Hooray… The rain is down to a dull roar. We walked thought the garden this morning after the rain had slowed down and some sunshine was coming through the clouds. The veggies looked amazing with the sun reflections gleaming off the water droplets.
The water droplets shined like diamonds
We do grow strange veggies when we can find them… Thanks to Roger’s Gardens we do get some oddities at times! This plant below is really a cauliflower named Romanesco from Italy.
Magnificent color and really gleams in the sulight
Did You Know? Romanesco broccoli, also known as Roman cauliflower, Broccolo Romanesco, Romanesque cauliflower or simply Romanesco, is an edible flower bud of the species Brassica oleracea. First documented in Italy, it is chartreuse in color. Romanesco has a striking appearance because its form is a natural approximation of a fractal. When compared to a traditional cauliflower, its texture as a vegetable is far more crunchy, and its flavor is not as assertive, being delicate and nutty.
The Romanesco stems share the same toxic substances as rhubarb leaves, including oxalic acid, which is a nephrotoxic (damaging or destructive to the kidneys) and corrosive acid that is present in many plants. It has been grown in Italy since the 16th Century.
On the side of the house we visited the blueberries! The blossoms are forming and it is time for one last addition of fertilizer so that’s Paul’s mission tomorrow morning should he choose to accept it! They are quite pretty in the remaining water of last night rain.
We can smell blueberries already
Paul’s COPD apparently was having an “flare up”. We went to the doctor at noon and the Doc was surprised to see us. Two weeks ago he said “see you in three months…. unless something changes!”
Something changed! Paul was coughing terribly even having to leave two dances over the weekend early and curtailed his post-Superbowl activities.
Indeed, he was having an “flare up” so we went through the exam and got three more medicines to try. Hopefully this will reduce the coughing and get through this bout. If not, we will be seeing him again on Friday.
We went to Old Ranch after the visit to the doctor to see if a hot toddy might fix things up but alas, no bueno! We went home and Paul tried a nap but the coughing would not stop.
At 6:00, Sue said “rise and shine big guy, lets go to Kobe”. We did. Paul was not himself so we only have one picture of his many selections and he did not even sent a picture to Joe!
Seared tuna from Kobe
Got to say, the meal was excellent and Sue even had their vegetable tempura (sans sweet potatoes). She exclaimed about the tempura onion ring. Done perfectly! Paul tried the large hot sake rice wine but nothing seemed to stop the cough.
Did You Know? Tempura is light batter is made of cold water (sometimes sparkling water is used to keep the batter light) and soft wheat flour (cake, pastry or all-purpose flour). Eggs, baking soda or baking powder, starch, oil, and/or spices may also be added.
Tempura batter is traditionally mixed in small batches using chopsticks for only a few seconds, leaving lumps in the mixture that, along with the cold batter temperature, result in the unique fluffy and crisp tempura structure when cooked.
We headed home and watched a Hallmark Mystery Movie which was delightful. We finished off the evening with another mystery so we crashed about 12:30.
Paul tried Alka-Selzer at 8:00 PM, Robotussin at 10:00 PM, and cough syrup with codine at midnight and finally got a good night sleep! Knocked out until 7:30 AM the next morning!
