Monday, February 27, 2012

Postcards: Scenes from a Garden



2012 so far has been quite the Year of Travel. I've spent more time logged in airplanes that I probably have in my own kitchen at home--hence, if you'll excuse me, the shortage of recipes as of late. This doesn't mean that I haven't been cooking elsewhere, though! Like, making fried green tomatoes and stir-fried vegetables from fresh-picked produce in a foggy, dewy garden tucked away on the winding hillsides of Southern Taiwan. The amazing thing about this little island on the Tropic of Cancer is how bountiful its land is there, producing the largest variety of fruits and vegetables of every kind that you can imagine. Their carrots are triple the size of the carrots we get in the U.S. and are softer, more tender, and juicier the minute you slice into one. Passionfruit hangs off vines lining garden walls. Cabbage heads grow larger than my head (and I have a huge head). Farms come with lotus ponds (which come with slippery bricks, camera-holders beware). Harvest season is literally year-round.

My aunt and her friends have acquired a small farm up on the hillside of Kaohsiung, which I got to visit for the first time this past January. Here are some of the scenes from that morning. (P.S. the last photo is of squash tendrils that my aunt picked to saute. In Chinese, they're called "dragon-whisker vegetables." I love that name.)


P.P.S. Thank you to all of you who've written in with wonderful, wonderful advice on places to go and things to eat in Italy! I'm very much looking forward to it! :)

9 comments:

  1. Beautiful photos, I love the detail and rich colors! Plus I am starting a bunch of seeds now, so these photos are only making me more excited for spring!

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  2. My heart aches for my garden when I see photos like yours!  Truly gorgeous.  

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  3. These photos are absolutely gorgeous and inspiring! What a lovely space!

    http://www.chewonthatblog.com/2012/03/02/this-march-think-green-st-patricks-day-yogurt-parfait/

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  4. Fabulous shots!! Love love love love :) dewy beautiful vegetables. Looks magical.. jealous of all your travels x

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  5. Such a lovely farm! I could spend there all day long. 

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  6. Deliciously OrganicMarch 7, 2012 at 8:57 AM

    Such lovely photos! Makes me yearn for summer and juicy heirloom tomatoes. 

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  7. Your photos are just startlingly beautiful.  I clicked on your blog expecting to see some sort of food right off the bat, but found those extraordinary pictures. Wonderful!

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I love hearing from you and reading your comments! Thanks so much for stopping by the blog. Happy feasting!