Discover and re-discover Mexico’s cuisine, culture and history through the recipes, backyard stories and other interesting findings of an expatriate in Canada
The poinsettia plant (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is native to Mexico’s Central and Southern regions, where it was domesticated in pre-Hispanic times, often used to dye textiles and was treasured as a tribute to gods, such as Tonantzin (Our Lady, Our Mother). Last year around this time, I got a large pot with three poinsettias as a rebate at the supermarket, and they are still alive and well ... click on title for more
A cool month of June, followed by extreme temperature changes, up and down, caused slow growth in many of my vegetables, and strange development in others ... click on title for more
Dahlia (Dahlia sp.) is Mexico's national flower, a genus of bushy, tuberous plants, native to Mexico and Central America, in the same family as daisies, sunflowers and chrysanthemums. I am growing them in my garden in Canada for the first time, both from seed, and from crowns bought at a gardening centre ... click on title for more
This year, I am growing dahlias for the first time in my Canadian garden. I bought a packet of mixed dwarf cultivars; I started the seed indoors, and transplanted once the weather was warm, in early June. A few days ago, as seen in the photo above, I spotted my first blossom! ... click on title for more
Quelite is a generic name in Mexico, from the Nahuatl quilitl – edible green; a close translation to English would be “potherb”. Originally, the name referred just to native plants, such as huauzontle, epazote and quintoniles (pigweed); during and after colonial times, new edible greens brought from Spain and around the world have been making the list, such as purslane, radish leaf, watercress, and lamb's quarters ... click on title for more
My Slice of Mexico 