My friend, Amy gave me this Lychee (Laichi, Scientific Name, Litchi Chinensis) tree. I have planted it in a large pot because I don’t want to expose it to too much sunlight which might kill it. It was growing real slow, so recently I added some growth enhancement fertilizer and it grew new leaves immediately. Hopefully I can get it to produce some fruits when the plant matures.
This Indonesian Avocado (Scientific Name, Persea Americana) plant was given to me by Amy too. Unfortunately, it wilted when I added too much fertilizer to the soil. Maybe I will try to plant another one again. Avocado has real creamy texture and I love to eat them with sweetened condensed milk. Avocado leaves contain persin, a toxic fatty acid. The bark and many parts of the tree is poisonous too. Therefore be careful if you have this plant at home; this poisonous substance can kill cat, dogs, goats, cattle, rabbit and horses. Some birds can die if they consume the Avocado fruits.These are sweet potatoes (Pucuk Ubi, Scientific Name, Ipomoea batatas) leaves and are commonly stir fried with garlic. The young leaves are very crunchy and nice. This is a common meal taken by Viet Cong guerillas when they were hiding in the famous Cu Chi Tunnel in Ho Chi Minh City while fighting the US Army during the Vietnam War. I have cut away all these plant because it was growing to fast (too bushy) and even produced some starchy sweet potato tubers.
I planted this pineapple (Scientific name, Ananas Comosus) tree from one of the ripe pineapple that I bought. I am not sure if this plant will bear any fruits but I am keeping my fingers crossed. Pineapples are great addition to dessert and drinks. I love to eat curry cooked with pineapple. Thailand is one of the leading countries in pineapple production; in fact South East Asian countries occupy the top spots in the pineapple producing list. This is a Taiwanese custard apple (Buah Nona, Scientific Name, Annona Reticulata) tree. It is really tall and skinny, just like me but have not bear any fruits yet. I was told that the fruit is sweet and quite large in size. Look like I have to add more fertilizer to make it flower and bear fruits. I was told that the leaves of custard apple can be used to fight cancers and tumours. I think this is a ciku (Sapodilla, Scientific Name; Manilkara zapota) tree that I planted from the seed. Well, I have to just wait and see what type of fruits it will bear when it start to flower. I have some ginger (Scientific name, Zingiber Officinale) sitting far too long in my fridge and has grown some green leaves. Therefore I planted it in my backyard. I am not sure whether it will grow well and produce lots of ginger tuber. I have to wait and see. Apart from being commonly used in cooking, the ginger also has many medicinal properties. It is widely used to alleviate the symptoms of common cold. Serai (lemongrass, Scientific Name, Cymbopogon citratus) is one of the common plants seen in many places in Malaysia. It is the most widely used ingredients in Malaysian and Asian cooking. Lemon grass oil has anti fungal properties and it is also commonly used as insect repellent. Based on a latest research, it was found that citral, a chemical found in lemongrass is effective in killing malignant cancer cells. I have seen sick dogs chewing on the lemongrass leaves and got well after that. Maybe there are other medicinal properties in lemongrass that we have yet to discover. Whenever I have old shallots that have started growing roots, I will plant them in my garden. I will harvest the spring onions when they mature and used them to cook spring onion chicken dish. Pandan leaves or Screwpines (Scientific Name, Pandanus amaryllifolius) are widely used to enhance the aroma in dessert and many dishes in many countries across the South East Asia. Gai ob bai toey (Pandan Chicken) is a Thai dish which the chicken is wrapped in pandan leaves and then deep fried. The colour and aroma from the pandan leaves juice are important ingredients in the famous Malaysian Chendol. Apart from being a common ingredients in food, the pandan leaves can also be used to repel cockroaches. The Chinese called this Muat Chaw (Hokkien Name). It is suppose to be a ‘clean’ plant and some Chinese people would bring along som of the leaves with them whenever they attend a funeral. The common species of Muat Chaw would have fruits that can stick to one’s clothes. However this particular species of Muat Chaw in my garden produced beans and you can see the fully grown pods in the picture. My ex-maid told me that the beans are edible and this plant is very common in Muara Cawang, Indonesia. ‘Uncle, can I have some karuvepalli leaves’, my previous cute Indian neighbour kids used to come knocking at my gate for permission to take some of the curry leaves (Scientific Name, Murraya Koenigii) from my garden. It is actually not easy to cultivate and keep this plant healthy. I have managed to keep two plants that I took from my auntie’s house alive and well for quite some time. The leaves are used to enhance the aroma of curry dishes. It is a must in Indian cooking! The flowers of the tree are white and fragrant. The berries are edible but the seeds are poisonous. Bird eye chilli is a must have for those who love spicy food. In Thailand it is found in virtually every dish. Due to its’ small size the Malay name of this type of chilli is known as cili padi (rice chili). Don’t let its’ size fool you, bird eye chilli is very spicy! I have seen some common bulbul bird feeding on my ripe bird eye chilli. Wow, this bird must be a chilli fan like me!
34 comments:
really Pete.. what other gifts do u have next? disclose all.. hahaha... planting also u can do so well.. green fingers.. *now looking at mine* mine are all typing fingers..always typing here only... sigh...
Claire : Ha ha ha, I just simply throw the seeds everywhere and let it grow. Sometime I forgot what plant that I have planted. LOL!
wow, never knew some of this are actually edible... thanks for sharing pete.
Yea haha! Pete got so much talents is scary and he is a guy! :P His kids and wife are really lucky.
Pete, it's great that you are growing herbs on your own. Did you read yesterday's Star article on veggies and the use of pesticides. I shudder at the thought of those veggies overladen with pesticides. Better to grow your own than buying from the market. Also, better to consume cili padi than red chillies as the latter are heavily sprayed with chemicals.
Ladyviral : Ha Ha Ha, now everything is like the internet, it is borderless. So much things can be found and learned with the click of the mouse. Don't be scared lah, I am just a normal guy who like to learn new things.
Mei Teng : We are suppose to eat more greens but those veggies available in the market are laden with so much chemical...eat also die don't eat also die....he he he!
pete, today you offer grass for food. thank goodness won't leave your blog hungry for once. hehehe.
(you're a swell guy, lucky kids/wife)
Hi Tuti, ha ha ha, grass for food, ROLF....gotta have a change, instead of having too much good food, I guess 'grass' would be a good healthy alternative. LOL! Thks Tuti!
I envy your vegetable garden. Unfortunately for me or rather for the plants...whatever I plant sure goes to plant heaven :(
Smallkucing : Wow, got plant heaven leh! LOL!
Wow! You got an "Agriculture Garden" at your house! Cool!
Tching : Ha ha ha, Agriculture Garden. Actually I simply plant all those plants....everywhere in my garden. LOL!
wow, really admire u..my mum only plants the pandan leaves..
Wenn : Thks Wenn, pandan leaves are very useful, I love cooking with it.
it's not a small garden...it's a BIG garden indeed... so many plants =p
Fufu : Actually very small only. My garden getting to crowded already. Need to reorganised and trim some of the plants. LOL!
wow, Pete, you are quite the gardener and really know your herbs and fruit. Impressive collection. Thanks for sharing.
Christine : Thks Christine, I planted them so that I don't have to buy them from the market, but then sometime they hard to find at the market.
Too bad I don't live in Selangor. Otherwise I know where I can get free veg! LOL!!! I take Hempedu Bumi every day...add hot water like tea, and drink! Very bitter...but very good for all kinds of ailments!
wow! U know so much things abt plants..
STP : Ha ha ha, do agree hempedu bumi is good for many ailments and also to reduce toxin in our body.
Chris : Just a hobby only. Good to use natural cure.
You've got quite a variety of plants growing in your garden. So much to harvest and enjoy.
Keats : It is good to consume vegetable and herbs that we planted all by ourselves. Taste real good!
Pete, is that pegaga in your first (lychee) plant pic?
How nice to grow your own edible garden :)
Pei Pei : That plant looks like a pegaga but it is not. The leaves are thicker and darker green than pegaga. It multiply really fast!
Those plants are very healthy and best of all...free! -)
your garden VERY green!
see everyday eyes sure perfect! lol..
nice plants.. haha.. =D
kenwooi.com
Ayie : At leat I will be confident of eating them, no pesticide! LOL
Kenwooi : Unfortunately, I am wearing glasses, he he he, greens no effect on my eyes leh! Ha ha!
Pete, ho liao! har mi pun ei chor. Next time, will see you chiak chaw like gu in your herb garden lor. LOL !
MommySCChoo: Ha ha, chiak chaw....all the good herbs, can stay slim like me leh....he he he!
The herbs also treat erectile dysfunction and if its true then it will make wonders for those who are looking to find a medicine best suited for them.
Nice post. The herbs can be cultivated from the information given by you and some from the internet. What matters most is the effectiveness in curing it.
Thanks for a marvelous posting! I seriously enjoyed reading it, you can be a great author
I liked this blog, i think is very interesting, most of all for the new ideas that this blog talk.
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