I dont think that a potato vine could damage such a strong palm, or any palm. Dont damage or cut back any of the palms roots though because that would be bad for the palm. Date palms can live for a very long time, at least 100 to 200 years. Ive seen some over 100 feet tall and those are definitely at least a century old. But lightning strikes can kill really really tall date palms, but they have to be a lot taller than any else around it to become a prime target. Hope it works out! -Alex

Thank you for your comments! I bought the corn flour today...the one that comes here in the bag marked especially for making frangollo... just so I could try making it and had some conversations with the girls in the supermarket who were in those photos, dressed in costumes. It seems this pudding must be stirred, and stirred non-stop for 20 minutes or more while it's on the stove. (Yikes!) So I'll try to prepare it sometime this week and will come back with photos and a play by play of how I made it. There is a recipe also on the back of the cornflour bag so we'll see how I get on. :-) (Stirring for 20 minutes....grumble, grumble...). Annie I have some palm syrup (miel de palma) that I bought the other day, made from the sap of palm trees, called guarapo and very much used here for drizzling over desserts such as this one. So that'll be an excuse to open the jar and give it a try. It's an all natural product with no conservatives or other elements added to the cooked sap of the palm tree. I have had palm syrup which is another delicious tapa served here. The syrup is the dark topping in the upper part of the plate. This was a tapa night out and this one disappeared so quickly I was hardly able to get a photo!) The green in the bottom part of the plate is a mojo of cilantro and garlic. SharonCb

My first salt potatoes upstate NY were in a 5 lb thick paper bag with a salt packet included. It was a fine powered salt like flour. And small 'new potatoes'. Still cold and damp as if they were freshly dug that day. Once drained, the salty power sticks to the skins like a fog. Not overly salty. Heavenly. Good with any outdoor august grill. Fresh corn, succotash, bbq chicken. Thick slices of garden tomatoes.

Great looking meals everyone! David it's nice to see you here too and with that lovely roast dinner. I will also have to try that popcorn cauliflower as that's one veg we both like and that looks so good. Yesterday we were out for sauerbraten with red cabbage which has always been well done at the Austrian restaurant, (old photo from previous time) but I usually have bratkartoffeln rather than their dumpling show in this pic. Today I again made teriyaki chicken strips with stirfried vegetables over basmati rice. Oh how I love that dish! I had two helpings. We sat indoors today as although the sun was out, it was a bit too windy for the terrace. I was downtown twice shopping with the car before dashing home to make lunch. Had the chicken marinating though before I left. I just received my two boxes that I sea mailed to myself from Canada when I was there. They contain my luggage spillover items as well as new books and kitchen gadgets .....such as a new large OXO can opener. This one better work! And the new 25 year edition of The Silver Palate Cookbook thanks to my sister who every year gives me a birthday gift certificate to one of my favourite Victoria bookstores. I will be reading that in bed tonight! I also bought some Hungarian paprika and Old Bay Seasoning which I'm now putting on my spice shelf ....if I find room. Sauerbraten, red cabbage and dumpling Teriyaki chicken with stir fried vegetables & Basmati rice I think tomorrow will be another salmon day for us. Forecast is for rain so I guess we'll be inside for lunch again. SharonCb