ON BEING ENVIRONMENTALIST...(pt 2)( or trying to be...)

We, Adik and me, were on our way  to get our weekly grocery supply and Adik reminded me to update my blog and I said I just dont know what else to write and can I stop posting entries already, please? Adik reacted strongly to this and gave me quite a lecture....hmmmh!!

So, between picking up this and that  and referring to my shopping list, while Adik disappeared upstairs to get some stationary, I thought of a few things I could write on. But all of them lack essence ( haha, as if my previous entries did have some). Adik met me while I was queueing  to weigh the veges. I got a small pumpkin ( to be pureed for our healthy high protein mug cake and pancake recipes), a small jicama for the salad bowl and some old gingers, all in one plastic bag. In another one, 5 limes and a handful of green chillies. Since Adik was there, I asked her to hand those to the lady at the weighing counter. And Adik was horrified that I mixed everything together and thought that is was shameful and I shouldnt do that. I shushed her and went to get some tortilla and asked her to meet me at the cashiers. She came with all sour face and complaining...

Favourite shopping bag...big n strong!!

  Aha! Now, I got things to write up on, and what better is, educating my daughter, who one day soon, Insyaa Allah,will be doing the grocery shopping just as her Mama does now.



I usually do our grocery shopping on a weekday, in the mornings. So, Adik is not exposed to this until now, the school holiday and she's bored at home and decided to accompany me.( Abang will be arriving soon as his madrasah only started its vacation on the 1st June.)

I'm sure, Adik, you do realise that plastic bags really are an environmental hazard and how we have been trying to reduce their usage since a few years back. I wrote about it here. So, why should I take a different plastic bag for each vege when all three could fit into one? Adik argued my practise slows down the line and gives the lady extra work. Owh Adik, that is just a tiny price to pay compared to what those plastics cost to the environment! Plus, those people manning the weight stations are supposed to know about this. They should, after I have been giving them short lectures week in and week out!! And at the cashiers too if some ignorant ones gave a blank stares at me and my shopping bags. And at some customers too...Some people actually looked at me and reminded me that it's not Saturday, you dont have to bring bags!! Yes I did...and I even went further and asked to see the management after one too many frustrating episodes. You knew about this...You and Abah rolled up your eyes at me over that!! But,but...it did  produce result alright. No more explaining to the staff nowadays and they actually praise me and keep telling me I am about  the only one they know that bring bags on weekdays. So, if you see a makcik in niqab, wearing sport shoes,walk very fast , carrying recyclable bags in Kubang Kerian, that would be me hehehe....

Annnywayyy....havent you noticed how our household trash greatly reduced with this green effort of me? Few years back, Abah has to take  the garbage out every 3 days,  but its a fortnightly chores now.
Imagine the energy and resources saved!! And imagine the benefit those plants in our backyard gets from the composted  kitchen waste. And how those bottles that we deemed as thrash could actually feed a family. How many times have we seen people ransacking the waste bins by the road side,looking for recyclables. So, our state is still very much backward in recycling technology, cant even provide enough recycling bins, but we can help by separating the recyclables, thus making it easy for those people to actually collect them. My heart goes out to those people thinking how they have to go through those awful smell just to get a few bottles. I actually wince everytime I saw people just chucking their empty bottles into the bin together with all sorts of waste from their home. If our guests ever do that in our home,by mistake, I would unhesitatingly pick it out the instant I saw it. 

So, I'm still trying... and I really hope you and your generation would do that naturally. Sadly though, most people still regard it as unnecessary. Some shopping malls still unashamedly hand out plastic bags even on Saturday!! I like it very much when we go shopping in Penang where everyday is no plastic day. No wonder Penang is much cleaner than Kelantan!

FOOD AND SUCH.....

Oh, its the last day of February already? I havent got anything to write this month. Few days ago I was thinking about writing on our newly 'replenished' back garden, as in sprouting new seeds to refill the bare patches and pots which had been  left unattended since the rainy season of last December. The  project took off well, the weather being very nice and all. But, Allah indeed is The Best Planner  and He ordained that heavy rain are visiting again, and most of my seedlings couldnt stand the continuous downpour. Anyway, Alhamdulillah ala kullihaal...Allah knows best.  I managed to save some of the sturdy seedlings of kailan, cherry tomatoes , capsicums and some salads and hoping they will survive Insyaa Allah.

So,Abang and Adik, not to disappoint you, for this month's entry I decide to post pictures of our food!! Hehe...boleh la kannn...
The thing is, we have been cutting down on eating rice since last year. Down to only  once or twice in  a week . And when we do eat rice, it is either brown rice or basmathi most of the time. ( with exception when there are visitors in our home, especially Tok Su and KakChik , whom are surely will want to eat white rice with budu and all sorts of ulams and we will merrily join them!)
And we got asked by people, what do we eat if we dont do rice?
So, here's the answer; 
Everybody likes quinoa when its served with braised lamb...as the picture below

From left: brown rice porridge, venison steak, ramen, grilled fish taco, chicken enchiladas, salmon wrap

saffron flavoured quinoa with grilled tuna steak

Quinoa with braised venison

Venison has become the most preferred source of protein, it being the low fat meat. As for fish, we go for salmon and tuna. We always buy one whole salmon whenever they are on sale and we got tuna steaks from Kota Kinabalu where Abah frequents for his teachings. Quinoa has become so likeable after I discovered a better way of preparing them. Dry roast them until fragrant, add water and cook with some kind of flavouring. And I have been adding chia seeds everywhere....and imposing 2 to 4 litres of plain water on everyone in the house. Well, Abah and Adik sportingly eat whatever I serve but they just ignore any other rules I make. And they rolled up their eyes every now and then at my attempts of eating healthily.
And, oh, I must state here too...most of the veges served and featured in these pictures are proudly from my own organic garden. Please take note!!

GARDENING N REFLECTING....

Looking around my (so-called) garden got me thinking...
About life in general.
How we strive for something and arrive at the result. Sometimes we achieve more ,yet sometimes less than what we expect , regardless of our effort, though  the hardworking ones( or more accurately, those who work smart and disciplined ) will usually reap more.
At other times though, we do not get it at all.
But there are times that we  get what we do not make any effort whatsoever towards it and yet it brings smiles to our lips when it appears. We feel blessed, provided that we are the kind of people who never take things for granted, however small it is...

It boils down to how we are actually totally dependable on Almighty Allah.
We make effort as it is required of us ( and make do'a , of course)...but the end result is wholly HIS.
And HE wants to see how grateful we are to His bounty.
Verily those who are grateful will surely get more...

As I am so much into gardening now, I visit many gardening blogs, gawking at the colourful healthy-looking plants people post on their blogs. And read their notes, learning one or two new things everyday. And comparing them  with my unkempt wild-looking garden. I envy those neat-looking gardens with awesome produce.

 But then, I found many interesting things as well...

I found in my backyard many plants that other people have been tending well and yet are not satisfied with the result. I made a small effort of planting them long ago and they grew so well that now, they have become weeds!! Valuable weeds though, I must add. Alhamdulillah. They are everywhere, providing us with colours, smell and nutrients...
They are almost always there even if the gardener cut them close to ground at an interval. Very resilient indeed. One of them is this sawtooth coriander.

Then, there are those that  crop up just like that...weeds too, but very beneficial. No effort made whatsoever. MasyaAllah...

Bunga telang for nasi kerabu,ginseng leaves for ulam n added into soup,pepperomia for the salad bowl and ulam raja,the all time favourite

In my February posting I wrote about the plants that I started growing. Alhamdulillah, they grew well and were pleasantly  and proudly presented in our meals ( especially those salad leaves), except for one. The spinach. They just refused to flourish as as  well as others and before I knew it, they have started bolting. We didnt get to eat any of them...
But surprise,surprise....
A couple of days ago, I took a close look at some greens that have been growing at the spot where the Pakcik Gardener burns the odds cutting that are too big to go into our compost heap. And, Subhanallah, I found them spinach!!! Healthy green perfect spinach...

As for the compost heap,in the past  we have had tomato cherries and eggplants from it!!They all just grow from the kitchen scraps that we threw in.

But then,I almost never have success with chilli. I fussed and fussed over them. Picking up the bugs that just love to nestle under their leaves with my own bare hands...much to the amazement of Abah! Feed them plants with fertilizer and my home-made enzyme...to no use.
As much as all of us loves chilli in our food, the chilli just doesnt love our soil I guess. Its okay though. Alhamdulillah 'ala kullihaal.

But I will keep trying.

The inedible ornamental plants also behave much the same...
I got these pretty butterfly plants everywhere, after buying one small pot of it in a nursery looong time ago.

 Oxalis triangularis being the proper name.

And this pretty torenia that keeps cropping up  everywhere...

disguising amongst the salad leaves...

This one never fail to delight me...and others too. Toksu, C.Lah and Tok are always happy to receive them and they are good as food as well as in flower bowls.

Just last week we used two fully blossomed ones to decorate fruit basket for K.Long Syida's engagement do.

There are many other exciting plants in our front and backyard that I couldnt possibly upload all..but if you take a walk in my garden, you are sure to feel blessed...at least I DO!!

Errr...EXCUSES?

Oh no, its the last day of February already!!!

I am SO going to write something today so as not to be accused of breaking my promise to Adik to at least post one entry in a month. She is already upset as it is, as she was expecting me to post something on her birthday few days ago.( Sorry Sayang, InsyaAllah next month ya, sekali dengan Abang's birthday.)

After dragging ever so slowly in the last month, February seems to come charging at me with a vengeance. To begin with, Alhamdulillah, the gym got a new trainer. A proper one this time. She comes with a degree in Sports Science and have worked with athletes in National Sports Council (MSN). Needless to say, I am being constantly 'tortured' three times a week now. For my own good that is...So, there goes three morning in a week, another morning goes to my work at the shelter home and the last day in the week is supposed to be spent  in discussion with my business partner. Then  come Fridays for majlis ilmu and Saturdays for letting our hair down at either Tok Ayahs' places. See, I have no free mornings that I can sit and write Adik. Please understand ya!

A brief rest after Zuhr and there I go braving the traffic across the town to fetch Adik from school. The journey to and fro takes one hour of my time, come back and busied myself cooking dinner. Okay, the dinner is always a quick one, nothing fancy, just something grilled, big bowl of salad and some kind of bread. But still...
Evenings are spent doing exercises on my Arabic lessons. I am now (proudly haha) able to make simple sentences. Before bedtimes, I teach Abah whatever I have learnt on that particular day . Strangely enough, Abah seems to be able to make longer sentences than me. His daily numerous text messaging to me now are all in  Arabic. It really is NOT fair! I guess his frequent trips to those universities in Makkah and Madinah for his Hajj research does help. He has more vocab than me...However, his nahw ( arabic grammar) are all down the drain ... Adik likens Abah's speaking Arabic to the Roald Dahl's  Big Friendly Giant's speaking English. And Abah was offended,hehe.. 
Anyway.

And my last alasan is these;

Green Parade Salad

Hawaiian Salad

Cucumber plants that seriously need staking (for Abah's attention!)

Bayam Hijau Daun Tajam

Newly sprouting Sawi Hong Kong

and all those came in this package...

See, I have successfully grown salad(amongst other veges)! Something I thought was only possible on highlands with colder temperature.  How ignorant I was ( and still am in many other areas!). I spend the early mornings after Abah and Adik leave the house right there in our backyard. It takes quite sometimes as I try to do organic gardening, meaning I have to resort to picking all those ulats with my own fingers!!

Thanks En Iskandar for sending many other free packets of seeds along with the ones that  I paid for.I am spoilt for choice when choosing which seeds to be planted first!

 It got me thinking the abundance of pahala he and others who practise this seeds sharing in the blogsphere would get. Just imagine, people grow the veges, eat them, and got the seed to be planted again and again. Its amal jariah for them, MasyaAllah.

Okay, got to go now...my meeting with my partner is cancelled today as she is attending a course, so off I am to the salon for the long overdue hair treatment...

p/s

 1. harap segala alasan2 Mama di terima seadanya ya Dik

 2. Thanks Adik... for creating new header and all...but I am now going to change my password as I have quite enough of different header and colour every so often. So, go play with your own blog ok, and leave mine alone!!

THE HEAT IS ON..... pt 2

Mama and heat are just not meant to be together...that explains why am I here again, filling the void as May is nearing its end. As usual, I'm not very good at giving titles to my entries,so just let me repeat the title for  last year's entry on the very same subject matter....Do not complain or I promise never to write again!! You better take heed as its not everyday you could read a blog entry from a clever cat like me...

Daily harvest from Mama's vege beds

May started out very-very hot, with no rain at all. Mama's enthusiasm for the kitchen garden died with all the crops. Alhamdulillah though, the effort was not at all futile, the family got to taste all the veges from the few harvests before the heat sets on.

 After a couple of weeks of hot spell, the rain came for a few days,  giving us much needed  respite....and Subhanallah, it was so refreshing. We could all really taste the barakah in that.....the air became cooler, new shoots sprouting everywhere and flowers started blooming. 

Brunfelsia blooms...(mama's garbage enzyme does help too)

Now, the heat is back on again to test the patience and to see how grateful some of us are over the other blessing showered upon us everyday by HIM. InsyaAllah it wont be long anymore before the next rain come...

Mama is a bit better this year. ( compared to last year that is...I'm sure my advice did play quite a role in this...). Yes, she still stay away as much as possible from the hot kitchen, but at least she did something quite useful. As for staying away from the kitchen, it was not a bad thing either. First and foremost, unlike me, she really doesnt need to eat three square meals a day....well, I dont have to spell it out clearly why it is so, do I? 

And Abah was not around most of time, away as external examiner in other university for those sitting for professional exams and aspiring to be doctors. And when he was back home, he was busy entertaining external examiners that came to HUSM.

As for Adik, now that she is a teenager ( and very conscious of that fact!) is forever watching what she eats...I'm quite sure Mama's behavior is affecting her's. Mak Tok is  always asking her to eat more rice...and Mama is always saying good eating habit must start early. I dont really  understand all these talk about basic metabolic rate, calorie requirement  and what nots that Mama has been explaining to Adik. So, I better not go into that. I dont need to  anyway, being  an individual with an ideal weight...hahaha..I can see Mama is green with envy over this statement!!!

Oh yes, I was saying about Mama doing something useful earlier and I almost forget about it...dont blame me! Its easy to forget because its not everyday Mama does useful things.  

The heat would keep her in the bedroom, forcing her brain to work  a bit , tap-typing away Malay translation of a book on Etiquette For Teachers And Students for madrasahs use. It was Ayah Chik Razif who gave her the chore seeing that Mama has so much free time and living her life like a madam tai-tai.( albeit not a wealthy one) He is supposed to do that but re- delegated the work to Mama. It is not that easy as the book was originally written in Urdu and then translated to English causing some original connotations to be lost somewhere . And the fact that it is dotted here and there with the Holy Verses and Ahadith that need accurate translation. Ayah Chik is always  a phone call away to guide as he has got lots of experience, having translated the Fadhai'l A'amal series when he served at Sri Petaling Madrasah few years back.

Exercise wise, unlike last year,she has been good this year. Reason, she found a "ladies only" gym. So there she goes twice weekly for a couple of hours doing cardio and strength training in air-conditioned studio. So, no excessive sweating or heat stroke or whatever excuses of last year's. Those strength training has proven good as I personally saw Mama clearing and digging up the vegetables beds with no complain whatsoever!! My Mama is no longer a lembek lady..yeay!! 

Abah is especially happy about this as he will have less chores to do at home. To encourage Mama more, he even bought a portable air-cooler and place it in front of the treadmill at home so that Mama could still use it on the days she doesnt go the gym. He 'incidentally' bought it on Mothers' Day...I must use the word 'incidentally' as Abah insists he does not celebrate birthdays,Mothers Day or whatever days. He said,giving gifts are simply sunnahs, thats the only reason he is so fond of giving gifts to Mama... and somehow the gifts are always the practical ones...I wonder why?? And oh ya, Adik got some hand-made chocolates for Mama on that day. Mama ate two of them and she finished the rest..... Practical too, isnt it? Hhemm, like father like daughter...

Anyway...that's all I can think of. Hopefully next month, you'll read Mama's entry and I dont have to write again until the next hot season. Abang is coming home on 4th June for a week, InsyaAllah...Please pray that Mama dont do anything stupid such as eating whatever Abang will eat in that one week and 'undo' the 3kgs she has lost in the gym.

Signing off,

Dr.M. Grey

THE GARDENING MAMA

In continuing  with the effort to eat more healthily and be greener, I started, or rather, expanded our kitchen garden. The garden was already there since day one. Abah and me  planted the basic need of  Malay kitchen supplies the like of galangal,lemongrass, turmeric,pandan, various  kinds of lime,the beautiful edible torch ginger (bunga kantan), curry leaves and chives soon as we moved in. And a variety of ulams that we sow or just grow by themselves.I love the fact that I could just open our back door and cut/dig/pluck whatever amount I need for the dish I was making.

The chives has a special story on its own. I must tell you here lest I forget. It was originally planted by your late grandmother, Nik Noriah Nik Mahmood, loooong ago. When Mak Uda and family had their first home in Dato Keramat, Tok brought a clump from Kota Bharu and planted it there. Mak Uda has since moved to a few houses before settling at their current 3-storey abode in Subang Alam. The chives always moved with her. And I took it from her house (when she was living in USJ I think), because I like chives and because of the memories...Never have I look at  or use the chives without not remembering the woman who had affected my life in BIG ways...I really wish you two could have met her. Oh, now it has bring tears to my eyes....

But, I digress.

So, I consulted Maktok whom as you know, always have vegetables growing around her house. She makes it looks effortless to grow anything, be it veges or flowers. She came over accompanying Tok Ayah  on his scheduled follow-up at the hospital and give me valuable pointers. She said I need raised beds and showed me how to do it. Well, Maktok is 30 years older than me but errr...I am a bit ashamed to admit that she fares a lot better than me at hoeing. It left me breathless after a few swings...(left me wondering how could it be when I could easily work the treadmill for 30 minutes covering 3km quite breezily) So I stopped her and said I would continue later. 

Okay, another confession..I of course, asked our gardener to finish it ...and he thoughtfully made 4 rows of them raised beds. I could only fill 2 of them and asked the Pakcik to fill another two with tapioca as all of us are crazy over tapioca shoots.

Soon, beautiful plants just sprouted and I started calling myself a farmer,hehe... Cool mornings and evenings are now spent sowing seeds and hoeing weeds. 

The red okra that turn white upon steaming,much to my disappointment

The beginning of an angled loofah

Red amaranth that we shared with ulats

The beans that refuse to climb

I made organic pesticide using garlic,chilli , onions and soap and tobacco too...The internet is extremely useful here.You could choose any recipe that works for the pest in your garden.. I tried out quite a few before I hit the right ones. I found many helpful  gardening blogs too and I especially love this one.

 Abah is very helpful and full of support...Adik shows slight interest..hemm..and Abang, when he was home for the holidays enjoys eating all those veges including those he never likes before. He said they are tasty because Mama grows them...biasa lah anak lelaki I,pandai ambik ati!!

Then, I discover  garbage enzyme.

And I am experimenting on it too.

Freshly made...

One month later..

Cant wait to use and see the result...Please pray that it will work and we will soon harvest better produce...

ON BEING ENVIROMENTALIST........

So, its already 2011......and the talk of going green is everywhere. Caught some people by surprise too when they were denied the usual  free plastic bags in the stores nationwide on the new years's day itself. Not us though, Alhamdulillah, as we have started carrying our own reusable bags in both cars since last year. And early this year I have started putting some tupperwares too in the carboots for tapau purposes.

I took a green quiz ( yes, I do those kinds of things when I am  bored) and was told I am only fairly green..huhu..compared to these people that is. But to our close relatives and friends who visit our home regularly, I am the Green Woman...
They learn to put  waste in the designated receptacles to avoid listening to my little speeches of biological and non biological waste, bla,bla,bla....
Some do made fun of me over this..but, being utterly a good sport as always (ehem), I took them  all in  stride. 
Just recently, Tok Ayah Pa was hospitalised for heart ischemia and your uncles and aunties all balik kampung and  camped at our place. When they were gone and we tidied up the house, as usual, we discovered the few things  left behind. Adik, as usual,is very good at pointing out which stuff belongs to whom. So, amongst the things we gathered, there was this eerr... a tired-looking, well-used  nursing bra...and Adik guessed the owner. So, we called her and asked, she screamed and we laughed . And then, without missing a beat, she said; 

" Sis, dont bother keeping it , just toss it in your compost heap. That's my contribution towards your green effort". 

HAHA!!

Okay, so I'm not green enough, and will try to improve...but not to the extent of calling myself a greener or greenist... I think it is funny and kind of taking things a bit too far.  I would never bake  egg shells, blend  and feed them to the animals. I would rather just crush and throw them onto my inproper compost heap. ( yes, you gotta crush them, otherwise it'll be ages before they breakdown.) We dont want to consume more energy in the name of recycling, do we? And we definitely dont want to incur more cost in the names of going green. Some people even thought recycling is counter productive. 

So, I say, we do things in moderation, shall we?

We, as a family has agreed to be green in a practical and as natural a way as possible. And talking about natural, nothing can beat this;

meat wrapped in its own omentum, okra fresh from garden and  milk straight from the cow's udder.

In India, we noticed that people are naturally environmentally friendly. In wet markets,no plastic was used at all.Maybe out of poverty...but I saw many  ingenious ways of doing things that we simply dont do here. Wrapping meat in its own omentum( some kind of membrane) is a novelty to me. Though Adik said, she felt geli... 


And look at this bowl....

cleverly made out dried leaves

As they used two layers of them,post-eating, Adik put the outer dry layer on her head as hat!

 

Back home,we have  started using more of the induction cooker since learning that it is the most energy-efficient way to cook. By focusing  heat only on the pan  as it heats up via an electromagnetic field, it is able to cut down cooking time by 1/3.


And we shop nearer to home now to save energy needed to fuel the car and cut down pollution too. It helps a lot that the particular  mall provides oxo-biodegradable plastic bags for those err...green ignoramus.

We try to eat more fresh sardines (ikan selayang ya anak-anak). Apparently, environmentalists all over the world give this humble fish a super green rating due to the fact that  they are very sustainable species and are fished in environmentally friendly ways. Mature sardines  are able to spawn between 6 to 40 times a year, thus making them  able to rebound from overfishing. As a bonus, fresh sardine is rich in antioxidant and omega 3 fatty acid. As for their small soft bones, they are rich in bone-building calcium. Excellent source of vitamin B12 and D  as well as selenium too. And yes, protein of course...

Meanwhile, Abah's take on going green  is by practising more sunnahs in our daily life. Eating with fingers instead of using cutleries save on  water and dishwashing liquid. Ditto by eating together in one large plate . And having a simple meal while at that.  Use miswaak instead of toothbrush...no plastic is used  and totally biodegradable.( which reminds me to put a miswaak in my handbag to be used during ablutions on the go..psst, its one of my 1432H resolutions) And oh! the benefits of using miswaak...it needs an entry of its own. Luckily I found this site, so, go check it out....

And just so you know, Grey, as a member of our family, does her part too in this so-called green effort . How? By doing away with the litter tray and does her 'business' in the backyard... Good on you Grey!!

Caught in action!!

A GIFT FROM ABAH....

I'm so glad Abah planted these Kemunting bushes, seeing them bear fruits, and thus, afforded me with another entry. Truth be told, I have ran out of things to write!! But  write I must as I have promised Adik to post at least one entry per month. So Adik, be sure to appreciate this effort ya!! I do it solely for the love I have for you...and Abang of course.

So, these are our Kemuntings  that Abah is so proud of and we are so fond of...we and the birds!! And seems that they always won the race of reaping the ripe fruits. As a matter of fact, we only managed to get our hands on those scrumptious berries  recently despite the fact that they have started fruiting for the past few months. 
After long hot months, the rain came and all kinds of flowers and fruits came out to celebrate the gift from God. Having lots other choices of delectable to select from, those naughty but cute birds at last decided to leave the kemunting alone....baru lah kita dapat rasa!!

Anyway, despair not. We, or errrr.. maybe Abah alone ( for he single-handedly planted that while Mama looked on with sceptical look) gets the sadaqah pahala for all those fruits eaten by the creatures of  Allah.

Kemunting picking was Mama and Abah's favourite pastime in our childhood. We eagerly waited for the season each year and went about it most fervently. Many a time, it resulted in we  being scolded by our concerned parents as time tended to fly away when we were at it. They would be worried sick as dusk approached and we were still at the foothill, gathering those ripe berries.( Being 'hidden by the genie' was the order of those days as compared to being abducted/raped by so many sick people of today.)

As you, Abang and Adik, are so fond of listening to our childhood stories but cant really connect with what we went through as a result of this rapid development that has taken away all those bushes in our respective kampungs, Abah decided to plant this Kemunting....as well as teaching  you how to play all those traditional games that you two enjoy enormously.

Abah got the seedling during one of our weekend getaways in a small resort off Cherating white sandy beach. I didnt know then that Kemunting could grow on sandy soil too. When Abah scooped it up, after asking permission from resort's owner, I was quite sure that it wont be suitable for the soil  around our home . And when it struggled to grow at a snail pace, I 'advised' Abah to give up...but true to his 'healer's personality, Abah persevered....Tending it with love and care (read: put fertilizer etc) with Pakcik Noor's help of course.

All of a sudden, lovely pink flowers started to come out and soon enough, small berries followed suit, profusely so too!!

And following the tradition initiated by Abah, the first juicy fruit from any of the trees in Abah's orchard was always presented to Mama....and MasyaAllah,in this case, it was soooo sweet!!

Mama sheepishly said ' Thankyou...' and Abah beamed with satisfaction!! ( of being able to show the  berries to you two and...also I suspect, of being able to prove that Mama was  wrong!)

Abang and Adik, please take care of the bushes ya!!  InsyaAllah...one day your children will get to see them too.

IMPERFECTLY NATURAL pt 2

I have successfully convinced Abang to completely stop using hair-shampoo. 

No, we dont let him goes around with a headful of foul-smelling hair….. instead, he is now going around smelling like….. tomyam!! hehehe…its limau purut darling. 

Yes, he’s replacing chemical shampoo with a natural, healthier and cheaper substitute. Plus, no plastic bottles involved….The environment is smiling at Abang! 

As for Mama and Adik, we are slowly following suit….the thing is, we need the conditioner to deal with the tangles . Well, actually we wouldnt need the chemical-laden hair conditioner if we strictly follow the sunnah of our beloved prophet of oiling the hair before bedtime. Alas, due to the weakness of our imaan, we’ve been neglecting this practice. InsyaAllah, we’ll try to be more steadfast in following the sunnahs in future. 

We are now using more plants from our garden in our cleansing routine, the limau purut( kaffir lime), hibiscus leaves, bunga telang and santan to name but a few. Adik sometimes has a mandi bunga session which she loves, loves, loves…..We picked up flowers in 7 colours, put them all in a basin of water and let them soak up some energy from the sun prior to using it.

The limau purut which are in abundant in our backyard, they make good shampoo and leave behind a fragrance bathroom.


Abang and Adik, please forgive me for drilling into you (when you were smaller) to use shampoo every other day. (Or everyday if you come home with your hair soaked in sweat after an evening of out-door games with your friends) I was  ignorant and selfish. I just want you two to always smell fresh like babies, thus the enforcement. My ignorance has exposed you  to those harsh chemicals which, Na’uzubillah, could lead to many form of skin disorder/disease. From now on, I promise to make amends. So, please bear with me while I experiment with this and that….

Food wise, we have been cutting down on the usage of white flour. No more white bread now and I thank you Abang for always reminding me whenever I touched any white-flour based products. (much to my annoyance sometimes…especially when I have this craving for something not- so -wholemeal ) I’m so happy that all four of us are in this together. Everyone seems to like the changes I’ve introduced. I thought Abah would be sceptical, but turn out, he’s giving me full support, even commending me….with a reminder though. One that I absolutely agree….which is, whatever those scientists/nutritionists are discovering or recommending, we shall only follow them if they do not clash with the sunnahs of our beloved prophet. No matter what their arguments are, there’s no better way than the way of Rasulullah SAW which will guarantee the success in this world and the hereafter.

So, whatever information I came across, we make sure they are not contradictory to the sunnahs before applying them. 

The more I read, the more I see that we should go back to the ways of our grandmothers. Eat what they ate, use what they used. I still remember my own grandma ( passed on before you two were born) painstakingly made her own cooking oil from coconut . The by-product of which would be used to ‘shampoo’ our hairs. Nowadays, nutritionists all over the world are praising the coconut oil which was once deemed as the bad guy.

See, science changes all the time, but the sunnahs stay and will always be relevant till the end of this world.......

So, remember Abang and Adik, always follow the one that always stay true from the beginning to the end….

AN ORGANIC FIELD DAY

This is another no-brainer filler post…..

Well, I dont mean to brag, but I do keep to my new year resolution to feed my family more natural food and be kinder to environment as a whole.

On the days that I felt extra conscious on these issues, I went shopping for groceries with carefully drawn shopping lists. And it made for shorter shopping times!! Talk about killing two birds with one stone!

I went to Pasar Tani and bought produce from all those makciks who grow their own veges on small scale in their backyards. And I bought wild freshwater fish, not the farmed ones. Organically reared ducks too.

I brought a shopping-cart with me and put the groceries directly into it, refusing plastic bags wherever possible and get either grateful or guilty reactions from the makciks. They would thank me for saving their plastic bags and/or offer me something else to make up for it. So I end up with some free veges. See, it helps to be kind to the environment. We got rewarded instantly!!

I brought the ‘green bag’ when I go shopping in the supermarket for those stuff that I couldnt get at the farmer’s market. Crammed it full to the brim with wholewheat pasta,wholemeal pitta, tempeh wrapped in banana leaves, freshmilk and some other organic produce. I actually hate it that I have to go to tesco to get them as other supermarkets in KB do not stock these items. (I am now actually boycotting tesco for not responding to my emails complaining of something despite their promise to reply all emails within two weeks!!)

And here are what I cooked on one of the weekends that I felt particularly environmental friendly and health conscious and extra rajin……

Stir-fried organic soybean sprouts.....

Braised organic duck breast...yummy!!

.

the works......

We also got grilled wild catfish and acar pisang benggala that I bought ready-made from one of the makciks at the farmer’s market. And, as I am crazy about veges, I made another dish of pucuk paku goreng with extra chilly that I end up eating alone as nobody else could tolerate the hotness of it….

Well, we dont usually eat many dishes in one meal but as I said, it was one of those weekends…and it doesnt happen very often. I feel obliged to cook something extra on weekends that we are actually home ( quite rare too) after feeding all of you simple meals throughout the week. We eat mostly pasta and pitta dipped in either fish curry or beef/lamb stew that I usually made in huge quantities and freeze and ration it out throughout the weeks.

And I did go an extra mile and actually cooked/baked organic dessert….an achievement indeed for me!!

Abah’s all time favourite, lepat pisang.......(as he has been hinting many times before that I cooked too much western kuehs that he doesnt dig!!)

Yes, the flour is inorganic, I know….but everything else is…bananas from our backyard of course!

Bingka Ubi Kayu....(Ok, I didnt make this one on the same day...the fact must be accurate, ada auditor baca this blog maa...wink* to youknowwhoyouare)

It smelled Oh so good!! It’s my first time actually….

….( this one is almost hundred percent organic. I used grated tapioca wildly growing in our orchard, extract colour and fragrance from pandan leaves and a bit of coconut milk…well, got to use a bit of inorganic sugar for some sweetness.)
I think this is the most natural food I ever cooked!

That’s all….hope it satisfies you Adik…I posted my entry for April!! Stop bothering me now!!