Made Atsara

I quickly looked at what I could do with the papaya we harvested from our tree. There were two and one was still green. We also got two small bell peppers and have a number of ginger in pots. I did a quick search and found out that I could actually make atsara from our harvest. 

I liked Chef Tatung's recipe since you actually cook the atsara. The other recipes I watched only poured boiling vinegar on the veggies. I figured the result would be tastier if I cooked the veggies together. The recipe was also on one of the first Simpol cookbooks, so I got to work last weekend.

Using the food processor was really helpful. I'm a klutz when it comes to using knives. I just cut the veggies and fed them to the food processor. Preparing everything took longer because I took videos, haha. It was easy to make and I'm glad I had everything on hand. Maybe next time I'll make more when we have a bigger harvest and I'll share it with friends. 

Full recipe: https://recipesformyson.blogspot.com/2026/01/recipes-for-my-son-homemade-atsara.html

Here's how I made it:

#BeKind #StaySafe 

Papaya First Harvest!

I've been gravely busy preparing for Christmas, doing PT and gardening. I haven't been able to sew at all for two weeks now. 

Last Saturday, the two papaya fruits that started from a bloom last July, showed signs of yellowing. My friend advised I should only harvest when it starts to turn yellow. 

We waited two more days and then excitedly harvested the two fruits. They're not supposed to be big because it's the solo papaya variety. I propagated it from the seeds of store bought Dizon solo papaya.

It took 20 months with inconsistent care (I was hospitalized twice during that time), but the tree was still able to bear us at least two fruits. It has other smaller ones, but TBH it's not as healthy as my other tree.

Anyway, the effort paid off and we're now thinking to let one ripen and maybe we'll pickle the other one.

Happy!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Papaya! They Survived the Typhoon

I was worried about my papaya trees. I asked help from Sweetie to bring the smaller ones downstairs. I had no choice for the two bigger trees because they breached the pot and the roots are now embedded in the plant box. 

I prayed they won't topple over. While checking the pocket garden a string gust of wind passed. I had to run a bit since I was scared the papaya tree might sway downwards or maybe a fruit might fall on my head.

Quickly finished my inspection and went inside. The two papaya trees are intact. Hopefully, they will still produce proper fruits!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Snails Can Eat Your Papaya Fruits!

I spotted a small papaya fruit on the ground the other day. I haven't been very mobile yet, but had to step out and check what was going on with my papaya trees.

I picked up the small fruit and looked up to check the growing fruits. I was shocked to see a huge snail munching on the baby fruits! I haven't been able to spray Neem oil lately and the foil I wrapped on the trunk came off, that's why it was able to go up. Grrrr.

I immediately asked help from Sweetie to remove the snail. He also noticed another huge one on the wall and removed it too. I have to really be more vigilant and make sure the fruits are protected. I've put in a lot of time and hard work to reach this phase for my papaya trees, so I need to be more consistent.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Papaya!

Miggy has been taking care of my plants for a few weeks now. I managed to check out the papaya the other day and was overjoyed to see the fruits continuing to grow. Woohoo! The rain has been helping to provide nutrients, but I know I need to add compost already. 

Here's how it looks this week:

Not being mobile is such a bummer. I have a long list of things to do for my garden. It has to wait for now until I can walk properly and carry more weight (arm still healing from the angiogram). In the meantime, I just peek through the window and make bilins  to Miggy. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Papaya is Forming!

Yassss! I'm so happy! The papaya seeds I propagated a year ago is starting to produce fruit! It started as an experiment and it took so much time before the seeds grew. Among the many seeds I tried to propagate about 10 are still alive and growing. 

There are two that are now trees. They're stuck in our pocket garden because I wasn't able to re-pot them before the roots grew deeper. My friend said don't move them because it will stress the tree. Oh well, we're the only one who sees the tree anyway. My Mom though is probably frowning about it from heaven (she says they're best placed in the backyard). 

Here's how it's progressing the past few weeks:

Now I need to figure out if I need to continuously provide nutrients monthly. Hope we can harvest something in the next few months. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Papaya Trees Starting to Bear Fruit!

It's been over a year since I propagated papaya seeds. I used seeds from store bought papaya. I like eating papaya since they are good for digestion and I read it's quite nutritious. I've been curious on what I can grow from store bought fruits and since papaya has a lot of seeds I figured I could probably succeed. 

I dried the seeds first and then planted it in soil. I neglected it for awhile, but managed to plant a few that survived. Again neglected it, but when I added compost two months ago they suddenly grew taller. Two weeks ago two trees started to grow something unfamiliar to me. I immediately consulted a friend and he jokingly told me they were caterpillars (hahaha).

He eventually said they were the flowers and should eventually become papaya fruit. Woohoo! I added some compost early this week and hope it would really eventually bear fruit. My friend advised me not to transfer the tree anymore since it's in a small pot. Sweetie checked it and he said that the roots have gone beyond the pot already. Yasss! 

I should take care of the other smaller plants and re-pot them to bigger ones so they can grow properly. For the two trees growing flowers, I hope the rain won't affect it. My friend said if all goes well, I'll have a bunch of papaya fruits in two to three months. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

My Papaya Trees a Year After

It's been more than a year since I sowed the seeds from grocery bought solo papaya. A couple of them grew and I transferred them to appropriate pots twice. 

A few weeks ago I noticed the leaves were yellowing and with some help from the plant app, I realized it needed fertilizer. It wasn't enough to feed them rice water every other week, I needed to add compost so they would be healthy. 

If grown properly, my papaya trees should be producing fruit by now. The plants are in different stages since I failed to give them appropriate nutrition and they are not getting the right amount of sunlight. Argh! Oh well, I have to get some bigger pots to give them more space to grow. I'm asking advise from a friend on what kind of fertilizer I should give it and how often. 

All part of the learning process, I hope by upping my game we'll be able to harvest some papaya in a few months!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Garden Notes: Cactus and Succulent Soil, Calamansi Soil, Avocado Soil

I have different kinds of plants and I can't find the notebook where I used to write down notes for my plants. I realized I should have just noted it here in my blog. That's what I do anyway when I need to refresh my memory. It's also why I make cooking videos at "Recipes for My Son". 

It's been hard to keep track of the needs of my plants. There's soil needs, fertilizer, pesticide, watering etc. So I thought I should write down what I use. It's easier to find it here than my (currently) missing notebook. Miggy can also put it to good use one day when he becomes a plantito (haha). 

Okay, so here's what I generally use for different kinds of plants -

Cactus and Succulents - loam soil, perlite, tiny pebbles, a little compost (learned this from Manong at the nursery)

Calamansi Soil - loam soil, compost/manure, rice husk, coco peat

Papaya Soil - loam soil, compost, rice husk, Coco peat

Avocado Soil - loam soil, compost, perlite, Coco peat, rice husk (use when you transfer from water)

Soil to Propagate Gumamela - loam soil, coco peat, perlite, rice husk

Gumamela Soil - loam soil, rice husk, vermicast

Bell Pepper Soil - loam soil, compost, rice husk

Desert Rose/Kalachuchi Soil - use succulent mix

Belly Buddha - use succulent mix

Ginger - loam soil, compost, rice husk

Dill Soil - loam soil, compost, sun drenched coffee grinds, rice husk

Rosemary Soil - loam soil, compost, sun drenched coffee grinds, rice husk, can also add some pebbles

Will update for other plants :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Two Months After Propagating Solo Papaya Seeds

I've grown fond of eating papaya since my confinement in November. I usually order solo papaya together with my groceries since it's just enough for me. Last March I experimented on propagating papaya seeds. I washed off the goo and the let it dry for a few days. Then I placed it on a paper towel in a container. I sprayed it with water and left it on the bottom shelf beside the sink. 

It took three weeks before it started sprouting. I would check it weekly and I think I sprayed more water once or twice. I was worried it would just dry up since it was really hot in April. I wasn't sure when to plant it in soil. To be honest, I forgot about the seedlings. They had grown quite long before I remembered to plant them in soil. 

I transferred the seedlings to a propagation tray. I decided to do that so it could have water all the time. Good thing I did because I got sick right after planting the seedlings in soil. It survived for two weeks while I was unable to do any gardening. 

I was surprised to see the seedlings grow more leaves when I was well enough to go to the garden. It was the perfect time to transfer them to bigger pots so they could grow bigger. I mixed loam soil, compost and rice hull a day before I transferred the seedlings. I re-used some smaller pots which I disinfected first before I used them. I selected the bigger seedlings first and they seem to be adjusting well. 

Now I have to research whether I could grow the papaya in a pot. I don't think it will survive if I plant them on the ground since we have very curious cats. There are currently 15 seedlings and I hope a good percentage of them would grow and bear fruit. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Papaya!

Some of my friends who are connected to me via Gtalk have been asking me the past few days what "Papaya" is - it's been on my status message. Well, "Papaya" (which I sometimes eat) is a featured song on the "Edu Manzano World Greatest Dance Steps" CD. Uh, Edu Manzano? Don't worry, he doesn't actually sing in the album except for some bits where he just says, "Papaya!".

Okay, okay, so mababaw lang talaga ako and it doesn't take much to make me laugh. It was what my best friend used to make me laugh the whole week last week and since some of my friends are needing a bit of cheering up I thought I'd share this bit -



Oh, I do suggest getting the CD, it helps lighten the mood and I think it'd be great to use at some dinner parties at home. I'm getting one as pasalubong for my friends in the US. You can get it through the Titikpilipino e-store as well if you're abroad.