![IMG20220925100641.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/oniemaniego/Ep1Xu6ks9Y7VwDSvPobEy9UGF67EbeCz1PyEWgEfaKGPrt1Ki1n3Y5A8GqomoYhdg49.jpg)

**A vegetable garden in the beginning looks so promising and then after all little by little it grows nothing but vegetables, nothing, nothing but vegetables.** — *Gertrude Stein*

[//]:# (!pinmapple 10.730786 lat 124.800775 long Garden Orchard d3scr)


I have been lagging again with my usual routine, probably from the self-destructive thoughts or is it because of the rainy weather.

When I visited the garden, the soil was moist enough to skip manual watering. The weeds were lush and same with the crops.

I did enjoy some of the routine weeding and *re-wilding* with strawberries where I transplant it from the raised beds and on the base of young fruit trees and bananas. Strawberries are not native, but it would be great to pick and eat something than have other invasive weeds filling the orchard.

![IMG20220926155106.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/oniemaniego/EoGx22ZnPynW6gJocZoFVDgX7r5vtt979guRZR6UrgSfzixh6KftWSBGi4YhRo26RAw.jpg)

<center><sup>Propagating strawberries to grow in random areas at the orchard.</sup></center>

The reason for changing the strategy for strawberries is to open the space in the raised bed for other crops whike also allowong the strawberries to propagate and fruit on its desired locations since its original area was way too sunny to grow well.

![IMG20220926153814.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/oniemaniego/Ep7u5V6nAXhDy5wBPstu5p6LusQSchTZ9TFVp8JjH15Jmv6Sh9CgkPkUF4h4nP2hE3X.jpg)

<center><sup>Seed collection and re-growing from seeds.</sup></center>

I alo re-planted seeds from dried bean pods and checked on the two Luffas that are almost ready for harvesting.

## Cooking Some Harvests

Growing up, our family rarely served more than one food on the table and it was only a viand and rice. Even if my parents came from different places in the country, our meals have been monotonous, though I am thankful we had food on the table.

Now that we have grown up, we have taken over the kitchen and gladly my parents have welcomed the diverse recipes from around the world especially on dinner and during special occasions. But most of the time, we still have simple breakfast and lunch.

| ![IMG20220926162320.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/oniemaniego/EoAYk5Jh8XuxVHrGVeYZm1kyFFrmFmqvYjeNaCFVY1Zx4vrdi8ktdmcNkmgXnjMgroE.jpg) | ![IMG20220926162707.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/oniemaniego/EoCgcug7Kk1dnJPsw2bjDiMdF25WsfpZHjbhKfFXDTiet5XwthF9NZHaok8vcQ4PBxP.jpg) |
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<center><sup>Harvesting leafy vegetables for the dinner later.</sup></center>

Just today, feeling a bit sad, I check for anything that I could bring back home from the garden. The green malabar spinach 'alugbati' and kangkong did habe some fresh new shoots, so harvested some of it together with some Moringa 'kalamunggay' leaves. I later used it on a soup, perfect for the rainy weather.

Each of us in the family have different preferences and as much as I want to go fully plant-based, some family preferences and circumstances collide with that idea.

|![IMG20220926145819.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/oniemaniego/EoH1Q3UtZsVpgn8FJmqFsRMFyhPGV1Biyba4as8X2iKowCV8Z5YAQxFkbpxWFcnUDu6.jpg) | ![IMG20220926145842.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/oniemaniego/EoK5Q6zWX129HeM3b5cday39S4otaZiWaKGpvgZ9xgSmKsAo5GELNtJ3BNpWRoEyjMb.jpg) |
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<center><sup>Harvesting tiny mulberry fruits.</sup></center>

Luckily, with the abundance of vegetables coming in from my family's home garden and farm, **excluding** my still ~~failing~~ growing permaculture garden, it has been an opportunity to introduce more fresh vegetables into our diet than the usual.

For three years already, we have slowly grown our dependence with our home gardens and the farm, and over the course of each the year, our monthly harvest can be unpredictable and it really varies a lot. Unlike commercial farming, we usually don't plan that much and just grow whatever is to our liking.

Earlier this year, we had an abundance of string beans ancgreen beans, then bottle gourds starting July, and now, it is the time for eggplants. When picking almost daily, you need to be at least creative enough in the kitchen to avoid waste and make each meal exciting.

In the kitchen, I rarely cook the exact same recipe as I love experimenting together with the availability of new ingredients. Aside from the usual dishes, I love making salads where I prefer it light and fresh.

## Eggplant Salad, Tada!

Recently, I have been making an eggplant salad. Traditionally, the eggplants are grilled whole then peeled before mixing it with herbs, spices, vinegar and salt. This version has a distinct flavor and aroma, but is tedious to do.

What I did was to make it simpler, buy just peeling it raw and boiling it until it can be mashed softly. I usually cut it into certain lengths before boiling to cook it faster, the photos are just for art sake, hahaha! A fork can be useful when testing, and when quite soft enough, it can be drained on a strainer and then it can be gently mashed to drain more liquids.

Everyone in the house are already tolerant to the usual chili peppers since we use a lot of spices in our daily meals. It can me ommitted, but the kick can really help elevate the dish. And because the eggplant is on the softer side, the herbs and slices should have varied shapes, sizes, and texture to balance it all.


![IMG20220925103721.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/oniemaniego/Ep1YQ3p5mkR6b7orkwJthSDG19x7P1QB5XqCn15StgmXrBmaH6nYyhaLjJA5bq68fTF.jpg)

<center><sup>Preparing chili pepper, ginger, onion, and tomato.</sup></center>

To still make it simple, I just julienned the chili pepper into half an inch in length. The onion, sliced thinly then quartered, the tomato sliced into little squares, and the ginger chopped and minced.

Mix all into a plate or bowl then sprinkle with a dash of salt, not to much as it might overpower the flavor of the eggplant and the spices. Last, pour just the right amount of vinegar, I personally prefer to use an aged coconut vinegar infused with bird's eye chilis.

![IMG20220925104724.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/oniemaniego/EoiWG1Qs7zjjfk4KXA3nTVeCaCVBgFxxhPHoyXu5gJU2XyToGfFFqf9wacVUCUR9b4E.jpg)

<center><sup>Eggplant salad with spices from the garden.</sup></center>

If you're feeling like it, you can insert Olive Oil, or maybe not.

## Gardening Updates

I did think of posting this on [Foodies Bee Hive](https://peakd.com/c/hive-120586/created) or in [Plant Power (Vegan)](https://peakd.com/c/hive-180569/created), but I always have a hard time making curated recipes as I don't cook with scales, cups, and tablepoons. When cooking, I usually follow my heart and prefer to feel if the heat is okay or the salt is enough, and sometimes, for the spices, I like it a lot.

Maybe next time, when I can weigh and size things, I could make a proper list of ingredients, temperature, and time to make it easy for others to follow.

![IMG20220926162533.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/oniemaniego/EoGwV6my2zDK8ncp2DMvnT2UHJcUqadz2HdKcyUb7UtVSPqpzbH8MKXBYzx53temzMS.jpg)

<center><sup>Luffa is mostly used as a vegetable at home, but my sister make dried scrubs for bathing.</sup></center>

Next week will be my first harvest of Luffa 'Sikwa' and I'm thinking of harvesting some gingers too, other crops are still to young to think about, so maybe I could begin adding recipes too aside from my usual gardening posts.

<br>

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## <center>**About Me**</center>

[@oniemaniego](https://peakd.com/@oniemaniego/posts) is a software developer, but outside work, he experiments in the kitchen, writes poetry and fiction, paints his heart out, or toils under the hot sun.

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