Welcome to our farm! We are a permaculture farm growing exotic fruits and spices on the southern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Part of our farm is a Botanical Garden, enjoy!
Thursday, 12 November 2009
butterfly
I'm drying papaya seeds so that I can sprout them for salad mixes. The fermenting fruit attracts butterflies, wasps, bees, all sorts of visitors. Here's an owl (thanks Mike) butterfly from the side you rarely see.
Hi Jeanette, yes, I think Foxie and Hoss would be good friends! For the papaya seeds I dry them out thoroughly then sow them under a thin covering of compost (the trees like a sandier soil), water, cover and wait for 4 to 6 days. When they sprout uncover. You don't have to cover them but it seems to quicken the sprouting time. I just snip them off at the base, or pull each sprout out and snip, allowing the root part to return and nourish the soil. Happy sprouting!
Hey there....That's actually an Owl Buterfly, not a Morpho. The Owls are drawn to fermenting fruits, as are the Morphos, so you'll often see them together. When the Owl opens its wings, it's yellow and black on the inside, unlike the Morpho which is electric blue.
Papayas: endlessly amazing! i can't wait to try them as sprouts. i experimented with sun drying papayas a while back (rainy season was a poor choice) but i was attracting clouds of mariposas, so gorgeous!
Hi Liz, yes papayas are very versatile. Someone gave me a papaya batido today made with milk and nutmeg - could have sworn it was eggnog! I cut the sprouts when the first true leaves appear - good and peppery, and I don't know about you but I'm always looking for salad greens here.
I knew I was drying papaya seeds for something but, didn't know they would sprout to be used on salads. Good info.
ReplyDeleteHi Jeanette,
ReplyDeleteyes, I think Foxie and Hoss would be good friends! For the papaya seeds I dry them out thoroughly then sow them under a thin covering of compost (the trees like a sandier soil), water, cover and wait for 4 to 6 days. When they sprout uncover. You don't have to cover them but it seems to quicken the sprouting time. I just snip them off at the base, or pull each sprout out and snip, allowing the root part to return and nourish the soil. Happy sprouting!
Hey there....That's actually an Owl Buterfly, not a Morpho. The Owls are drawn to fermenting fruits, as are the Morphos, so you'll often see them together. When the Owl opens its wings, it's yellow and black on the inside, unlike the Morpho which is electric blue.
ReplyDeletePapayas: endlessly amazing! i can't wait to try them as sprouts. i experimented with sun drying papayas a while back (rainy season was a poor choice) but i was attracting clouds of mariposas, so gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteHi Mike,
ReplyDeleteoops! thank you. Yeah you're right, I'll post the two side by side,
thanks again,
Ancel
Hi Liz, yes papayas are very versatile. Someone gave me a papaya batido today made with milk and nutmeg - could have sworn it was eggnog! I cut the sprouts when the first true leaves appear - good and peppery, and I don't know about you but I'm always looking for salad greens here.
ReplyDeleteOooh I must try sprouting my papaya seeds - thanks for the advice...
ReplyDeleteYay! Let me know how it goes. I love your garden!
ReplyDelete