I am looking for some of this fermented pig sausage from Thailand at south Tampa's wonderful DoBond Market, six blocks south of the light at Oklahoma Blvd., on the east side.

http://thaifoodandtravel.com/blog/naem-sausage-northern-thailand/#1

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2015/05/01/putting-sourdough-starter-hold/?utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=content&utm_medium=social

The front north east bed.that until October was harbored by a seedling of Tithonia diversifolia that friends ripped out for me (thanks Mallory!), some months back was then weeded, fed, covered with flattened cardboard boxes, covered with compost, seeded then watered heavily a few times. Now this wet winter is giving me rapidly growing plants of edible Brassicas plus California Poppies and white Sweet Allysum, roses, arugula, plus many perennials like amaryllis, day lilies, crossandras, coleus, Louisiana Iris and Hymenocallis.

In about a month some of us may find teensy freshly-hatched Lubber grasshoppers crawling up grass stems, crinums and more, and within a few weeks they can decimate the foliage of amaryllis, crinums plus many ornamentals and veggies. In 2003 I controlled mine here for the next 11 years by applying it ONCE by spreading the protozoa in Nolo Bait called Nosema locustae. This product is MUCH too expensive to sprinkle on a garden....I wait until the baby Lubbers appear, put a heaping tablespoon in a small jar lid (when no rain threatens), then put it next to the plant they are climbing on. Nolo Bait is mostly dry bran, and Lubbers GREATLY prefer bran to live plants and start to feed. It may kill a few at first, but as the protozoa makes them sick their inherent cannibalism makes sure it is spread throughout the swarm. As the females lay their infected egg cases very few if any hatch the following spring. I discovered it in Colorado in the early 90s for locust invasions, and here it does wonders to eliminate Lubbers. It is a live product so I never buy it locally....I buy it mail order and STORE IT IN THE FRIDGE year after year...so many folks kill theirs (plus their BT powders) by keeping it in a hot garden shed. Over the years I've bought it from M & R Durango company in Colorado, and last year I bought a pound from ARBICO Organics. I want to give people advance notice to buy it then store in their fridge till needed. By using it strategically, one can nearly wipe out Lubber grasshoppers for many years from just once application! It kills just grasshoppers and crickets that feed on it, nothing else

I'm not sure why, but for years when I grow Mexican Oregano (Lippia graveolens) in rich conditions (gray water plus an occasional pee of mine) the leaves grow huge and tender, and become very strongly scented and tasting of mint vs. "oregano". When grown in ordinary soil I like its flavor much better than that of true Mediterranean oregano.

This wonderfully wet El Nino winter in Tampa has resulted in yet two more fruit clusters forming on my north facing Raja Puri banana!

Last night's rain did wonders for my young brassicas and nasturtiums.

When we moved here in 1967 all the way through the early 2000s, bearing coconuts were considered impossible north of Sarasota way back when, to very unusual in St. Petersburg. But global warming has SO warmed Florida that my neighbor from Puerto Rico has one laden with fruit across the street from me on Paxton Avenue in south Tampa!

Good chance of rain tonight for new seedlings of various Brassicas plus newly planted roses.

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Tampa&state=FL&site=TBW&lat=27.959&lon=-82.4821#.VsJEIfkrKUk

I got my original seeds of "Filipino Mexican Tree Pepper" in 2001 and it has proven to be the most productive perennial hot pepper I have ever grown in Tampa. The flavor and heat is on par with a good Thai pepper.

There are many varieties of the southeast Asian hot sauce 'Sambal Oelek' that I like a LOT better than Sriracha, including this one made in California. It has a very robust,non-vinegary flavor.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambal

Now that I've been home from Tampa General Hospital for five days, and I have the house increasingly alive and comfortable again, time to share what's been happening. In my six days there I lost forty two pounds, back down to my usual 158 pounds from 200 pounds, nearly all of it from multiple injections, pills and IV bags of Lasix. I still can't believe how many gallons of my pee the nurses cataloged and took away...some nights I had three urinals ready for me! Day two my appetite skyrocketed and they generally fed me very well unless I was NPO for a test. I went under Twilight Sleep and twice they tried to trick my heart into normal rhythm but it did not work. Medicines the doctor helped me to select is keeping the fibrillation at bay. Day two back home I stripped my sad bed ( a comforter atop a bare mattress) and replaced it all with newly laundered sheets, bed spread and pillow cases, and a neighbor gave to keep a comforter they used in Indiana before retiring here. It is so warm and comfy! Day two Billy and Mary here from out of state for my neighbor Theresa's 87th birthday came over and installed my still in the box giant new LCD TV I bought on-like from Jet.com, and the next day a DirecTV guy came to re-install the outside wiring. I'd had no TV for a year and a half and did not miss it, but agree with the medical staff it would allow me to watch shows (I do like some of the cooking and science shows) with my feet on a fake ottoman to give my legs a chance to drain. Yesterday I cleaned my HORRIFICALLY soiled stove (barely visible under a few months of soiled pans and deeply cooked down crap) and made it feel like new, then cleaned the Pyramid Table and fixed two psychedelic light sources for the living room. The house is fill with groceries, with more food coming from yesterday's order from Jet.com (SUPER cheap and all delivered!) It took poor Cracker about two days to realize I am back home for good...he just did not understand why neighbors were coming in to feed him. I now have my first cell phone in case I get sick again since no one at the hospital CALLED Mike's number on my medic alert bracelet I've had for over a year! Thanks to all who were worried about me and watched my house, Cracker and Shadow. I am continuing hiring Debbie King about twice a week to help me with my yard, and am looking for someone to hire weekly for a while for my kitchen and home spruce ups. Here are some pics of my newly comfortable, increasingly clean home. Feels so good to be home and feeling better all the time!