okra production line at humgaon

experienced this fascinating production line of okra (lady finger/ bhindi) at humgaon, where we have a small patch of land.
the plant has grown up to about five feet in two months thanks to the good rainfall.  there were small yellow flowers on every branch and interesting bee/insect on almost all of them. the okra is a self pollinating plant (as different from a cross pollinating one) and has these yellow vibrant flowers. the bees drop in and help the pollination process.
saw this nature's very own busy production line and couldn't help being awestruck!
this is one picture of a bee that's just landed on a flower. alongside you can see a couple of baby okras  growing and a few buds that are also on the way!

Amazing snack/accompaniment: Breadfruit fries!

Start with the Breadfruit (I gather it is from the Jackfruit family, is smaller, has less sharp bristles, and no pronounced seeds & like it can be eaten when its young or ripe ) I took this picture from the net since I took pictures of the recipe as an afterthought

Start by scaring the skin off, and making one cm slices. Remember to cut off the centre, it's chewy ad does not taste good. Add some chilly powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida (hing) powder and salt.

 The salt will make the masalas pliable, use your hands to rub in the masalas till you're sure they're evenly spread and leave it to marinate for half an hour.

 Dab each slice in some coarsely ground wheat (rawa or suji) and use a non stick pan with little hot oil to shallow fry these. Do this with the pan covered, for 5-7 minutes on either side. That way you're using both the oil and the steam to cook. Leaving the pan open for the last two mins will ensure they're crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside.

For me (and those similarly besotted with this preparation) it goes with just about anything. Try it out. Breadfruit is in season now.
Here's a link to a previous post where I was looking for this recipe http://reach4sachin.blogspot.in/2013/07/one-for-old-times-sake.html

shraddha = faith, shraaddh = anything done with sincerity and faith, a ritual for the living.

The popular belief is, that shraaddh is a ritual that is done to pay homage to the departed souls of ones forefathers. It comes from the sanskrit word, shraddha, meaning faith and it's literal meaning is, any act that is done with complete sincerity and faith.

Seen in this light (as against - it can be done only by the male child, you need to have a male child because only then can you hope for your shraaddh to be done etc etc) the ritual has relevance even today. We come together, remember the departed, offer a meal to crows and then have a meal together as a prasaad.

Yesterday, I preformed this ritual for my mother, my father performed it for his father and my wife, for her father.

My personal belief is that all rituals are for the living. Including this one. It is to help the living to come to terms with the loss, a way to finish unfinished business, say sorry, thank you and achieve closure. What is your view?

Bees and pollen baskets

This is another amazing facet of nature. Pollination - the critical intersection between the animal world and the plant world, the moment when life regenerates itself  - is something that happens as a by product of bees collecting pollen!

The back legs of bees have small indentations called pollen baskets. The bee uses its front legs to brush and comb the pollen to make it compact and fit into the basket, till it reaches the hive. Once here, it will remove the pollen from the baskets and store it in the honeycomb. Pollen, mixed with nectar/honey is stored for baby bees to feed on till they become pupae!

Here are two bees, one from Allahabad and the other from Bangalore with filled pollen baskets!

the inspired pizza

ran out of the makings with the exception of the base, and the son was still hungry. here's what i drummed up with some ketchup, veggies and cheese slices heated on a tawa. it looked good, and i was told was good enough to eat.

got this pix before dishing it out.

grains of rice

its that time of the year, when feilds are lush green and crowded. a drive down the country side will show you 256 million shades of green, and each one singularly beautiful.

have a look at this corn of paddy. i thought it looked stunning.

stray thought.

"as a kid, amma used to tell me how much effort goes through the making of a single grain of rice".

and how if i wasted even a grain in my plate, how it would nullify this veritable chain effort that went into making this grain of rice and bringing it up to my plate.

i wish i had seen this sight then.