Did you know that Ecuador is also known as the “World Capital of Orchids”?
Ecuador is one of the countries most rich in orchids with more that 4200 species.
It has a great diversity, but botanists continually discover new varieties and sizes. Orchids grow at the coast, the mountains, and in the Amazon jungle.
Living in Central Florida gives use three growing seasons. The growing seasons for us are Spring, Fall, and Winter. The Summer is just too hot for most vegetables to grow but we still get tropical fruits and Avocados during Summer. Right now we have our Fall season vegetables growing. We still have persimmons ripening and two bunches of bananas growing.
We have 30 heirloom tomato plants growing right now in different parts of the garden.
As well as Kale seedlings.
Happy gardening to all of you.
Not far from the city of Quito is a tourist attraction called “La Mitad del Mundo” (The Middle of the World). It was orignally thought that the equator ran through this location. This was due to a geographer named Luis Tufiño who in 1936 placed the equator’s location in that place.
However, with the invention of the GPS system it was discovered that the equator was 240 meters north of the current location. About a 5 minute drive from Mitad del Mundo there is a little tourist attraction that is on the equator that has all sorts of fun things to do. Such as how the coriolis effect is different when draining out of a basin water on the north side of the equator versus the south side of the equator versus directly over the equator. Simple experiments to demonstrate the equatorial effects on us and the things around us.
So when you go to Ecuador be sure to check out the fake equator line and the real equator line as they are right around the corner from each other.
On our trip to Quito one of the places we visited was La Basilica. The church’s real name is Basilica del Voto Nacional.
The Basilica is a 19th century church located in the historic “Old Town” section of Quito. According to the guide books it is the largest neo-gothic basilica in the Americas.
The church opened in 1924 and legend has it that the church will never be completed building. For when the church is completed this will bring about the end of days.
The church is very ornate with many gargoyles. You can also climb all the way to the top of the bell tower for some great views of Quito.
On any given day the market is bursting with fresh fruit and vegetables.
There is also a carnicería (butcher shop) and tienda de mariscos (seafood shop) as well as tiny restaurants.
As well as fresh flowers, spices, dried herbs, and whole booths dedicated just to potatoes. By the way, the potatoes in Ecuador make the best potato soup on the entire planet.
We visited a rose farm while we were in Ecuador. It was a wonderful learning experience about the elements necessary for growing the best roses in the world. A combination of rich volcanic soil, perfect temperatures, right amount of sun, and excellent care goes into making these roses. The results are well worth it.
Enjoy the video as it will give you many more details about growing roses in Ecuador.
We traveled to Cayambe in search of the famous bizcochos (biscuits). When we got there we were lucky to find them not busy. The locals say that this shop is always busy and lines can go around the corner waiting to purchase these tasty bites.
It is one of the fastest hand manufacturing operations we have ever seen. The young strong men work the dough to make the bizcochos. Once they finish working the dough it is cooked in an old fashion wood fired brick oven. Upon completion of cooking they are placed in paper bags for sale to the public to take home and enjoy. Each full bag of bizcochos cost only $1.00 USD!
We are back from our trip to Quito, Ecuador. It was a whirlwind trip were we barely had a moment to think. Over the next few days we will be showing you many highlights from our trip.
To all of you following our blog…
Have a sweet day.
We brought home the best pastries in the world!
We are very excited today. For today we travel to “Half of the World.” For those of you wondering where “Half of the World” is, it is Quito, Ecuador. Nestled way up in the Andes is the second highest city in the world. This is our destination.
Since we will be traveling and exploring this wonderful city we will not be back online for another blog entry until Thursday, September 20, 2018. We will share our adventures with you later on…
Sweet potatoes do very well in the summer months here in Florida. They are one of the few vegetables that thrive in the heat and humidity.
We tend to grow a wide variety of different types of sweet potatoes. From the traditional orange sweet potatoes to the oriental varieties which are different in flavor and texture.
This is our harvest from today.
Potato latkes anyone?
Whgille's Corner 