Cucumber & Beans- Harvest from my garden

Rock Climbing Fun with Friends and Photographers

Rock climbing!

We have the honor of having a meet up with the local Ottawa Photographers for a Photo Session at Vertical Reality on Jan. 27, 2013.  We have model guest as well, which make it more diverse.

I have fun, totally I gained new insights about modeling: it is a tough job! But it get's done and rewarding.

Like rock climbing, it is not for everyone. You can get hurt. You can fall. You can die.  But the best part of it, the sport is pure, just you and the rocks. And isn't life about a rock and a hard place?
My son joined me, he did few bouldering shoots and like me, he thinks the rock and a hard place is a peaceful place to be.

Special thanks for the organizers: Mike Giovinazzo
  and the photographers who survived the chalky atmosphere, and crazy rock climbers.
Links to the pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pierre_et_cathy/8429196070/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.meetup.com/Ottawa-Photographer-Model-Meetup/photos/12870112/202664612/?a=pu3.1_l

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8rcerki3v3ewv03/eRcHqbosDo

Some of the ones I downloaded:

Fine Saturday ( Chinese Dragon Dance and Winterlude)

I have experience seasonal depression and i hate to admit it, but its true. It seems each cold day, my motivation to do stuff need a push.

Today is a different day, i promise my kids to take them out.

We went to the dragon dance in chinatown and we watch the winterlude downtown. we invited friends over to play with my kids.

Looking at the pictures I took yesterday, I feel better today. Now, bring on the laundry!

Baking to Warm up my Winter Home

Jan. 15, 2013

Ottawa city, ontario, canada

I never thought I will spend a lot of time in the kitchen, yet today I did. Not just washing dishes, washing the floors, I actually bake. Yeah, me ...baking? And that's right, I have 2 phones beside me, homeline and cellphone, just in case I need the Fire Department.
After the Cheese Bread, I manage to load the Craneberry Banana Muffin, and even try to scribble some heart, practice run for Valentines day!

Craneberry Banana Muffin - practice run for Valentines day for kids

Craneberry Banana Muffin

Cheese Bread

Coleus: seed germination

dec 3, 2012
ottawa ontario canada

this year, i promise myself to stay focus on my kids, and not take on many winter project. I did have many seed packets waiting for me to work in my basement shop.

today, I pick up the seeds of coleus that i collected from my garden and start the seed propagation. I hope it will germinate, as I am hoping to replace my collection. I did not save any cuttings for myself.

so, here is some cheers hoping to get more colorful collection for next season.

Fall Update: The bittermelon are still producing fruits!

sept 27, 2012

ottawa city, ontario, canada

officially fall and i thought my bittermelon would die to the ground, but they are producing fruits , more than i expected. here are some pictures taken today.

producing right beside fall aster

randomly showing up beside the pot of medusa sweet pepper

Hiding under the vines!

shy, just hiding close to the fence!

another smaller one under the canopy of scarlet runner beans

way far, near the basella rubra vines.

Batata (Sweet Potato)

sept 11, 2012
ottawa city, ontario, canada

yesterday I went to produce depot and found batata (sweet potato). I like this one very much because it looks ugly in the outside, but the white flesh inside is sweet but not watery.

The North American yam - is the sweet, watery orange flesh one. it is nice, but I do not like it, it is too watery for my taste. i plant this variety to harvest the leaves for food, but if I get any tuber, I will not cook it as boiled sweet potato but add it to soups.

for those who want to know what batata looks like: I found this website:)http://www.foodsubs.com/Sweetpotatoes.html

batata - less moist but very sweet, sweet potato

" boniato = tropical sweet potato = Cuban sweet potato = white sweet potato = white-fleshed sweet potato = batiste = batata = batata dulce = camote   Notes:   Boniatos aren't as sweet and moist as other sweet potatoes, but many people prefer their fluffier consistency and more delicate flavor.  Store them at room temperature and use them soon after your purchase them, since they tend to spoil quickly.  Substitutes: sweet potato (This is sweeter and moister than a boniato.) OR yam (moister) OR russet potato  "

I put one of the tubers today in a glass of water, hoping to produce more slips. Next year, I am hoping to plant lots of sweet potato in my backyard.

The North American Yam - sweet potato looks like this one:

which was describe as: "sweet potato  Notes:   In American supermarkets, sweet potatoes are displayed next to something called "yams," which are moister than sweet potatoes and have darker skins.  But according to the rest of the world (and botanists), we have it all wrong.  To them, our  "yams" are just a variety of sweet potatoes.  They use the word yam to describe a completely different vegetable, something we call a tropical yam.   

Sweet potatoes are quite versatile, but they're most often baked, candied, or made into pies.  It's best not to boil them, as they'll lose much of their flavor.  

 Substitutes:  yams (less mealy and sweeter than sweet potato) OR boniato (less sweet and fluffier) OR mashed cooked pumpkin (especially for pies) ".

I also bought another tuber called yam: which is the true yam (Dioscorea alata). It goes by many names, but ube in my language. Not sweet, but a little bit nice texture for benignit.

Here is what it looks like and what it is called in supermarkets:

"tropical yam = true yam = greater yam = cush-cush = mapuey = yampi = namé =  name = nyami = igname   Notes:   These firm, white-fleshed yams are widely used in tropical countries.   They're somewhat bland and dry, so they're often served with spicy sauces.   Substitutes: sweet potato   ". 

So these were my finds yesterday, and do not be surprise if you find them growing in my backyard next year.