GARDENING IMPROVES YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

It's been a long time since I last update my blog. After the covid lockdown and age catching up, getting a bit lazy too.  Covid changed everybody lifestyles upside down, many lost their loved ones due to covid or vaccine.  

My mum passed away 6 months ago on the 26th December 2021 at the age of 86. She had electrolytic unbalance and 2 times stroke while sleeping. She was bedridden for almost 2 months and passed away peacefully in her sleep just after Christmas midnight. Electrolytic unbalance and low blood blood pressure  can cause stroke too not necessary high blood pressure. Sleepiness and fatigue during the day is also pre stroke symptom. 

Life is so unpredictable, I lost my very best friend to covid too. He was incubated and stay in ICU for 16days, 6 hourly blood test daily, trying 3 types of  antibiotic and anti fungus  medicine. One thing lead to another, he end up with heart failure, rocket high diabetic reading, kidney failure, lung failure, liver infection all happen within 16 days. He passed away on the 31st December 2021 morning at the age of 70. 

Oh well, its sad to lost our loved ones but life still have to carry on. My daughter is currently working with a Europe company, happy for her achievement. My son passed his IGCSE Cambridge with flying colours, he is now in university studying Information Technology. 

So only left the old couple at home.  Instead of the TV watching me or looking at four walls, I now into gardening trend like many others.

Here are some of my latest  plants collection.

Elephant Ear

Colocasia Lime Gecko

Ophiopogon Herbs 

Alocasia Polly

I think its Calathea but not sure of the name

Philodendron Birkin

Calathea Majestica

Red Anthurium

Neon Pothos

Colocasia Black Coral

I think its Dumb Canes but not sure

Indoor Palm

Snake Plant ( mixed 2 variety together )

Peace Lily

Marble Queen Pothos

Caladium Pink Spot

Pinnatum Pothos

Spider Lily 

Aquatilis New SP

Hen & Chicks

Synogonium Albo

Manjula Pothos on moss pole to let it climb higher

Syngonium or Arrow head?  Not sure which variety

Golden Pothos

Pothos Scandens

Pharaoh Mask

Aglaonema

Aglaonema

My indoor garden in my apartment. Some of the plants are outside the corridor and window sill.

Rainbow early in the morning at 6.45am

Do you enjoy gardening? Gardening improves physical health and produces nutritious  homegrown goodies if your prefer to plant vegetable or fruits. Gardening can creates connection, boosts physical wellness, builds self esteem, improves metal wellness, stress relief, relaxation and etc.. etc..

But don't stress yourselves to buy expensive plants and worry the plant can survive or not. We should enjoy gardening not getting stress worry the plants die. 

Have a nice day everyone. 

Mung Bean & Sweet Potatoes Dessert

Mung bean and sweet potato soup tends to be one of my favorite refreshing dessert during the scorching weather. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, mung bean have amazing culinary medicinal properties, it's known as 'cure the sick grain' in China.

Green color foods can increase the detoxifying function and green bean is one of the best. It help clear heat from our body, prevent heat stroke, quenching thirst, reduce acne, alleviating gastrointestinal disorders, boosting the mental functioning. The phytestrogens in mung beans contain anti aging properties that stimulates the production of collagen and elastic which benefit a healthier looking skin.

Let's enjoy some of the delightful desserts from my humble kitchen.

Ingredients
200gm mung beans
150gm sweet potatoes
1.5 litre water 
Sugar to taste
Pandan leaves

1/ Wash and rinse the mung beans. Soak the mung beans for 30 mins.
2/ Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into small chunk. Soak in water until ready to use.

3/ Bring the water, pandan leave, mung beans to boil. Reduce to medium heat and boil until the beans semi soft, then add the sweet potatoes.
4/ Boil sweet potatoes and mung beans until cook, add sugar to taste.
5/ Serve hot or cold.
Note: Adjust the water to your desire consistency.

Ingredients
250gm mung beans
150gm sweet potatoes
2 tbsp sago
8 oz thick coconut milk
Approximate 1.5 litre water
1/2 block palm sugar
Castor sugar to taste
Pinch of salt
Pandan leave

Chopped palm sugar, sago, mung beans and sweet potatoes.

1/ Wash & rinse the mung beans. Then soak the beans for 30 mins
2/ Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into cube or small chunk, soak in water until ready to use.
3/ Wash, rinse and soak the sago.
4/ Chop the palm sugar into small chunk.

5/ Boil the water, pandan leaves and mung beans until semi soft, add the sago cook until semi transparent. Add the sweet potatoes and boil until beans and sweet potatoes cook.
6/ Add the palm sugar and castor sugar to taste.
7/ Add pinch of salt and stir in the coconut milk, give a quick stir and remove the pot from stove. Do not boil the thick coconut boil.

8/ Serve hot or cold.
Note: The consistency of the dessert up to individual preference, adjust the water according to your preference.

The combination of the crystallized sugar with sweet potatoes donut is simply marvelous and hard to stop eating...I can eat 5 to 6 at one go.

1/ Peel 250gm of sweet potatoes, cut into chunk and boil until soft.
2/ Discard the water and mash the sweet potatoes until very fine.

3/ Cool the sweet potatoes completely. Sieve 120gm of all purpose flour, mix with mash sweet potato and knead into a firm dough. Rest the dough for 10 mins.
Note: If dough too sticky add some flour. If the dough too dry add a little bit water at a time.

4/ Divide the dough into 8 portion, roll round.

5/ And shape the dough into donut shape.

5/ Heat up the oil, deep fry the donuts using medium low heat. Fry until donuts float to the top.

6/ Drain on kitchen towel and cool completely.

7/ Heat up the non stick pan. Add 5 tbsp of sugar, 2 tbsp water and let it boil until sugar melt and slightly thick. Sprinkle 1/2 tbsp flour into the sugar mixture and mix well. ( Note: The purpose of adding flour to sugar is to prevent the sugar from melting.)

8/ Toss the donut into the sugar mixture, switch off the stove.

9/ Continue tossing the donut until both side are well coated, when it cool down the sugar will crystallized.

10/ Best to serve while its still warm.

Simple and awesome donut which I can never get enough of it. Forget about work stress, sit back and enjoy the donuts slowly then play in the garden.

Sweet potatoes donuts and mung bean soup are classic combination.

The following fruits and flowers from our garden which bloom recently.

Purple orchid bloom few days ago.

                                        White rain lily and copper leaf flower.

                                                           Pink rain lily

                                       Red anthurium 3/4 of my palm size.

Cat Whisker's is also known as Java Tea or Kidney Tea plant, its has various health benefit for respiratory problems, high blood pressure, nerve related problems, kidney disorders and act as detox.

                                                   Ginger bud

                                                 Ginger root in flower pot

                           Out of 5 jackfruits, 2 huge ones got stolen last week.

                                 Crunchy and sweet jackfruit from our tree.

                                                 Long Bean flower

                                       Young long bean ready to harvest

                                    We kept a few long beans for seeding

                                                      Rose Cactus

                                                      Tropical flower

                                                      Dragon fruit bud
                                                           

Dragon fruit flower bloom at midnight and it close back early in morning before the sunrise.

To capture the dragon fruit flower, have to wake up middle of the night or early in the morning before 6am. At  8am this flower already half close.

                            It takes about 45 days from flowering to ripe fruit.    
                               

Didn't get to eat this dragon fruit cos the squirrel stole the fruit while we are sleeping.

                                                    Passion fruit buds

                             Passion fruit flower open and close back within few hours.

Passion fruit flowers back to sleeping mode but not all flowers will form fruits.

                                                                         Banana

                                                                     Turmeric

                                                           Kafir lime flower

                                                                    Kafir lime

                                            Papaya flowers is edible but we yet to try.

                                                                    Fennel plant

 Fennel flowers, once the flower wilted can start to harvest the fennel seeds.

                                                            Lettuce flowers and seeds.

                                                                         Lettuce

                                                              Golden shower

                                                  Different sizes anthurium.

May your day be filled with blessing. Have a nice week ahead.