Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Hello From Hurricane Land

  September used to be my favorite month but not anymore.  It’s that time of year again — hurricane season — on the East Coast, and we have Dorian hanging out in the Bahamas, taking its time deciding when (and where)  to forge onward on its path of destruction. 


  This is what it has felt like for days now, the Waiting Game.  Everything in town is closed, sandbagged, and boarded up, even McDonalds, for the duration.  No school, no government, no mail.

  We are in Zone A, which means closest to the ocean (half a block from Winyah Bay) and under a mandatory evacuation order.  No one is going anywhere yet, however, because the hurricane is stalled. We have hotel reservations an hour and a half inland but won’t go until if and when it becomes necessary.  




   We checked out the beach yesterday and things were getting a bit stormy looking.  Today however, the sun is shining brightly and it seems like just another summer day. 


   Meanwhile ... we have banana trees that were planted by the original owner of our house that freeze every winter so they never produce bananas.  The taller one here is about 10 feet tall.

  We cut them back to the ground a couple times a year but they keep coming back and I was inspired by another blogger (Anne from New Zealand at Arty Green in Paradise) to see if there was any other use for them.  

Well surprise! They make the best grilled salmon you have ever tasted! 







 
 For a feast for two, take one smallish banana leaf, two salmon steaks (plus one for leftovers) rubbed with a bit of olive oil and season them with lemon grass, ginger, lime juice, and salt.  Husk two ears of sweet corn.





 







 The banana leaf will char and flavor the salmon with sort of a smoky-grassy flavor and be the juiciest salmon ever!  

  So delicious I couldn’t get a photo of the plate before we ate it all up!

  For dessert, slice up a third of a mammoth pear from our neighbor’s pear tree.  That’s my hand to give you an idea of the size of Malcolm’s pears.  

  Well, back to assembling the crate for the cat to travel in, filling jugs with drinking water and the bathtub with washing and flushing water, putting the citrus trees out of harm’s way in the sunroom, etc etc. I’ll let you know what happens next.

14 comments:

  1. Take care Love from Katowice Poland

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  2. We in Honolulu feel you!!! We too watch this time of year, and prepare! Best wishes

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  3. I have been wondering about you and the prep you've been taking. Also worry about the poorer folks whose houses we worked on in August in Lumberton and Nichols, SC who may face flooding for a fourth time in a handful of years. We were there with Brethren Disaster Ministries for a week. All the repairs we did may be washed away. How very sad.

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  4. I can't imagine the preparations involved in getting ready to evacuate and leaving your house behind. It must be very traumatic. I hope that all goes well for you and the storm abates somewhat. Good luck.

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  5. Quite scary and getting plenty of coverage on the TV news here. - even the stupid idea of Trump - "Bomb or whatever the centre of the eye!" I think I've heard everything from that nitwit's vocal chords now!

    We have our cyclone season in a few months time.

    Just be prepared for a fast getaway - don't leave it until the last moment - remember roads get clogged!
    Good luck
    Colin

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    1. The use of banana leaves to cover meat/fish on BBQ's is common here! Almost mandatory.
      I guess when colonisation of both Australia and New Zealand, the European settlers
      noted this form of cooking from the native peoples.
      In PNG / Indonesia / New Caledonia / Guam / Fiji etc - it is common or the norm at BBQ's
      and at resort hotels poolside for food to be cooked this way.
      I have many funny stories of my time in PNG with this cooking done by 'haus-bois' - you
      never knew what might be under those banana leaves!!!
      Colin

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    2. That's NOT the map that the looney in the White House used.
      Are you sure you have the correct map of this hurricane's path???? ha ha
      Colin
      PS: Couldn't help myself.

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  6. My comment must have gone to Hurricane Land! Stay safe and be careful! Thinking of you!

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  7. Keep safe during the storm. It's not a pleasant experience. Now that salmon sounds great.

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  8. I've been watching this storm for some time. I have an aunt that lives just south of Daytona Beach on a barrier island. Looks like she dodged a bullet again. Hoping the same for you.

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  9. Dear Cynthia, thanks for the recipe. As a vegetarian, I'll never be able to use it, but I wonder if the leaves wouldn't make the corn more juicy also.

    And another thing: in the comment you left on my most recent posting, you mentioned your book. Someone, I've missed that. What is the name of the book? Is it available on Amazon? Please let me know. Peace.

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  10. What an enormous pear!!! FUn photo. And the salmon sound delicious.

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  11. And I'm inspired by your use of the banana leaves, as we have heaps of those and haven't used them in that way yet. Mostly we just use them for mulch. That pear! Wowser! I've already read the next post - glad you were all ok.

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