CINCAU : LEAVES FOR JELLY

Tidying up our tiny garden sometimes need a long time and hard work.

This little space in our eastern backyard needs more than one step.

First step is weeding and remove the unproductive plants.

The second is cleaning the ground, then digging.

After two steps, this space was not as tidy as we expected.

The pathway still full of weed, and Cincau vine (Cylea barbata Myers) still grew here and there.

Cincau grows well here.

The vine is creeping on the wall.

Some stalks finally collapsed caused by heavy rain several weeks ago.

I let the stalks that still firmly attached on to the wall.

So, I collected the Cincau leaves from the collapsed stalks for making greens jelly.

Greens jelly is used for fresh drink with lots of benefit.

Here besides fresh drink, cincau is used for medicinal purposes, such as to treat diarrhea, diabetes, osteoporosis, fever, hypertension, cancer, vertigo, stomach inflammation and many more.

A useful plant...

TIME TO TIDY UP THE EASTERN BACK YARD

That is an embarrassing moment that we have guest that visiting our home garden for a garden tour, but our garden is so messy.

It happened so many time here in our garden.

Look... our eastern backyard was so messy.

Both of crops and weed grow jostling.

So various plants are growing in this shady area.

Fruit plant, vegetables, root plant, medicine plant, spice, herb, ornamental plant, and many more.

Time to tidy up!

Some one will help me...

PURSLANE : HARVESTING THE WEED

Purslane or we call it krokot (Portulaca oleracea) is the very useful weed in our garden.

It grow so well here and there in our garden.

Such a shame to let them wasted.

This useful weed have a lot of benefit for our health.

It grows in almost of pots in our garden.

Weeding is harvesting time...

We collect this weed and mostly make salad from this weed.

Just remove the root, clean it and boil for a moment.

It served with spicy peanut sauce... yummy...

A healthy and tasty dish!

HARVESTING THE FRESH HOMEGROWN TURMERIC

A poor plant with yellowish green leaves on the raised bed was interesting me.

Oh yeah, that was our kunyit or turmeric (Curcuma domestica).

We can check the early planting period here.

Nine months after planting is harvesting time.

From five rhizomes that grown, two plants have rotten and died.

One plant grow poorly, one plant was harvested early.

And this is the last, the best one.

The plant matures naturally.

The yellowish-withered leaves is a sign that the root is ready to be harvested.

Using fork, prying the soil and pull out the plant.

Clean it, washing on the flowing water.

Cut the roots...

Brushing the rhizome to remove the soil. 

Clean turmeric root is ready...

Turmeric is one of the main spices in Indonesian culinary.
This rhizome is also used for medicinal purposes.
Thanks GOD...

BLIGO : INVASION...

Our terrace garden looks a bit messy...

For several week this space was neglected. 
We  had extreme weather in last three weeks.
Very dry weather  for about two weeks, then very wet weather later.

It shocked our plants, here in our terrace garden.
Some plants finally died, poor and others grew wildly.

Look... this was our terrace garden two days ago.
Bligo or wax gourd finally invaded into our terrace garden.

The vine broke some vegetables on the rack.

Finally, I tidied up this space, pruned the leaves, and training the vine.

I found five fruits behind the leaves.

Thanks GOD...

WHITE VINCA AKA TAPAK DARA PUTIH

We have been finding beautiful white flowers from the corner of our terrace garden since three months ago.

Yes, the white vinca is blooming.

A simple flower...

I'm not sure it may grown from seed, that I bought from online nursery last year.

Whatever, I love it...

White is purity...

Thanks GOD !

BLIGO: FIRST HARVEST

Finally we get  some fruits to be harvested from  the  Bligo or  wax gourd vine (Benincasa hispida).

Six  fruits in so many  different maturity.
I have learned a  little  things  about how to cook  this  fruit.

Now, it's time to practicing those recipes.
I think we should share these fruits with  our friends.
This is small fruiting variety.

Common Bligo is usually much bigger than ours.
I think small size is much  better for us, a small family.

First recipe ... Fresh drink... Wax gourd in melon syrup. 

Thanks GOD...