Vinegar & its use

Recently i tried a few methods of using vinegar for household chores as suggested by many people on the TV and Youtube. Some did work, while some unfortunately did not.....

1) Vinegar for cleaning purposes ~ yes, it helps to make the floor feel & look much cleaner..The trick, just drop some vinegar in your usual cleaning solution, it also works if you prefer to use plain water and vinegar.

2) Vinegar to get rid of weeds ~ well, quite disappointing...i sprayed some on the weeds in my garden and found out they are still around...perhaps it is only effective on certain weeds?

3) Vinegar to get rid of ants & pests ~ well,  certainly not ants...it didn't work. full stop. But it works for getting rid of unwanted cat attention on poop spot. My next-door neighbour's cats love to take a dump in my garden.  I have tried shooing them away many times, but they would returned and pooped again and again on my lawn. I tried spraying some vinegar on the spot they usually pooped and have finally got rid of their disgusting, if not smug habit.

4) Vinegar for protection against the evil spirit ~ well, there is a hadis on this, I'm told. Anyhow, i simply poured some in a small cup and left them by the kitchen window. Nothing to lose for trying, right? Prevention is better than cure!

Well, there are other suggestions for the use of vinegar, but i haven't tried them all....like :

• get rid of tea/coffee stains in your cup  ~ pour vinegar in the cup, leave it for a while,  and wash the cup like usual.
• stop cat from scratching furniture ~ spray vinegar on the furniture to stop your cat from scratching it
• get rid of dandruff ~ massage some vinegar on your scalp, rinse, and then wash with regular shampoo.

Well, it is a cheap alternative...whether they work or not, you got to try them  yourself!

home away and moving away...

Been away for over two weeks. Found out that all my herbs on the backyard were doing well, healthy and that makes me happy! Sad news about the front yard.....my kaffir lime tree and my calamansi lime tree have been attacked by caterpillars while i've been away. They have managed to eat all the shoots on both tree, leaving only some pathetic stalks and lots of poop on on the ground. Well, my front lawn seemed to continue to be the 'poop' museum for animals  ~cats and caterpillars in particular! Mi-mi, my neighbour's little girl, has been delighted by the sights of ugly caterpillars -the black and green varieties...ughhh! The grasess on the front yard are doing well, despite my not being around to water it twice a day for two weeks...something to be relieved about...I shiver at the thought of having to re-do them again...
The reason that i've been away so much lately is that my husband and I have decided to move back to his hometown. The decision has been sudden, but it is one that we have no regret about, pertaining  the important reasons that lie behind it: The most important reason ~ to take care of his mother, and secondly, his hometown has a bigger population and that is ideal for our new business venture. So I guess, I'll have to leave this garden that I've started and begin some new adventures. My mother in law has a 'kampong' feel to her garden, which is just wonderful. I have already bought some seeds to start a vegetable garden on her backyard. I'll post some pictures of my progress. In the mean time, my hubby and I will be busy packing. I am a little sad to leave my little garden, but fret not, I'll be taking some plants with me...like the pink frangipanis,and the some small plants that won't be taking too much space. It's just sad really, and my bird's eye chillies have just started to bloom too...I guess I won't be here to pluck them and make sambal belacan with my first batch of chillies...

The easiest local herb to grow on your backyard!

Do you know that some of the local herbs that you buy in the market are so easy to grow? Why not start now, and save yourself some money? Let me demonstrate how easy they are and perhaps you'd be inspired to start your own herb garden too! Some of these herbs include the laksa leaves (daun kesum), the thai basil (daun selasih),  the beetlenut leaves (daun sireh), the mint leaves (daun pudina) and the pepper leaves/Wild Betel (daun kadok). 

The Laksa Leaves (Daun Kesum).

This local herb is most popularly used by Malaysians to cook asam pedas, and  fish laksa. If by any chance that you have to cook using this leaves, please choose the best, freshest stalk from your grocer – because you are not only going to use them in your cooking, but also in your new herb garden! For your cooking, remove the larger leaves and leave a few new/young shoots on the  kesum leaves. put the stalks in water for 1/2 hour before planting these stalks in a rich compost. Make sure when you place them on the soil, the stalks are planted in a slanted way, covering at least  6cm of the stalks. Water them twice daily and put them under the shade for a few weeks for the new shoots to grow healthily.

The laksa leaves

Laksa Penang

Laksa leaves in  a bunch

                            

Asam pedas

The Thai Basil (Daun Selasih)

The Thai Basil or locally known as Daun selasih is very aromatic, and is commonly used in the Green Thai Curry or could also be used a salad which compliments the spicy sambal belacan. A quote from the online source says that,

 " they’re rich in Vitamin A and antioxidants. Of course, they also give fibers which are good for proper digestion. With a lot of fast food on the loose today, tummy problems like reflux are common. So keep Thai basil handy around. You just never know when you need it. This is just in summary. If you want a full list, here’s the kind of nutrition you get from this antibacterial herb:  Vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E, potassium, magnesium, calcium, selenium, zinc iron, niacin,  lycopene, thiamin, riboflavin, beta carotene, plenty of flavanoids (both vicenin and orientin for cell health) , and folate, among others.”

http://herba-linch.hubpages.com/hub/thai-basil-antibacterial-herb

If you are interested to grow them, do repeat exactly the same steps with the previous laksa leaves. Easy- peasy!

The Aromatic Thai Basil

The purple flower of Thai Basil. The leaves also usually have some purple hue to them.

The Pepper Leaves/ Wild Betel (Daun Kadok)

The pepper leaves is delicious when eaten as a local salad (kerabu & ulam),  or in the Thai appetizer ‘the Miengkam’.  This wild herb usually could be found near the drainage, bushes, and in a shady area.
 I quote some info about this wonderful and aromatic herb:

Kaduk is one of the most versatile herb yet it is one of the most unappreciated. It propagates prolifically in a shaded and moist environment, and quickly takes over vacant plots of land. As such, it is considered a nuisance sometimes and cleared away as weeds. It can be found in the urban areas as well as the suburbs and kampungs. he leaves of the plant are called daun kaduk, daun being the Malay word for leaf. It is the main ingredient for favourite Peranakan dishes such as perut ikan, steamed otak-otak and nasi ulam. The pungent aroma of daun kaduk makes these dishes unique in taste and smell. Eating dishes cooked with daun kaduk is an acquired taste due to its unusual aroma and slightly bitter taste. Research has discovered that daun kaduk contains high amounts of antioxidant called naringenin which could scavenge free-radicals and is anti-inflammatory. It is also traditionally used for minor ailments such as toothache and constipation. I have used daun kaduk to reduce flatulence many times. http://deliciousmalaysia.com/daun-kaduk-wild-betel-leaf/

How to grow them? They can be grown using a tree cutting (choose ones where there are a few roots showing near the leaves or just pluck them out with roots and all from the ground. They usually grow in abundance and probably the easiest plant to grow on the planet!!! Remember to plant the cuttings in a slanting manner, making sure the root part near the leaves are buried in the compost.

THe Wild Betel could be found in shady areas in kampongs, and many are  freely growing in  vacant plot/land

Delicious Miengkam, to be eaten with sweet  shrimp sauce

The Betel Leaves (Daun Sireh)

The Betel Leaves (Daun Sireh) has a lot of medicinal benefits  & in the Malay culture, it is especially used in weddings as a condiment in tepak  sireh and sireh  junjung. The medicinal benefits include:

Weakness of Nerves

Betel leaves are beneficial in the treatment of nervous pains, nervous exhaustion and debility. The juice of a few betel leaves, with a teaspoon of honey, will serve as a good tonic. A teaspoon of this can be taken twice a day.

 Headaches
The betel leaf has analgesic and cooling properties. It can be applied with beneficial results over the painful area to relieve intense headache.Sore Throat
Local application of the leaves is effective in treating sore throat. The crushed fruit or berry should be mixed with honey and taken to relieve irritating cough.

Wounds
Betel leaves can be used to heal wounds. The juice of a few leaves should be extracted and applied on the wound. Then a betel leaf should be wrapped over and bandaged. The wound will heal up with a single application within 2 days.

How to grow them: You could plant them using matured tree cuttings (usually the stalk is a bit brown and has some woody texture), plant them slightly slanted on the compost, with the roots near the leaves are buried 6cm in the compost.  Place them in shady areas, and water them regularly, twice a day. 

Betel leave

The tepak sireh

Sireh Junjung

 The Mint Leaves (Daun Pudina)

There are many varieties of mint leaves. The most common is the peppermint, applemint and the spearmint. They are used as condiments in laksa, as sauce, in drinks and etcetera. They are easy to grow too. All you have to do is when you next go to the market, pick the best bunch of the mint leaves (the freshest, the prettiest bunch). Pluck the bigger leaves for your cooking,  leaving a few young leaves and shoots on. Leave the stalks in a jar of water,and wait for the roots to grow. Once you think there are enough white roots on them, plant them in a slanted way in the compost. Put them in a shady area, keep the soil moist and wait for them to grow healthily.

mint leaves

So, start gardening guys! They are not difficult, save your wallet and they provide some colours to your backyard!

How to Grow A Frangipani Tree

The Frangipani tree or pokok bunga kemboja is just so beautiful, and smells great too. The flowers come in many varieties ~white, pink, red, and yellow.

 A sample picture of Pink Frangipani flower

                            Growing the frangipani tree can be done by seedlings or tree cutting

HOW TO GROW THEM?
1. Growing a frangipani tree can be done by using mature seeds or by using the branch cuttings.
2. BY SEEDS: 

• You need to place the seeds in sand media to germinate. After it has produced 5-7 leaves, the plant can be transfer to it's individual pot or any designated area on your lawn.
• However, it has been said that using the seed method will take the tree a longer time to grow, and it is best to use the tree cutting method, which is faster.
• Also, the purity & quality of the tree is not guaranteed because of possible cross pollination during the pollination process.

3. BY TREE CUTTINGS:

•  Using the tree cutting method is pretty easy. You need to prepare  ~ the tree cutting, rooting hormon powder & media palnting mix (your soil ~3:2:1 or just use peatmoss...easy peasy!) 
• What to do? First, identify the type of frangipani tree that took your fancy ~ the pink ones, the white ones etc. Then identify the branch(es) that you want (between  30-40cm or 1 m long). Choose the ones that have a few buds on it.
• Cut/trim the bottom of the tree cutting properly, and leave the stalk to dry between 4-5 days. The tree will normally produce a white rubber when it bleeds. 
• Take one dry stalk, dip the bottom of the stalk in 3-4cm of water, and then dip the wet tip liberally into the rooting hormone powder. Make sure the bottom of the stalk are thoroughly covered with the hormone powder.
• Plant the prepared stalk in the media planting soil and they will continue to produce roots and leaves.

Well, the frangipani tree is a great addition to any space ~ not only in the garden, but they could bring some elegance on your porch, too. It will take them about a year before they could grow flowers, but I promise you it will be totally worth it....;)

Gardening: Backbreaking, but totally worth it.

This is how my adventure begins.....
January 2012 - My hubby, Anaz & I had finally managed to half-moved (I said half because most of our  household appliances and furniture are still at my sister-in-law's house) into our brand  new home. It's just a plain, ordinary terrace-house, but at least it's ours! The house's small front lawn was  a jungle of weeds with the most surprising treasures. I found kid's slippers, sneakers, a pair of tweezers  (what the F?), mineral bottle, plastic plate, security padlock, and many2 other crazy items when I pulled the weeds out.  Anaz found at least 10 pieces of colourful plastic rulers when he cleared the back of the house. Amazing!!

 Pulling out the weeds was back breaking, not to mention the grass planting which I did bit by bit and finally had them finished by end of February. I figured I could cut corners if I do it myself and I did!! We only spent like RM80.00 by doing it the cheap-skin way, which would normally cost RM500-RM600 if we hire the nursery people. But of course, the grass will take a hell-lot of its own time to fully grow and cover the whole yard.
In the mean time, I have been saving seeds and what not for future planting. I have already sown some of the seeds and the small area behind my kitchen has now a small population of ulam raja , pucuk ubi, chilli padi, ginger, turmeric, papaya,  pandan, and serai. I am now trying to grow some honeydew seeds, pomegranates, chinese turnip (sengkuang), henna, thai basil (selasih), mint and even potatoes! I must take some pictures someday and show how they have grown!

What amazes me the most from all this experiences is that I manage to finally grow something and it didn't die! For years I had occasionally tried to dabble in gardening from pokok sireh, to carrots and flowers...but they never seemed to be able to survive! I had actually believed that I do not have the green fingers (tangan panas kata orang). Well, I pray that this time luck will be on my side and the things that I have planted will continue to grow and keep on growing healthily.