Friday, January 27, 2012

Tigridia Pavonia

Tigridia Common Name: Tiger flower
Genus: Tigridia
Species: pavonia
Skill Level: Experienced
Exposure: Full sun
Hardiness: Tender
Soil type: Well-drained/light, Moist
Height: 100cm
Spread: 15cm
Time to divide plants: Autumn
Flowering period: Summer
This exotic Mexican bulb is sometimes called peacock flower, an appropriate name in view of its quite startling colour combinations- all the shades of scarlet, orange, pink, yellow, mauve and white, usually with contrasting markings. It is barely hardy, and normally grown as a tender summer annual, planted in spring and dug up again in autumn for storing in a dry frost-free place. It needs all the sun available, as this not only encourages flowering but also ripens the bulb to ensure a similar display the following year.


This is the photo of mine taken this morning on my little Canon Ixus - growing in a small pot and terribly neglected  - until it flowers! What a beauty.




Tigridia (play /tˈɡrɪdiə/),[1] the tiger-flowers or shell flowers, is a genus of bulbous or cormous plants, belonging to the family Iridaceae. They have large showy flowers and one species, Tigridia pavonia, is often cultivated for this. The approximately thirty five species in this family grow in the Western Hemisphere, from Mexico to Chile. The tigridia flower is short lived, each often blooming for only one day, but often several flowers will bloom from the same stalk. Usually they are dormant during the winter dry-season. Its roots are edible and was eaten by the Aztecs of Mexico who called it cacomitl and its flower ocēlōxōchitl "Jaguar flower". The genus name means "tiger-like" and alludes to the coloration and spotting of the flowers of the type species Tigridia pavonia.[2]

Friday, January 13, 2012

Sticky pudding and custard

Thank you to all of you who reminded me that I had not added the link to my email. I had done the Christmas post - hence the pudding and custard reference  - and then set about sorting the email list, when the whirling pizza of death appeared on my computer. When I rebooted, it sent the email immediately without the link.
Sorry!

....and, this may disappoint some, but, contrary to the thoughts of at least one dear reader, neither myself nor Roy, nor DM for that matter, were smothered in custard !


Happy New Year
I hope 2012 brings you everything you wish for  - and a few extra good things that you may not have even thought about.

A long time between drinks

I really must get my act together and post more often! There seems to have been too many distractions lately.
One major distraction, of course, has just happened - Christmas - a time of joy and lots of cooking. Usually our house looks like Santa lives here, but things happen and this year it is the minimalist look. I still had the obligatory sherry, or four, whilst arranging the poinsettias and reindeer. You can't let everything slip.



Our dear friends Jonathan and Felicity were with us for an "en famille' day. We have been friends since 1975, so how could we not have a great day. Relaxed and peaceful with good food and wine.


A lovely shot of Jono's tiny bride





I cooked the whole catastrophe - a Nichols free range turkey from Peter Thompson in Elizabeth St, with three stuffings - seasoned pork, chestnut stuffing & sage and onion as the third; chipolatas; a hill of vegetables and hasselback potatoes. Following that, Grandmother Marks Christmas Pudding - a well guarded recipe from DM's side of the family. Always a winner, along with my mother's recipe for mince pies.

However I thought I should show you the star of Boxing Day


Not me.......the more attractive one on the left, just in case you were confused. A beautiful, freshly caught 3kg salmon from Strahan on the west coast of Tassie. I cut it in half and  blitzed it in my "super wok" and the rest was filleted and made into Gravlax/Gravadlax (depending on where you come from) -  prepped this at sparrows on Saturday before we went to have breakfast at Tricycle Cafe in Salamanca
Perfect food for watching the Aussies thrash India at the MCG in Melbourne. A traditional Boxing day in OZ

My brekkie
French toast with fresh raspberries and great coffee






Temperature for Hobart for Christmas was Min 15ºC  Max 21ºC
Any advance on zero in Europe? Sorry  - had to get that in. Mind you I like a bit of weather and really enjoyed our Christmas there last year.

More food soon.......and boy did we thrash those chappies from the subcontinent