Up on the hill where we pasture our goats grows a west indian bay tree...
big and lovely and much too tall for me to reach...
it is my husband who will bring down a small branch for me...
whenever I need to dry some leaves for using in teas and cooking
I also love to use it in flavoring our cocoa tea
our tree was flowering when I snapped these photos
love having my own bay tree because it is so nice to use the fresh leaves
with the rains in recent days...
the bush has been growing faster than we can keep up with
but when my husband starts up that weed whacking motor...
not only do the chickens come running...
but so do the egrets...
abandoning the goats and cow for the moment...
to enjoy the insects and worms that appear from out of the bush...
as the weed whacker startles those little creatures from hiding
and we are now intently harvesting our corn at this time
they have long past their peak for eating and have become hard and dry...
making them great for harvesting to hang up and dry till all moisture...
is gone from each kernel
we grow the local corn that has been used for generations here on the island
it is a maize variety and not the delicate sweet corn known in the north
but, when this corn is very young and just before the tassel dries all the way...
the corn is very edible, delicious, sweet and juicy
but, when this corn is very young and just before the tassel dries all the way...
the corn is very edible, delicious, sweet and juicy
it's a relaxing job that I do each day until the corn is all gone from the stalks
picking from 10 to 12 ears of corn
taking most of the husk off except for 2 or 3 pieces
this gives me the ability to tie the left husks of one ear to another
like so, as you see below
then, they are hung from the clothes line under the roof of the herb garden
this will not only keep them out of the rats' reach
but will also help them dry as long as it takes to get all moisture out
this prevents the corn kernels from becoming mildewed and rotted
once they are dry and hard...
the ears will be shucked and the kernels put away in a cool, dry place for...
both cornmeal and chicken feed
a job well worth the effort from tilling, sowing, weeding and harvesting
of course, the stalks still green will go to the cow who loves them...
and the dry stalks will be composted back into the soil
May your day or night find grace in the Lord.
