Friday, August 31, 2018

Road trip

Last week, my brother and I drove up the coast to Mann's Harbor to pay a visit to Ma Paco on her birthday. She's now 87, but she still manages to putter around in her garden, although she's become more selective in what she plants. Looks like she went mainly for okra this year (visible on the other side of the zinnia flowers)...



Here's an enormous pecan tree that my stepfather planted 30 years ago...

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9 comments:

  1. rinardmanAugust 31, 2018 at 10:12 PM

    My mom used to grow a lot of okra, too. And fried it up in a skillet. And I ate it. A lot.

    Pecan trees must grow pretty fast, if that one is only 30 years old. I have some oak trees in my yard, that I planted about 25 years ago and they're only about half that tall.

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  2. Mike_WAugust 31, 2018 at 11:21 PM

    Are there any health benefits to eating pecans?

    Anti-aging Benefits: Pecans contain numerous antioxidants including ellagic acid, vitamin A and vitamin E. These antioxidants fight and eliminate the free radicals which are responsible for causing premature skin aging. ... Just like our skin, healthy hair is also a reflection of a healthy body.

    Climbing that tree to harvest the pecan nuts and making lots of pecan pies must keep your mum spritely, Paco.
    I bet she has beautiful skin and hair.

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    1. DeborahSeptember 1, 2018 at 1:22 PM

      Pecan oil is supposed to be very good. The following is from pecanoil.com.

      “Due to pecan oil's high smoking point of 470 degrees F, it is beneficial to use while frying, baking, or sautéing food to avoid a rancid flavor as other oils have been known to possess. ... You can also use pecan oil as a butter substitute in almost any recipe. Aug 22, 2014

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  3. PacoAugust 31, 2018 at 11:52 PM

    Well, I believe she just waits until the pecans fall out of the tree. And it generates so many, there's plenty left over for human consumption, even after the squirrels have their fill.

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  4. Mike_WSeptember 1, 2018 at 12:13 AM

    It really is a beautiful tree, Paco.
    And God bless your mum.

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  5. PacoSeptember 1, 2018 at 12:19 AM

    Thankee, Mike. She's always had a green thumb. She has gardenias that must be five or six feet tall, and enormous blueberry bushes, just to name a couple of things.

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    1. DeborahSeptember 1, 2018 at 1:28 PM

      My Granny had a green thumb too. She'd break off a part of a plant she fancied somewhere, then plant it in the backyard in Hawaii. I think that's how we got plantains. Those things are not easy to remove.

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  6. bruceSeptember 1, 2018 at 6:15 AM

    Fried fresh okra, yummm.

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  7. DeborahSeptember 1, 2018 at 1:46 PM

    Granny and Aunt E had a garden too. Tomatoes (beefsteak and cherry), zucchini, and I don't remember what else.

    We have a pecan motte on the lower part of our property, but we've never harvested or had any. Given the benefits, we should. Now that the cattle have been through there, it might be easier to get to.

    This being Texas, there is an abundance of okra, fried or pickled. Yum!

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