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Suria Helang Lui

Year: 2011

Suria Helang LuiArticles2011
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.
07 Mar 2011
0 Comments By admin Edible Landscape

Edible Landscape Plant – Ubi Keladi

One of the ultimate aims of Suria Helang Lui is to create an area where the landscape utilizes edible plants.  With the great tropical weather of Malaysia, there are many plants to choose from.  The above plant known as Ubi Keladi, (Botanical name : Caladium) is from the Araceae family.  There are many varieties of caladium and not all are edible. 
It thrives well is moist soil with a high organic matter content in semi-shady locations.  It takes approximately 4 months to have good-sized tubers, weighing approximately 500gm. The tubers can be prepared in many ways to create from savoury to sweet dishes.  The stems can also be eaten and locally, is often used in asam pedas dishes.  The stem can also be cooked in many ways.
This particular variety produces large leaves measuring around 0.5m at the widest part and 1m long.  At the farm, I chopped up the leaves and feed it to the fish.  They seem to love it and it helps to improve the taste of the fish.
Updated 11 Oct, 2012