Saturday Bird Postcard...


Where Blue Herons are found lingering down by the riverside


May your day or night be blessed in the grace of God.

French Cashew...and Cashew Nut, too...


Our French Cashew, aka Malay Apple, trees are young still...
and although they are now bearing a few fruits...
let me take you down the road just a few hundred feet away...
and to the left of the photo you will see a tree


this is the French Cashew tree which can grow quite tall and thick
(the cow in the photo below, is our Ms. Ruthie Moo-Moo, who was quite curious)


when the French Cashew tree blooms...
well! you get a brilliant bang of hot pink color in your eyes


the flowers are a most curious and interesting puffballs of needle like petals...
that grow along the branches inside the tree and can often be missed until...
they fall to the ground


the needle like flowers develop within a covering of sepals as seen in the left photo below
after the flowers fall, the fruit develops


sometimes the fruit will have creamy yellow stripes with red or...
become fully red in color


the skin develops a waxy feel and look...
the inside is white and crispy, with one marble-like seed in the middle... 
that parts from the flesh easily
the flesh has a rose water flavored apple taste to it, so good, it is


and if there is no one to pick all that beautiful fruit on a tree growing wild...
it becomes fodder on the ground
we missed the harvest on this tree because we forgot to look


a few we could save and salvage for our eating pleasure and health

(I'm sorry for the lousy photo below. It was all I had to show the crispy inside)

now let me tell you that this French Cashew, aka Malay Apple...
is not the Cashew Nut fruit

while the French Cashew does not have the nut...

the Cashew Nut is the fruit with the cashew nut on it
did you know the cashew nut grows on the bottom of a fruit?

while these two fruits have a similar look...
the Cashew Nut fruit is different both in taste and texture from the French Cashew


the nut, which is actually the seed, breaks off from the fruit and is encased in a shell...
however, the nut is not edible until it is properly and carefully shelled by a knowlegable person...
to keep the toxic acid from contaminating the cashew
this is a process I leave to one who knows the right way to do this


while the French Cashew (Malay Apple) is crisp and light...
the Cashew Nut fruit has a softer skin...
and a creamy yellow pulp without a seed in the middle (the nut is the seed)
the taste of the Cashew Nut has undertones of mango, raw green pepper...
and a hint of grapefruit
very good in it's own right
Cashew Nut fruit is most often used for making juice

so now...I hope you are not confused
you can look them both up on the web under their names...
and get more info on these wonderful, healthy fruits


and of the Lord, His word says...

Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.
Nevertheless He left not Himself without witness,
in that He did good,
and gave us rain from heaven,
and fruitful seasons,
filling our hearts with food and gladness.
Acts 14:17

May your day or night be fruitful in the grace of God.

Titillating Tuesday...


One of my favorite things to do in the morning...
is to take my cup of coffee and the dogs to take a turn around the cottage compound

I love to see what new things the Lord may have brought our way...
and sure enough, the "jump-up-and-kiss-me" flowers are blooming vivaciously

the Mexican Sunflowers that grew there last year...
have left their seeds scattered around my potting shed area...
and they are coming up around the jump-ups and promising more blooms in the near future



Ms. Ruthie Moo-Moo who still hadn't waken up completely...
turned her head to say, "good morning"



Big Red was up early with his hen flock and out into the bushes for their morning meal



and oh! how beautifully the butterflies show the handiwork of God's creation

the Duranta tree has been blooming big-time and beckoning to the winged pollinators of the air...


and the Duranta flowers with their delicate fragrance have been successfully...
tempting the butterflies and honeybees to come calling to take nectar in the sun rays



the "Pride of Barbados", aka Peacock Flamboyant is in full bloom by the corner of the cottage
the tangerine-orange blooms cannot be silent in their demand to be seen



the white Mussaenda won't be outshined and is putting all it's might into the competition



and while the roses are waning just a bit...
there are more buds rising up from the bush stems in what looks like a race for a color show



I stopped by the Guava trees and noticed the tiny fruits that are growing into food for us...
and no doubt, for the birds and the lizards who will want their share, too 



the Mango trees look pretty decked out in their mango fruit...
but, I can tell you, sometimes it's hard to wait for that delicious ripeness 



I noticed one of my hens came running up the hill from under the breadfruit tree
she was alone which is unusual for her and I got a little suspicious
so, going over to the tree...
there by the trunk on the ground was a little nest, neatly carved out with twigs and leaves


well, it turns out that, the hen who lays the smallest egg and the hen who lays the largest egg...
seem to have gotten together and conspired to lay their eggs under the shade of a tree
why, you clever little hens...you've been found out



the French Cashew tree has been putting out some fruit for the first time...
and I knew there just had to be some ready for the picking


while the little lizard in the above right photo watched me come to steal what he thought was his...


I picked these two fruit ready to eat for breakfast

in my next post, I'll tell you more about this fruit


and while it may look like paradise here...
yet, it is not without it's troubles
where sin has it's grip, every nook and place in the world will have it's sorrows

but, here is true paradise for me...
that...
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed,
because His compassion fail not.
They are new every morning:
great is Thy faithfulness.
The Lord is my portion,
saith my soul:
therefore will I hope in Him.
The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him,
to the soul that seeketh Him.
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
Lamentations 3:22-26

May your day or night find paradise in the mercies and grace of the Lord.

Pilgrim's Farm Raw Honey Giveaway Winner...


Today, we drew the winner of Pilgrim's Farm Honey from random and...

 David of floridasurvivalgardening.com won!

the jar of honey comes with a splendiferous, homesewn drawstring bag...
mostly for keeping the jar intact during shipping

so, David...you can contact me by email at:
pilgrimscottage@yahoo.com
to claim your spiffy prize


I sure did want to draw all the names...sigh
perhaps, we'll do another giveaway, again, this year

May your day or night find blessing in the prize of God's grace.

Coconut and Lime equals Compatibility...


Yesterday, we were still rainy...
although for several hours, we did get some sunshine

but, then it was evening...
and even Shadow would rather stay where it is dry to watch the misty rain...
as it veils the mountains around the cottage



in which case...
a recipe that called for a tropical compatibility of a coconut milk and lime duo...
that brings bliss to the palate and coziness in the cottage on a wet evening

depending on one's portion size...
this serves 4 to 6 people
the ingredients are:
1 cup of raw sugar (for sweetness)
1/4 cup of cornstarch (for thickness)
pinch of salt (for whateverness)
3 cups of coconut milk (for healthness)
4 egg yolks (for richness)
4 TBsp butter (for yumminess)
juice of two limes (for tartness)
zest of two limes (for zingness)


turn on low heat and mix together the sugar and cornstarch
please do use a whisk because it keeps the pudding as it cooks from getting clumpy
'cause...
I prefer my puddings smooth


slowly whisk the coconut milk into the dry ingredients...
then the egg yolks, one at a time...
then the butter and whisk it all together well


slowly pour in the lime juice, mix it in...
and put in the lime zest


cook until the pudding thickens and stays on the back of a wooden spoon
this should take all about 15 minutes


pour into your desired containers...
and put some plastic wrap on top to keep the pudding from forming a "scab"
refrigerate until hungry for something good
or, you can even eat it warm
sometimes, I do


this is the last day to enter the drawing for an 8 ounce jar of Pilgrim's Farm Honey
on June 22 (Saturday), the winner will be announced
so, if you are interested, please do leave a comment with a name...
if you have not done so, as yet


How sweet are Thy words unto my taste!
yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Through Thy precepts I get understanding:
therefore I hate every false way.
Psalm 119:103,104

May your day or night find sweetness in God's grace.

When Tea Calls...with Honey...


It's a delightfully cool, rainy day for a cup of hot tea...or two

while the Lord causes the ixora to bloom with His own watering system...



and brings into our rock garden large blooms of red fire...



and while I wait for the hens to finish up their egg laying for the morning...



the honeybees are working faster than expected



surprising us with some extra cones on the inside walls to let us know...
they need more frames



because with the rains that bring more flowers...
there is a heap more nectar to be carried to the hives



which means more honey for tea



and still, the drawing for a jar of Pilgrim's Farm honey goes on this day...
and through June 20
so, if you're interested...
please do leave a comment with a name to let me know


Pleasant words are as an honeycomb,
sweet to the soul,
and health to the bones.
Proverbs 16:24

May your day or night be pleasant as a honeycomb by the Lord's grace.

Saturday Bird Postcard...


Where tiny wrens sit high in banana trees


May your day or night find blessings in God's grace.

A Rainy Day, it is...


Waking up to a rainy morning means...
there will be a pause in work outside the cottage

(a bush view of Pilgrim's Cottage)

the rain may pass on it's way and it may not...
but, while the dogs hesitate to go out into the drizzle...


I ventured out into the bush to the goats



and while this little doe busied herself with good eats from the bush...
and before it would start to rain, again...


I picked a ripe papaya and snapped some photos for you...
and while this may be a good morning for another cup of coffee...
some reading and some sewing...



I'll leave you with another view of the honey promised in the give-away drawing
if you would like to enter the drawing, just leave a comment or just say "hello" with a name
if you have already done so since June 6, no need to do it, again
the contest ends June 20 (Thursday)
this jar of raw honey is a full 8 ounces and comes with an extra something...
which I will show you in my next week's post


and the sovereign Lord said,
I will make all my goodness pass before thee,
and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee;
and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious,
and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
Exodus 33:19

May the Lord bless you with His grace and mercy this day or night.