What's Happening To My Kalanchoe?

Kalanchoe blooming in my garden

Kalanchoe is a beautiful succulent with thick glossy leaves and long-lasting flowers. A real stunner in the garden when it flowers profusely winter to spring and invites many colourful fluttering beauties to our garden. They are hardy and do not suffer much from pest issues except one! And that comes out of the blue! One fine morning you come to the garden to greet your babies only to notice that your beautiful kalanchoe is in a shambles! The leaves are mushy, look hollow from inside with lots of black granules. Surprisingly, no trace of the culprit! You feel so confused and helpless! 

Does your Kalanchoe look like this?

That's what exactly happened a few years back when for the first time I saw my kalanchoe in that state and in a couple of days it's all gone! Even after figuring out what is going on, sometimes I lose my plants in case they are unattended for a few days. You blink and you lose!

The culprit here is a very cute looking fluttering beauty ....the Red Pierrot butterfly!

A Red Pierrot Butterfly. 

You may have noticed her in your garden .... flying up and down near the ground and settling often on a leaf or flower for some rest or to sip in some nectar! You must have adored her beauty too! But next time you see her .... don't forget to take extra care of your kalanchoes! 

Red Pierrot laying eggs on kalanchoe leaves

Kalanchoe is the host plant for this little beauty! They lay their eggs underneath the leaves. After the larvae come out they go inside the thick succulent leaves and start eating the flesh like a leaf-miner leaving a trail of black droppings behind! 

Larva of Red Pierrot on a Kalanchoe leaf

They come out only for two reasons .... to build a cocoon or to go to another leaf when the host leaf is over! That's why you can't see them from outside and remain clueless!

Do I really need to interfere?

As a believer of minimal interference in my garden, the first question comes in mind .... do I really need to interfere with this natural process of life? Unfortunately, the answer is yes if you want to save your kalanchoe! I have seen many caterpillars in my garden all in their respective host plants like lemon, curry patta, lily, oleander, palm and even in my fancy adenium bonsai but never interfere. They eat to their heart's content and eventually evolve to cocoon. In a week or so the plant comes back vigorously with new leaves without fail. But for kalanchoe, the case is different. If you leave it unattended most likely you will lose your plant....I have lost quite a few! 

If it is a small infestation, just one or two leaves, nothing to worry! New leaves will come up soon! But when they target a plant, they keep coming, again and again, lay their eggs under the leaves and the larvae continue their gastronomical journey. Once the leaves are exhausted they go inside the stems and that's the end of the plant! 

Even worse, if their favourite plant is in short supply, they may settle for other succulents too! And your nice symmetrically patterned succulents adorning the cute fairy garden can all look ugly and imbalanced if you keep removing affected leaves from it!  

Red Pierrot larva on my fairy garden succulent 

How to save my plant then?

First, remove the affected leaves. (don't throw them all! Coming to that part later.)

Clear the dropped dried leaves from the soil. 

Cut a few healthy branches, remove leaves from lower nodes and put the cuttings in fresh soil away from the affected plant. There is a high chance that you have missed a few eggs or tiny larvae when clearing and they will take over very soon. Kalanchoes are very easy to propagate from cuttings and you can save your plant through its next-generation in case the main plant dies.

Check the plant every day for newly affected leaves and remove if any!

Organic sprays will not work here as the caterpillars stay inside the leaves. Chemical insecticide .... I have no clue as I never used one!

Now the most important and interesting part ......What to do with the removed leaves?

After removing the affected leaves please don't throw them all! First, separate the leaves where the caterpillars are still inside. For that hold the leaf against the sun. You can see the caterpillar inside.

Hold the leaf against sunlight to see the larva inside

Now keep those leaves in a small jar or box. No need to cover. If the host leaf is over add few fresh leaves. Soon they will come out and make a cocoon. 

My current collection of larvae and cocoons.

The cocoon looks almost similar to the larva but yellow in colour with a hard shell. Now wait for the D-day to witness the metamorphosis.... it is mesmerizing!

This way, you can save both your plant and the butterflies!

As a safe practice, whenever you buy a beautiful Kalanchoe try to propagate it from cuttings. Have a few plants in different locations of the garden. Next time when these butterflies visit your garden,  enjoy their company without fear of losing your plant!

Malabar Spinach-Horse Gram Curry With Jack Fruit Seeds : A Wholesome Cook-Along Experience

It was my first virtual cook-along session with Phytopia, the digital pop-up exhibition by science gallery, Bengaluru. The idea was to cook live on camera using some seasonal plants and talk about the relationship with the city through a plate of food. The food that makes up a city is more than just the recipes and the ingredients. It’s also the people who grow, sell, shop, cook as well as those who share stories. Through this virtual cook-along, the organisers wanted to bring everyone together, and invoke the spirit of commensality, something that we could all use in these tough times. Nice idea! Isn't it? I was quite excited and started planning! It has to be wholesome, using some seasonal vegetables /greens and must have some connection with this city! The first thing that came to my mind was ragi mudde. My knowledge about ragi was limited to school Geography book until I came to Bangalore. On our first visit to Navadarshanam, a community exploring sustainable alternatives in the rural setting, near the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, I was astonished to see some pinkish brown coloured dough-like ball floating in a pool of sambar! It took me a long time to get accustomed and finally appreciate it! Well ... I wanted to make ragi mudde for this event. Need to include some seasonal plant in the menu now! Hmm...should be something little spicy ... either fish or meat gravy or spicy thick sambar/curry. So I zeroed on horse gram-malabar spinach-jackfruit seed curry! It's raining in Bangalore and the malabar spinach (pui saak in Bengali) plants are growing crazy in my terrace garden. Jack fruit seeds are in season, too. Both of these ingredients are packed with so much goodness. Then the horse gram .... something I have recently introduced to our diet (after seeing Rujuta Diwekar advocating this grain specially for women's health).

So finally the menu comprised of ragi mudde, horse gram- malabar spinach- jackfruit seeds curry and my special herby buttermilk! I also had a dry spicy pickle with shrimps and gongura leaves (again from my terrace)  prepared "off-camera" to add a little more zing to the menu. I thoroughly enjoyed the chatting, exchanging ideas, sharing memories with newly made friends while cooking together...virtually! And finally enjoyed our meal too .... it was very very wholesome and satisfying experience altogether!

It's originally a Konkani dish (Vaali-Kulitha Koddel) and nothing but horse gram, malabar spinach and jackfruit seeds cooked in a coconut-based gravy with a seasoning of roasted garlic. It has a coarse texture and imparts a very rustic flavour ...hard to describe but surely different from our everyday Bengali dishes!

Horse Gram-Malabar Spinach-Jack Fruit Seed Curry Recipe

Ingredients:

Horse gram - 1/4 cup

Malabar spinach - 1 bunch

Jack fruit seeds - a handful

Coconut - 3/4 cup grated

Dry red chillies - 10-12 roasted

Tamarind - lemon size ball

Jaggery - 1 tbsp

Garlic pods - 8-10

Curry leaves - 1 spring

Salt -to taste

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Ghee or oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

• Thoroughly wash the spinach. Cut the stems in 2" pieces. Chop the leaves roughly and keep separate.
• Peel the white shells from the jack fruit seeds, cut into halves. Pressure cook for 1-3 whistles (depends upon the freshness of the seeds) with little water ... keep aside.
• In a pressure cooker add washed horse gram and spinach stems with 1 cup of water. Cook for 2-3 whistles (or until the dal is soft but not mushy). With a masher mash it lightly. (See note)
• Dry roast the red chillies. Remove seeds (optional) and soak in hot water for five minutes. In a mixie jar add 3/4 cup of grated coconut, roasted chillies, tamarind water, jaggery and grind into a coarse paste! You can add a portion of the cooked dal when grinding .... that will give a more creamy texture to the final dish!
• Now add the boiled jack fruit seeds, spinach leaves and the masala paste all in the pressure cooker along with little turmeric and salt to taste. Boil for five minutes or until the spinach gets cooked and the gravy gets a thick consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• Take the curry in a serving bowl.
• In a small pan heat two tablespoons of ghee or oil (I prefer ghee). When smoking hot add roughly chopped garlic. Brown a little, add curry leaves and switch off the flame. Pour on top of the curry and cover.
• Serve with ragi mudde. Will taste good with steamed rice too!

Notes:

• My good friend Ganesh-ji from whom I got the idea of this recipe vouch on roasting the horse gram first until it starts to crackle and then cook as describe above. And then grind half of the dal with the coconut masala mix. "That takes the flavour to another level!" he claims. I tried both ... they came out well. the roasting gives a much more rich flavour for sure! You can try whatever you wish. Just remember if you roast the dal first it will take more time to cook.
• All the three main ingredients of this curry are super healthy and rich in proteins and minerals! Especially with ragi mudde it is a super-duper combo but maybe little heavy on the stomach. So portion your meal accordingly. Add a glass of digestive buttermilk with some fresh mint or ajwain leaves to the meal .... it will perfectly balance the spiciness too! 

Kodbael Makha (Wood Apple Relish) .... a Simple Drool-worthy Snack!

While writing the last post on Kamranga Makha, my mind started wandering over the summer afternoons of my schooldays. We used to get some solace from those unbearable hot, humid and long afternoons, when ma offered to prepare some makha for us! It was a group activity .... ma, didi and sometimes a few neighbourhood kids joining the team. There are sooo many indigenous fruits that come to the market summertime .... Chalta, Kodbael, Pholsa, Bilati Amra, Jolpai and the Kancha-mitha Aam to name a few.... all very tangy but full of flavours and have lots of health benefit ... something I didn't care about those days. While some of these fruits need some cooking .... most you can enjoy in their simplest form, makha .... cut, mix with the irresistible combo of black salt, sugar/jaggery, green chilli and a few drops of mustard oil .... and smash everything nicely by hand while drooling over that delectable flavour! 

One of them is Kodbael or Wood Apple. It has a soft woody shell with strongly flavoured tamarind like pulp when ripe. Be extra careful when buying. It should give a very strong pungent smell when ripe. If the fruit is not ripe enough, you can't smash the flesh and it wouldn't be tasty either!

Wood apple has lots of health benefit too! An analysis from the University of Agricultural Sciences (Bengaluru), published in the Indian Journal of Science said that wood apple has crude fibre, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, sodium, potassium and Vitamin C among others. Therefore, wood apple definitely qualifies as a super food.

This fruit is used in India as a liver and cardiac tonic, when unripe, as an astringent (halting diarrhea and dysentery), effective treatment for hiccups, sore throat, and diseases of the gums. Wood apple lowers the blood glucose level, blood pressure and reduces lipid levels in hyperlipidemia. 

More importantly, the juice is well known in India as a good way to beat the summer heat and can reduce flatulence.

The easiest way of consuming wood apple is to scoop the pulp and eat it with some jaggery or make a drink with some black salt and jaggery. But if you want to add little extra zing to your plate, definitely try this recipe!

Kodbael Makha (Wood Apple Relish) Recipe

Ingredients:

Kodbael or Wood Apple - 1 Ripe

Jaggery - around two Tablespoons or to taste

Black Salt - 1 Teaspoon

Green Chillies - 2 hot

Coriander leaves - one small bunch (optional)

Mustard oil - 1 tablespoon

(See note)

Kamranga Makha (Star Fruit Relish) .... A Simple Recipe to Uplift Your Mood!

It's a very very simple recipe ...maybe too simple for a blog post. But the taste is not simple at all... just a bite .... your mouth will blast with a complex tantalizing flavour! ... just thinking of it makes my mouth watering. I promise it will uplift all your senses and mood instantly!

And these star-fruits or carambolas are highly rich in vitamin C and antioxidants ..... reason enough to devour ... not only to lift your mood but also to boost your immunity which is very much important during this time of Covid crisis! The fruits are available in the market now .... do yourself a favour ... collect some and prepare this relish! Who knew it just takes hardly ten minutes of effort to reach Nirvana.

Kamranga-Makha (Star Fruit Relish) Recipe

Ingredients: 
Star fruits - 2 big (I prefer a little ripe)
Sugar - 1 tablespoon
Black salt - 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
Green chilli - 1 finely chopped
Dry red chilli - 1
Mustard oil - 1 teaspoon