My Home Gardening - Herbs & Spices 自耕自煮 (香草篇)

Like the vegetables, I grow my herbs & spices on our roof terrace - a small area with abundant sunlight. This is where I grow all the edibles. And they are all organic....

Sharing some of my herbs here :

1. Rosemary 迷迭香

2. Peppermint 薄荷

3. Spearmint 薄荷

4. English Parsley 西洋香菜

5. Laksa Leaf 叻沙叶

6. Curry Leaf 咖喱叶

7. Sweet Basil 甜罗勒(九层塔)

8. Thai Basil 泰国神罗勒

9. Cilantro / Coriander 芫茜

10. Pandan Leaf 香兰叶

11. Tylophra Secamonoides Tsiang 蛇胆草

12. Lemon Grass 香茅

My Home Gardening - Vegetables 自耕自煮 (蔬菜篇)

I grow my vegetables on our roof terrace - a small area with abundant sunlight. This is where I grow all the edibles. And they are all organic....

1. Arugula Rockets

Arugula Rockets - I used French Arugula seeds. They were rather expensive (I paid SGD 9.90 for a small packet) but well worth the value. It took 5 weeks from seedling to  its first harvest. Almost 100% of the seeds sprouted but 15% succumbed to the continuous rainy days few weeks ago. They were too young and weak to withstand the continuous downpour. The surviving ones are ever blooming now. The more I trim and harvest, the better they seem to grow. I am seeing many more rounds of harvests before I exhaust them. 

It is essential to fertilize with organic fertilizers every 7 to 10 days from beginning. 

I used them as toppings for my Grilled Salmon Pizza. The peppery taste was excellent. I could taste its freshness in between my teeth....

2. Wild Rockets

Wild Rockets seem more beaten by Singapore's hot and humid climate in comparison to Arugula Rockets. It took much longer from seedling to harvest. I almost thought I lost the whole batch. The success rate from seedling to sprouting was about 50%. As I prefer Wild Rockets for salads & greens, I am still insistent to keep this on my list. 

Tough as they may be, my Wild Rocket leaves are still beautifully shaped. That is satisfying.

3. Eggplant

I cannot be happier with this eggplant. It has been flowering and fruiting continuously. I do give it a "flowering & fruiting" spa mist (spray fertilizer) on a weekly basis though.

This is a plant that need support assistance. I cable tie each main stem with a standing pole to let it thrive. Otherwise, they may not bear much fruits.

Eggplant needs excessive watering and very efficient drainage from the pot. I water it twice a day in hot weathers. These drooping leaves were in process of 'reviving' after my second round of watering today.

I am in the process of planting and seedling other local vegetables. I will share their photos when the crops are ready for some shots.

I Am Back!

I thought I could cope with my family life, my medical treatments and a very busy work life easily. In reality, my physical condition is far from the past. Stress, mental and physical demands had taken a toll on me. To make matters worse, I went through a worrisome 6 months - being closely monitored for suspected metastasis of cancer to my bones. That explains my total absence from postings for a long time. With the continual tests and screenings, I was left with little energy to write.

I am lucky. My cancer did not spread as suspected. I fought it through once more. It took me another few months to overcome and re-adjust. Here I am  back again!

It is different this time. I have since retired from my very stressful job. I know that family and health have to take precedence. I am now a simple Stay-At-Home-Wife! 

The transition was not easy. The initial days of staying at home left me feeling extremely bored and restless. I felt rather useless. It took me a while to accustom to a domestic lifestyle (which I had never experienced before). In the few months of adjustments, I slowly made time for things that I had wanted to do (but never had time to) in the past. My daily schedule is now so packed with activities! 

• Houseworks / Laundry
• Food & Grocery Shopping
• Simple Workouts 
• Acrylic Painting 
• Sewing
• Music
• Learning New Stuffs (I just registered for a Malay Conversational Class)
• Gardening
• And not forgetting COOKING and baking for my husband and a dog!   

My favorites have to be Gardening, Cooking and Baking. I actually set up my own 'herbs & vegetables garden' on my roof terrace. It's not my first choice as I have to climb few storeys to water and harvest everyday. And I have to harvest my fruits early in the morning before the birds get to them. But the abundance of snails have been eating up my herbs and vegetables on the ground floor. I have no choice but to convert ground floor to planting florals instead. It is actually nice to see butterflies and bees visiting my blooms everyday! Seriously, what had I missed in the past when I didn't even pay attention to anything outside? I now grow and cook my own harvests. It is simply therapeutic  to see through the process - from seeding, harvesting, cooking and serving them on the table. 

The camera captured a portion of my plants. Guess what I have? Rosemary, Pandan Leaf, Ginger, Cilantro, Spring Onion, Lemon Grass, Green Chilli, Red Chilli, Chilli Padi, Sweet Basil, Thai Basil, Curry Leaf, Laksa Leaf, Lime, Arugula Rocket, Wild Rocket. Tomatoes etc.

The initial setup saw me 'murdered' a few plants due to ignorance and overzealousness. They have finally stabilized. I am elated to see my plants growing well and getting stronger day by day. Like a proud Mama, I will introduce them to my cooking. My future recipes will see some of my own harvests as ingredients...