Pollinating the Chili Flower

This is how i ensure the chili flowers don't get pollinated by pollen from other varieties. I hope the seeds will be genetically uncontaminated.

Updates on Scotch Bonnet

The first fruit has grown bigger now and the lobes are more pronounced.

There are also more fruits on the plant now.

Scotch Bonnet

The beautiful flower of the Scotch Bonnet Chili. The flower is larger than the usual chili padi flower.

The fruit is forming. It is a bit angular, not rounded like in usual chili.

The plant is healthy now. Not sure if it will just suddenly die off like some other chili plants.

Pulasan and Pineapple

Me with the pulasan tree that i have planted 3 years ago. The tree fruits every year but in the beginning the fruits were flattened and contains no flesh or seeds, just skin. Maybe due to lack of nuitrients.



This latest harvest shows great improvement in the fruit quality. Likely due to the maturity of the tree.










A bunch of pulasans. The semi-red ones are already very sweet.

This is almost fully ripe. The dark patches in the picture is actually ant hive material. The ants are using the hard spikes of the fruit to hold their hive in place so need to bang the fruit on a hard surface to dislodge them before opening the fruit.

Another bunch with ant hive material, quite harmless actually.

This is a plant ripen pineapple grown from the crown of a dole pineapple bought from NTUC. One year plus and all you get is a small fruit although it is quite sweet. My mom says better to buy from NTUC.

Rosella (Hibiscus sabdariffa)

The flower bud of Rosella. The flower is typical hibiscus type and lasts only a day.

The buds can be harvested and made into a nice refreshing ribena-like drink. The Taiwanese drink it a lot in Karaokes to soothe their throat.

If i can, i will mix in a few Barbados cherries. This alters the sourness slightly and makes the drink even more refreshing.

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My orchids:

http://joestw.blogspot.com/

Dioscorea japonica

This is the leaf of Dioscorea japonica (japanese yam) which i got from a friend in Penang. Every year, near chinese new year she would obtain a few of the root from a relative and use it to cook a desert similar to Cheng T'ng. The root would be washed, skinned and sliced. Only one leaf is shown cos i just re-planted the vine into the pot after digging up the yam for cooking.

Left: This is the root that i dug up from my pot after planting for a year.

Below: Another view of the root.

Etlingera elatior white torch

This is the plant of the white torch. I purchased a stem cutting from CTC market together with some other colleagues. Theirs did not survive. The plant had grown into a big clump now.

Close-up of the flower bud which was about a week old and still opening.

The fully opened flower showing the pure complete whiteness of the flower.

This is the red torch, for comparison.