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Suria Helang Lui

Month: March 2011

Suria Helang LuiArticles2011March
08 Mar 2011
0 Comments By admin Well-being Landscape

Well-Being Landscape – Serai Wangi

I love the aroma from Serai Wangi – the Malay name (English Name : Citronella Grass; Botanical Name : Cymbopogen Nardus). This plant serves many purposes including from being a condiment to used in the beauty industry to being a natural pesticide.  
 
This plant can be easily propagated from stalks – be sure to choose healthy stalks and plant 2-3 stalks together.  This plant can grow in almost any type of soil and is very hardy, tolerant of days of not watering.  It also does not require much fertilization.  Hence, if you want a plant that requires minimal care but yet serve as a mosquito repellent for your home, this plant is a great choice.  

At the farm, I plant it in many locations – around the pond to serve as a repellent for the memerang or river otters which loves to munch on my fish, around the house to serve as a mosquito repellent.  My farm cats also periodically will munch on them and to date, they have all remained healthy, alhamdulillah.  Another reason why I keep chemical pesticides and herbicides away from my farm.

It can grow to about 2 m and has a red stalk base as opposed to the Serai (Lemon Grass) which has a white or creamy stalk base.  The long leaves are also broader than Serai.  A healthy plant will produce flowers in long stalks.  At the farm, it took 3 months for the plants to mature and produce flowers. For ease of relocating the plant, you can also plant it in big planters, then you can move them around as you like.  To encourage the stalks to grow thicker, trim the leaves every 3 months or so.  You can harvest the stalks as needed with no visible impact to the plant.  It can grow in bright sunlight as well as in semi-shady locations.  

Since the edges of the leave are rather sharp, exercise care when handling or you may end-up with “paper cuts”.  I have tried chopping the leaves and steaming them to release the aromatic properties and find that it also keeps the pesky insects away while leaving a nice aroma in the air.  In aromatherapy, it is said to promote relaxation.  

The whole stalk, leaf and all, can also be blended and strained producing a juice that you can then spray around the house to control ants and also used as a natural pest repellent for plants.  I find that it is really effective in controlling ants without the worry of whether it is toxic or not.  Within the home, it can also help to repel cockroaches as well as mice.  I have also taken warm baths with this juice mixed in the water.  The serai wangi is often used in the bath mixture for women post-pregnancy.

It is purported that the oil has antiseptic and anti-fungal so is often used in soaps and household disinfectants.  At the farm, I use the juice mixed with water to mop the tile floors around the house, leaving the floor clean with a nice aroma.  There is no need to “rinse” it off.  You can also just tie the leaves into a big knot and place it in your cupboards to help deter pests whilst having pleasant smell.

Being a totally organic farm, I often experiment for pest repellant or deterrent for my vegetables.  I find that it works well with the E.M. mixture that we produce on the farm, enhancing the mixture by adding the pest repellant properties without adding harmful toxins to the vegetables.  I have tried it two ways: one by adding citronella juice to the E.M. mixture before spraying and another by creating the E.M. mixture with citronella as the key component.  to date, it has worked well with all my plants without damaging the plants.  I also add this to my mulch mix, especially to the mulch that I place around newly transplanted plants to help keep the pests away.

With its many uses and being non-toxic, it is great to use around the farm as I do not have to worry if it will impact any of the life forms.  For normal home use, you only need to have one plant which can occupy a corner of you home  and you can process it to serve the purpose you have in mind  :).

Updated: 22 March 2015
Updates: 13 Sep. 2015

08 Mar 2011
0 Comments By admin Eating Well

Eating Well – Fresh Water Fish

I am a firm believer that fish shouldn’t be fed carcasses of goats, chicken innards and other animal wastes as this will affect both the quality and taste of the fish.  My previous experiences of tasting keli and other fresh water fish had left me with an unfavorable memories.  Upon doing some research on what was fed to the fish and the water condition, it was no wonder that I do not enjoy the taste.
I decided to embark on my own journey of breeding and growing fresh water fish based on similar principles that I apply to my agricultural activities – going as natural as possible.  Hence began my adventures in aquaculture.

Pumping water for flushing

To begin with, utilizing the natural contour of the land as a basis, I deepened and widened the dried-up streams, following its flow, thus creating fish ponds that look like a small river on the farm.  The pond bottoms are not cemented but have a high content of sand, which was uncovered during the excavation process.  With the constant feed of water from clean upstream stream, the water quality is good and does not emit a noxious smell that is often associated with stagnant ponds.  Every quarter, I would do a major flush, pumping water from Sg. Lui into the pond, in effect renewing the water.
I use fish pellets that do not have land animal content in them, supplementing it with vegetation such as tapioca shoots and keladi shoots, to feed the fish.  Alhamdulillah, with the source of the water being from a nice clean river, there are also lots of small fresh water shrimps which the fish also happily consume.  These shrimps have taken residence in the pond so they continue to breed in there providing an on-going source of natural food for the fishes.
I am happy that my guests for Aidil Fitri 2010 open house gave favorable reviews on the taste of the fish.  For now, I have not put the fish on the market as I would like to increase the population as well as letting them grow to a good size of about 800g to 1 kg per fish.

08 Mar 2011
0 Comments By admin Edible Landscape

Edible Landscape – Serai (Lemon Grass)

This aromatic plant (English Name : Lemon Grass; Botanical Name : Cymbopogen Citratus) is easily grown and serves as a nice border plant and produces a pleasant lemony fragrance.  As such, every time I prepare the lemon grass for market, I will burn the discarded excess leaves and roots, and enjoy the aroma as well as keeping the bugs like mosquitoes, away.  With its thin, long leaves, and sharp edges, use care in handling them.  
It is often used as a cooking condiment in savoury dishes.  The leaves can also be dried to create tea which is prepared in similar manner to other herbal teas.  Sweeteners such as honey can also be added to the tea concoction and can be served hot, warm or cold.  It is tasty cold on hot, sunny days.
It is purported to have cleansing effect on the body, helping to remove toxins from our system and also has anti-cancer properties by inducing apoptosis (programmed cell death) of cancer cells by citrol, a molecule found in the stalks and leaves.  So, you can enjoy this drink but at the same time have some great health benefits.
Sliced, young Serai stalks makes a great addition to nasi kerabu and shrimp or calamari salad (kerabu).  This kerabu is very easy to make – lightly cooked shrimp, sliced young serai stalks, juice from limau nipis (key lime) or lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper – all tossed together.  For those of you who live a little “heat”, add your choice of fresh chilies to this.
As the plant matures, new stalks grow from the initial stalk planted to create a bush of stalks of serai.  It is easily propagated from the whole stalk. As the stalk matures, the old leaves will dry out and should be removed to maintain a nice green “bush”.  I find that this plant should be re-planted every six months in order to have nice, fat stalks otherwise it will tend to “rot of old age”.
The serai is an easy plant to grow in direct sunlight and easy to propagate via its stalks.  It requires regular watering to ensure good quality serai stalks.  As the leave matures, it will turn brown and dry out.  To keep the plant healthy and good-looking, regular removal of the dead leaves should be done.

08 Mar 2011
0 Comments By admin Events

Edible Landscape – Ulam Raja

A refreshing herb that is often consumed raw, Ulam Raja, as it is called in Malay,  (Botanical Name : Cosmos Caudatus) has small, pink colored petals with a yellow center.  This herb is another one of the leaves that I regard as a “Super Ulam”.


Ulam Raja leaves

 It grows easily in direct sunlight to a height of approximately 1m.  With insufficient water, it wilts easily.  It propagates via seeds from the mature flowers.  It loves to be well-watered and soil with high organic content.  This is an annual although it can be prolonged longer than a year but the quality of the leaves will reduce.

Beautiful Cosmos flower

Since it wilts easily, it is best kept with its stems in water after harvesting to maintain its freshness and to preserve its taste.  The leaves are rich in Calcium and Vitamin A as well as antioxidants.  Traditionally, it has been used as a “blood cleanser” as well as for strengthening the bones.

It propagates from the seeds from mature flowers, which are light as feather, hence the wind blows them around.  Not controlled, it can become a pest in your garden.
The beautiful flowers that are produced along with its distinctly-shaped leaves make it a beautiful addition to your garden or landscape, adding color and beauty while providing you with great nutrition.

It is always eaten raw to preserve as much as its nutrition with a taste similar to English Parsley and is often added to nasi kerabu or to salads.  It also tastes great when eaten with sambal bellman.  Vegetable juicers often like to add this leave due to its nutrition value.

Updated: March 21, 2015

07 Mar 2011
0 Comments By admin Edible Landscape

Edible Landscape – Bunga Kantan

I have a fascination for the beauty of this edible flower with its striking pink color.  It is a great option to planting non-edible flowering plants, the Bunga Kantan (English Name : Ginger Torch, Botanical Name : Etlingera Elatior ) makes a great “border-covering” plant..   It also has a subtle fragrance to it which I find to be very pleasant.  I enjoy taking photographs of it, the contrast of pink against green,


It does well in a well-drained soil with plenty of water and takes about 1 year after planting before flowering.  This was one of the “original” plants at the farm and has sprouted in a few “groups”.  I find that compost fertilizer works best to maintain good quality and size of the flowers.  The quality and size of the flower has a direct relation to the quality of soil and water it gets.  More flowers are produced during rainy season with good sun exposure.  The flowers grow on its own stalk to a height of 0.5 to 1.5m tall, from the ground in a singular fashion.
At the farm, the plants grow to about 3m in height hence can provide a good shade or be planted as a fencing border.  To maintain the beauty of the plant, regular clearing of the old leaves and unwanted creepers needs to be done.  The plant can be propagated via seeds from its mature flowers or from its rhizomes.


It is used in many Malaysian dishes as a condiment such as in laksa, masak pinang and nasi kerabu.  The flower can be eaten raw as a salad component or cooked.  The leaves and the flowers have antioxidant and antibacterial properties.
If you do not like the taste, it makes a beautiful cut-flower arrangement to grace your home.  It lasts about 1 week.  Traditionally, the leave and stems have been boiled and the resulting water used as a bathe to eliminate body odour.  

07 Mar 2011
0 Comments By admin Events

Edible Landscape – Lengkuas Kecil

One plant that I find produces beautiful orchid-like flowers with its long stem and multiple flowers on a stem is the Galangal (Malay name: Lengkuas Kecil; Botanical name: Alpinia Conchigera).  This plant belongs to the ginger plant family.  Locally, it is used both in culinary and in traditional therapy.  This is one of the first few herbal plants that I planted at the farm and I obtained the starter plant from Hj. Hassan Awang Din who lives in Jeniang, Kedah, one of my “teachers” in the traditional herbs arena.  The original source was from Gunung Jerai in Kedah.  At the farm, it grows to about 1.5m tall and grows well in both semi-shady and sunny locations.  The leaf is long measuring around 20cm and has a slightly waxy texture on the upper leaf surface.  As with most of the plants in the ginger family, it requires substantial water and well-drained soil, not soggy.

I find the whole plant adds a lot of aesthetic value to the landscape.  The flowers can also be used as cut flowers and placed in a vase for indoor display.  However, I prefer to leave it on the plant and enjoy its beauty as I walk around the farm.  Once the flower dries up, it produces a red fruit which is used in Chinese herbal medicine.  I started with one starter plant in in the course of 3 years, have managed to multiply it.  I propogated it from its rhizomes.  It took 6-8 months for the plant to start flowering and this is a good indicator of the presence of rhizomes that are ready to be harvested. 

In Malay traditional therapy, the rhizome  is one of the items used in creating a bath for women post-pregnancy.  The rhizome is also transformed into a paste and applied to the skin as a treatment for skin infections such as for eczema.  The rhizome is also boiled to produce a concoction to treat stomach ailments and in Malay traditional therapy, to treat “angin dalam badan“.  In local culinary, the rhizome is used in cooking savoury dishes such as rendang, one of the herbs in creating a marinate for friend chicken and many other dishes.  To me, it has a taste of being slightly “gingery” with a touch of black pepper.

So, why not plant this along the borders of your garden and you can enjoy its beauty as well as get a great rhizome to spice your cooking.


07 Mar 2011
0 Comments By admin Eating Well

Eating Well – Chicken Eggs

I am convinced that when we tinker with Mother Nature, there are consequences.  Take a simple item like chicken eggs.  If the hen layers have foreign elements injected into their life such as antibiotics, processed feed containing other than plant-based components, it is bound to end up in the chicken eggs.  The impact in humans may vary from person to person, depending on what we a susceptible to and knowledge on the impact is also very much a mystery.

With this in mind, I try to improve on my well-being with my own production of chicken eggs.  The eggs may not be as big as those available at supermarkets but to me, they are definitely healthier. At least I know what goes into the production of these eggs.
Since I am not able to eat the chicken that I raise, I only consume the eggs.  Somehow, I am unable to reconcile to slaughtering my own chickens, after all, I have named many of them.  At the farm, the average number of eggs produced per week is 22 but I hope with the new chicks born on the farm, the production can increase in the near future.



The chickens happily run around the farm ( or at least, that is what I assume), pecking at vegetation amd those insects and worms that seem to be tasty to them, hence my aversion and self-implemented ban to any chemical pesticide and weed killers usage on the farm except on the outer fence of the farm.  Hence, I have to resort to more creative ways to control pests and weeds.

07 Mar 2011
0 Comments By admin Development

Wonderful cool water

Water is key to Suria Helang Lui.  Clean, fresh and as natural as possible.  Part of the development and growth of the farm hinged on reliable supply of this precious natural resource.  Alhamdulillah, this place is blessed with this ability.  



In order to have access to water for human consumption, approximately 2 km of polypipe was laid, utlizing some physics priciples.  Approximately 1 km of the polypipe has 2″ diameter with the last kilometre being 1″. A “water-capture” area was created at the source. 



In order to ensure that the pipes do not burst due to the pressure, the overflow flows into the fish pond, thus creating a constant supply of natural water for the aquaculture activities.

07 Mar 2011
0 Comments By admin Farm Information

About Suria Helang Lui

Suria Helang Lui was born out of my dream of having a farm producing food local to Malaysia, without the use of pesticides and as “organic” as possible with comfortable living quarters.  After almost 10 years of looking for the right location based on access to infrastructure (road, electricity, communication and water), within 40 km from my principal residence, good soil with as much “original” top soil as possible, and close to high-density of consumers, I found the right location for me in Sungai Lui, Ulu Langat, Selangor.

The land was an abandoned paddy field which over the years of natural growth, had turned into a jungle, hence it had an abundance of local plants often found in our jungles.

The development of this land was based on the basic principle of maintaining as much of the contour of the land and plants that can be used towards reaching the objective of the farm.
The official start date of development is July 19, 2009.  Prior to that, approximately 1 year was spent in “understanding” the land.  It was important to me to stay as close as possible to the contour and to maximize on the natural beauty and features of the land.
Development of Suria Helang Lui is ongoing and would probably remain so through my natural life.  Currently, construction is underway for a comfortable living quarters along with an irrigation system.  Whilst it often rains, there are spells of hot, dry, weather thus this additional supply of water will ensure continued well-being of the living beings at the farm.

The farm focusses on fruits and vegetables, Malaysian herbs, fresh water fish and eggs.  Crop rotation is practiced as well as natural composting to continually improve on the soil quality.  Among the crops are tapioca (ubi kayu pulut and merah), corn, ubi keledek, bananas, pumpkin/squash, spinach, pucuk manis, various herbs and condiments, and chilli (cili kampung), to name a few.  


The ultimate aim is to be self-sufficient whereby one need only purchase sugar, salt and oil in order to create meals.


07 Mar 2011
0 Comments By admin Edible Landscape

Edible Landscape – Misai Kucing

Through the generations, we have heard the stories of how great the Misai Kucing (Botanical name : Orthosiphon Stamineus) tea is, purported to be good for diabetes, high blood pressure, diuretic, rheumatoid athritis, gout and as a body cleansers along with removal of metabolic wastes.  You can find commercially available Misai Kucing tea but I find them to be rather pricy and it is funny to see that it is often imported when we can grow them easily in our great weather.
The variety planted at Suria Helang Lui has pale lavender flowers so makes for a beautiful addition to the landscape.  You can also find plants that produce white flowers.  True to its name, it does look like a cat’s whiskers.  It can be propagate using stem cuttings and placing them in soil with good organic content with good drainage.  It is an easy plant to grow and can grow to a bush up to 2m tall.  The best way to control the bush and to ensure it continues to flower beautifully, regularly prune it and use the pruned flowers and leaves to make a wonderful tea.

My misai kucing patch,
full of weeds and grass

Partially-weeded misai
 kucing patch
At the farm, no pesticide nor weed killers are used so taking care of this plant is quite labor-intensive and time-consuming but well worth it, especially considering, its purpose as a herbal health tea.  Every month, I will spend approximately 2 days just pulling weeds and cutting the grass around around it.  At this time, I will also prune the plants substantially.  The weeds are place in a compost pile which will be added to the soil again when ready.  Once weeded, it is fertilize and the upper soil layer is mulched. 

The cuttings from this pruning exercise is then used to make the tea.  Remove any dried or old leaves to ensure a quality tea.



Cuttings ready to be
processed to make the tea
For “salad” lovers, the flowers are also tasty eaten raw so can add beauty to you salad plate.

When I hold my Durian Fest, I always make sure that I serve this tea using great, unpolluted water from the “ulu sungai” as it does help with keeping your sugar level from shooting up as well as keeping the body “cool”.  Personally, I drink this tea a couple of times a week for “maintenance” purposes since I do love sweet things.  I have friends who drink this tea for the purpose of controlling their blood sugar as well as a prevention or cure for diabetes.  Traditionally, it is also used as a blood cleanser as a capillary and circulatory remedy as well as for controlling high blood pressure.  Hence, this tea is served at my Durian Fest and my unscientific observation, guests who consume this tea while they are enjoying lots of durian fare better then those who don’t.

Flowers and leaves,

ready for next step

I find that the tastiest tea can be obtained by using just the flowers, the soft stem and leaves.  To make the the tea, strip the leaves and flowers from the stem.  You can also use the soft stem of the flowers.  Do not use the “woody” stems but instead you can use this to propagate new plants. 

“Chopped” flowers and
leaves

I use a pair of kitchen scissors and cut them up into smaller pieces and place them in a “tampi” or any tray that allows for air circulation.  Remember to cover the tray with a cloth such as a tea cloth to prevent “aliens” from joining your tea leaves.  It is important to air-dry them out of direct sunlight to preserve its properties.  During hot weather season, it takes about 1 week to dry.  At the minimum, “fluff” the tea every two days to ensure it dries evenly.
To brew the tea, use very hot water, steeping them for about 5 minutes producing a lovely golden brown colored tea with a natural sweetness to it.  No sugar need be added and can be consumed hot, warm or cold.  The type of water used also will affect the taste of the tea.  Apart from diabetes and hypertension, this tea has been used to treat kidney ailment such as kidney stones, and has diuretic properties.
For all the benefits that this tea provides, it is why I love drinking it a few times a week, one of the elements in health maintenance.  Since I produce the tea myself, I am assured of how it is planted, what is used to fertilize and the tea produced is pure Misai Kucing, no additives or preservatives.  As I continue to increase the number of plants on the farm, the production is increasing.  Currently, I sell this at the Sunday morning market and through direct orders.  If you are interested in purchasing it, please contact me at 019-2089062 or e-mail me at suriahelanglui@yahoo.com.