THAILAND Lemon Grass on Native Ground BANGKOK -- IT was a breezy late November morning, just after the rainy season, and as traffic-clogged Bangkok receded, the countryside looked as fresh as spring. Our destination was two hours north, a women's farm cooperative where lemon grass is a cash crop. Along the four-lane highway, whole chickens were being turned over open fires. Prized roosters pecked away under the confines of straw cloches. Gas stations were festooned with fresh flowers, and rice paddies sported an occasional scarecrow. Route 66 it was not. And everywhere I looked, there was lemon grass. The reedy plants grow like weeds along country roadsides. Neatly tied bundles of ramrod-straight stalks sit upright or spill out of shallow baskets at open-air markets. Every backyard has its own clump. And none of it resembles the dry sticks in American stores: here, the lemon grass is fragrant and fresh, still attached to its graceful gray-green leaves. When I rubbed one between my fingers it released that familiar, intoxicating lemony scent. No wonder Thais use the leaves to make a delicious, aromatic tea. Along with basil and kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass defines and distinguishes Thai cooking from any other in Southeast Asia. The three herbs are core components of Thai food much as garlic and tomatoes are to Neapolitan food, or celery, green peppers and onions are to Cajun. The fish sauce nam pla; galangal, a relative of ginger; coriander leaves and roots; and tiny hot peppers are equally important. Lemon grass makes tom yum goong one of the most popular soups in Thailand and a big favorite in America and gives a bowl of vanilla ice cream a mysterious balm-like flavor that lifts it from the ordinary to the sublime. Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) can be found throughout Southeast Asia, from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos to Myanmar and Indonesia. Plant researchers may argue whether it is indigenous to Thailand, and in fact two did when I interviewed them. Dr. Uthai Charanasri, a geneticist and plant breeder at the Mae Fah Luang Foundation, north of Chiang Rai on the border where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet, said he had never seen lemon grass in flower in Thailand, which, he explained, meant that it could not be native. But his colleague, Dr. Teraphan Toterakun, who is chief of plant research and development at the foundation, said he had, and that ended the discussion. No matter where the first shoots of lemon grass poked their heads through the earth, Thailand and lemon grass are inextricably linked in American minds, but most of us have never seen it grown and have only a vague sense where this increasingly popular herb comes from. Chefs across this country are incorporating lemon grass into Western dishes. Jean- Georges Vongerichten one of my favourite chefs was one of the first to use it in fusion cooking at Vong, one of his restaurants in New York, as well as Vong his original restaurant in Knightsbridge London. .Jeff Tunks uses it to lighten and add a marvelous lemony note to a creamy pumpkin soup at Ten Penh in Washington. Rick Moonen at Oceana in New York serves a green-tail snapper in a spicy lemon grass coconut nage. Lemon grass is a member of the sugar cane family, and fields and fields of it are grown year round in Florida and California by the Hmong, refugees from the Vietnam War. It grows best in a warm climate (the hotter the better) with plenty of sunshine and sandy loam and is propagated by root cuttings. It is harvested by cutting some of the stalks at the root, leaving the rest to continue growing. Lemon Grass grows profusely here in California and can often reach 6 tall. It will literally take over your garden if not contained. In Thailand lemon grass is harvested four times a year. For the best crop the rhizomes should be replanted every two years. In temperate climates the season runs from midsummer until the beginning of November, or until the temperature drops below 25 degrees. Ron Binaghi, owner of Stokes Farm in Old Tappan, N.J., sells it in season at the Greenmarkets in Union Square and TriBeCa. He said some of his best customers come from the Caribbean, where lemon grass is known as fever grass. In Thailand, there are only a few large farms growing lemon grass, a total of less than 800 acres, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Most of the commercial crop is grown in Ayutthaya province not far north of Bangkok, and is intended for backyard- deprived apartment dwellers there. Fresh lemon grass is not exported. To get to the Farm Women's Cooperative, we were instructed to make our way to Wat Phra Non, a Buddhist temple in the small provincial town of Sing Buri where the daily open-air market spills out onto the main road. A small convoy of motorcycles was waiting at the temple to lead us down a dusty road to the village, where the women, dressed in their cooperative's blue uniform, along with several local officials, were waiting at a shed, the drying and packaging area for turning lemon grass into tea. It was a short walk to the farm, where a single acre is devoted to lemon grass, planted about five years ago when the women were looking for ways to increase their income. It looked like just another of those tall grasses that have become so popular for landscaping, with no hint of its marvelous aroma. The cooperative members, after struggling to make a profit selling fresh lemon grass, realized they could make a great deal more money if they added some value. And now all the leaves are sifted, dried, heated to sterilize them, then packed and shipped throughout Thailand as lemon grass tea. The demand exceeds the supply, according to Anchalee Wongpen, a cooperative member, and the women buy more than 450 pounds of lemon grass from nearby provinces each year. The farmers are particularly proud that their lemon grass is grown organically, a decision made by the chairwoman, because the outer leaves are used for tea. Besides, the fragrance that humans find so admirable bugs find repellent. In fact, lemon grass is botanically related to citronella, used in mosquito sprays and candles. Lemon grass, Mrs. Wongpen says, has another valuable attribute. When the women are working in the field and it looks as if it might rain, they turn a bunch of lemon grass upside down in the dirt, and the threatening clouds disappear. "For ages they have believed this," said Teerasak Tessiri, the chief district officer of the Muang District in Sing Buri. "It's the Thai way. You never know." It is also the Thai way to wrap the leaves around a broken leg of a chicken or a duck to make it heal. The farm women say dogs chew lemon grass leaves when they are sick. This runs completely contrary to other information that lemon grass oil repels dogs and cats. But learning about lemon grass in Thailand is like that. It is thought to have many remarkable properties, some imagined, some real, and separating them is hard. Dr. Pennpa Subcharoen, director of the National Institute of Thai Traditional Medicine in Bangkok, says Thais have always eaten vegetables like cucumbers and cabbage with fatty foods to lessen the oily taste. But in recent years tissue-thin slices of fresh lemon grass have become a popular alternative. Slices of lemon grass, along with equally thin pieces of garlic and ginger and bits of hot chilies, are also being served as a cocktail snack, stuffed into small edible leaves. Lemon grass is also appearing in more and more cooked foods in Thailand. Among other things, Dr. Subcharoen says, lemon grass is useful in the treatment of indigestion and flatulence. Others claim that the plant is a diuretic, appetite stimulant, antihypertensive and antibacterial. Dr. Varro Tyler, an American expert on herbs and an emeritus professor of pharmacognosy at Purdue University, said lemon grass does indeed help to dispel gas and is an insect repellent. He believes that the essential oils might have some antiseptic and bacterial effect if applied topically, and that "it is not beyond the realm of possibility that it has some diuretic effect," but he questioned its ability to stimulate the appetite or reduce blood pressure. Medicinal or not, lemon grass's undisputed attribute is its flavor. The farm women's tea is delightfully refreshing hot or iced, but I prefer my lemon grass in food. One of the best dishes I had in Thailand was a salad in which lemon grass was the main player  not just a few stalks but half a cup. I also love the flavor in tom yum goong, the hot and sour shrimp soup made with soothing aromatic chicken broth that is punctuated with incendiary blasts from tiny chilies. In Thailand lemon grass is a standard ingredient in chili paste and curry pastes and sauces; it provides marvelous flavor to the Thai version of fried rice. Daniel Lentz, the executive chef at the Amanpuri resort on the island of Phuket, makes a wonderful version. He has been in Thailand long enough to know how to use lemon grass in Western dishes, producing not only subtly scented lemon grass rolls but a brilliant dish of vanilla ice cream flavored with lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves. In my own experiments I have found that lemon grass pairs beautifully with grilled meats, brightening their richness, and with fish, perfuming it. I've mixed it with capers and lime juice as a topping for grilled tuna. Lemon grass is particularly seductive when it's minced and added to crab cakes or crab meat salad, or as part of a crab boil for steamed crabs. Minced Lemon grass and Kaffir lime in a chipotle hollandaise is simply awesome-a fusion of flavours that is sheer perfection. Minced lemon grass, combined with garlic and shallots and stuffed under the skin of a roast chicken, will perfume not only the bird but also the kitchen. Lemon grass adds a surprisingly harmonious touch for pumpkin soup and is just as delicious in pumpkin mousse or pumpkin chiffon pie. It makes clear chicken or mushroom soup sparkle and combines with tomatoes to make an unusual salsa. Almost any fresh pineapple dessert would take kindly to it. Mr. Lentz notes that lemon grass is most effective when it is heated. "The fragrance is enhanced when you have the taste and the smell in a hot dish," he said. "It's the first aroma you get. Very satisfying, like the aroma of coffee." He also cuts the lemon grass stalks on the diagonal and uses them for sandwich picks. When lemon grass is young and fresh it is most tender and least fibrous. Unfortunately, older lemon grass is what is found in American supermarkets. Which is why it is usually a good idea to remove one or two of the outer layers of the stalk. Only about three inches of the bottom of the stalks carry the flavor. If the stalks are being used to flavor a dish and will be removed before it is served, smashing the pieces with a cleaver or rolling pin releases more flavor. If you want to eat it, it has to be either sliced tissue thin (a mandoline does the trick), minced or pounded into a paste with other ingredients. Many Thai chefs use and home cooks use a mortor and pestle to release the fragrant oil. Lemon grass keeps for 10 days in the refrigerator, though it does dry out. It can be stored, either whole or chopped, in the freezer for much longer, and it defrosts in a couple of minutes. The usual cooking instructions advising cooks on substituting dried herbs for fresh ones do not apply here. If you cannot find fresh lemon grass, forget about it. Dried lemon grass is only good for tea and aromatherapy. No Field? Grow It In a Sunny Window LEMON grass picked young, when it is dewy fresh and tender, is unlike anything you can buy in an American supermarket. It is much more intense, fragrant and flavorful. But as exotic as lemon grass may be to American gardens, it turns out to be as easy to grow as a weed. It does best in warm climates  the hotter the better  but can be grown anywhere that has good hot summers. Just take it indoors from the first frost to the last in pots or tub planters and keep it in a warm, humid spot like a sunny kitchen window. Because lemon grass is a clumping grass, it is propagated from rooted shoots, called rhizomes. Three or four weeks before the first frost, split or slice off the rhizomes, and put them in six-inch pots, making sure there are roots attached to each section. The plants need sun, good drainage and rich soil. If you want to try to grow lemon grass from supermarket stock, you can start with a few stalks that still have their corms, the part to which the roots were attached. Place them in six-inch pots filled with sterile potting soil and fertilizer, and press them about 1/2 inch into the soil; keep it moist but not soggy. The plants should thrive until they outgrow the pot. Lemon grass spreads reasonably quickly and within a year will require a two-gallon container. To harvest, cut the newest stalks from the outside of the clump, slicing down just below the soil. I always over winter a few stalks of Lemon Grass in a pot inside just incase they donÂt make it through the winter.

mauirose, I usually pickle cucumber and green tomatos with conventional brine/vinegar method. I also use all houshold vinegar (5-6% acidity) with garlic pickles (takes more than a year, minimum.Five years and older is a delicacy, as garlic turns black, sweet and soft, with very little or no vinegar or garlic taste. also, middle easterners make all-vinegar pickles (no salt, no water)with chopped/diced vegetabkes:(eggplants, turnips,carrots, pearl onions(and/or white part of scallions), cauliflower, tiny cucumbers, celery-heart, parsley, mint, tarragon, cilantro, shallots(chopped), garlic (chopped) tiny green chilies (chopped)if you like it spicy). Of the above, you have to patially cook the following: carrots, turnips, celery,egplants(baked at 350F for 30-45minutes), garlics(chopped). You add then your favorit pickling spices(ground) Unlike cucumber pickles all ingredient are eaten and nothing can be separated. So do not add things like bay leaves, rosemary. This picke is eaten at small amounts with dinner. You you may sweeten it a bit, if you want. Actually this is a "SOUR" not a pickle. Talking about sour, you may also add cabbage(chopped, partially cooked)

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I sometimes wonder whether the really hot weather that we get sometimes (days of 38 degrees Celcius/100 degrees Fahrenheit) has made growing tomatoes difficult. I remember a time when we just grew tomatoes and things went well. So in short, I wonder if maybe we need to arrange things so that when we apply water, our soil is watered well. It's very easy to not water enough. When Dad and I did our experiment where I mulched early and he didn't, my tomato plants (from exactly the same batch as his) sulked. They never caught up to his. The soil was too cold. I expected them to catch up eventually and rocket ahead. His crop of tomatoes was on flat soil. Mine were hilled up. Mine were going to outperform his NOW of course, but they didn't. At one stage I even showed him that his plants needed water. He was wondering why they were a little limp. I coaxed him to dig and he found that the water had barely penetrated the lovely soil that we had in his back yard. (Our tomatoes grew side by side that year.) He had quite a number of weeds among his plants. They were lush and green and enjoying life. My tomato plants were writing their wills. I think we make too much of weeds (I mean 'we' in general). I am sure his weeds protected the soil from excessive heat (and drying winds. Though the back yard was quite protected from wind.) Not sure what point I am making. But it's fun to grow tomatoes with your Dad. Even when they win.