Asparagus canes and cardamom pods.

In the name of Allah the most gracious, the most merciful.

22 September 2014

We have been so busy, little time for blogging. We have been seeding, and replanting, mulching and weeding, picking and cleaning, konfyting and bottling, watering and shading and all of the exciting –ings that happens on a small holding goes on here.

The boys have been busy with sketching and carving, sanding and messing and cleaning up and it’s all good. The results are fabulous. Luqmaan, Zain and Abu are busy with all kinds of wonderful Arabic script for painting and etching. I don’t mind all of the goings on what with sharpening of tools – don’t forget my knives need sharpening too. All the hands around to help with pricking and picking up heavy cauldrons, I like the buzz.

The poppies finally arrived with petals as red as the red chard stems. I did so hope for some white ones like peace doves, from the seeds that were strewn.  This red flush of poppies are different – stronger and longer stems and bigger heads. They stand proudly just behind the California poppies, a sight to behold Subhanallah. Today Aaqilah one of our principal helpers has gone in for an operation and we make duah that the operation is a success; that she handles her situation with Sabr and grace that she possesses and that the healing takes place steadily. We are starting to make this place wheelchair friendly don't worry!

I have always wanted to grow Asparagus and on Sunday when I paid a visit to the nursery they had some seedlings and we bought a dozen. The thing with Asparagus is patience. It takes twenty four months to reach adulthood but then one has 15 years of harvest. So essentially it is planted in spring as seedlings and when they are one year old ‘crowns’ to plant them 30cm apart, spreading roots over a 10cm high ridge in a 20cm deep trench. Half fill with soil; backfill the rest as plants grow.

Then one has to water plants until established and remove the weeds by hand as plants are shallow rooted. When leaves yellow in autumn cut stems to 2.5cm. Harvest from second year. Cut 15-20cm high ‘spears’ just below the soil surface for eight weeks and then allow shoots grow. Best friends of Asparagus to plant nearby, parsley, tomatoes, peppers and basil. InshaAllah, I make duah that we manage to grow it well.

We also planted some brussel sprouts that we seeded ourselves and they have been replanted in the beds. And I managed to buy a few Chinese cabbages which serves two purposes for me – they are excellent at attracting caterpillars and hardy, after that they just have a growth spurt and then they are ready to be cooked in stews and in stir-fries. I was too impatient for the rocket seed to dry out so I bought just a few for the beds. So I am introducing new healthy vegetables into our diet all of the time, I am so waiting for the tiny artichoke plants to grow into thick healthy bushes so I can cut off some heads, cut them in half, take out the hairy choke and steam them. Sounds good dipping them into butter and pulling them through one’s teeth, ne?

The straw mulching is really working well for the strawberries, so we don’t have to water as much and also good camouflage for bugs and birds. The dried leafy mulch around the small vitex trees look so beautiful and is really helping maintain moisture in the bed.

The ginger is doing fabulously after I took it indoors. I do intend taking them out as the weather warms up and it needs more kind of dappled sunlight or mostly shade. The one thing I do regret is not planting them in bigger containers to allow the rhizome to really grow. Apparently one has to wait for the proper time to harvest, when the leafs begin to turn brown and wilt away, most plants grow fast enough that parts can be used after only about 4 – 6 months of growth.. To harvest the rhizome cut the new horizontally growing rhizomes off the base-rhizome of the plant. Clean the rhizomes gently and place them on a clean and breathable cover in the sun to dry.

Now I want to try my hand at growing cardamom inshaAllah. It is said that the hard seed sprouts more easily if given a signal to initiate growth. A good signal is a cut (not into the core), smoke, hot water or a file/sandpaper scratch. Place indoor in pots with rich moist soil to facilitate growth. Then to plant out in protected area of the garden with filtered shade. Did you know that to chew a few cardamom pods has a calming effect plus good breath?

Later

Grow food and try your hand at planting asparagus.

Yasmine