Corn and Brinjal

This is the first purple eggplant from the garden, healthy and ready to be plucked. I am planning to cook the spicy eggplant (sambal eggplant) today. It is large enough for my household.

The daughters and husband loves corn which made me to explore to plant 4 of them and only 3 survived. And this is the first that has the flower....

This is all from my garden for now...

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VILVAM (BEL)

This is the latest picture of the Vilvam plant that I have planted in my house. For this year's Margzhali, I can be rest assured that I will the Vilvam leaf for my Sivalingam everyday.

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Home Garden

Coriander leave Purlpe long brinjal Red spinach

The above are the latest from the garden...

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Fruit Trees

Apart from being a vivid vegetable, I and my husband, also have planted some fruit trees. Hoping in 3 years time, we will be able to enjoy the harvest of our hard work....





Rambutan Pomegrate Soursop

Lemon Mango Banana

Dragon Fruit Chasew nut

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Planting 2nd edition

Yesterday was a public holiday and guess what I did……..GARDENING……..…
I had quite a number of sprouted garlic, 2 potato and 1 ginger… This is the first time, I am planting these vegetables and I am not sure if they’ll succeed in growing in the Malaysian weather.

I am curious and also excited to see the outcome….. I also had some black eye beans and tomato which have grown to about 7 cm, so I have transferred them to the main area from the pot….

This is going to be exciting!!!!!!!!!!



Ginger - Only 1 survived, planted this nearby the turmeric



Mr Potato - One has green leaves and the other just started and planted inside, so you can't see it yet...



Ok, I have told you earlier, that I am a big fan of tomato, so the initial 2 plants that have started to fruit, is not sufficient to fulfill my demand, so I have added another 7 into the family. I guess the 7th tomato is missing from the picture....




I was reading about black pea being planted in big scale in southern part of US and here I was,all this while, thinking that was mainly consumed and planted by the Indians...Shows how good I am in Geography...

I have also sowed some seed of fenugreek, red spinach and eggplant, the long purple version...






Let's wait and see the progress...
Bye for now...

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Cucumber

The cucumber have been growing well and I have plucked 4 of them todate... They do taste special...




After this 4 there seems to be no more cucumbers.... will have to wait...I guess...

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Long Bean

I was doing my weekly, weekend task of plucking some of the long bean leaves. I believe it would encourage more beans to grow, if there are less leaves. This is when Prami told me that the young leaves is cooked and ate in her home town, Indonesia…. I was thrilled, never knew this can also made into a dish…. But she was afraid that we might not like the taste…… Whatever it is, I decided to give it a try and cooked the young leaves of the long beans….

I stir fry these like the mustard green, with onion, garlic,ginger and a little shredded coconut towards the end. The tasted was different but it was nice....Planning to cook again in future. I can now proudly add another green leave in the stir fry list....

I read, that the leaves of chili's are also good for stir fry.....Next in the list, to be experimented...

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ROSES and.....

Okay, this will be the last post from me on 'Garden'.... This time, I would like to share the pictures of the roses and another flower that I do not the name of.....










And this flower is small and white and smells a little like jasmine...




That's all for today......

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Cucumber

I never knew that I can grow my own cucumber....... My joy knew no bounds, seeing the flowers bloom and now there are kuti kuti (small) cucumbers....









Beautiful...don't you agree with me??

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Tomatoes

I am a big fan of Mr Tomato.....This is one of the vegetable that is 'always must be available' in my list.I use about 4 to 5kg of tomatoes in a week.

Normally it costs me about RM1.50/kg (about 0.45USD), however recently the price went up as high as RM4.80 (about 1.44USD).

I also read somewhere that a vegetable garden is not complete without Mr.Tomato...

With all this in mind, I marched and planted my first Mr Tomato...The packaging of the seeds states this as the Cherry Tomato....



Baby tomatoes...




Flowers have started to bloom....






With fruits...

Will update once the fruits have riped.... Please be patient yaaa..

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Do you know where....

Greetings and Vanakam to all,

I was making some quires and also net searching regarding soil for gardening. Some information were too technical, these,I am still trying to digest but I also found out some interesting facts about soil.

All in all, it was a interesting and amazing search and I have managed to understand a little about soil…..With that, I am looking for fiber from the dried coconut and grain husk, sekam.

I would appreciate if you can drop a line if you know,where I get these items…

Would prefer if it is near to my hometown, Seremban……….☻☻

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Sort of Square Foot Gardening

I read many interesting tips, do's and don'ts about square foot gardening in the blogs.Excited with all these reading, I updated hubby and we started planning for our FIRST Square Foot Gardening (SFG). However we used bricks instead of planks or plastic rails...



I with hubby's help planted chili and into the small white cups, I throw the mustard greens seeds.



After all the planting was completed, we covered the young seeds with the coconut leave. This is how it was done when I was young back in the kampung,village.



And now after few weeks, this is how it looks like... I have taken out the plastic cups and have rearranged the growing mustard grees...







I am happy with the result and everyday I pay them a visit and look for any insects, but so far all looks well...Hope they'll grow strong and healthy. I am looking forward to plant more varieties...

What have you planted at your backyard/garden...Care to share the pictures or comment....

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What's happening in the garden

What started as a hobby, has now, become a weekly affair and now, proves to be very helpful with the recent increase in price of oil, rice and name it, almost everything....

I am more focusing in starting up the vegetable garden now. My husband has been very helpful... and it is a very healthy family weekend workout.

So what are you planning to plant in your garden... Well, you do not need a big gardening area, a small place, or even pots and contairnes are useful........

Below are some of the pictures from my garden.........


Brinjal,long bean,banana

Curry leave,pandan leave,turmeric,lemon grass

Husband busy at work

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SPROUTING AND COMPOST

I became interested in 2 subject this week and both are organic. It is about sprouting and compost... In this weeks blog, I'll share a little that I found out about sprouting and in the next blogging, will try to share information on the compost.

Growing sprouts at home are very fresh packed with nutrients.It is also easy and with very little time or effort, you can supply yourself an abundance of live food, in your home.

Below are some of the seeds that can be sprouted, you'll be amazed with the list.....

Alfalfa – means ‘father of all foods’ in Arabic, a lovely mild taste means you can’t grow enough. Sensitive to heat, ready in 7 days.

Buckwheat – actually a herb, likes light, warmth and wet. Needs to soak for 12 hours and a larger mesh or holes to root into than normal, use black unhulled seeds. The hulls are susceptible to mould so rinse well, ready in 10 days.

Cabbage – very small seeds make rooting difficult, use a very fine mesh. Strong cabbagey flavour, ready in 6 days.

Clover (red) – like alfalfa but sharper taste and bigger leaves, ready in 6 days.

Fenugreek – Tall and bitter, prefers cool temperatures. Mix with milder sprouts to tone it down, ready in 9 days.

Garlic – expensive, but just as good as the bulb for health and taste, but with less odorous after effects. Seed jackets don’t come off easily, just eat them! The first week will see little growth, ready in 12 days.

Mustard – as you’d expect this tiny sprout is hot. Use the black type as it’s easier to grow. Too hot for mass consumption, better for spicing up other meals, ready in 6 days.

Radish – hot, rinse well, ready in 6 days.

Sunflower (in shell) – sprout black ones as the shells fall off more easily and rinse well as they are prone to mould. As buckwheat, soak long and use a larger mesh, they get big! Ready in 10 days.

Wheatgrass – looks like grass and must be juiced. Soak hard wheat grains for 12 hours and use a large holed tray or basket. Harvest with scissors, has a strong flavour and many health giving properties, ready in 12 days.

Adzuki – cousin of the mung bean, crispy, use in salads sparingly, ready in 5 days.

Barley – grows about 2 to 3 times the length of the grain, better cooked, ready in 2 to 5 days.

Chickpea – cook, makes good sprouted humus, ready in 4 days.

Lentil – very easy to grow, steam them or eat sparingly on salads, ready in 5 days.

Kamut – this ancient grain is more nutritious and used the same way as wheat if you can find it. Sprout till the shoots are half the size of the berry, 4 days.

Mung – the famous Chinese sprout, to get them long, grow under a heavy bag of water with a banana or two nearby, (it gives off ethylene gas, a plant growth hormone.) The seed hulls don’t move easily, let them float away by holding the sprouts underwater, ready in 5 days but you can grow longer.

Oats – use oat groats, you can eat sprouts raw, but better cooked, sweet. Ready in 3-5 days.

Pea (green) – like lentils, but bigger and needs cooking, ready in 5 days.

Sunflower (hulled) – sweet nutty taste, but gets bitter and moulds easily if you leave them too long, grow for 2 days, then eat.

Quinoa – Hard to find, untested.

Wheat – sprout this and use it to make sprouted breads, ready in 3-5 days.

As on how to sprout, just soak them for about half a day, rinse them and wet them on daily basis and rinse them..... simple as that. You can use a jar, tray, plastic bag and etc...

There are many websites that has detailed information and there are sprouters that can be bought....

Happy sprouting....

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Vilvam (Bel)

It is always a hunt for the Vilvam leaves during the Shiva Rahtri and Marghazli Poojai. My husband visits each temple in the quest, for Vilvam leaves during this time frame...

In the mean time, I inquire for the Vilvam plant in all the the nurseries that I visit.....I was so involved in the search of the Vilvam plant to the extend of, even my colleagues were sourcing out with their contacts... and finally 3 months ago, one of my colleague, got me not 1 but 2 plants which his mother n law bought from her contact....

What was interesting was, that during this search, I was explaining what was Vilvam, the significance of the leave to Lord Siva, so much so that, my colleagues are also now looking for Vilvam to plant and use the leaves for the prayers..

I visit these plants that I have planted, daily after work and pray that they'll survive. And now, finally both the trees are growing, 1 tree is growing much healthier than the other one. I pray both the trees will grow well. In fact I've used 3 leaves for the New Year prayer, on the 13th April ... I was so over joyed, that I could finally be able to shower Vilvam leaves to my precious Sri Lingam...

I know, for next year's Shiva Rahtri, there'll be plenty of Vilvam leaves and I am planning to distribute some to my colleagues...

I have read somewhere that this tree should not be planted in the house premises.....but I guess, it is up to the individual...

Below are some information, I have gathered from the web,

Research Note - Pankaj Oudhia

Bel is an important non-wood forest produce of Chhattisgarh. The forests of all parts particularly the dense forests of southern part of Chhattisgarh are rich in natural population of Bel. As non-wood forest produce, all parts of Bel is collected and supplied to the traders at national and international drug markets. There is a fairly high demand of Bel fruits. Bel is an essential herb in home gardens. It is not under cultivation at commercial level as horticultural crop. Dhamtari, a city situated 70. kms. far from Raipur, is famous market for naturally collected Bel herb. During season, several truckloads of different parts of Bel herb are supplied to traders at Kolkata city every week. The traders at national and international drug markets are well aware of natural occurrence of Bel in Chhattisgarh. For the traditional healers and natives of Chhattisgarh, Bel is a valuable herb. They use the Bel in different worship ceremonies as offering. The natives prefer to plant atleast one Bel tree in their homes because it is common belief among them that the presence of this tree in home gardens make them prosperous and healthy for ever. In order to root out the bad effects of other herbs in home gardens, the natives also plant this tree. In ancient Indian literatures it is mentioned that one should offer the Bel leaves to the Lord Sun (Surya Devta) to make him happy. It is also mentioned that the Lord Sun likes the flowers of Kaner (Nerium sp.) but one Bel leaf is having more potential as compared to thousand Kaner flower. The natives are aware of this information. The natives having financial problem, perform special worship. In this special worship, the Bel leaves are offered to the fire, with uttering of mantras.

Common names of Bel

• Bengali, Hindi, Marathi, Assamese Bael
• Gujarati Bili, Bel
• Kanarese Bilva, Belpatra, Malura
• Sanskrit, Bilva
• Malayalam, Maaredy
• Oriya, Belo
• Tamil, Vilvam
• English, Wood apple

Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.

Bel is a storehouse of nutrition. A fully ripened bel contains 60 per cent moisture, 0.7 per cent protein, 0.7 per cent fat, 16.2 per cent carbohydrate and 9-20 per cent tannin. It has vitamin C and a small amount of vitamin b-complex, calcium, phosphorous and iron.

Old medical texts mention not only the uses of the fruit but also describe medicines prepared from its roots, tender leaves and flowers. In Ayurveda bel is termed tridosh har- remedy for three disturbances- bile, wind, phlegm.

The raw and ripe fruit have different properties. The former is bitter and pungent, its attributes are light and its potency hot. On the other hand, the mature fruit is sweet, heavy in its attribute and its potency is soothing.

The raw fruit is recommended for persons suffering from gout or arthritis since it generates heat in the body.

The ripe fruit on the other hand is cooling and a sharbat made from its pulp has a cooling effect.

The half-ripe fruit is effective in diarrhoea and dysentery. On the other hand, the effect of the mature or ripe fruit on the digestive system is absolutely different.

Bel is a traditional summer tonic - a soother for disturbed tummies and a cooling pick-me-up that improves sluggish appetite. The ripe fruit is cooling and sharbat made from its pulp wards off heat stroke and other fiery afflictions.

The fruit is high in tannin, an astringent which was commonly added to the water used to wash burns and abrasions.

Bel leaves too being rich in tannin, prove effective in ulcers. The leaves are soaked overnight in water and this water is taken in the morning. It helps to form a coating on the stomach's internal lining and helps in healing ulcers.

Diluted bel pulp with turmeric, sandalwood powder and mustard powder mixed into a paste acts as cleanser and skin toner. This paste is also good for sluggish skin. Apply the paste on the body and leave it for half an hour before a bath. This will help open the pores.

Bel is an effective remedy for spastic colon and chronic constipation. It is used as a laxative. The micro-nutrients of this fruit correct digestive disturbances. About 70 gms of pulp should usually be taken for this purpose. The juice of its leaves when taken with black pepper relieves constipation.

Bel leaves have an extraordinary high chlorophyll content. Like neem, bel is a deep breather: it inhales lots of atmospheric gases like monoxide and exhales a lot of pure oxygen.

This is all from me for now....Anbe Sivam

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