Fava bean flop

I decided I would try the fava beans this morning. After all, Foul Mudammas is a breakfast favorite of Egyptians. The can said ready to serve, so I dumped them into a little pot, and that's where my trouble began.
They looked weird.
They smelled worse.
I tasted one anyway. I was not thrilled.

I decided they were not for me.

Then (after I had run them down the disposal) I read that you're supposed to add stuff to them, like garlic, onions, cumin, tomato. And that the smell does bother some people, but letting them simmer a little, or using fresh beans, helps reduce the odor. Too late for me today. Maybe I'll try them again sometime.

Middle Eastern Market finds

About a year ago, one of our local supermarkets closed a store a few miles from my house. Finally, a week or two ago, a new store has opened in its place. I had been meaning to go check it out. From what I could see on the outside, it looked "different". It was not as flashy as a typical supermarket.

I was going that way today, so I stopped in. Turns out, this is a middle eastern market. In addition to produce and some "regular" groceries, they have lots of things I've never seen before. After looking around a bit, I decided to get a basket and buy a few things.

Couscous I know already, but they had a spinach flavored one, which I bought. Also, a package of herb-seasoned rice, chicken kabob seasoning, and tandoori seasoning. I snapped up a can of Foul Mudammas, which is fava beans, because I read good things about them in a Mediterranean Diet book last year. I also got some chocolate covered banana creme, uh...things(?) After tasting one, I decided it might taste better frozen, so I put the box in the freezer, and I was right. Yummy!
And a package of flat breads.

I was going to make Tandoori Chicken tonight, but then I remembered it needs to marinate overnight for best results, so I used the Kabob seasoning and made chicken Kabobs and the spinach couscous. It was pretty tasty.

Several of the items I bought happened to be of the same brand: Sadaf. Never heard of it before, but guess what, it has a website and recipes. More fun to come.

Garden visitors

For Illustration Friday

Earlier this summer, I created a Bug Safari coloring book for the arboretum.
This is one of the pages. I colored it digitally.

The text for this page reads:

In Your Own Backyard

Lots of bugs like flowers,
so plant some in your yard
and see what comes to visit!

Predators may be waiting
patiently for some unlucky bug
to come too close!

Look for leaves that have been nibbled.
If you see some frass (bug poop),
there may be a plant-eater nearby.

Tiny stapeliad flower

I got this plant at the arboretum this past spring. This week, it flowered for the first time.





It has the classic stapeliad star-shape. And it's really small.



Here it is next to my other stapelia, which was nice enough to give me a flower to compare the size. I made a slideshow of that plant last year.

The voluptuous caudex

Just a few pictures of my adenium obesum plants. I have had them for several years, and seen them grow from tiny cuttings to these flowering, fat-bottomed mini-trees.

Sinus Buster

For future reference. Worth checking into....

Sinus Buster

More mental notes: 395 camping

Actually, these are someone else's notes, and I'm stealing them.

For the life of me I can't understand why people with fully self contained RVs want to stay at a resort when there are perfectly good BLM and County camp grounds all over the place. $5 or $10 per night. Horton Creek is one of my faves at $5 per night and it's about 10 miles north of the Y at Bishop off 395 in Round Valley. Then there is also Pleasant Valley campground along the Owens River just below the dam at PV Resevoir. That's $10 per night and great fishing right there. And if you are really into that resort stuff, what about Brown's Town in Bishop. It has everything you could ask for. Comfort and shade with a little store and everything.