Thai Green Curry Prep - The Day Before

 

Song:  Where The Streets Have No Name

Group:  U2

I was notified that my package of Asian food had arrived at the post office...

however, as it was Sunday...

I'll have to wait for tomorrow to pick it up.

In the package...

one of the items included is Thai Green Curry paste.

And so...

on this day...

I went shopping at Safeway for plenty of chicken breasts...

shrimp...

and tofu...

as well as some cheese.

This is my medium cooler.

I keep the small and medium coolers in the car to transport my groceries

from inside the car once I arrive home from the grocery store.

Today's shopping just fit inside.

 Had I bought too much...

I would have just used the smaller cooler as well.

I like to keep the deep freeze fully stocked with items I usually cook with.

I had gotten about 18 lbs of chicken breasts...

and 16 lbs of shrimp...

among other items.

I bought frozen cooked shrimp...

as all I will have to do is to defrost them in a warm bath...

just before adding them to the curry.

I usually eat a large chunk of cheese with most meals.

I will add some tofu in this dish...

and the rest I will use in Kimchi Stew later on.

After I put away the groceries...

I then began steam cooking two packs of chicken breasts (about 7 lbs - just over 2 kilos).

I filled the pot about 1/4 the way with water.

I then put in the steamer basket...

...and placed in all of one package and part of another of chicken breasts.

These were for the second batch to steam.

I chose to steam them to keep the flavor neutral for the curry...

and for the uniform texture.

I readied the cutting board to place the freshly steamed chicken upon

to allow them to cool before I shredded them and put them in the large bowl.

They were ready in about 20 minutes.

As the first batch was cooling...

...I then emplaced the second batch for steaming.

As the second batch was steaming...

I shredded the first batch...

and just let the second batch cool.

After they cooled...

I shredded them as well.

I then just covered the bowl with foil and refrigerated it...

in preparation for tomorrow.

I will batch cook the Thai Green Curry and freeze it in many containers.

I will add in the Shiitake mushrooms as I heat the coconut milk 

with the green curry paste...

and just before I finish cooking them together...

I will add in the chicken and shrimp and let it simmer for a little while

before I turn off the heat.

The tofu I will add into the mixture once I bowl a serving...

as I am unsure how tofu tastes if frozen.

As much of the cooking was done today...

making the Thai Green Curry tomorrow will be fairly quick.

I will be making Basmati rice for use with this dish tomorrow.

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I got plenty of chicken and shrimp as I love eating Pad Thai as well as Green Curry...

and of which in each...

I use a plentiful amount of chicken and shrimp.

These two dishes are my favorite Thai dishes...

and now that I can make them easily at home...

I can add these to my cooking repertoire.

Phase III Complete - Tree Planted

 

Song:  Aniron

Artist:  Enya

Yesterday...

just as I was thinking of planting the Japanese Maple...

I heard thunder close by.

So...

I just stayed inside.

Today...

as the sky was relatively clear...

I decided to complete Phase III of the planting of my tree.

I had made a mound from the original soil...

and planted the tree.

I then covered the top with more of the original soil.

Because of the way the branches are growing unevenly...

it looks like I had planted the tree crookedly...

but, I made sure the trunk was vertical.

There are three main branches on this tree.

I had oriented them so as they continue to grow...

one branch will face towards the house...

thereby providing shade along the rear of the walkway...

and one will eventually fill out over the lower driveway...

and one will fill out over the front walkway 

and the upper driveway.

I will also selectively trim the tree later on to ensure it grows somewhat 

where I wish it to.

I semi-loosely tied the tree to the tree stakes.

I then supported the two longest branches to stabilize the upper portion of the tree

against the west...

and sometimes gusting eastern winds.

This is an Osakazuki Japanese Maple.

It is supposed to be especially hardy in a variety of soils...

and it is supposed to be one of the most scarlet and colorful in Autumn.

It will eventually mature to approximately 25 x 25 feet (7.62 x 7.62 meters).

This being a one year sapling...

it will be many years before it reaches full maturity.

I won't know how quickly it will grow...

for another year or so.

Under optimum conditions...

it will grow 1-2 feet a year.

However...

it being at an elevation of 9,650 ft (2,941 meters)...

and it being about 1,000 ft above its normal growing elevation limit...

I suspect it will grow only about 1 ft a year.

Hopefully...

I can coax it to grow more vigorously.

But...

the growing season is short here...

usually about five months.

I will hold off topping the soil with mulch

until I winterize the tree...in about a month or so.

I want to be able to add more soil as I water the tree over the next month...

to fill in any soil subsidence due to it settling more.

--------------

This is Bandi's Tree...

as when Bandi finally grows old and passes...

I will bury her ashes at the base of the tree so I may keep her memory alive

every time I am greeted by the sight of the tree.

Once her ashes are buried there...

I will name the tree...

Bandi.

--------------

The tree on the other side of the house

(of which will arrive at the end of October...

and will be a three year old sapling...

I will name Kuma...

the name of my first dog).

--------------

I will resume the weeding around the walkway tomorrow.

I will have to buy another tool as well...

one to trim the long woody branches of the bushes.

--------------

I feel greatly satisfied having completed the laborious task 

that planting this tree had been.

But...

now I will get a lifetime of enjoyment watching it grow...

enjoying the colors in Autumn...

and later on...

enjoying the shade it will provide over the walkway...

and both of the driveways.

I will also be able to enjoy this tree from the comfort of my bed

through the large side window near the pillow side as I lay down my head.

--------------

Actually...

I was ambivalent about planting today...

as last night (10 PM)...

I had giving in to a mad craving for McDonald's cheeseburgers.

I drove to Woodland Park...

singing the whole way there in anticipation of a feast...

and all the way back as I was feeling so good.

I had eaten 6 cheese burgers...

fries...

an apple pie...

and I had drunk a large Dr. Pepper.

Even though I hadn't stuffed myself...

this morning...

I had awakened with some intestinal disturbance.

And so...

I hadn't eaten anything all day...

and just relaxed in bed.

If I eat anything at all...

later tonight...

it will just be some of my homemade yogurt.

Yes...

I am still a child at times.

I sometimes give in to mad food cravings...

even though I know I shouldn't.

But...

they were so delicious  :)

Phase II Completed

 

Song:  Arwen's Vigil

Artists:  The Piano Guys

As it had rained off and on for the past two days...

I had to shelve initiating Phase II until the weather cleared up.

As this morning was clear...

I began the soil augering of phase II.

I had earlier ordered two soil augers...

a long but narrow auger...

and a wide but shorter auger.

Both fit into a power drill.

I began by installing the narrow auger.

I drilled mostly horizontally for the first set of holes nearest the top.

I would drill into the sides...

and then periodically pull out the auger to pull out the collected soil.

On each hole...

I would go as far down as possible.

I then started the second set of holes at a much steeper angle.

The west facing holes I had to put at a much steeper angle...

as there were large rocks just above them.

I then switched out the augers.

I used the large auger for the center hole.

After going down as far as I could with the large auger...

I then put back on the narrow auger to drill down farther in the large auger hole.

I had reached gravel with this auger...

indicating I would have excellent drainage.

Actually...

on all of the holes...

I had hit gravel.

With a plentiful amount of drainage holes dug...

I will not have to worry about root rot on my Japanese Maples.

However...

the holes were dual purpose.

They will guide the root system to take hold into the side soil...

so as to ensure a strong and deep hold for tree stability and overall health.

From my garage...

I then took up a 60 lb bag of coarse sand and pebble mixture...

and a bag of humus rich soil...

to the tree preparation site.

I then proceeded to layer each...

one on top of the other...

...over and over again.

I then put in dirt I had originally dug from the hole...

and mixed them together.

I then topped off the mixture with the last of the bag of humus rich soil...

and then called it for the day.

Even though the air was cool...

and the sun partially occluded by the clouds...

while the infrared rays are reflected by the clouds...

the UV rays are not.

Again...

at my altitude...

I must be careful of absorbing too many UV rays all at once.

While I had completed Phase II...

I still must do more soil preparation before I can plant the Japanese Maple.

I will wait for today's evening hours for the sun to be low on the horizon

before I water down the soil several times...

to allow it to naturally compact itself...

and I will place more soil on top and compact it once again

before I create a mound of soil...

and then the planting hole for the Japanese Maple.

I will then cover the top of the soil with several inches of mulch.

After I plant the tree...

I will then emplace four stakes around the tree...

and then gently tie the tree to the stakes to ensure stability in high winds.

For the final phase (in a month or so)...

I will then wrap the outside of the stakes with a plastic wrap...

fill it with mulch...

and then cap the top with more wrap

(winterization...of which will only need to be done for the first few years).

I will place a few holes in strategic locations on the wrap 

to allow 'breathing' (moisture release).

But I will wait for all of the leaves to naturally drop off in late Autumn

before I winterize the Japanese Maple.

------------

I've only just realized...

I should get myself a large wheelbarrow...

or maybe a heavy duty four wheeled garden wagon.

My other trees will be planted farther from the house...

and I will be hauling a hundred or so pounds at a time.

Plus...

in winter...

when I haul up wood from down the ridge...

I could haul much more at a time.

I will look for one in a month or two.

(I buy things off season for the best prices)