Hello lovely people! It feels good to be back….
I know I have been missing in action for an entire season now. You know why? I was holidaying almost the whole of summer back home in India.
And I seldom cooked. Never missed on eating though. I got to feast on the bounty of the season – golden ripe mangoes and saffron hued jackfruits and all the home made foods that I craved for, the last couple of years.
I did have all the intentions to blog while I was there, about the traditional foods mom, aunt and mom-in-law made. That did not happen as I just let myself be in the moment. Then, I intended to bring back some pictures of the places I visited like a diligent blogger. That did not happen much as well, as for a change I felt good enjoying the simple pleasures without lugging my camera around. Luckily, after scrambling through my hard drive, I found some that I could share with you..
So take a look at these from my trip back home.. I’ll forewarn you, they may not be what you expect to see.. I hope you them enjoy nonetheless..
On the way to Kukke Subrahmanya, when we stopped at a tea shop in Sakaleshpur (near Hassan), this winding road and the lone tree added to the serenity of the place
A distant view of the Mysore Palace minarets from the terrace at my grand-dad’s house. can u spot them?. Yes, it is at a walking distance, say 10 mins of brisk walk..
Inside view of the narrow corridor (aka “woni in kannada) and the tiled roof at my Grand dad’s house.
A tulsi sapling and some traditional water containers on the well inside the house.
My all time favorite flower – “Jaaji” as dainty as it looks and smells just divine..
It is hard to find these even outside of Mysore
One of the hundred plants from the terrace garden at my grand dad’s house, Mangaravalli (kannada) and Perandai (Tamil) is supposed to have digestive qualities. My grand dad’s sister whom we fondly called Attapaati would make and out of the world tasting chutney out of this. Most modern families are losing touch eating or cooking this now-a-days rare to be seen plant.
It is notorious to be highly itch inducing when it comes in contact with the skin. So knowing how to properly cook it is very important.
A darker variety of Tulasi and I love these. They have a stronger taste and scent.
The next few plants are from my mom’s garden.
This one is called “Insulin plant” as it is supposed to have a positive effect on blood sugar levels. Very popular among the diabetes patients.
What you see are just the leaves. Turmeric roots are underground.
Amruthaballi (Guduchi)
Remember the saying on “Apple a day”? Something very similar goes for this one as well. An Amruthaballi leaf a day chewed first thing in the morning on empty stomach is supposed to keep all illness away.
If you remember, I had enquired about this plant some weeks back on my facebook page.
Last but not the least, some green mangoes from the season gone by.
What did you’ll do this summer?
Treat yourself to more :
