Comments on: Lechon, Mustasa & Kamatis Salad a la Marketman

By: Kasseopeia

Kasseopeia — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 13:30:52 +0000

MM, should you decide to open here in Manila and offer this – you can bet my family will order several platters of this.

By: Gigi

Gigi — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 05:31:31 +0000

I can’t wait to try this salad at Zubuchon here at Cebu IT Park soon.

By: corrine

corrine — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 12:38:08 +0000

Hi bettyq. Oh I have 2 pots of mint. I read another companion plant is marigold which is locally available. Thanks!

By: betty q.

betty q. — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 06:31:48 +0000

if you have bugs inside your greenhouse, Corrine, then I would cover them with Remay still. Also, you might want to try companion planting. Mustard greens attract aphids and with it ants. Mint is a good companion plant. Ants do not like mint! Likewise, aphids do not like mint. another one is plant your mustard greens near yarrow, or buckwheat flowers….they attract ladybugs that feed on the aphids…will not solve your ant problem but the mint trick will work. Bruise some mint leaves and scatter them around. But bear in mind, the mint is an invasive plant so it is wise to keep it contained in a pot.

By: corrine

corrine — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 06:13:34 +0000

Hi Amy and bettyq. Thanks for the tips. I shower sprayed the leaves this morning and the tiny aphids and ants were blasted away. I just hope they don’t come back. Yes, that was a revelation. I thought the ants were eating the aphids…but, noooo, they were farming them alright! I have fire ants as farmers. Really sad! I was advised by a soil scientist to use pounded chillies mixed with water and soap and pour them in the ants’ tunnel. I just use this for fire ants not the little ones. I don’t want to use chemicals. I did that last Saturday but still have to check if it worked. Wasn’t able to inspect the tunnel this morning. I’ve tried all sorts of organic pesticides like cinnamon, orange skin, etc. in the past with no success.
bettyq, my mustasas are in a greenhouse so I suppose I don’t have to use row covers? But, still they got infected. Kawawa my eggplants.

By: Amy

Amy — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 04:15:08 +0000

Hi Corrine, I live in Las Vegas and this time of the year when nights are in the 30’s and 40’s (F), there are no aphids. Actually, there are no bugs! This is the perfect time here to grow mustard, kohlrabi, lettuce and Swiss chard. I have a small garden but I do pack them with as much veggies and herbs as I can possibly fit in it. When I get aphids in the Spring and Summer, I blast them with water from the hose. I control the ants in their tunnels with commercial spray, the ants are the ones spreading those aphids around. They “farm” the aphids so they can “milk” honeydew from the tiny suckers! Anyway, Betty Q.’s suggestion of row covers will be an excellent solution to your problem. When cleaning the leaves, I would wash them under a sink spray, or if you’re outside, with a shower spray, that will take care of the aphids and ants clinging to the leaves. Yes, MM’s salad is delicious! I also tried it with grilled pork belly, good too!

By: betty q.

betty q. — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 20:50:27 +0000

MM….just made your salad topped with chicken skin chippies…dressed with nuoc nam mixed with a little sautéed alamang….and sarap! Even my picky eater kids liked it! Thank you for the inspiration!

By: betty q.

betty q. — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 19:25:24 +0000

Amy, MM and Corrine!

To protect your young seedlings from any bugs COVER them the entire season with ROW COVERS!!!!! Cannot stress it enough! if you have tunnel hoops, cover them with remay…light ones so the sun and water can get in. I do this for carrots, Gai LAN, bok chop and anything that flea beetles and other bugs just love chewing on.

By: corrine

corrine — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 10:53:01 +0000

Amy, don’t you have aphids in your mustasa leaves this time of the year? Those aphids are pain in the neck…or back. I have to brush them off from each leaf. Soaking them in a pail of water for 30 minutes just drowns the ants but not all of the aphids are removed so I had to brush them off the remaining ones manually. *sigh* It made me think how commercial growers remove the aphids. By pesticide?

By: corrine

corrine — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 10:36:07 +0000

MM, I also have mustasa growing in our garden (small greenhouse). What’s nice about it is you can’t get it any fresher and even if you cut the mature leaves, small ones will grow. Nice! Don’t worry about poor soil. I have shifted to container gardening. It saves me on soil, water, and fertilizer. That salad is my utmost favorite. Haven’t tried it with lime though. Can’t find any dayap around. So sad!