2 posts tagged “parrot”

I said to a friend that my favourite jam [jelly to USA] was rosella jam and of course she thought :

Eastern Rosella Parrot

and I said, no not rosella ....rosella, silly!

Rosella, also Queensland Jam Plant (Hibiscus Subdantta)

Botanical Name: Hibiscus sabdariffa

Family: Malvaceae

Plant Description: A native of tropical West Africa, it prefers warm climates. Rosella is an attractive annual shrub to 1.5 m high with large, lobed reddish leaves and attractive yellow hibiscus-like flowers. Rosellas are easy to grow, with no pest problems, hardy and productive. Most soil types are suitable, provided they are rich and well-drained. Plenty of water is needed to maintain growth, flowering and fruit development, mulching is beneficial. Three to four plants is all that is needed to produce a good crop. Plants normally begin to crop when about 3 months old and cropping may continue for 9 months or until the first frost. The fruit is ready to pick about 3 weeks after flowering.

Uses:

• Food: the fleshy calyx is used in salads, jellies, cranberry-like sauces, jams, syrups and wine. Dried the red calyx is used for tea and it is an important ingredient in the commercial Red Zinger, Hibiscus and Fruit teas. The tea is very similar in flavour to rose-hips and high in vitamin C. Seeds are roasted and ground into flour. Young leaves can be steamed or stir-fried and are known as Red Sorrel in the Pacific.

• Hedge: Rosella is an attractive annual hedge or windbreak for the summer garden.

the flower of the rosella plant

this year's crop of 4 rosella plants

Today is “International Talk like a Pirate Day” My assistant burst through the door this morning, declaring “Ho, Ho, Ho me hearties”. A cross dressing mixed up Santa came to mind… Pirate day is a breeze to a one eyed woman. I am the only one who can walk around with an eye patch all day and not feel off balance! I did pass two pirates, adults, this morning on the way into my office. One was even carrying a jolly roger flag as he walked along. Later in the morning I went to the bathroom and could hear lots of “hey me hearty” voices drifting in from outside. There was some confusion on one of the radio stations about it being talk like a parrot day, but in the end they decided to make it Talk like a Pirate’s Parrot Day!

I passed an advertising sign this morning for Clubb Dental. I wanted to stop my car and go and investigate. Was it like Club Med and they met you at the door with a little anesthetic cocktail with a little umbrella ? Or was the clubb more like they clubbed you into unconsciousness before your procedure? Either way I figure disappointment was not far off.

My stomach growled so loudly this morning as I drove my car, that I had to check the back seat to make sure I didn’t have an extra passenger. I felt like I should buckle my stomach into the passenger seat beside me as it appeared to be taking on a life of its own. Down girl, down.

I dropped an almond on the kitchen floor this morning as I was bagging some for our lunches. I picked it up before the 3 second cut off, and was so tempted just to throw it into daughter’s lunch (well it wasn’t going into mine, I knew it had been on the floor!) but my catholic mother guilt rose and I threw it into the compost bin. Then I felt guilty for wasting a perfectly good almond. Looking back I should have given it to Mr FD as that is what husbands are for – eating questionable food.  Maybe it will sprout in the compost and I can grow almonds to feed a nation and then my guilt will be eradicated.