Africanaussie

As I have said before we have a very small unit and garden, so storing things like Christmas trees for 11 months of the year has never really come into the equation.  We picked up a Christmas tree outlined with lights and suspended it on our reading lamp stand.  The family have looked at it with derision.... until now!  A package arrived in the mail from my dear mom and she sent all these lovely little wire and bead ornaments and it has taken my Christmas tree to a whole new level.  thank you Mom!  Look at the detail on this little star!  and this one  - I love how they have the circle bits in the middle  and I have an angel - I love angels - how beautifully she reflects the lights.  My mom is an angel - always visiting others and taking care of the "oldies (she is 87!)  Look at this tree with a star on the top :)  I put the other colorful angel right on the top!  Here is my nativit...

Even though I did not grow this in my garden (one of my customers brought it to me at work) I thought I would  share it with you.   It grows on a very large tree, and is part of the legume family, so fixes nitrogen into the soil. It is called the ice cream bean.  You twist it to crack the hard shell open and inside are fluffy white pods that fit together perfectly. Here you can see how big the seed is - you just eat the fluffy coating around the seed, and the best I can describe it is like candy floss but not so sweet.  Quite refreshing.  Some of the seeds are already sprouting, but this is a huge tree so I wont be growing any in my garden.... Since it is so hot and humid here I popped some into the fridge to see how they would be cold, and they do taste good cold.  I don't think they taste like ice cream though even when cold. Funnily enough, I had been thinking of ice cream since I discover...