my secret garden

Sunflower looking down on me, with Sri Maya (the cause of my asthma) at the background

I won't take credit for this sunflower, because it wasn't planted by me :P It does however, mark the border between my secret vegetable garden and the rest of the plants planted by the apartment's maintenance Bangla. I love my apartment because it has its own veggie garden tended by the that same Bangla, and in addition, all around the compound there are like more than 30 lemongrass shrubs and pandan shrubs. Siapa nak masak rendang or pandan chicken, you know where to get your ingredients for free, eh?

While some people who know me shrug in disbelief when I tell them that I like gardening, I do have a penchant for growing vegetables. Not fruit trees, not flower plants, not ornamental shrubs .... but vegetables. This craziness started when I was in Standard 5. There was a "Taman Sains" in my primary school, and there were plots of lands available for students to plant their own whatever that they want to plant lah. I remembered planting okra, mustard greens, brinjals, and some other vegetables. I will religiously go there every morning before school actually start (macam rubber tapper) - play with my buddies at the Taman Sains (huyoo.. kitorang main V tau - ingat tak the TV series "V"?? I think it had a cult following in the 80s!!!) while tending to my vegetable plots.

My grandma did have her own HUGE vegetable garden at her backyard. When it comes to veggies, she's completely self sufficient. She had all sorts of herbs as well - daun selaseh, kesum, mint leaves, and all the exotic stuff for her jamu - she has normal veggies like sawi and spinach and she also has kuchai, long beans, tomatoes... whatever veggie that you can get in a mini market, she's got it.

My fingers kan, boleh tahan green jugak la. When I was studying in the States, my housemate had some seeds of this plant that I cannot write the name here for fear of being imprisoned. I took a handful and planted it at our backyard in winter. Spring came, and the plant flourished!!! Yessirree, we had our very own Bob Marley's favourite vegetable growing at our backyard. It became a centerpiece / talking point for our backyard bbqs. And no, I did not make any money out of that darn plant.

So this is my take on my very own veggie plot (credit goes to my bibik la...heheheeh):
Don't let its looks deceive you, I've got okras, papaya tree (I love the young leaves, blanched), cucumbers, tomatoes, long beans, cili padi, baby bitter gourds (it's so unbitter and it's my almost daily ulam), daun cekur, turmeric, ginger...

Crunchy young cucumber... all green and best of all ORGANIC ok! No chemicals, no pesticides. Bottom right is the daun cekur which only my bibik use. I know I can use it when making urap but then again, do I have time to make that???

I love okras - blanch them in boiling water and dip 'em with Sambal Asam (recipe to be added on my recipe blog soon...tee hee).

So there, I know some of you are shaking your head if utter disbelief... Domesticated jugak perempuan Melayu terakhir ni... heheheh.... See, I told you I'm a holistic person :)