Sunday stroll at Saint James the Greater Churchyard's Garden

The garden at the churchyard of Saint James the Greater enclosed by its historic Punta Diamante's thick coral stone wall is always a favorite destination for my photo strolls. Its easy access from my residence around two blocks away is not the main reason why. The real draw is Punta Diamante, the muralla or stone fort. It is a Spanish colonial period fortress and definitely one of the best kept secrets of Bulusan town. The place is even older than the famed Ruins of Barcelona located in the neighboring Barcelona town.

The historic ambiance of the place easily gives a hint that this place has the potential of a tourist spot similar to the 'Father Blanco's Garden' of the historic Intramuros in Manila often featured in magazines and national dailies. 

At present, the Saint James Parish's garden is planted with local ornamental plants that are familiar in the locality. It seems that these are perennially flowering dotting the expanse of the churchyard with colors. With variety of colors and patterns, I can spend hours inside its perimeter without being bored. 

I was not alone though, I spotted two boys playing 'play golf'. No idea though how they were able to have access to a real golf ball and club :) I did not bother to bother them with trivial questions because I was also busy with my shoot.

There are so many endless subjects in the vicinity that I know will register well in photographs. I started with the ornamental flowers and end up taking photos of interesting leaves and wild flowers as well in the sprawling churchyard.

Related post: http://bulusanruralvagabond.wordpress.com/2013/08/16/punta-diamante-bulusans-testament-to-a-glorious-past/

Photographs by Alma P. Gamil
Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Kapayas is Bulusan's Papaya

I am not going to be technical today. No scientific names. Besides it is easy to do that. Just go to the List of Philippine plants (StuartXchange site is recommended). I intend to share my view on the physical beauty of the Papaya known in Bulusan as K-a-p-a-y-a-s. 

First, look at the pattern. She (this is a female papaya) is so symmetrical with the necessary edging. The stalks and her leaves are like green umbrellas reaching out for the sun's rays instead of shying away from it. The spaces between the slender stalks create a beautiful pattern of rays resembling clusters of umbrellas arranged radially.

Second, the fruits--drooping like multiple elongated breasts infinitely growing from her top body. The green color does not hide the fact that week after week this unassuming kapayas at our backyard will deliver  luscious sweet fleshy fruits not from her nipple but the whole of it. A feat considering that she does not require much care. In fact none at all.

Our backyard kapayas is very prolific. The harvested fruits go directly to the table. I almost forgot to mention the color. The fleshy fruit's color is the color of peach and melon. A sure invitation to partake her.

Please be sure to spread her seeds after every luscious moment with your papaya. Throwing back the seeds at your backyard is not a bad idea. Two or three of those will become another source of your papaya table fare.

And this does not include those kapayas that accompanied our native chicken for 'Linumpan na manok' a dish with papaya and coconut milk the recipe of which is shared by pamughaton.net.

'Linumpan na manok' is another Bulusan's culinary favorite.



Photographs by Alma P. Gamil

Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Greek Oregano: Pasta Dishes from Good to Wow!

 

Greek Oregano is a prolific grower. Sun loving and can even grow in a hanging pot beside your banggerahan (open kitchen sink in philippine rural houses).

Put a dash of fresh Greek oregano leaves in your usual spaghetti sauce and let your guests left wondering why your spaghetti is so deliciously different from theirs. This is gourmet pasta right at your kitchen.

Best for most tomato dishes too!

 

Grow your pasta secret in a pot near your kitchen. Or better in a sunny spot of your banggerahan in a pot hanging in its bamboo slats for accessibility while cooking. Mine is planted in a recycled 'kaserola' shown in the photo.

In case you are wondering where I sourced my Greek culinary oregano. You may visit this gardener's store or visit this web site: Thyme Square by GreenHearts, Inc. www.greenhearts.com/

Kalunggay: Moringa oleifera a.k.a. Malunggay

I personally tested the oft-reproduced characterization made many years ago by the Trees for Life organization, that "ounce-for-ounce, Moringa leaves contain more Vitamin A than carrots, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach, more Vitamin C than oranges, and more potassium than bananas," and that the protein quality of Moringa leaves rivals that of milk and eggs.

This is good news for many of us who do not have the capacity to buy the foods mentioned as comparison. Malunggay locally known as Kalunggay in Bulusan  is multivitamins available for free usually  from a neighbor's fence. But we did plant our own sustainable supply at the back of our house.

Easy to grow. Just ask from your neighbor a wrist-sized branch of Kalunggay and let it stand for a while in a sunny nook in your yard. When the shoots are starting to show in the standing branch, this is the right time to  plant. Be sure to pick a sunny spot in your garden or fence that is open to the sun the whole day.

That is my technique. Others plant the freshly cut branch  right at once. I tried this too with the same success.
Most important factor is the sun. These plants are sun loving and like to grow on their own after planting. No need to water. Natural rainfall is enough for them.

For an authentic Bulusan recipe of Kinunot using Kalunggay as vegetable you may visit this site :
pamughaton.net

Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Engkantada: Bulusan's Mystery Flower

Engkantada is as luminous as the high rise of the full moon. Her ethereal beauty is visible only to a night stalker--me.

I knew beforehand that it will be a one-night performance only for this ephemeral beauty. So, I have to be patient in the waiting game. Then the final hour, the flower reveals herself which is a cross between a lotus and an orchid. What a mesmerizing sight! An apparition in her whiteness. Her scent was the most subtle kind of sweetness unlike any other fragrance.

Photos: Alma P. Gamil
Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines