Natural discovery

Along the road side of Obachan's land grows a plant I knew little about, only that in its powder form it is yellow-orange in colour. I think the first thing that brought our attention to this plant was its beautiful, long lasting flower. I also didn't know what amazing medical benefits this plant can do for ones body. What is this marvelous plant? Have a think and try not to scroll down just yet...

It is in fact turmeric which is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial of the ginger family. It favors climates that are between 20-30 degrees, which is why it is a native to southeast India. It also grows well in Izu, which experiences mild temperatures during the year. Since we have a constant water flow from the nearby mountains our turmeric crop thrives well in its current position.

Health wise it is widely used in India to treat stomach and liver ailments and to heal sores and cuts, based on its antiseptic properties. I've also heard it helps with inflamed joints. Apart from this, I found it interesting to learn that it is also used to dye saris and Buddhist monks robes in India and Bangladeshi. Indian cuisine also uses turmeric in many of this delicious dishes. 

Here we unearthed one of our turmeric plants to find a healthy crop once we washed each piece.

We have sliced it, pickled it and used it in curries, which I am here to say is quite tasty. 

I've even experienced a turmeric latte, which was... well...interesting.

 We once placed its flower in the vase at Obachan's tomb stone and we were surprised to see it still thriving a couple weeks later when we visited. 

We will be propagating the rhizomes each year so that we can benefit from this amazing plant in the future. But first I need a hot onsen! It's starting to get colder here in little old Japan!

Antique treasure

So here we are in 2016 the Year of the Monkey. As promised I want to share a discovery we actually made ten years ago at Obachan's when we initially cleared out things, but are just now rediscovering it again. Perhaps some of you have already worked out from this first photo what it is.... without scrolling down!

As you can imagine it was covered in dust, but we gave it a wipe over to reveal this beauty!

Obachan's Fuji Janome treadle sewing machine. Made around the 1950's....we think.

Don't you just love all the intricate detail?

We haven't tried to get it working yet, but it's in pretty good condition. While its not worth a fortune by any means, we just love it for its artistic beauty. My idea is that when we fold the machine down under the folding table, we will use it as a desk. I just love having dual purpose items.

Can you see that the smaller metal plate under the large one has been mounted upside down?Anyone know why? It reads, "MADE IN DEMOCRATIC JAPAN" Japanese people are known for perfection, so it seems odd that they would do this without thinking.

Look at the detail on the face plate....just beautiful.

Back side of the machine and again more detail imprinted into the hand wheel.

The wrought iron base, which I didn't have time to clean well. I look forward to giving it a good wipe over again and maybe a paint or maybe not. Not everything needs a lick of paint. Sometimes just left natural is the best way to respect a piece.

Can you remember being a young child and seeing something new or in this case old that you had never seen before, but it was a new discovery? Little did Obanchan know that many years later her great-granddaughter would be sitting at her sewing machine in wonder.