September 2015
Let you into a secret, shh.....I have a sweet little dream; that how I think of it - A DREAM. Queue music.... sighs.The heart of Malaysian and Asian cooking is the herbs. My sweet little dream is to have a Malaysian herb garden just steps outside my kitchen. Over the years I have collected and cultivated many of these herbs in my San Diego garden. My heart had been broken too many times to count. Sigh again... The sight of a dead herb that I had searched long and hard for is always devastating. But it is a dream I refused to give up on.
This year has been particularly trying. I had been transferring these herbs to Temecula, a climate far different from San Diego. It is hotter and drier than San Diego and at the same time, it is subject to frost which these tropical herbs cannot withstand. I hedged my bets; keeping one or more plant in San Diego in case the herb failed to thrive in Temecula.
So far it has been gratifying to have my little Asian herb patch in Temecula and watching the herbs flourish. They love the hot heat! The trick going forward will be to keep them alive through the fall and winter, and then have them emerge in spring.
I have a soft spot for Cekur Kaemferia galanga. It is an essential herb for traditional Nyonya cuisine. Whenever I do manage find some Cekur roots they live for a period and die away over the winter. So far, I am optimistic they will do better in Temecula. The Cekur likes its location in the planter, under the queen palm tree. It appears it thrives in filtered sunlight condition.
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| September 5, 2015 |
The Cekur had been flowering freely once the hot temperature of September kicked in Temecula. Enjoyment of its beautiful orchid like flower is fleeting; the blooms open early in the morning and are faded by noon.... Often, they are hidden under the Cekur leaves and you are totally unaware of the blooms.
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| September 5, 2015 |
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| September 5, 2015 |
The Cekur finds Temecula summer climate more conducive than the cooler San Diego climate. I would be lucky if I saw a single bloom in a season in San Diego. As it is I have been blessed by more than a dozen blooms in Temecula. Despite the showy display of its contentment, the Cekur patch has not spread out much this season. Hopefully, it will do so next season.
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| August 18, 2015 |
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| September 19, 2015 |
Meanwhile, I am enjoying the Cekur lovely Orchid like blooms. I feel truly blessed as these were just phatom flowers until now.
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| September 5, 2015 |
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