Mucho Munchable Moringas

or how I served up 4 Spice Moringa chili to desert critters...

Planting my babies

Remember when we first planted the moringa seeds in our roadside basin this June? We crossed our fingers and hoped that they would get established before the monsoon storms roared in. We knew moringa were drought tolerant, but wow! We had no idea how much they would grow - even after we stopped watering them.  

Just as we headed off for a long weekend, we noticed they had started blooming. Couldn't wait to get home and share pics with y'all.  When we got back, we were delighted to see bees pollinating the blooms!

But then I noticed something disturbing - several branches seemed to be snipped off. We assumed that a neighbor had harvested some of the edible leaves while we were away. No biggy... I had given several dog walkers a taste of the radishy leaves and offered them as a morning moringa supplement. We couldn't eat them fast enough anyway. Just wished that they hadn’t harvested from our fullest tree - before we got a good pic! 

The next morning there were more leafless branches. Ants were climbing up the trunk to the tiptop leaves. I thought they might be leaf eaters, but Dan pointed out that there was no trail of ants carrying leaves back to their hole. Closer inspection uncovered a bunch of ants really chawin' down on the trunk.  

and the sap seeping from it.

Just when we were looking forward to the blooms transforming into yummy foot long seed pods, it looked like they were all going to be devoured by ants. 

That evening they were still going at it so Dan poured cinnamon around the trunk. (That had stopped ants from tracking into our kitchen after all...) A neighbor suggested that we put cayenne pepper around the trunk. He knew some farmers who planted them in their gardens to keep out ants.

The next morning, our moringa was buzzing with activity.  I spotted a little grasshopper sitting on a stark branch. The bees were busy pollinating. And yes, the ants were still climbing the trunk and sinking their jaws into the yummy flesh.  Yep, we have ourselves one extremely edible plant. Our edible plant! And we hadn't even gotten to try Filipino moringa soup yet!

This was war! I got out the cayenne pepper and sprinkled it into the hole the ants had eaten through. I put it around the trunks (with the cinnamon). But there wasn’t enough for all four trees, so I went searching for more in the pantry.  I found something red. I sprinkled it into the ant hole by the sidewalk and along the trail of ants. 

When I checked it later I found that it hadn't deterred those determined ants. In fact, they were marching right through it. I took a little taste - it was taco seasoning! I searched for something more deadly - super hot New Mexico green chili powder. If they didn't care for cayenne pepper, they would hate New Mexico green chili. I sprinkled that over the taco seasoning.  I filled the ant hole beside the sidewalk with it.  But ant holes multiplied in the mounds of green chili. Were they taking it home? 

I spotted a little lizard waiting to climb up the trunk. I remembered another lizard who had reared up on it's hind legs to chomp on some amaranth leaves. Recalling the leafless amaranth plant, I chased the culprit away. 

We always expected to share some of our moringa with the desert critters. But did I really have to serve 'em five alarm 4 spice moringa chili!?

I checked the hole in the trunk where I poured the cayenne pepper. At least those ants were gone. So the cayenne pepper had actually worked! Lesson learned. 

We knew moringa liked to be pruned from the top - it stimulates new growth. But after another weekend away, we were surprised to find that our moringa tree had grown by leaps and bounds! (It was about as tall as Dan before...)

 A butterfly fluttered about.  Bees buzzed around.  The blooms had been pollinated and were growing pods! Maybe sharing our moringa with wild life wasn't so bad... Maybe we'll get to try foot-long "drumstick" pods after all.  (Here's how.)

Or not... 

this little guy was eyeing the moringa 

Moringa are for sharing!

Lesson learned.

2018 UPDATE: I found this video that demonstrates a good way to keep ants from destoying your moringa. I'm gonna try it before they get to another moringa! 

Just in case there is any left for us: Cooking with Moringa   Moringa curry directions.

More information on moringas.

How to grow them in a pot in Tucson. 

https://www.facebook.com/oursacredplant/videos/1476142765802251/

Teachable moment for the boys

catchment basin a work in progress

After digging up layers of gravel and plastic from the backyard, Dan finally got our heritage fig trees and pomegranate in the ground. (Yeah!) After our newly planted startups finally started growing some tomatoes (Yeah!), we have to go away for a long weekend.  Not to worry, my grown boys have come to the rescue.

Look! I grew tomatoes! 

Taking advantage of the “teachable moment," I dragged my disinterested boys along (Jeremy debating politics, Josh texting his girlfriend) as I demonstrated how to care for my babies, eh, garden. Since Jeremy accused me of micro-managing, and Josh demanded, "If you want me to do this, write it down" - this is what you get!

DIRECTIONS FOR WATERING MOM'S GARDEN:

Use blue water bottle to water the two potted curry plants on table, and fill up olla by tomato plant in front of the back wall. The olla (along with the wood chip mulch) helps keep the ground damp longer. Pour the remaining water in the mulch around the plant. Don't forget to put the black cap back on the olla.

Water the kitchen garden in the morning and the evening using two metal watering cans full of water. The best times to water in Tucson are in the morning and early evening so it doesn't evaporate so fast!

Helpful hint: hold up the spout while you are carrying it outside to keep from spilling on floor. If you disregard this advice, step carefully on slippery, wet floor.

Water AROUND the plants, not on top of them. Don't rush and pour it all in one spot making a hole in the mulch. The idea is to keep the ground and mulch damp around my tomato plants.

Water the plants in our freshly dug basin.

Note: Dan still needs to dig this catchment basin deeper (leaving the trees and their circle of mulch on higher ground) and fill in the rest with mulch. But we needed to get the plants in before they were root-bond.  So he put mulch around each plant. Dan plans to install a greywater system here to reuse water from our outside washing machine to irrigate our drought tolerant edible trees.

Use one watering can full of water on my sad looking re-planted tepary beans and chiltepin. (I'm hoping they will come back and add nitrogen to the ground. )

Use one can of water for each fig tree. Pour the water around and around the fig tree getting all of the mulch wet. If it looks like it is starting to puddle, alternate watering the other tree so it has time to sink in.

Use two cans of water for the lone pomegranate tree - watering all the mulch around it. It will hold in the moisture longer.

Don't forget to use the water from your coffee grounds.

You can put the plastic water bucket here while you close the door so the cat won't get out, or you will be spending your weekend looking for the cat.

Alternate pouring coffee grounds around tomato plants, fig trees, or pomegranate. I'm hoping it will keep the bugs away. 

Don't forget to use your dish water on humming bird trumpets. Pour chunky, greasy water on compost.

Lastly, water the surviving tepary bean plants in the garden behind the back-wall (beside the fenced garden.) They survived the hot summer; they deserve to live!  (1 can will do.)

Don't forget the animals...

Feed the dog 1 scoop of dog food and then put her out. You can try using a treat to get her outside  Try to take her for a walk in the evening.

Take out the trash!

Love, mom

Came home to two happy animals and property watered plants.

Yep! The soil is damp! 

The tomato actually grew while we were away!

One happy dog! 

Nicely done, Josh! 

Celebrate the end of the season with one last purslane recipe!

pesto and purslane focaccia

With all of my desktop activism, I've gotten behind on my blogs. Sorry! But I wanted share at least one last purslane recipe with you.

With the monsoon rains winding down, I have a feeling that this may be the end of purslane season. The little patch in the front yard, where I happily gather purslane for breakfast or dinner nearly every day, has flowered (little yellow buds) and the stems are getting woody. Hmph! Last night I had to remove the stems before adding the leaves to my cucumber salad. So sad because the citrusy stems are the best part in that dish.

I think they're still good if you cook them. A couple nights ago I made a yummy pesto and purslane "focaccia" on some bread I found at the nearby Babylon Market. (You can also use prepared pizza crust, toasted English muffins, or thin ciabatta.)

I cut a handful of purslane stems with tear-shaped leaves from my favorite purslane patch - leaving the rest of the plant to continue to grow to be harvested later.  I washed them in a bowl, swishing them around, so the little black seeds would fall off into the water (to be thrown into the back yard to sow more purslane for next monsoon season.)

click on pic see little black seeds

I quickly chopped the purslane up (stems and all) and sautéed them until tender with about 3 tablespoons of prepared pesto and maybe 3 tablespoons of olive oil. I spread that over the focaccia and topped it with a chopped tomato and some freshly grated parmesan cheese.  I warmed it up in the pre-heated oven (400 degrees) for a few minutes -  just long enough for the pesto oil to sink into the crust and the parmesan to brown a bit. Easy smeasy dinner in a few minutes. And so good!

We considered browning the bread with the pesto and then topping it with a salad of chopped purslane, tomato and queso fresco (feta would also work.) That would have been good a little earlier in the season when the stems were less woody.  Last week,  I used our handy-dandy George Foreman grill to whip up a quick purslane, tomato and fresh mozzarella (pesto is good in this too) Panini. One morning I just threw some purslane on a bagel with cream cheese. Another evening we had a picnic of Mexican verdolagas stew with black beans on a tortilla topped with queso fresco. Oh, yum! I'm getting hungry!

Oh, how I will miss harvesting this tasty, nutritious green fresh from my yard!

Get it while you can! Recipes here.

Foraging for Breakfast!

I have a new favorite weed dish. A few nights ago I made a yummy amaranth-lamb stew. I just threw a couple slices of lamb shoulder and half of a chopped onion (with just enough water to cover) into our mini crock pot. (Potato would be good too.) When the lamb was done, I de-boned it and added the amaranth that I had just harvested from the alleyway behind our house. Easy-smeasy!

I served it over rice. Craveable! The lamb and amaranth really compliment each other!  Since the lamb was still on sale, we put some up again the next night. My son Josh improved on a good thing by adding three cloves of chopped garlic.

After working up a hearty appetite pulling my morning weeds, Josh and I gathered some fresh amaranth for breakfast. (Before going out, Josh put one cup of rice, two cups of water and a pinch of curry powder in the rice cooker. )

First, I plucked leaves off of the little plants in our backyard. The little ones are the best!

Might as well grab some purslane while I'm at it.

And do a little weeding...

Whoops!   Looks like I'm not the only one who thinks they are yummy! A few days ago, I left a stalk of amaranth for a nearby bean plant to climb. The next morning there was nothing left but empty stems. When I went to take a pic the leaves had already grown back!  Who are these crafty culprits? The squirrel who lives by our compost pile seemed a likely suspect -  until Dan watched a lizard rear up on its hind legs and take a big bite out of an amaranth leaf. 

We didn't have nearly enough, so we went foraging in the easement behind the house - our own alleyway buffet! (How do you like the new sign I made?)

I pick from the more tender shorter plants first, then I pluck the smaller leaves from the center of the bigger plants. (Remember how the other plant grew back leaves! We can have more for later if we forage wisely!) 

I got a large bowlful, but it takes quite a lot. It shrinks like spinach when it is cooked.

We snapped off the stems of the amaranth and roots off of the purslane, then washed them thoroughly.

I removed the remaining bones from the lamb, then added the amaranth leaves to the lamb and a little broth to steam. It finished cooking in minutes.  I drained out the extra broth to save for another time.

The purslane was even faster. Just sautéed it a bit then scrambled in an egg.  I'm lucky I have any left for a scramble. Common purslane is especially crisp and flavorful first thing in the morning, so I like to eat it raw!

weeds 2 way!

Josh's does look better...

What a feast we had! I had weeds 2 way (purslane scramble and amaranth-lamb stew on curry rice). Josh added two eggs sunny-side up with feta on the side. He said it was the best thing he had in a while - even better than last time. Of course, he helped make it this time...