Weeeeyull, looks like you folks aren't quite as brilliant as you thought you were, eh what? Last week's photo evidently left you gasping for mercy, calling "Uncle!," too whipped to offer even the wildest, bouncing-off-the-wall guess. Or maybe the stunning silence on that one was because I forgot to OFFER A PRIZE to the winner.
The prickly thing at top left is a spiny chayote. Here's an excellent video showing how to deal with the thing and make it into what looks like a delicious salad to serve at your next Mexi-themed grill party.
You can find spiny chayotes at Latin markets.
The thing in the lower left corner is a lime. I'm giving you one more shot. What's the elongated vegetable in the middle?
In other news, remember this guy?:
hit the jump to find out how to double your life span
That portable pot of leafy green veggie is Malabar spinach. I planted this monster in my garden and it's already twining around anything it can get its sticky little paws on. By coincidence, I've been looking at an incredible book called HUNGRY PLANET: What the World Eats, where writer and photogapher Faith D'Aluisio and Peter Menzel go all over the world taking pictures of families posed with a week's worth of groceries. As it happens, the Matsuda family of Okinawa (aged 75, 88, and 100) like to eat this plant, which they call tsuru murasaki ("healthful grass"). They chop it in strips and mix it raw with tofu and citrus-flavored vinegar for one of their favorite traditional dishes. Evidently it's one of the reasons that grandma Kama Matsuda was able to dance at her 100th birthday party.
Now, for this week's brain twister. WTF Is IT??!!
ain't they the cutest little buggers?
Here's one plucked away from its litter-mates:
Whoever correctly solves this week's conundrum shalt be crowned Queen of the Green.
--Gail Shepherd
