I finally got my hands on a dragonfruit plant.  The best part is I didn’t have to travel to any dragonfruit convention to find them.

I’m hoping mine will survive the northern California winter.  We do have nights where temperatures get to 32 degrees Fahrenheit.  At least I’ve had good luck with my other succulents such as Aloe Vera and Queen of the Nights.

It was really easy to plant the cuttings. All I did was stick them in good soil and topped it off with lawn clippings (my version of mulch). Some people mentioned growing dragonfruit from the seeds. I think that would take too long to grow, if at all. But next time around I’ll try to save the seeds and grow them. And they sure have lots of seeds!

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Summer is officially here and it’s starting to feel like it. Despite the heat wave, there are a few things I do love about summer. One of them is the vast amount of fruits that are in season. And June and July is definitely cherry season for us in California.

So this weekend I had my fair share of ripe cherries. Two different type of cherries too, the Bing and Rainier. The Bing is deep red to almost purple in color. They are a bit more tart but still really good. But the Rainier cherries are the best, I think they are definitely the queen of cherries.

The Rainier cherries aren’t as abundant as the Bing varieties, but are still very popular. They are much bigger and more plump then other types of cherries. 

The flesh is mostly yellow and have a pinkish blush on the skin.  But don’t let the color fool you, since these are super sweet cherries. Any kid who’s eaten these would prefer them over candies.

Rainer cherries got their name from the monarch mountain of the Cascade Range. They are a cross between the Bing and the Van, two sweet varieties of cherries. Harold Fogle of Washington State Universiy first crossed the two varities in 1952.

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This is California’s new license plate redesigned, actually it’s just one artist’s conception of it. 

The artist is Stefan Bucher, who was commissioned by Fast Company to redesign California’s license plate. Originally an idea from GOOD Design, which asked “How do we solve Los Angeles quintessential problems including: “Tacos, Traffic, Ugliness, Water, Pollution, Isolation, and Acts of God, respectively.”

When I saw this new license plate design, I just thought it was too funny.  The far right corner mentions, “QR contains vehicle license and registration information, as well as your credit score.”  Come to think of it, maybe this won’t be far from how the future of California will look.  I sure hope not.  Image from Stefan Bucher.

Back in December of 2009, GOOD Design had an idea to bring artist together to solve LA’s situation. Here is what GOOD Design wrote, “The collection of people and ideas was wonderfully diverse, and offered some fun, serious, and occasionally totally outlandish things to think about as how to make LA an even better place.”

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Living in California has many benefits, one of them being the amount of fresh produce available all year. But behind all this bounty, comes another hit to the environment. Or more specifically, to our water supply.

Nitrates are the most common groundwater contaminant in California. Although other places, such as Chesapeake Bay, has already seen environmental damages. The NY Times reported in November 2008, “As the phosphorous and nitrogen levels in the bay have grown, so have the algae that deplete oxygen needed by other aquatic life.”

A neat row of young corn growing in California. This nice photo is from ex.libris of flickr.

Nitrates are commonly found in artificial fertilizer such as ammonia. Under high temperatures and very high pressures, hydrogen and nitrogen (from thin air) are combined to produce ammonia. This process was invented over 50 years ago by German chemist Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch. Their Haber-Bosch process has often been noted as the most important invention of the 20th century.

Once farmers began using artificial fertilizer, the crop yield improves significantly. The bad part is that farmers often use too much nitrogen than the plants can absorb. The excess nitrogen has now found it’s way to our water supply.

California state law requires public water systems to remove nitrates. But many rural communities, such as those living near large farms don’t have access to the type of treatment systems available in big cities.

Julia Scott of the San Francisco Gate reported, “Nitrates have been linked to “blue baby syndrome,” in which an infant’s oxygen supply is cut off. Statewide, the number of wells that exceeded the health limit for nitrates jumped from nine in 1980 to 648 by 2007. Scientists anticipate a growing wave of nitrate problems in some parts of the state if remedial steps aren’t taken.”

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It would be nice to visit the Huntington Library & Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California.

There is a collection of 14 theme gardens, including a jungle garden, subtropical garden, Japanese and Chinese garden.  What I look forward to seeing the most is the succulent garden.  And based on the what’s in bloom, August would be my favorite month.

The following photos seen here are gathered by The Huntington Gardens flickr group.  It’s amazing to see such nice blossoms coming out of something as spiny as cactus.

The Huntington has one of the world’s largest and oldest collection of succulents. The most significant collections are agave, aloe, terrestrial bromeliads, cacti, echeveria, crassula, sedum, euphorbia, and fouquieria.

So there is a good chance of seeing a real Dragon Fruit plant here as well as the Queen Crown of Thorns (Euphorbia milii) too.

The bright pink blossoms of this cactus looks almost like a rose/peony/tulip. Simply beautiful!

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When I found out that potatoes are loaded with pesticides, I have resorted to eating only organic potatoes now.  Because potatoes are root vegetables, they soak in more chemicals then other produce. Over 40 toxic pesticides are used on potatoes and most of these pesticides are linked to chronic side effects such as cancer, disruption in endocrine and reproductive system.

Conventional potatoes aren’t too expensive and available everywhere. But finding organic potatoes at a bargain price isn’t too easy.  So when I saw these organic potatoes at Raley’s (Nob Hill) for only $3.50 per bag, it was a bargain.  I usually get my organic potatoes and yams from Trader Joe’s at $4 or more per bag.

The best thing of all is that these potatoes taste so much better then Trader Joe’s variety.  The bag stated “russet potatoes”, but it was much smaller and the skin was lighter too.  Almost reminded me of those Yukon Gold potatoes. The skin was also very thin and not that bad to eat either.

These potatoes are almost sweet and has just the right texture. I usually steam my potatoes to make salad.  Tuna, chicken or beans is a good addition to potato salad.  I also like to add them to Thai curry, bean soups, or baked with Italian herbs. Or just steam and eat with Dijon mustard. It’s a much healthier snack then potato chips!

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Back in 2008, I voted for Prop 1A in California’s ballot. It was for building a high speed rail in California.  The proposition would authorizing $9.95 billion in general obligation bonds for building a high speed rail project. 

The years went by and I have not heard anything more of it.  But now it was recently reported that California will receive $2.25 billion in federal economic stimulus funds to develop a high-speed rail line.

The high speed train will run from Anaheim to San Francisco. The projected cost is about $42 billion and trains would be traveling with speeds up to 450 miles in no more than 2 hours, 40 minutes. Other extensions to San Diego and Sacramento are planned.

This is what the train will look like.  I wish the color combination was different.  Maybe silver and white.  Photo from Wired magazine.

There will also be 13 other rail corridors planned which includes a Midwest line from Chicago to St. Louis. And also one in Florida running from Tampa to Orlando. What I want is a rail train that runs from Miami to Washington, D.C. I think high speed rail would be great for commuters and other travelers too.

I can imagine this would make traveling much easier for many people. Especially for the tourist who want to visit California. Imagine visiting the beaches of San Diego in the morning and then crossing the Golden Gate by evening. The only thing I have to get used to is not being able to see the beautiful scenery California has to offer. From the valley and farmlands to the coastal view.  And at this fast speed, it’ll would seem like life is just passing by in an instant.

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These pretty little flowers are call vygie (sounds like jiggy).  It’s a blooming kind of succulent plant without thorns - unlike cactus. In California, I’ve seen them grown in rock gardens and also used as ground cover in parking lots.

These were my vygies from last summer.  They have survived the cold weather, but no blossoms yet. Probably in spring or summer. They are completely easy to grow and propagate too.  And best of all they are drought tolerant plants so require very little water.  The bright colorful flowers are the best part of this plant.

There are 1700 species of this plant and a large percentage of them are found in South Africa.  I like the colorful type with bright flowers.

Oscularia species The plant flowers en masse in Fall & the blooms nearly obscure the foliage! Grows in less than perfect soil with minimal water & always looks great! - Annie’s

Annie’s Annuals and Perrenials, a seed and plant nursery in Richmond, California has many type of vygie available for sale.  Many of them look like ice plants with  many bright blossoms.

I love the little description they give of the plants too.  If I am ever in the area, I will have to stop by and pick out some nice plants - especially the vygies!

Here are some more of my favorites from Annie’s:

“Cherry Bomb” In full, glorious bloom, this shrubby, trailing succulent glows with hundreds of nearly florescent pink flowers! Each is about an inch across & together they blanket the foliage for a month or more in Spring.

“Lipstick Iceplant” Large phenomenally brilliant true red blooms without even a hint of yellow will slay you the first time they open. 3” across & silky-glowy, they appear most in Spring & again in Fall & Winter in our mild climate.

Photo and description from Annie’s Annuals and Perennials. Open to the Public 7 DAYS A WEEK, 9-4* 740 Market Ave. in Richmond, CA

These are nice also succulents: Aeonium “Blushing Beauty”. I took this photo at Target’s garden center.

When I first heard about Silk Moon Gallery, I really wanted to visit the place. They are located in Sebastopol, just north of San Francisco. It has been years since I’ve made any trips up to that part of the state. So maybe when the weather gets better a day trip will be in order.

Beautiful jewel colors of Lao silk. Artistic composition of the objects taken by American Jon on Flickr.

I have always been in awe of the beautiful patterns found in traditional Lao/Thai silk skirts and shawls. It could be that I come from a family of silk weavers.  My grandmother was very talented in silk weaving and design. As my maternal grandmother raised her own silkworms. I was told she loved them like they were her children.  Hopefully someday I will be lucky enough to learn the art of weaving as well.

Here are other things you can do with Lao silk. They are suppose to be lotus blossom, an important flower in Buddhist celebration. I took this photo at a Lao Buddhist temple in northern California.

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Chayote (pronouced cha-yoh-teh) have become more common in the vegetable stalls here in California.

The name Chayote or chocho derived from Mexico (Spanish). In the southern U.S. states, they are commonly eaten and known as mirliton or vegetable pear.  Chayote are cultivated in California, Florida, and Louisiana.

The inside of a chayote looks like - the seed is the best part. It is very nutty and creamy. It’s always a treat to open up a chayote and find a huge seed in the middle.

I don’t know if it’s a fruit or vegetable. When seen hanging from the vine, it’s more like a fruit. It’s from the gourd family that also consist of melons, cucumbers and squash.

Some think chayote taste like a potato and can be bland. But I think it has an interesting flavor, like a mix of cucumber and zucchini squash. It is full of vitamin C and other nutrients.

Chayote can also be eaten raw. It’s slightly crunchy. Just shred and mix with a bit of salt, lemon juice, and chili peppers. Chayote can also be added to stir-fry, to retain it’s crisp taste, do not overcook. The list of cooking with chayote can include baking and pickling as well.

All parts of this plant can be eaten, from the leaves to the root. The leaves are also used to make tea.  But I’ve never tried eating anything beside the fruit. I like chayote so much, I just steam them and eat as it.

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