This and That

We are drowning in Hawaii with all the rain that's been pouring down.  The entire Island is inundated.  I need to go out and pick lemons, starfruit, plant some things, do weeding, but gardening is definitely not a happening thing right now.  I am glad that the internet is up, so I can catch up on my favorite sites, we're warm and dry inside and that there is no need to drive anywhere through the flooded streets.

On an unrelated to anything in particular note, my grandson picked this hibiscus (our State flower) and brought it in for me a few days ago. So beautiful it needed to be featured here.

Rain from the deck roof goes down a copper chain, into a rain barrel and from there, via buried hose, to the pond.  Overflowing today.

As for cooking, this is a perfect day for soup, or baking brownies.  Or, both.

Breadfruit Time Again

We have been foraging breadfruit for years here on the Big Island.  Then, several years ago, when we bought a house in town to convert to an office, there was a tree in back, so no more need to go out and forage.  Now, this year for the first time, our young breadfruit tree at home has fruited.  Two whole breadfruits!  Small, but tasting fine.

I love the leaves on this tree.  They have been an inspiration for many Hawaiian quilters.

The last time I posted about breadfruit, it was a Polynesian  pudding type dish.. For that, you let the fruit sit out till soft and turning crusty brown on the outside.

With this fruit I boiled it while still green (the other is destined for a pudding experiment).  You simply cover  with water, cover the pot and bring to a boil.  Turn down to simmer and cook for about an hour.  Since mine was fairly small it only took 45 minutes.  Then, let it cool, cut in half, trim away the skin and core, and cut into slices or chunks, depending on what you are going to do with it.

I tossed the slices in seasonings and fried them in some macadamia nut oil til nice and crispy on the outside.  Serve as a side with anything you'd normally serve potatoes with.  If serving with a curry, I would just add them in to absorb the  flavors, without frying first.

A lot got eaten before I remembered to take a picture at the end of the process. I think my mind was on stuffing my face rather than photography or blogging?  This one had just a hint of the ripening flavor, which I love.  When it's greener, the flavor is blander, more like potato or taro.

Oh, Boy, Snow!

Mauna Loa snow

Well, isn't this festive? The nice thing is that it's up there and I'm down here. A choice is involved. Do I go up to the snow or not. Don't call me, I'll call you. Can you tell my choice is usually NOT to. There was a lot of snow on Mauna Kea, but the roads were closed, so grandpa took the nephew and grandkids to Mauna Loa instead. There, they had fun getting cold, wet and pumped throwing snowballs at each other and down their clothes. Uuueee!

Apparently, they weren't alone, there was a long line of cars and trucks going up and bringing snow back home, just for the heck of it. That's what we do in Hawaii.