Tuesday, July 19, 2022

SUMMER FAMILY TEA PARTY

 We didn't wear hats, but it was a great tea tasting party.  We had an incredible great lunch and great assortment of tea.  We also learned how each tea tools are used to serve a great tea.  
Do you TEA PET?
Lunch Buffet Galore.
ONIGIRI - Yum!
Japanese YOKAN with TIGER for the year of Tiger in the center.
TEA Tools
We learned that the shape of the cups matters and present itself as a tool in tasting the tea to produce it's utmost aroma.




A Mad Hatter Tea Service.  Depending on the tea, water temperatures varied.
How to max the tea aroma with tea cups provided.

We tasted approximately 14 different tea.  We were very alert.

WHERE HAS THE SPRING GONE? MY SUMMER GARDEN

 Not sure what happend in spring 2022.  It seems that it got skipped.  Now I recalled.  It was a sad months.  But here is the summer garden.

Repurposing broken wind chimes.  But I had to modify it several times.  It needs a heavy pundulum like weight at the bottom to hold the center  from not waving too much when the wind blows.

Hawaiian  Hibiscus is out and about this year.  I am happy that it is surviving its 3rd year.

    


Very interesting turn about this Avocado tree.  This is it's 5th year or the 6 year of growing in this garden bed.  It has died many times at 8 inches, and returned every spring.  Then, last autumn, it decided to grow a bit taller.  It's now about 4 feet tall.  But about two weeks ago, it 'suddenly' showed wilt and dryness.  Right now, it is much browner than this.  Even after watering it for about an hour with trickling of water to leach out supposed "chlorine" death, the leave seem bone dry. 
I even put a shape, but no use.  That's okay.  I told it, "Live or Die" like you always been doing.
The lotus plants arrive gracefully and it's large leaves are amazing to watch when the sun light strike it and water droplet just roll around its surface.  I wished my skin is like that.

Hope to see some Lotus blossoms soon.
An addition to my garden's free power - solar garden lights.
They are fun to watch.
This is one of the best and the oldest solar powered lamp I ever purchased at COSTCO.  It is 22 years old and still working.   Sadly you cannot find and buy such great American made solar lamps any more.  All the other ones last maybe 1 to 3 months.  Luckily the Torch light ones is surprisingly are lasting two summers thus far.


The Tube pilar solar light I purchased at COSTCO are lasting strong also for two summers.

The colorful flower lights are recent addition.  It says it can handle extreme heat, cold, and rain.  Let's see how it goes. 


POLLY'S CAULIFLOWER STEAK DINNER

 This is another great dish especially when pomegranates is freshly available.

Prepare the Dressing Topping with all the goodness.  Including 2 pints of pickled onions.


The challeng is how well you slice the whole cauliflower with each steak with center stems to hold the flowers together.
Microwave it slightly.
Then, fry them.  If you have a oven with steam cooking and dry baking that will be a great feature to do this.  Coat both sides of the Cauliflower steak with olive oil and salt.  Sprigs of broken rosemary, if desired.


Stack the cooked cauliflower.
Top with pomegranate dressing and pickled onion slices.  Serve.