Spread Happiness, sprinkle Joy, add a dash of Hope, put in generous dose of Kindness, reduce the anger, cut negativity, garnish with Love….. Have a Goodlife….
Gardening, greenery, nature has always been my first love. Nothing fascinates or soothes me more than nature, mother Earth and her beauties. While walking or travelling, unconsciously my eyes wander around nature, taking in the details of each and every plant and every leaf. As if I am writing a thesis, my mind takes in every minutest point of the beautiful nature, makes a mental note and later it keeps on dwelling on everything I have seen. The image, the thought of the plants and fauna always lifts my mood.
Tips explained in my YouTube video :
According to research, lack of serotonin in the brain causes depression. And it's a very well known and well researched fact that when we do gardening, getting our hands dirty in the garden can increase our serotonin levels – contact with soil and a specific soil bacteria, Mycobacterium vaccae, triggers the release of serotonin in our brain.
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So naturally it happens to every human being but God knows I just love it. I think I have inherited this quality from my mother because it was the subject we both used to love and discuss. While travelling or going around in a village, she used to point at plants and explain or narrate an anecdote and I used to be all ears at her fascinating stories. She had grown up in a very very remote village and those surroundings had influenced her a lot. Basically she was also a woman with a green thumb and in any possible space she would love to plant trees. And I am blessed to inherit it from her. Not just during growing up years, we continued this habit when I used to stay at home during two of my pregnancies and childbirth. She would be all starry eyed while narrating her childhood escapades and her dates with nature and agriculture.
I started gardening in a tiny place in my front yard and waged a losing battle because it's west facing and lacked sunlight. Then the school opposite our house raised another floor dashing my hopes further. Never to be the one who gives up easily I rose to the occasion ( pun intended ) and reached the terrace. Then came the mud and cement pots and colourful saplings. They gave good yield no doubt, but always there used to be problems of load on the terrace, watering problem, problem with repotting etc.
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Every cloud has a silver lining, as the cliche goes. One fine day in yoga class I came to know about the organic manure. Though I had dabbled in growing plants with coco peat in grow bags, I was never happy about it. For one thing, it is not a hundred percent ready to grow medium. You have to add manures, groundnut seeds dust or neem mixture etc. But still it didn't turn out to be extraordinarily fertile. I was fortunate to visit the house of one Mr. Srinath who is successfully growing vegetables and fruits on his terrace using organic manure and on his advice, I shifted to this method and the result is there for you all to see.
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First of all I purchased some 50 paint boxes. Yes, I was also surprised but there are scores of shops in scrap market in the heart of the city in Bangalore which sell empty paint boxes! Not just paint boxes, they will sell anything and everything which you once thought useless and threw and then cursed yourself and started to search, never knowing where to find them. From old plastic water bottles to plastic bags to boxes to..... Just anything and everything scrap!
This place is near the city market, next to Mysore road flyover. If you go there and ask anyone, you would get directions but the problem is you can't slow your vehicle or park anywhere there in the narrow stretch. So it's better to be sure about the address before you venture out.
And if you think that having driven on Bangalore roads, you should be able to easily drive here, you better think again. Though the scrap market inside is on a wide road where you can park your vehicle, the approach roads are very very narrow and there are many one ways and if you miss a turning, you will be forced to drive a few kilometres to come back and by then the motorists around you would honk so wildly that you may start thinking of dumping your idea of organic garden and run away! Please don't do that. Just think of the lovely flowers and healthy veggies you are going to grow and then all these little irritants would stop bothering you. These big paint boxes would cost you anything from Rs.70 to Rs.100 depending
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upon the number of boxes you buy. I paid 70 rupees per box as I purchased 50 boxes. And then for growing medium, as I had explained earlier I preferred the ready organic manure to the coco peat. In chikkalasandra in South Bangalore, behind the Shani Mahatma Temple there is a big outlet of this organic manure. It's an office with big open space where not only do they store scores of manure bags in the godown, they also grow their own vegetables and fruits. And if they are in good mood, or if you make a purchase there, they would be benevolent enough to give a few healthy vegetable seedlings for free. I have got these brinjal, tomato, chillies, cabbages and cauliflower saplings from them.
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They procure the manure from their unit in Mandya and sell here at wholesale prices. The cost of each bag containing 25 kgs of manure is 210 Rupees which can be used for three paint boxes. The shop is closed on Sundays and while going there beware of the two extremely ferocious dogs. Never go on a Sunday as they would be let loose on that day and even on weekdays make sure that the dogs have been ties before entering the gate. Here I have given the address and the phone number and before entering you better make a call. I fill in the manure only upto one third of the paint box and plant the saplings or sow the seeds. Because the beauty of this growing medium is it's extremely light weight and it requires no other manure except your kitchen waste. So naturally there is absolutely no repetitive cost. I save my fruits' peel, vegetables scrap, tea and coffee decoction powder, egg shells of the eggs eaten by my dog Pogo into a basket which gets filled once in every 4-5 days. I just move aside the manure in the pot, add all this kitchen waste and then cover it back properly. That's it. It acts as such a nutrient manure that the plants grow as if they are on steroids giving rich yields!
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This manure takes just one third of the water we use for growing plants in the soil. You can give water twice or thrice a week and that too it needs bare minimum water. Unlike soil it has water retention quality as a result of which the manure will not flow out from the pot. It has double advantage. One, unlike the soil outflow, the manure will remain in the pot with no wastage and secondly the terrace floor will not be discoloured.
If we use mud or cement pot, they would be too heavy for us to move them around. But here one can just move a big paint box with a single hand quite easily. And then there is an advantage about repotting. I have undergone spine surgery but still I can easily repot because like soil it won't become hard and always remains very very light. I take out the manure, loosen the roots, fill in the kitchen waste and refill the manure I have taken out. So naturally it is very much cost effective as there is no dependency on any outside help. And during the last one and half years I haven't used any pesticides except spraying water mixed with neem oil twice.
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If we try to compost separately, there would be so many issues with smell, bugs, insects etc but here the composting takes place smoothly and by the time I come back to the pot after refilling other pots, the waste in the first pot would be completely turned into a healthy manure. This is helping me in getting highest yield from my plants, the size of the flowers has doubled and the taste of the healthy organic vegetables is incomparable. So friends, go ahead and fulfill your dream of growing your own veggies and fruits and flowers, grow what you eat and eat what you grow. Lack of space is no constraint. In just a ten by ten area with sunlight, at minimum cost and efforts, you can grow anything you want. And it's not the fruits or the veggies but the pleasure of looking at your smiling plants and the positive effect they have on your mood and health is the biggest take away from your organic garden.
"..... You have Vitamin D deficiency. You must sit in the morning sun at least for an hour." My doctor told me three years ago, post my spinal surgery. I would sit on the terrace,with music and newspaper giving me company.Then the empty pots left unused in the terrace started getting filled with little saplings. Whenever a new flower, new saplings in the vendor's cart caught my eye, the temptation was too hard to resist. The collection grew slowly and steadily.
But I had limitations about the strain I can take because of my back problem and with the busy schedule both at home and office. Then one fine day I learnt about growing the plants totally in organic manure. Though earlier I had been growing a random plant in coco peat bought from exhibitions, this method of growing totally in organic manure is entirely different like chalk from cheese. From mud and cement pots filled with soil, I have switched to paint boxes filled with organic mix and manure from my kitchen scraps and wastes. The result is a beautiful garden with happy plants and smiling flowers. Water is saved by 70%, physical work by 90% and cost by 50% whereas the happiness has increased multifold and now everyday I get a big bowl of flowers of almost 10-15 varieties! There are many medicinal plants, greens and most of the seasonal vegetables. I am waging a battle with monkeys to allow me to have my share of veggies - at times i win and some other times they beat me.
Ours is a small west facing house.There is little space in the front but because of lack of sunlight, plants won't grow. I am crazy about gardening and was hell bent on having Parijatha and Jaaji plants in front of my house.So I grow the plants in the terrace, nurture them and once they grow some 8-10 feet tall, transfer them to the ground floor and repot them at some elevation and bend them outside the compound so that they catch full sunlight. Now my Parijatha is growing healthy at 15 feet, Fragrant Jaaji flowers peep at us through windows at night and Nitya Mallige grown on the terrace, transplanted to the ground is spreading its wings to reach the terrace :-) I haven't left the window planter box and planter box on the compound! I have put cosmos plants there, which keep giving seeds and growing themselves.
I have stopped purchasing flowers since last two years and hope to do the same for veggies soon - monkeys willing!!!
Look at this video taken by me when I first switched from soil to manure.
Gardening in one of the most fulfilling and rewarding of the hobbies because you don't just get the fruits of your efforts - pun intended - the positive hormones in your brain when you look at the tiny leaf peeping at you or a little colorful bud smiling at you enhances not just your mood but your health and may be even your longevity!
Look at the flowers I have grown in my terrace over the last one and half years.
Would you like to know the tips and tricks of growing your own organic vegetables and fruits? Does it bother you that you don't have a big backyard or ample space in your front yard? Or that you have physical limitations to carry out the gardening work? Don't you have enough time, space or resources at your disposal but still would love to have colourful flowers for your daily pooja?
Then you are at the right spot!!
Now enjoy these visual treats and book mark this site as I would take you through my gardening journey and would share my easy tips and tricks to grow.
You have ample space? Fine. You have just enough space? No problem! Do you have still lesser space? Enough to keep some 10 pots? That's enough. Do you want to grow on terrace? Still better. It's enough for you to grow flowers and veggies even in 10x10 area. Only thing is it must have direct sunlight for the abundant growth like mine.
I would love to share my experience in organic terrace gardening and give you tips about how to take care of your plants and how to grow maximum with minimum efforts and investments.
Keep watching this space for more... So long... Till next time.....
2 cup dry red chillies - byadagi menasina kayi 1 cup hot chillies - guntur mensina kayi 1 cup urad dal 1 cup channa dal 1 cup coriander seeds 1/4 cup methi seeds 1 cup curry leaves 1/4 cup black peper 1/2 cup jeera 4-5 sticks cinnamon 1/2 cup kallu hoovu 1 cup grated dry coconut
Preparation :
Heat a thick bottomed pan.
Dry fry each item separately. Fry Channa daal, urad daal separately till they are golden brown. Fry grated dry coconut lightly till they turn crisp. Fry curry leaves till they are crisp. Fry methi seeds and jeera till they are golden brown. Fry peppers till they splutter. Finally fry the chillies adding a teaspoon of oil. Let everything sit for half an hour. Now in a jar grind all the ingredients separately and put in a basin. Then mix everything and once again grind in the mixer so that they all blend and mix thoroughly. Keep in an airtight jar. It can be used upto 3-4 months by taking out a small portion for daily usage.
Shri Krishna Janmashtami is fast approaching. The preparations are on for making Chakli, Kodubale, Nippattu, Tengolu..... Which sweet are you planning to make this time? Is it the usual Mysore Pak, Khobri Mithai? Or Five cups or seven cups? Why not make a very different tasty yummy sweet for Krishna this year? One which is absolutely delicious, very very light on your tummy and waistline and hardly takes about 20-30 minutes? It's called Karadantu but has nothing to do with Gokak Karadantu except for the fact that both are sweets from North Karnataka. My sister Geetha is an expert in making this sweet and I got the recipe from her... Recipe? Here you go.... Preparation Time 20 Minutes Cooking Time 20 Minutes Serves : You decide! Ingredients : Hurigadale hittu 2 big cups
Sugar 2 big cups Elaichi powder 2 teaspoon Grated dry coconut 2 tablespoon Poppy seeds 2 teaspoon Dry fruit mix pieces 1 cup Ghee 2 tablespoon Water 2 cups
Preparation :
Apply ghee to a plate and keep aside.
Lightly roast to a golden brown the dry fruits pieces, dry coconut powder and poppy seeds and set aside.
In a thick bottomed kadai mix and heat sugar in water such that the water should stand one inch above sugar when you first pour in.
Keep stirring to make syrup - paaka.
Wait till it turns to ele paaka ( when you test with your two fingers it should come like a thread )
Now switch off the gas and take down the kadai.
Pour in all roasted dry fruits.
Add grated coconut powder and poppy seeds.
Start pouring in the roasted gram powder slowly and gradually into the paaka taking care not to form any lumps. The mixture should be light when you mix. It depends on the consistency of your syrup. If you feel that the mixture is turning hard, stop adding the roasted gram powder.
Pour in the mixture into the plate, level it and cut into desired shapes. Let it cool.
Take out the pieces. It tastes very good both when hot and cold.
It can be eaten up to 8-10 days without refrigeration provided it lasts that long!
You know the good old Bhelpuri has as many recipes as the eaters. And each one is unique and tastes equally good. In fact it can be prepared even without a recipe. Really. Just take the core ingredient, the kadlepuri - puffed rice - add any fresh veggies you can put your hands on, toss in some savouries and a dash of sweet and sourness and lo and behold you will have people fighting over for it. I have my own recipe for Bhelpuri. It represents me and how I want my life to be - sweet, hot, sour and tangy. Precisely. So give a break to your recipe and try mine. I bet you would want to add this to your favorites.
Preparation time 30 minutes Serves 4 Ingredients : For Sour/hot/meetha Chatni :
Jaggery 1 cup Think tamarind juice 1 cup Green chillies 4-6 depends on your taste Black pepper 10-15 Jeera 1 tablespoon Pudina - mint leaves a handful Salt to taste Vegetables:
Finely chopped onions 1 cup Grated carrots 1 cup Finely chopped cucumber 1 cup Nicely cut tomatoes 1/2 cup Finely chopped coriander 1/2 cup Savouries :
Nippattu 4 Congress kadle beeja 1 cup Ompudi ( thin sev) 1 cup Chow chow mixture. 1 cup Puffed rice - Bangalore Puri 2 liters Preparation : Grind all the ingredients of the meetha into nice thick chutney. Note : Instead of mixing entire bhelpuri in one stroke, you can add in installments as and when required so that it tastes fresh and crunchy. In a big bowl put in 2 tablespoons of meetha, a pinch of salt, a handful of all the nicely chopped vegetables and mix well. Now mix crushed nippattu, Congress and chow chow and mix again. Then add the kadlepuri and mix lightly. Serve on the plate and garnish with ompudi and finely chopped coriander. PS : During mango season you can add finely chopped pieces of Totapuri mango for additional taste.
How the time flies. It seems just yesterday that I was doing my first Mangala Gowri pooja and here today both my daughter and daughter-in-law are doing the pooja together.
Recipe video :
And the most important part of the Mangala Gowri pooja is making godhi hittu - wheat flour - tambittu. When I was doing pooja my co-sisters would do the tambittu and I had never dwelled deep into the recipe as I was busy performing pooja and running to the office. Today I sought help from my friend Padmaja, who is an expert in making soft holige - puran poli - bele obbattu, who gave me this quick and easy recipe. By the way you can check here the best recipe for making soft bele obbattu. Follow this recipe to the T and your obbattus would be a real treat.
And here is the recipe for godhi tambittu. Ooops... Did I mention that these tambittu are so so yummy and delicious that you would have great difficulty in controlling yourself to stop gobbling one after another. If you want to distribute them as prasada, make sure to prepare more else nothing would be left when the guests arrive. And when the first guest starts eating, nothing would be left for the last guest! Or else train yourself into a great lesson of self control. Preparation time 10 minutes Cooking Time 20 minutes
Ingredients :
Pounded Unde Bella 4 cups Wheat flour 4 cups Desi ghee 1 cup Water
Preparation :
In a thick bottomed kadai dry roast the atta till the raw smell goes and it starts giving a nice aroma.
Then add ghee and fry for a minute or two.
Shift the roasted flour to a plate.
Now in the same kadai put bella - jaggery with 2 cups of water.
Keep stirring till jaggery melts and it becomes antu paaka - sticky syrup - and switch off the gas.
Don't leave for long else tambittu becomes hard.
Then add the roasted flour and mix well.
Within a few minutes it thickens into nice soft tambittu.
Let it cool.
Now prepare the tambittu deepas, gopura or unde.
This tambittu is generally prepared for pooja diyas during mangala gowri and other festivals in Shravana. If you want to eat tambittu during non-festival season, you can add fried dry fruits, fried grated dry coconut and elaichi powder to enhance the taste.
Ellu Chigali & Hurigadale Tambittu | Ellu Unde & Puthani Tambittu | Sesame seeds Laddu and Fried gram Laddu recipe
These are the most famous delicious sweets prepared in North Karnataka during Nagara Panchami festival. They are very very easy to prepare, taste extremely delicious and can be stored even without refrigeration for more than a fortnight. So this time try these delicacies with this easy and quick recipe.
Recipe video :
Prep time : 30 minutes Cooking time : 30 minutes
Serves - It depends!!!
Ingredients :
Fried gram powder 4 cups
Ground Jaggery 3 cups - increase or decrease depending upon the sweetness you like
Ghee 2 cups
Grated dry coconut 1 tablespoon
Fried sesame seeds 1 tablespoon
Elaichi powder 3/4 tablespoon
Preparation :
In a thick bottomed kadai, heat a tablespoon of ghee and lightly fry the grated dry coconut to a light golden brown and keep it aside.
In the same kadai heat the remaining ghee and add the jaggery.
Once the jaggery melts, turn down the heat, add the roasted dry coconut, fried sesame seeds and the elaichi powder.
Switch off the gas and add the fried gram powder and mix well.
Prepare round balls - unde - when the mix is hot, because once it gets cold the mixture becomes hard.
Relish hot yummy laddus.
Once the undes become cold, store in an airtight jar.
Step by step images of the Recipe :
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Ellu Chigali
Preparation Time 30 minutes
Cooking Time 20 minutes
Serves - It Depends!!
Ingredients :
Nylon ellu ( Nylon sesame seeds ) 4 cups
Pounded Unde Bella ( Jaggery ) 3 cups - It may vary depending upon how sweet you want your undes
Preparation :
In a thick bottomed kadai toast the sesame seeds till light golden.
Let them cool.
Once cool, coarsely grind the sesame seeds, transfer to a wide bowl.
Mix the pounded ground to this sesame powder.
Now transfer this mixture to mixie jar and grind into nice mix.
It becomes oily and sticky and soft.
Now roll into undes - laddus.
Keep in an airtight jar.
They can be savoured without refrigeration for up to 15-20 days, provided they last for so many days!!!
Spread Happiness, sprinkle Joy, add a dash of Hope, put in generous dose of Kindness, reduce the anger, cut negativity, garnish with Love….. Have a Goodlife….
