Home Vege Garden

Our very own Vege Raised Garden!

pic from google

I decided to grow my own veges few months ago.

Was inspired by few raise garden pictures that i was looking at online.

impressive!

I wanted to grow my own veges simply because:

1. Cost effective. We could cut cost of veges weekly purchasing.

2. Pesticide free. I know it will be healthier and safer for my family.

3. I can help to increase the oxygen level in my community. That can be like a continous sedeqah from me.

I have started planting few vege plants previously but I didnt care too much for them that they did not go well, except for few plants which seem to be growing nicely regardless of the lack of tlc.

I was busy vomiting during the first timester, hence the lack of attention to them.

sob sob.

So, going into the 2nd-3rd trimester, I decided to focus more seriously on this. 

i googled up on how to make our very own vege raised garden. 

searched for the companion plants, which means, what plants are suitable to be planted together, next to each other.
extensive research done to make sure this project is a success.
i am very determined!

I wanted a raised garden because it is easier to maintain.

I like things to be organized and manageable.

and raised garden is the best solution.
no messy messy garden for me. i cannot tahan serabutness.

after so many googling and researching online, and Hub's support, on one fine Sunday, we went to buy papan at Meru.

I cant remember the name of the shop. It was not  the ordinary shoplots etc. 

It was more like a factory processing used logs and kayu kayan. 

The place was near to our place. 

we really save cost of building the Box, rather than purchasing the marketed product in malls etc.

I even seen one costing up to RM500 for a simple box. crazy crazy!

so, Hub was nice enough to build it for me. 

we made a 5x3 inch of raised box.

i divided it into 1 square feet by putting a thread to separate the boxes. 

we filled in with soils from Sg Buloh. 

overall the total cost is less than RM150.

this how our vege raised garden looked like:

what's with the spoons?
i use them to label each plant.
of coz i cant remember which is which!

now, after about 2 months, i am presenting to you my babies all grown up.
(well, most of them)




a. Serai/ lemongrass.
Wajib to have in our home.

b. Coriander/ ketumbar
I LOVE this. the smell makes every dish delicious.

c. Spinach

d. Kailan.
havent tasted this.
waiting for it to grow a lil bit bigger.

e. Cucumber
We didnt think this would work.
imagine my delight when suddenly one fruit popped out like that!

f. Sawi
our family's favourite!

g. Kangkung
this is like soooo easy to grow.
we have abundance of it.
can even sell it!

g. chilies
waiting for it to fruit.
then we can pick them.

h. Cabbage
Dont know which type of cabbage this is.
still waiting for it to bloom further.

i. lettuce.
feels like eating nasi ayam or burger or sandwich?
just petik few helai from the garden.

we have more:
tomatoes, lady's finger, lemon, daun kunyit, onion leaves, basil (lots lots of them), daun kesum, curry leaves, kaffir lime leaves, carrots.

Hub recently planted two mango trees and papaya tree.
but of course they were not planted in the raised garden.
those have to be planted on normal soil.
the roots would be big!

I love th fact that i can just pick the fruits/ veges whenever i am cooking stuff.
we managed to cut down cost on spoilt veges. hahhah

start gardening people!
whoever thought I would enjoy this!

i used to hate getting my hands dirty with soils.
really. im serious. this is just not me.

but i guess, as u age..u will become more..mature..and all u want is to do something
good for your surroundings and do something worth your time and effort.
i sound so old aren't i.
this is actually a therapy too.
something to get your mind off things.
get your mind off money issues, shopping issue, desire issues
*ehem, me here*

and it helps me sweat. a lot!
good coz i hardly do any exercise.
unless u call doing house chores an exercise.

i like to watch them grow.
i like that my children are learning to get their hands dirty and give back to earth.\t's nice that we can help to increase oxygen level in our community.

;)

Of Olive Oil & Soap

Eczema has been running wild in our family.

This affects especially Ayra and me. 

Alhamdulillah Amna is off the hook. Thanks to her Ayah's gene. 

 

Both of us, the eczema sufferers, cannot tolerate heat well. or dust. or seafood. 

or too cold either. 

It is important that the skin is kept hydrated all the time. 

And Flare time is the worst. 

The itchiness, redness, scratching and eventually lead to bleeding. 

and eventually scaring. 

Not my hand Okay

We have been very careful with Ayra so that her eczema does not get worse. 

We will avoid triggering factors especially squid and prawn as much as we could, 

even though we know those are her favourites.

Alhamdulillah, she understands that those yummy food are not really good for her.

She knows that whenever she eats them, her eczema would flare up. 

At times, when she craves for it, we will give her, provided anti-histamine and 

steroid are on stand-by. 

We have used so many products for the eczema. Be it organic or not. But mostly are organics.

Well, they seem to work at most, but price could be an issue and I am looking for something internally. Something we can consume to maintain health from inside. 

I have always wanted to start her on Olive Oil regime. 

I have been seaching for a good quality, trustworthy product that does not contain any adulterated substances such as steroid, etc. 

Locally produced products were not in the list. Not that I dont trust them. I do.

In fact, some really works. For adults. 

But, looking at current market situation where naturally derived products are often mixed/ adulterated with Steroid, etc makes me..think 100 times on purchasing, and what more in letting my 4 year old to consume. 

More over, the method of production is not known. Whether it is sterile, the equipment used are clean, of standards, the quality of the ingredient itself, etc.

so many things that i have questions on.

Hey, I'm a Pharmacist. An educated mommy.

I should be using my knowledge wisely especially for my own family.

So, the search ended when I found this:

 

I bought the orange one for her. and Amna.

They have been taking it daily since 3 weeks ago.

I would say there is a difference in Ayra's skin.

It is not dry at the folding parts and moist. 

The only time when she flares up is when the weather is too hot or she eats seafood.

What makes this product different and why I chose this:

http://www.ponsforchildren.com/eng/kids.html

https://www.facebook.com/childrenoliveoil/

a) It has Low Acidity

Since our tummy is acidic, it is important that the oil we consume is of low acidity. to prevent gastric issue etc. trust me, u dont want ur kids to complaint on tummy ache.

b) Nice Taste

Luckily the taste is not too oily. So Ayra has no problem consuming a teaspoon of this olive oil, in its raw form. and Amna, well, she likes to follow anything that her big sister does. 

One spoon for her big sister, and one for her. 

(even though i know she doesn't like it that much)

 c) The Process 

Referring to the diagram above, it clearly explains on the best type of olive oil that we can consume raw. And the method use is cold -pressed, which produces the highest quality of olive oil for raw consumption. and as it is an international brand from Spain, I believe it is tightly regulated by international body for its Good Manufacturing Practice and so on.

d) The Price

It's only RM38 per bottle. Expensive? No. for the sake for its benefit, I think it is reasonable.

Another product of Olive Oil we are using for the the Mommy and Ayah is:

 

I am forcing Hub to take this. and for me as well to control my eczema.

Pregnancy has caused my eczema to worsen. 

*cry*

The taste is very light. not heavy as others. So, something I can tolerate with everyday.

(but I still need to force Hub to take)

I support this Palestinian product 100%.

This costs RM50 per bottle of 250ml. 

This is made 100% in Land of Palestine.

The Olive fruits used came from a very very very old tree, of more than 2000 years old.

So, can u imagine the content of its nutrition?

http://www.canaanfairtrade.com/products/olive-oils/

 It is USDA Organic certified product, so no doubt on its quality, etc.

and we are also using its Olive Oil Bar Soap, which i think is amazing in keeping your skin moist.

 This bar soap is Rm20 each. 

Had to waaaa for a while. But after seeing the result, and for the sake of the babies, why not.

We got all this from a local shop in Laman Seri Shah Alam. A shop called al Masoud Trading. 

Next to Chef Zubir's Laman Grill restaurant. 

But I think u still can get elsewhere. Gotta google it.

So, hopefully the effort to control eczema works. 

We are aiming for steroid free but looking at our oh so lovely sunny and sweaty weather, I doubt we can achieve that at all. But the least we can do is to ensure the limitation of steroid use for flare up cases. Others are maintained by the use os Olive Oil.

and not forgetting, not only for skin, but good for its high in Good Cholestrol and unclogging your heart and keeping u in good health.

What is recommended in Quran and Sunnah, we must follow. There are proven benefits in it.