Exploring Nature, get to know the unknown - African / Mexican coriander

This exotic herb is known in different parts of the world in different names. Here it is known as "African coriander" (African malli, in Malayalam, our mother tongue). The popular names include Mexican coriander, Farang coriander, culantro, spirit weed, fit weed, saw-tooth coriander, saw-leaf coriander, bandhani yah, long coriander etc.

From what I read from the web this herb is widely used for culinary purposes in South America, the Far East, and Africa. It is popular in Assam and Manipur in India; in South India, it is not very common. Hope my blogger friends will enlighten us about this beautiful herb's popularity in their countries.

This herb has a flavor similar to coriander/cilantro, the difference is this is stronger and intense. We may need only a small portion of its leaf to garnish our dishes compared to the more common coriander leaves.

This has two types of leaves. The leaves that are at the lower portion of the plant are long and are about an inch in breadth. They have saw-tooth like spines at their edges. Not at all thorny, they are smooth :). The rosette-like leaves are also present in my plant, they are also palatable. Hope it will flower soon.

The above plant was small when brought from my ancestral home with my mom's permission. She has one more there. They use it regularly in dishes. This is grown in a purely organic way. The potting mix is the same I used to grow ladies finger; details of which you can get from my post about growing ladies finger - the organic way.
http://magicalpresent.blogspot.in/2015/03/organic-okra-ladys-finger-cultivation.html

She has grown well in her new place here with me. I guess she is happy to meet you all, my blogger friends :) She is no fussy plant; requires only little Sun and water.

This exotic herb has been claimed to be having many health benefits besides the culinary uses like garnishing, marinating and seasoning.

The claims include properties like:

• anti-diabetic
• anticonvulsant
• anti-cancerous
• anti-bacterial
• anti-inflammatory
• analgesic

In traditional medicine, it is used for treating hypertension, fever, worm infestation, burns etc. Well, nothing has been proved by well-controlled double-blind studies nor there are uniform acceptance and agreement among the researchers, like in the case of many other herbs said to be having medicinal value. So always get the advice of a qualified doctor before use.

It is actually fun in having a leisure time activity like gardening. Growing herbs, spices, and medicinal plants, as well as flowering plants, are cool ways to bring positive energy. It has become a productive hobby as well in the present day world, considering the value of organically grown produce. Such cool stuff is always in demand all over the world. There are many more exotic herbs still not very well known to people, having unique medicinal values. Besides they improve health in natural ways. The end result is we all feel better!

Enjoy exploring Nature...! Let this also be a cool method to reduce the skyrocketing stress levels. Help the needy, suffering fellow human beings. Identify such rare plants, spread awareness and push the scientific community to conduct research to validate medicinal value claims.

Such activities bring a lot of happiness to everyone. Remember, happiness is our birthright.

The botanical name of this herb is Eryngium foetidum.

• There are many things still unknown to us in nature. Some things may seem so common, but they may be priceless. Nature still has many secrets and we have just begun unveiling those.

Note: Please read the DISCLAIMER attached to this blog.

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Indoor gardening, a cool way to de-stress

Greenery indoors is something that makes us relaxed. It is refreshingly cool to see live plants inside our homes. Live plants are not at all difficult to grow indoors, give it some tender love and care, sure they will grow well.

Money plants are the easiest to grow, you may have to keep it once in a while in warm Sunlight. It will thrive well even if there is only limited Sunlight inside. I am growing money plants in water-filled containers. All others I am growing in soil, cocopeat or a mixture of both.

In my experience, we can depend on green lucky bamboo plants with full confidence. As you can see these two plants are placed where very little Sunlight falls. They are growing well, no problems whatsoever. They were never kept outside to in direct Sunlight! I am growing these in a potting mix of only cocopeat and not in water-filled containers or soil.

NASA has released a list of plants that purify indoor air. The emissions from TV, fluorescent lamps, refrigerator etc. pollute the indoor air and such plants help in improving the air quality.

Selection of plants, as I mentioned above, is very important. Even indirect Sunlight is enough for some plants to grow well. Self-watering containers limit the need for daily watering; it helps in keeping the plants hydrated when we go for vacation. I have already posted about making self-watering containers at home.

http://magnificentdewdrops.blogspot.in/2015/01/do-it-yourself-self-watering-plant-pot.html

Attractive containers, beautiful plants...well, let us make our interiors lively.

No doubt, greenery indoors bring positive energy. Such cool sights inside our houses send positive signals to the brain that eventually help in banishing the blues we may experience in life. A clean and lively environment is a sure way to better our mood level. Add some life to our environment inside buildings. Use this to become a better person; let it also be a personal development tool. Plants provide excellent positive vibes.

Let us make our indoor environment also a better place to live.

• Environment plays a lot in giving us positive energy. Adding a touch of greenery to our interiors is something that makes us relaxed and happy. 

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Leisure time activity - Organic Okra (lady's finger) cultivation at home

This is my first attempt at growing Okra/Bhindi/lady's finger organically at home. Fortunately, it has become a success, Thank God😊

Urban farming, as you all know, is challenging. With limited space, Sun and other constraints growing vegetables and fruits, that too organically, is very difficult and frustrating.

Armed with some farming experience in the past, preparing myself ready to accept setbacks, I took the first step in researching a lot, both online and offline, about organic farming at home. I learned that if we want better yield we must get top quality seeds. This has much better resistance to common diseases as well. So went to the Krishi Vigyan Kendra sales counter at CMFRI located on Goshree road near High Court Junction at Kochi and purchased Okra seeds (Arka - Anamika, an awesome variety of interspecific hybrid!).

I mixed organic soil with vermicompost bought from AVT gardenia at Panampilly Nagar, Kochi and cocopeat (a natural, organic soil conditioner made from coconut husks and fiber which has great water holding capacity) from Sterling, Poonithura. To this potting mixture, some cow dung powder and a handful of neem cake powder were also added. Neem seed cake, as you all know, is a good organic pest repellent. Two Okra seeds were soaked in water overnight and planted about two centimeters deep into this potting mix. Within a week seeds germinated. Watered it regularly and kept the pot in the narrow backyard at home where we get some amount of Sun...mind you, this is a metro city in a tropical country, lol, packed with concrete structures all around, not allowing full Sun to get through!

The terrace of my house is already covered with a sturdy aluminum sheet truss work so no Sun :) there too, else I would have tried terrace gardening. There is a balcony, well...will try something out there as soon as possible😊

However, my cute Okra plants grew happily. Now it is only a month and as you can see my beautiful plants have begun producing lovely fruits! These ladies are just a foot tall...! :), there are so many lovely fruits sprouting, as you can see!

I would like to share the joy with all my blogger friends worldwide and decided to post this :)
Buddies, aren't they cute?

In Kerala too, like many other countries worldwide, toxic pesticide and fertilizer usage has resulted in a very high incidence of cancer and other serious diseases forcing people to go organic in whatever way they can. The problems with organic are the genuineness of produce, certification, and exorbitant cost. Many are not at all aware of proper organic growing methods, availability of seeds and planting materials.

My advice to all who venture out into this wonderful task is to go for the easiest to grow plants like Okra, salad leaves like coriander and fenugreek. Remember, Sunlight is crucial. Start small and expand gradually. Watering can become difficult especially if you travel a lot, with no one to help in your absence.self-watering plastic bottle with a wick, I will post something about it asap. It will keep your beauties happy for a week if you use a big soft drinks bottle, no big deal!

Well, pests...if the plant is healthy you don't need to worry about them especially if you have used seeds bought from reputed sellers.

Neem seed oil, tobacco-water concoction and chilli garlic juice, all diluted, of course, are very effective natural, organic pest repellents. These are 'repellents', so use them before pests attack. Online you will find many resources on how to prepare these effective organic weapons against pests.

CMFRI outlet has many organic planting materials that growers would surely need, 'Panchagavya' included. It is a concoction of diluted cows urine, cow dung, milk, curd, and ghee. Organic foliar sprays like fish amino acid emulsion are also available which is a mixture of sardines and organic jaggery.

I didn't feed my beauties with any of the above, they were growing happily in the pot enjoying the potting mix :). Well, I gave both of them a little support with sticks, it is fair...we all need it, something to lean on, isn't it?

Online you will find so many tips about organic soil fertilizers, organic foliar fertilizer sprays, and repellents.

A word about foliar fertilizer sprays, they are the future...micro quantities are only needed to supply nutrition to the plants, they are sprayed, diluted as directed, directly onto the leaves preferably under them. Will explain in detail about its usage later.

Search online about Okra has made me aware of the many important facts about it that I would like to share with you. I am calling Okra, a fruit and not a vegetable. Well, does it matter?

Okra is nowadays recognized as a superfood. It is rich in calcium (82 mg % ), magnesium (57 mg %), (potassium 299 mg%), vitamin C (23 mg %) and fiber. A notable feature of Okra is it is rich in Vitamin K as well (31.3 microgram %). The fiber present in this juicy fruit can prevent constipation very effectively.

The oil extracted from Okra seeds is rich in Oleic and linolenic acid. It can be used as biofuel as well. Roasted and ground Okra seeds is a caffeine-free substitute for coffee. Any experience, anyone?

Okra is rich in antioxidants that can neutralize free radicals that cause serious diseases. The slime / mucilage is claimed to be medicinal; it boosts heart health. Okra reduces homocysteine levels thus reducing inflammation. Some eat Okra raw, no need to tell you, better to eat organic fruit raw, one advantage of having a plant at home :) A few plants are more than sufficient for regular supply for a small family. It is an all year produce. Okra leaves can be put in salads as well.

Okra's scientific name is Abelmoschus esculentus.

http://kvkernakulam.org.in
http://www.coirsubstrate.com
http://www.avtbiotech.com

Organic cultivation is a fun filled activity. Moreover, it has nowadays become a productive hobby as well considering the value of organic produce all over the world. This is a good thing to do with no pollution or environmental damage bringing positive health to mankind. Inspiring people to adopt healthy ways to grow foodstuffs is wonderful.

Another valuable activity that radiates positive vibrations. Moreover, go organic for better health!

• If there is a will there is a way!

Note: Please read the DISCLAIMER attached to this blog.

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