with butter from Paraiso as he lives there and comes to Orosi to run the pizza shop. Ligia went to the clinic the day of my appointment and then back the next day to pick up my meds. Jose and Otto come pick up my list and money and do my heavy buying as they have strong arms or use their cars.
I hope everyone is well and staying safe. As an introvert staying home and alone has not been difficult for me as it has been for a lot of others. I have my wonderful gardens and my front porch with the gate locked to watch what is going on. One day there was a detour nearby and all the traffic was rerouted on my quiet little street. It was strange to look up and see a bus go by.
Heather has already started my list for when I can travel north or they can come south. Right now our borders are closed to anyone but residents or citizens. Most airlines have cancelled all their flights until June or July.
On the far side of the driveway.
In front of the door.
One of my squash or melon or both patches.
The poinsettia Ziomara gave me is doing really well. It had lost all the green leaves and most of the red.
12 dozen chocolate chip cookies.
The vendors have been here.
They come on Wednesday and are very nice.
Jose gave me this when I lived at La Quinta Gerardo.
I forgot. The jasmine has been blooming also.
No comments:
Post a Comment