Armchair journal – Suria Helang Lui

25 Feb 2024

0 Comments By admin Armchair journal, Articles, Eating Well

Turmeric & Ginger: A versatile combination

One of my favorite combination is turmeric and ginger as it is a great combination that provides not only therapeutic values and nutrients but also can be used in creating great tasting food and beverages in your daily consumption. to maximize the bioavailability of the curcumin to our body which is basically to increase the ability of our body to absorp it, I always add black pepper. Being a person who has her plate full, it was necessary for me to create a way that would enable for me to have this combination readily available and easy to use. Hence, the development of the Bentong Ginger and Turmeric with Black Pepper powder.

In this form it i s easy to store and transport. I consume it daily, often in multiple forms. When developing the product, there were many considerations:

Quality of the ingredients hence the selection of Bentong Ginger instead of normal ginger and opting to grow the turmeric on the farm. The ginger is sourced from the Orang Asli who grow it in the hills of Bentong. Growing this particular type of ginger is also dependent on the type of soil which is not the type of soil that we have at the farm.
The best form to make it convenient to use, store and transport so we made it into a powder form.
The manner of processing is also important to ensure minimizing loss of flavor and nutrients, prevent oxidization, prevent environmental contiminants such as dust and droppings from insects, etc. Thus, we chose to dehydrate using a dehydrator.
The best packaging option for us was using a resealble pack that made it lightweight, easy to transport, lower cost as well as resealable.

How to consume it:

As a warm beverage: Personally, I drink a cup of warm ginger-turmeric drink in the morning as the second drink after drinking water upon waking up. It is made with 1/4 teaspoon of powder with hot water and when it is warm, I add a bit of honey. On days when I do a lot of physical activity, i also have it as a bedtime drink. There have been research that it indicates this will help our body repair itself and as most of the body repair our bodies do is at night, so I like to think that I am boosting my internal body repair with the nutrients from this drink.
As a cold beverage: Lately, the days have been very hot so I like to have a cold, refreshing drink that I can enjoy thatprovides me with added healthy values. What I do is to use 1/4 teaspoon of this powder in hot water to encourage thediffusion into the drink followed by some citrus juice and a touch of honey. My preference is for lime juice as it is readily available and my source of the fruit is from the farm. As it is grown organically free from pesticides and herbicides, I will also grate some of the green skin into the drink. I don’t use the white part as that adds a bitter taste to the drink. You can choose other natural juices to add to it and follow your taste bud. However, I find the addition of citrus juice is the tastiest option for me. This will also elevate the nutrient offering within the drink.
As a flavoring to cooked dishes. You can add it to almost any savoury dish. I use it to when I am doing soups whether it is for seafood, chicken or beef. I add about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the powder depending on the amount of soup I am making.
I also love fried chicken wings so naturally, I will coat the wings with it with a touch of mountain or sea salt and let it marinate for about 15-30 minutes before frying it. Sometimes, I will marinate it a day before, leaving it in the fridge if I know the next day I will be busy and need to prepare what I want to cook ahead of time.
For me, no “ikan goreng” (fried fish) is complete without being seasoned with turmeric so I use this powder for it too. You might also want to try adding it to your ommelette for that extra “oomph”.
Let’s not leave out vegetables. Just add 1/4 teaspoon to any stir-fry or soupy vegetable dish. For cooked dishes for your breakfast, lunch or dinner, there are so many ways to use it as a seasoning making it one of the most versatile combinations.
If you think that you can only do savoury dishes, think again. You can use it to make desserts such as agar-agar. The recipe is very easy:
Ingredients
- One pack of agar-agar.
- Water
- !/2 teaspoon of the Bentong Ginger and Turmeric with black pepper powder
- Sugar – rock sugar or white sugar – in a quantity to your taste.
- !/2 a lemon or 1/2 a lime or any natural citrus juice of your choice or blended tropical fruit like pineapple.

To prepare: Just follow the instructions of the pack of the agar-agar. Once the mixture has dissolved, add the sugar and the ginger-turmeric powder. Once it has boiled, turn off the heat. Allow it to cool down for about 2-3 minutes and add the citrus juice of your choice or blended fruit. Allow it to set and refrigerate. I find it is best to serve it cold. This is one agar-agar that I am looking forward to have at Iftar during the upcoming Ramadhan with its bright golden yellow colour and tasting light and refreshing as well as easy on the digestion system.

What I have included is just some ideas that you might like to try. Just be as creative as you want and get a wonderful surprise from the dishes you produce. Eating and drinking healthy should be easy and tasty so you can seamlessly add it to your daily life. Having supplements shouldn’t just be through popping pills :).

28 Aug 2023

3 Comments By admin Armchair journal, Articles, Eating Well, Healthy Options, Herbal Therapy

The wonders of Turmeric and Bentong Ginger

Turmeric is well-know for its many theraoeutic benefits with its many health properties including as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Many studies have been conducted on the benefits of curcumin in turmeric. Curcumin is not easily “absorbed” by the body and the way to improveits bioavailabilty to our body iby combining turmeric with black papper where the piperine enhances the absorption of the curcumin. It is widely-used in ayurvedic and traditionak medicine, Based on studies and research, some of the benefits are:

As a potent antioxidant, it can neutralize free radicals which tend to impact important organic substance such as fatty acids, proteins and DNA. Free radicals causes oxidative damages to our body which negatively impacts our body aging and causes other diseases.
Some studies show that curcumin can increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which plays a part in memory and learning. More studies are being done to determine its potential in treating Alzheimer’s disease and other degenerative brain diseases.
The main benefit of curcumin when it comes to heart disease is improving the function of the endothelium, the lining of your blood vessels. One of the major causes of heart disease is when there is a dysfunction in the endothelium making it unable to regulate blood pressure, blood clotting, and various other factors.
In various studies, curcumin has been found to affect cancer growth and development by contributing to the death of cancerous cell, reducing angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels in tumors) and reducing metastasis (spread of cancer). Further studies continue to be done.
Helps the body to recovery from muscle injury. In a study amongst athletes, it was found that athletes who consumed it recovered faster than those who didn’t.

There are many types of gingers but my favorite is Bentong ginger. The main component that provides the most therapeutic benefit is the gingerol. Ginger has been fond in many studies to be an antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and other health benefits. As more research is done on ginger, some of the benefits include:

Being an anti-inflammatory, it helps to reduce swelling or inflammations of joints and muscles can can be helpful for those with arthritis and osteoarthritis and swelling of joints or muscles.
Some studies show it can curb growth of cancer cells like colorectal, gastric, ovarian, liver, skin, breast, and prostate cancer and more studies are being carried out.
Ease menstrual cramps
Lowers “bad” LDL cholesterol
Ginger is loaded with antioxidants, compounds that prevent stress and damage to your body’s DNA. They may help your body fight off chronic diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, and diseases of the lungs, plus promote healthy aging.
Helps with digestion and relieves indigestion.
Helps counter nausea.

It is with these benefits in mind that I decided to produce our Bentong Ginger and Turmeric with Black Pepper with the aim of making it easier for me to add to my daily diet and using whole foods as a medicine or health therapeutic supplement. Using chemical-pesticide and herbicide free fresh ginger and turmeric that are dehydrated and turned into a powder form, ground black peppers are then added into this mixture to produce our Dehydrated Bentong Ginger and Turmeric with Pepper. No additives, preservatives or fillers are added to it, leaving it in its pure forms.

When I decided to produce this mixture, I wanted to make it easy to consume it and as a painless way of adding it to my daily diet. Another key consideration is how to dry it. I dehydrated it as it ensures maximum nutrients preservation compared with other ways of drying and at the same time is more hygienic, not exposed to contaminants and consistent drying without dependence to weather. There are many ways to use this powder mixture for consumption:

Using 1/4 teaspoon per cup, I add hot water and sweeten it with honey as my first drink for the days. I drink it warm and it is a delicious warm drink to start my day, loading my body with the therapeutic benefits. I drink this as my first hot drink of the day and last hot drink at night on days when I plan or was physcially-active.
Adding it when cooking rice and making a flavourful rice. For additional flavour, you can add virgin coconut oil too making it a quick way to make nasi lemak kuning.
Using it as a seasoning for various proteins such as beef, chicken, fish which can then be cooked in various ways.
Adding it to stir-fry vegetables.
Adding it to coconut milk-based gravy such as in masak lemak kuning, curries and lontong.
Create a salad dressing by adding the mixture to olive oil or other salad oils and adding lemon or lime. You can also add other seasonings like honey, mustard and salt – sea or mountain salt is my preference.
Alternatively, you can put it in a capsule is you prefer to pop pills. I don’t do this because I prefer to enjoy my food then taking it as a medicine.

On a personal note, I have been drinking the ginger and turmeric mixture over the past 4 years. Having the mixture makes it easy for me to

consume it as well as take it along with me when I travel, whether domestically or internationally. When I travel abroad, my first drink in the room is the ginger and turmeric drink. It is a nice warm drink to have especially during the colder months. It has also helped me to recover from painful, muscle injury due to wearing the wrong shoes and walking long distances over uneven, cobblestone roads and paths for several days although it took longer to heal than it would have if I had gone for steroid treatment but it was my choice to avoid steroids and strong painkillers. It was an exercise in helping my body heal it self naturally supported by “whole food”s.

Bottomline: I love this mixture and the simplicity of incorporating it into my daily life.

31 Oct 2022

0 Comments By admin Armchair journal, Farm Information

Sg. Lui: Penyelenggaraan yang mengundang bencana

Satu isu yang sering dibincangkan oleh penduduk di Sg. Lui, Hulu Langat ialah penyelenggaraan Sg. Lui yang kurang memuaskan. Di musim peralihan angin monsun tahun ini di antara bulan Oktober hingga Disember, dengan hujan lebat dan ribut petir diramalkan dari November 1 hingg November 23 hampir tiap-tiap hari, kami sedang bersiap-sedia untuk bencana banjir sekali lagi. Sg. Lui merupakan satu sungai yang menerima aliran air dari 5 anak sungai yang bermula di kawasan bukit berdekatan. Apabila hujan turun tidak berhenti selama beberapa jam di kawasan bukit ini, paras air di Sg. Lui boleh naik dengan mendadak sehingg melebihi 1 meter.

Pemandangan dari jambatan ke Kg. Orang Asli Paya Lebar

Saya memantau dari kawasan Kampun Paya Lebar, Hulu Langat kerana sg. Lui membahagikan tanah saya. Dari banjir bulan Disember 2021, lebih sungai di tanah saya telah dihakis lebih dari 3 meter lebar yang secara tidak langsung melebarkan sungai ini. Dari tanah saya hingga ke Batu 20, Kampung Sg. Lui, sungai ini mengecil. Paras tebing juga menurun sepanjang aliran Sg. Lui.

Di tebing sungai di sini, jelas hanya sebelah tebing sahaja yang dikukuhkan dengan guni pasir. Di sebelah kana, jelas akibat paras air yang naik baru-baru ini yang meninggalkan tanah, pasir dan batu selepas paras air surut. Paras air yang naik dan surut sering berlaku kebelakangan ini menyebabkan dasar sungai naik. Ini akan menyebabkan perbezaan paras dasar meningkat di antara hulu dan hilir dan jurang paras air dengan paras tebing mengurang. Apabila hujan turun dengan berterusan di kawasan bukit di hulu, paras air akan meningkat dengan mendadak sehingga lebih dari 1 m.

Dari permulaan tahun 2022, terdapat kerja-kerja membersih dan menyelenggara tebing Sg. Lui tetapi kerja-kerja ini tidak dilaksanakan dengan rapi menyebabkan kerja-kerja membaiki tebing dan mendalamkan sungai dijalankan berulang-kali. Kawasan ini merupakan kawasan punca air dan “tadahan hujan”. Apabila kerja-kerja dilaksanakan seperti “tikus gerit”, ia tidak akan membawa apa-apa faedah dan merupakan pembaziran wang rakyat. Jika banjir di kawasan saya, bermakna akan berlaku banjir yang agak teruk hingga ke kawasan Sg. Serai, Batu 10, Hulu Langat. Jika paras air meningkat hingga sekaki di paras bawah jambatan, ini bermakna kawasan di sepanjang Batu 23 hingga Batu 20 akan mengalami banjir kerana paras di kawasan ini adalah lebih rendah dari di sini.

Akibat banjir 2021, tebin runtuh dan paras sungai naik hasil dari mendapan pasir dan tanah.

Sungai Lui di dalam sepuluh tahun ini sudah berubah aliran. Hasil dari banjir 2021, sungai ini sudah semakin lurus. Aliran dahulu yang berliku sudah jadi kurang berliku. Tebing sungai juga terhakis dan paras air sungai meningkat hasil dari mendapan pasir dan tanah. Sudah berkali-kali JPS menghantar kontraktor untuk mendalamkan sungai dan mendamparkan pasir dan tanah yang dikorek ke tebing.

Malangnya, tiada guni pasir atau jaringan batu diletakkan di tebing sungai. Akibatnya, dua-tiga bulan kemudian, akan muncul kontraktor untuk mengorek tanah dan pasir dari sungai dan mendamparkannya ke tebing sekali lagi. Gambar ini memaparkan bagaiman sungai ini diluruskan sebab selekoh sebelum banjir 2021 sudah tiada dan sungai semakin lebar hasil dari hakisan. Jelas juga sungai ini semakin cetek akibat dari mendapan tanah dan pasir hasil dari hakisan tanah di hulu.

Saya tertanya juga, tiadakah pakar yang di JPS atau pegawai yang memantau keadaan Sg. Lui. Tidakkah mereka sedar bahawa jika bencana banjir melanda di kawasan ini, impaknya lebih teruk sepanjang aliran Sg. Lui sehingga Batu 9 Cheras?

Tebing yang tiada perlindungan yand mengalami hakisan berterusan.

Kekuatan arus air dari banjir 2021 juga menyebabkan tebing yang tinggi dihakis dan tanah runtuh sehingga satu rumah yang terdapat ditebing ini telah jatuh hancur dan beberapa rumah mengalami kerosakan besar.

Jika arus air Sg. Lui seperti banjir 2021 berulang di bulan November ini, kemungkinan besar selekoh ini akan diluruskan lagi kerana tebing sungai ini tiada perlindungan dari hakisan. Pokok-pokok akan tumbang dan dihanyutkan yang akan meninggikan lagi tahap kerosakan di sepanjang aliran sungai ini. Di bahagian ini, paras tanah sungai sudah turun lebih kuran 1 m dari paras di jambatan ke Kampung Orang Asli Paya Lebar.

Apa yang menyedihkan ialah terdapat rumah-rumah baru yang dibina oleh rakyat yang berangan untuk hidup di kawasan kampung di usia emas. Wang simpanan mereka yang digunakan untuk pembinaan rugi begitu saja dan kini berhadapan dengan masalah membai-pulih rumah atau membinanya baru.

Hal ini telah diutarakan kepada pihak-pihak yang berkuasa tetapi 10 bulan selepas kejadian, masih tiada tindakan. Hakisan ini berterusan sebab kawasan ini sering dilanda hujan lebat terutama sejak pertengahan bulan Oktober 2022.

Sungai Lui bercantum dengan Sungai Langat di Batu 18, Hulu Langat. Terdapat beberapa sungai lagi yang mengalir ke dalam Sungai Langat. Melihat keadaan semasa dan ramalan cuaca di bulan November ini, saya menulis artikel ini bagi mengutarakan masalah di Sg. Lui dan betapa pentingnya pihak berkuasa perlu melaksanakan kerja-kerja yang perlu secepat mungkin bagi mengelakkan bencana banjir seperti di bulan Disember 2021. Di waktu yang sama, saya harap penduduk di kawasan Batu 23 Sg. Lui hingga Batu 9 Cheras bersiap-sedia dan peka dengan keadaan semasa di hulu sungai yang akan membawa impak terhadap mereka.

08 Sep 2018

1 Comments By admin Armchair journal, Articles, Herbal Therapy, Well-being Landscape

In the Greenhouse: Part 1

I love my whole farm but the one place that I spend a lot of time at is in my greenhouse. My

greenhouse is designed to serve as my seeding area, fertiliser production mix area, my lab to test out elements in growing plants such as water, pest control and fertilisers, an area to plant the plants that require substantial TLC, a place to propagate plants as well as acclimatisation of plants before being planted outdoors or indoors.

The roof is almost totally plastic roofing sheets (similar to the zinc roofing sheets) to allow sunlight in but keep the rain out hence it is where I can work rain or shine. The walls are half brick and specially-crafted lattice wood with netting to reduce the amount of pests that can enter the greenhouse. It is impossible to keep everything out as some are so tiny – almost like a speck of dirt size such as the whiteflies. It is half bricks because on some area along the sides, I have built a cement rack that serves as seed germination and seedling area as well as newly propagated plants area. Over the years, it has evolved from the simple design of 30 feet by 20 feet size to 60 feet by 20 feet and current setup. By starting from a simple design, it allowed me time to test and figure out how I wanted my greenhouse to be to suit with the activities as well as my style of working. It is a personal design space that I also enjoy relaxing in and getting oxygen therapy.

As all the plants at the farm either are edible or therapeutic or both, the same types are planted in the greenhouse. Working with my hands sometimes causes me to get cuts and nicks so I have my first aid plants in the greenhouse too. The Indian Borage, Variegated Borage and Aloe Vera are my basics. The borage with its antiseptic properties are great for cuts. I just wash the affected area and mash the leaves and apply to the cut. In a few minutes, it is taken care of and I can resume what I was doing. If I get an inflammation on my skin, I just get the above vera leaf and get the gel and apply. I also use the borage leaves to create an instant pest repellant by crushing the leaves in water and using the resulting liquid to spray on the plants. It also has anti-viral and anti-fungus properties to care for the health of my plants. Being non-toxic, I don’t have to worry about using protective gear. As I am creating the liquid, at the same time, I am also cleansing my hands from unwanted bacteria.

Both plants are easy to propagate. For the borage, I propagate from stem cuttings. The aloe vera produces its own platelets which I will transplant to a separate container. As I use them regularly, I propagate them often.

One of my favourite vegetable fruit is tomatoes. They require a lot of care both from a pest control, fertilisation and water when grown organically and free from hormones as well. It requires routine pest control activity as many pest love it like the whiteflies, aphids, black mold and ants to name a few. The pests encourage each other. With whiteflies, comes the aphids. Then come the black mold and the ants. Hence, it is imperative to control it from the beginning of the whiteflies. I mix my own fertiliser from base ingredients like chicken manure, goat manure, compost, eco enzyme (a.k.a. garbage enzyme) and EM-1. I tend to mix them depending on the growth and condition of the plant as having the fertiliser production mix are in the greenhouse, it makes it easier for me to get it done.

Currently I have 3 varieties in various stages growing: Hybrid tomatoes, Cherry tomatoes and Heirloom tomatoes. Although I have grown the hybrid and cherry tomatoes side by side, I planted the heirloom tomatoes separately in their own bed, separated by another planting bed as well as walkway. I intend to save the seeds from the heirloom tomatoes in my seed bank. These plants need to have their soil topped-up to cover their roots every so often so having my planting soil mixture area in the greenhouse also makes it convenient. I will not plant them outside as then they will be exposed to many more pests including birds and my free-range chickens. I have tried planting them outdoors but have always lost to the birds, chickens and other pests.

I also do companion planting in the greenhouse hence I also have various types of chilli plants in the greenhouse. Although I do not eat much chillies, there are many around me who do. I have a few varieties planted including habaneros, thai chilli and cili api. I have the habaneros in a row but have the others planted in polybags in different sections of the greenhouse. These plants also are a favourite of the whiteflies so whenever I do my pest control spray, I spray them at the same time too. They also need to be fertilised rather frequently – once a week – so having them in the greenhouse also reduces time for fertilisation as I also custom fertilise them depending on the stage and any problems that I see with them.

I tend to spend hours at a time in the greenhouse so I also plant some ulam for me to munch on as

snacks. One of my favourite plants – not only for taste but also because I think it is beautiful – is the Sambung Nyawa Batik. I plant them in containers in a few locations. Whenever I feel like munching on something, I just get a few leaves, rinse them and munch. They are easy to propagate and with proper care, are vigorous growers.

The story of the plants in the greenhouse continues in Part 2.

11 Jun 2018

2 Comments By admin Armchair journal, Articles, Edible Landscape, Well-being Landscape

Plants and trees want a good home, food and water too

I started my farm from basically ground zero without any formal training or education in botany, horticulture or agriculture but I wanted to plan for my retirement. Along the way, I have discovered many things, experienced the wonders of nature and developed a better understanding of the connectivity between the various forms on earth.

1. Plant for the climate
We are often trying to plant things that aren’t suitable for our climate without making adjustments and this includes flowering and fruiting plants. If we do not take climate and environmental factors, we are setting ourselves up for failure and disappointment. Hence, I would always encourage newbies to plant local plants for their initial. We have an abundance of local plants covering a wide array of taste so let us set ourselves up for success as we learn and gain knowledge. Just looking at what we can plant for vegetables, there is so many to choose from. For initial quick success, try planting one that you can harvest within 30-45 days. It may seem like a long time when you first start out but as you observe the progress, you will find that time just flies by.

2. There are no guarantees
Life is filled with the unexpected and challenges and it is applicable to when we try to grow plants too. Even if you follow step-by-step directions, it doesn’t guarantee you will get the same outcome every time because the natural factors are fluid. However, if you start with good soil conditions, you have increased your probability of success. The soil for the plants need to be suited for the plant we want to grow. For example, if you are planting orchids, you need a soil composition that allows for quick drying of water as it doesn’t tolerate soggy soil conditions well. On the other hand, if you are planting vegetables, you need a soil composition that allows the soil to remain moist longer but not soggy to provide water to the roots throughout the day especially during the hottest part of the day. Hence, if you plant in unsuitable soil composition, you can end up with unhealthy plants or dead plants in spite of you attempts at fertilising, watering and pest control efforts.

3. Army of underground soldiers

Many are not aware of the army of underground soldiers that contribute to the health and welfare of you plants. The smallest size ones are beneficial microbes which amongst its function is to make the nutrients in the soil bioavailable to the plants. In human terms, it is like you preparing and cooking the chicken before you consume it. You need to do that before you can eat it so your body can
process it to extract nutrients for your body. Similarly, these microbes will breakdown the complex form of the nutrients into a form that can be assimilated by the plants for it nutrient. The planting soil lacking these can result in the plants not being able to absorb sufficient nutrients it needs so although you may be putting fertilisers aplenty, the plant may not be getting the benefits because it isn’t in a form the plant can “eat”.
Another soldier that we want aplenty in our planting soil is earthworms. They help loosen the soil and aerate it as well as process the raw soil producing nutrients that can be “eaten” by the plants. Hence, in recent years the rise of vermicompost and vermicast as well as the use of worms to process organic waster to produce food for plants in the form of vermicast and vermicompost.
However not all these underground live forms are friendly so you need to get rid of the unfriendlies.

4. Army of aboveground soldiers
If you have a fruiting garden, these aboveground soldiers are important as they help in the pollination process hence you need to consider having flowering plants that encourage these friendly soldiers to visit your garden. Bees and ladybirds are my favourites for effective pollination. If you do not get regular visits from these friendlies, you may find that your fruiting garden doesn’t produce fruits in spite of it flowering boundlessly and this includes fruits like cucumber, melons and various other non self pollinating plants. Hence some people find that they need to resort to hand pollination i.e. personally mimicking the activity of these pollinating insects such as using light brush strokes from the male flower to the female flower.

5. Food for plants and trees
Different plants and trees need different types of food but the basic separation is between leaves only and flowering/fruiting plants. The basic nutrients we often see mentioned is Nitrogen(N), Phosphorous(P) and Potassium (K). This is the starting point. From then on, to have a bountiful plant, there are additional nutrients that will help and support the plant development. Fruiting plants need magnesium to help support the development of fruits. Calcium also support certain aspects of the plant development. Then you also have fish amino acids. There are so many different types of fertilisers that at times it boggles the mind and sometimes, we can get carried away with purchasing fertilisers because we have heard that it is good without thinking if it is useful or practical for our own usage. Some we end up with bottle of fertilisers and at times also cause over-fertilising which inadvertently kills the plants. Just think of it similar to humans bulking up on a certain nutrient or supplement and getting a toxic reaction to it which could also lead to organ failure and death. It is easier to cause death by over-fertilisation using chemical fertilisers than natural organic fertilisers so I always opt for the latter. Over the years I have narrowed down my fertilisers to 3 kinds: (1) fish amino acid based fertiliser (2) goat manure based fertiliser and (3) enzyme based fertiliser. I find that applying them at appropriate times gives me the results that I want and it has helped me “declutter” the fertilisers.

6. All live forms need water
Water is important to our plants and it is essential that we understand their needs. Some thrive in abundance of water while others will drown to death. Some thrive in just “touching” water whilst others will die of thirst. Some just want regular watering and some want to have moisture available all the time. Select the plant you want to grow based on your water “availability”. This way, you can reduce your chances of killing a plant. The right type of water can also affect your plants. Some plants can tolerated slightly acidic water whilst others may get sick. To be safe, try to water with “clean” water. If you capture rain water and you are living in the city where there is significant traffic pollution, you might want to consider letting the water “sit” for a couple of days after capture so that the acids have a chance to dissipate from the water.

These are some of the basics that I live by now but then again, it is not the end. I continue to encounter new discoveries and gain new knowledge that it keeps me mentally challenged and physically active. To this end, I can see it as an activity that I can continue to do in she Allah till the day I die and continue to have a fruitful, contributing life.

20 Apr 2018

8 Comments By admin Armchair journal, Articles, Farm Information, SHL Journal

Seeds oh Seeds. Which one shall I choose?

Recently I received quite a few question about seeds so I am sharing what I know in the hopes that it will be useful to people interested in it. The selection of seeds for planting is very important. Selecting the wrong seeds can lead you to disappointment, especially after you put in so much effort. So let’s start with the kinds of seeds. There are basically 3 types of seeds.
F1 Hybrid Seeds
These are the most often type of seeds you find in the market. It is essentially produced by selective cross pollinating 2 parent plants to produce the “first children” so to speak. Quality F1 seeds can produce quality plants as the dominant qualities from each parent is present in the F1 seeds. Through this selective cross-pollination or hybridisation, the resulting seeds can be engineered to have specific qualities such as in the taste and size. However, if you obtain seeds from F1 plants, you may find that when you sow the seeds. they do not germinate. You may have followed advise from your friends to germinate them and still find that it didn’t germinate. You did nothing wrong as most seeds that result from F1 plants through genetic engineering are sterile or do not produce plants true to their parents. So, even if you manage to germinate some, you will find the results may not be satisfying. This is how the seed companies stay in business.
Heirloom seeds
Unlike F1 seeds that are produces through selective cross-pollination, heirloom seeds are generated from plants from open pollination and possess most of the characteristics of their parent plant. Subsequent plants from these heirloom seeds will continue to have most of the characteristics of their parent plant. If you planted using heirloom seeds, then you can select the best seeds to future planting. Obtaining heirloom seeds is getting to be more difficult and harder to come by. Why? The seed companies can lose business hence why nowadays you find F1 seeds but rarely heirloom seeds. For seed banks, it is best to use heirloom seeds. At the farm, when I have heirloom plants, these are the seeds that I will retain.
GMO Seeds
These seeds are different from the above two types of seeds and are done in laboratories using gene splicing technology. At this stage certain elements can be added into the genes, modifying it genetically from its original stage. Certain chemicals to make the seeds resistant to pests and other types of chemicals used in herbicides and pesticides can also be added. Inherently GMO seeds contains pesticides that does not wash away or disappear magically so eating produce from GMO seed plants means you are consuming pesticides intentionally. So, even if you use GMO seeds and follow organic planting practices, your produce cannot be considered organic.
My Conclusion
Where possible, go for heirloom seeds. When not possible, you will just have to continue purchasing F1 seeds and keep the seed companies like Cargill and the like in business. At all cost, if you are for your health, say no to GMO and keep pesticide out of your daily food intake.

26 Nov 2017

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Bye, Bye Sunday morning market at Sg. Penchala

Today was our last time having a stall at Pasar Pagi Sg. Penchala. It was the first place where we

started to sell our produce in September, 2010. In the beginning, we only sell fresh produce and more on what was considered “sayur kampung”. It was my first experience at doing consumer direct sales to the masses. In the beginning, many looked at us “sideways” and looked down on us. After all, we were selling “sayur kampung” whilst they were selling items bought from “passer borong” – to them denoting that they were better off because they had money to buy the items from suppliers whereas our was planted from our farm in the “boonies”. It was challenging but I always felt that what we had to offer was good and competitive. The farm has been an organic farm from day 1 so what we have offered has always been organic produce.
Through the years, I have learnt a lot but the one principle that I have always stuck to was “I do not sell what I don’t or wouldn’t want to eat”. This principle was the main guide to what I planted at the farm. What I don’t eat, I don’t plant even if it was fashionable or the in-thing. I harvest things in accordance to how I like them for consumption. My prices was based on cost-recovery basis hence it was competitive to non-organic produce and at times, even cheaper. My prices were not based on supply and demand and I was often questioned and sometime labelled stupid for not raising prices when everyone else was. Then again, I do business in accordance to my principles and goals. In this instance, it was to provide good, healthy food at competitive prices for the masses. You can say it was my jihad. I have always tried to practice my business in accordance to Islam: fair and just.
Our presence at the market has also provided me with the opportunity to meet with other and share as well as exchange knowledge from planting to caring for it to harvesting and on to how to consume
I have also learnt a lot about people being on the front-line of meeting customers. One of the comments that stuck in my mind was a mother saying to her child: ” Look, even the vegetable seller can speak English”. This was a reminder to me to never assume that a person has limited capabilities just from looking at them from a distance – it pays to get to know people as you never know what knowledge you can gain. At the same time, it also reminded me that someone who looks humble doesn’t mean that they have nothing to offer or that their academic education is lacking. It is about choices on how you want to lead your life.
One question or should I say complaint I got is “How come your signs and notices are in English. This is Malaysia, you should use Bahasa Malaysia”. The reason is simple, it is a language that most people understand and my customers are not only Malaysian but also people from other countries. You could say that I have an international clientele. By using English, I got more customers.
Now, our farm has produced more: from fresh produce covering food, vegetables and fish to processed products such as teas and EVCO. I also do customised herbal mixture based on a customer’s purpose. The underlying principle is the raw materials are always from the farm so I can control and be assured that it is organic. In this aspect, I do not compromise.
Although we will no longer be doing market at Sg. Penchala, we will be offering our produce and products at my home base in K.L. With the easy access to communications for everyone, people can also order online or through whatsApp, for example and pick-up or delivery arranged. A selection of our herbal products is also available at The Jasmin Foundation Homeopathy Clinic in Setiawangsa. We will also continue to do events, especially those promoting green living. Next year, we also plan to do more events at the far as well as offering specific classes based on what we do. Does opting out of the Sg. Pencahala Sunday morning market mean that we will have less to do? I don’t think so. I anticipate that our future will have lots of opportunities and activities that we will remain as busy as ever.
Thank you to all that have supported us at our stall in Sg. Penchala. In shaa Allah, we will meet again.

09 Nov 2017

0 Comments By admin Armchair journal, Articles, Farm Information

Only constant is change: 2018

Our tilapia growing with natural food

As we head to the end of the year, I am finalising my plans. Over the last 10 years, every step that I took has been leading me to this direction. I experimented, researched, tested and studied what was a new field to me. My inherent belief that we an improve our health through our normal daily diet led to the development of the farm and the ensuing produce and products developed. I cannot change what happened to me from a health standpoint previously, but I can improve it for my future with the aim of leading a quality, fruitful life filled with joy.
When I first started the farm, the concept has always been to maximise on nature’s bounty to provide good food for the family. The application of it was to have a farm free from chemical pesticides, herbicide, hormones and to have a symbiotic relationship with nature. In our fresh produce production, we use natural, organic fertilisers and methods for pest control. It included in the water that was used hence the implementation of our own water pipeline from a natural source. Our fish lives of the living water with its natural minerals and small fresh water shrimps and fish that flows in. We complement their food with greens and naturally-produced larvae. Our chickens feed on the insect sand also on the organic waste such as used grated coconuts, and extra fruits and tubers. Our organic wastes are converted into fertilisers and pest control and even into cleaning liquids. The aim is to limit introduction of toxins into our environment and surrounding areas – doing our part in conserving the environment.

Our liquid concentrates

EVCO and lemongrass range

As years passed, we started doing a market stall in Sg. Penchala to sell the excess food produced. I began to produce products from our produce such as liquid drink concentrates and dried herbals which we added to our list of offerings. So our weekly items included the fresh fruits, vegetables and our products. Sometimes I would bring plants and fertilisers, either on order or just-because.

The ginger and turmeric range

When I first started the farm, I started my collection of herbals, mainly because I was told of the benefits and I felt I may need them in the future. Further study on the benefits and therapeutical values of what we grew led to the development of our line of SHL Naturals in early 2017. As we progressed in 2017, I had a lot more requests for customised herbal mixtures ranging from colds and flu, cholesterol control, high blood pressure, gout, diabetes to cancer. The basis is alway from what we produce at the farm as I can then be assured of the c”clean” source and quality. I knew where the source materials were coming from, how it is grown and processed.

Our first community bazaar

I also organised a Community Bazaar where I live and held our first one on November 5th. It was a success so we will continue with it with the frequency changing to fortnightly in 2018. We have also began to offer our dried herbal products at The Jasmin Foundation, a homeopathy clinic in Setiawangsa. We began to do deliveries for orders subject to minimum spend. Our customers can order our dried products which we send through poslaju. With these activities in mind, we will cease to do our Sunday morning market in Sg. Penchala in December. For the month of December, we will focus on planting, maintenance, producing our products as well as doing some planning and marketing.
We are a lean operation team and it is not just about adding people to the team but adding the right people. As we grow, I may need to add more people to the team but it will be something to deal with in the future. I look forward to the future with the many possibilities of discovery and opportunities to help people, a life filled with activity driven by passion.

09 Oct 2017

0 Comments By admin Armchair journal, Articles, Healthy Options, Herbal Therapy

Busybody about my body: Dealing with Flu Naturally

I do not know of anyone who has never gotten a flu and it is a common disease that I think people look at it less seriously. However, not taken care of, it can lead to other complications such as pneumonia, sepsis, inflammation of the heart (myocarditis) as well as aggravating some other conditions like asthma. So whilst it is common, I do not take it lightly. The symptoms include :

sore throat
runny or stuffed nose
fever
muscle aches and pains
headache
fatigue.

It is cause by a virus and nowadays there are so many variants. Often, when you visit a doctor, you can expect to get three types of medication: one for fever, one for sore throat and congestion and of course antibiotics. Most literature strenuously point out that it is important to complete the entire course of the antibiotics for it to be effective.

Last week I caught the flu. I knew I was going to get it because my son came down with it in a bad way and there is no way I can avoid contact with him. He was literally stuck to my side and with his high fever, I was monitoring him very closely. Being only 4 years old, he has a higher risk of complications. When his fever rose to close to 40 degrees Celsius, we headed to the hospital. I wasn’t taking any risks. We managed to bring his fever down about 2 hours later but he was still feverish. As for me, the minute I saw he caught the flu, I began my regime of 1 tablespoon of EVCO every 4 hours and 1 tablespoon of honey twice a day. At the same time, I also gave my son EVCO every 2 hours along with his fever medication every 4 hours until his fever was all gone, which was a day later. He also was on antibiotics for 3 days which caused diarrhoea so now he is also taking probiotics daily to re-balance his digestive system. My son is still on daily 1 teaspoon of EVCO and 1 teaspoon honey, twice a day until he fully recovers. He is not taking any other medication. Then it was my turn.

I was flat on the bed for about 16 hours and during this period, I continued with hourly tablespoon of EVCO and every fours 1 tablespoon of honey. Then it was the morning on the next day and my fever was gone but I felt the muscle aches. It was time to start taking my Bentong ginger and turmeric concentrate – 2 tablespoon diluted with warm water with 1 teaspoon of honey every 4 hours. By evening, I was left with a slight cough and slight congestion. So, I continue with my three times a day of 1 tablespoon of EVCO and 1 teaspoon of honey. I have also added drinking Roselle juice twice a day to boost my immune system and to prevent any more fever.

There is pharmacological and studies backing the treatment that I chose for myself.

Flu is cause by virus (and there are many strains) and can be complicated with bacteria. To address this, the EVCO has strong anti-viral and anti-bacteria properties. Honey too has strong anti-bacteria and anti-viral properties. This composition gives me a wider range of defence. It also helps in strengthening my immune system. This also became a source of food for me.
Muscle aches and pains makes movement painful so the Bentong ginger and turmeric helps to ease these aches and pains as well as reduce any internal inflammations. It has strong anti-inflammatory properties as well as digestive system protection properties. At the same time, since my appetite was non-existent, I barely ate so this combination help reduce any stomach problems.
Roselle has good immune boosting capabilities so is a good option to take during the recovery period.

I prefer going the natural route as I do not like drugs and antibiotics because of all the side effects including destroying the good bacteria necessary for a healthy digestive system (one of the reasons why people also tend to get diarrhoea when they get flu). With no appetite, I didn’t have to try and stuff something in me before I took the EVCO, honey, Benton ginger & turmeric or Roselle as they are all food. They were also my food. It is also hard to overdose on these because as we age, all types of body parts need maintenance and repair as well as some rebuild. Throughout this whole flu experience, my brain remain active, alert and lucid even when I had my eyes closed. Being down for only a day was good as the next day, my son was ready to play.

As always, we have choices. What is important is that we are aware of what we are doing, monitor our condition and be sure that what we are taking is pure, natural items which are organic and processed in a way to ensure maximum properties and nutrients are preserved. Be knowledgeable in taking care of your health.

17 Apr 2017

0 Comments By admin Armchair journal, Articles, Farm Information, SHL Journal

Open Farm Day 14 Apr 2017 – Post Mortem

At the end of every event we have, I will always hold a team meeting where we discuss the feedback from visitors and how the event went. There were a few differences that we had this year compared with last year’s event, most of it due to feedback from our visitors last year. I find getting feedback is very important and our team meetings are useful to help us in improving.

Our first visitors for the day, also a regular customer at
our Sunday morning market stall

Our visitors visiting the farm. At one of the sections.

Our food sales area.

Feedback 1 2016: Too bad you didn’t have any food for sale
This year, we had a small menu consisting of chicken or fish with rice and a kerabu, durian ice cream, roselle and jambu madu ice cream, a section of drinks all based on our produce from our farm – soursop leaf tea, roselle juice drink, lemongrass and calamansi drink, roselle tea, calamansi and blue pea flower drink, and our only unsweetened drink – missy kucing tea. We do not use white sugar in our drinks. We also had 2 types of jellies: roselle jelly and jambu madu and blue pea flower jelly.

Our produce and products sales area

Feedback 2 2016: Difficult to see plants for sale and need to be labelled with variety and price clearly.
This year, we placed the plants for sale on racks and floor in one section, all clearly labelled with plant name and price. Although we still had a couple of people wanting to take plants from my greenhouse especially the plants that I was doing my research on :).

Feedback 3 2016: Difficult to find the place as there wasn’t any signages
We placed a sign indicating the farm name at the junction on the main road as well as at the farm gate. I had also updated the “Pictorial Guide to Suria Helang Lui Farm” with the latest photos and posted on the event page which many found useful this year.

Feedback 1 2017: “How come the chicken wasn’t soft?”.
We had one person that complained “How come the chicken wasn’t soft?”. As we had indicated prior to the event, the chicken was from our farm, organically reared “kampung” chicken which meant that it was organically reared, free from GMO feed, hormones and antibiotics, and free range. These chickens are not like your hormone-chicken which are reared to be soft and fluffy. The meat will be firm. Judging by how the rest of the visitors that had it ate, it was not an issue that we will worry about.

One of the groups that I took around the
farm for a tour. Really enjoyed the discussion

Feedback 2 2017: This farm is small. How come you invite so many people?”
This to me is an interesting feedback from one person. I have always indicated that I have a small farm of 2.5acres or slightly more than 1 hectare. This is an event when I open to public for those interested in seeing what we do. At any one point in time, there was around 50 people at the farm, which is not that many. Visitors came and went throughout the whole morning and early afternoon.

Feedback 3 2017: The drink is sour, I don’t like it. I want a different one.
The same person who complained about the chicken complained about the soursop tea. Maybe she didn’t realise but soursop has a slightly sour taste – just the name should give an indication. She just returned the half-consumed drink and took another one without paying for the second. That’s ok, we know we will encounter should people. Maybe she thought that she was coming to farm that she can treat us farmers with this arrogant attitude which she wouldn’t at an eatery in KL.

Feedback 4 2017: How come you don’t have proper sitting areas for people to eat?

Enjoyed seeing this family enjoy the day out at the farm
with their children, They found a spot they liked.

Again, this is a complaint from the same person. We had indicated that what we prepared was packed lunch and people can choose to picnic anywhere on the farm. We had a few tables situated in different areas where people can sit as well chair for people to sit. She and her group finally sat in one area near the barbecue pit and pond to eat. Our other visitors had no problem and found places to enjoy their meal.

Feedback 5 2017: Why is your food ready so late?
I got this feedback at 9.45am. We were preparing packed lunch so I wasn’t expected a visitor to be irritated that it wasn’t ready this early. We had the food out at 10.15am so I guess we could call this a brunch. Next time we have it, I will have to decide whether we will do brunch or lunch and repeat the announcement of the food a few times.

Feedback 6 2017: “I come so far, so you must get me what I want”
Not sure how we have to respond to this. I had announced what we have for sale and available.

All in all, I consider the event went well as we had many positive responses from our visitors and they enjoyed the morning out at the farm, discussing issues they had with their gardens, seeing the animals and enjoying the food and drinks as well as the opportunity to buy farm-fresh organically grown fruits and vegetables as well as organic products. Many also liked that they were able to see for themselves where the produce and products came from.

To the many that asked what is the next event? The next one, inshaaAllah, will be the Durian Fest which will be organised around July 2017, in a different way from previous years based from the feedback and lessons we learnt from the previous years.

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