Edible Landscape – Page 5 – Suria Helang Lui

17 Jan 2013

0 Comments By admin Armchair journal, Edible Landscape, Healthy Options, Vegetables

Growing Cabbage

I love cabbage – raw or cooked. I find that this vegetable is very versatile. Cabbages are rich in vitamin A and C. and Calcium. It is also a good source of Thiamin, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Potassium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate and Manganese
Thus I began to experiment planting it from store-bought seeds. I sowed the seeds into 6″ polybags in a rich, organic soil mixture. It took about 3 days for it to begin to sprout. According to the seed package label, it should be transplanted in 3 weeks. I did transplant into bigger polybags in about 3 weeks but it was based on the growth of the seedlings – I transplanted them when the width of the plant was the same as the diameter of the polybag.A moist soil is important for its growth with a regular watering, never letting the soil dry out. I fertilized it every 10 days with organic fertilizer to ensure continuous supply of nutrients. To keep pests away, I use organic pest deterrents such as serai wangi mix and I check the leaves often to remove any “creepy crawlies”. I find the cabbage plant to be beautiful, like a big, green flower.

For people with limited space, you can plant them in big planters where it can serve a dual purpose – providing a lovely plant to grace your landscape and at the same time, producing a vegetable for your consumption. Normally, cabbages are planted in rows of soil beds but at the farm, I plant it in polybags to enable me to better care for them and also to prevent the farm animals from damaging them. It is imperative to ensure that it receives sufficient water so I water it twice a day once it has been transplanted.

To enable a relatively constant supply of this vegetable, I have sown seeds about 1 month apart so I have plants at various stages. After transplanting, it takes almost 3 months before they are ready for harvest. Once the head begins to form, I stop fertilizing and just ensure that the plant receives sufficient supply of water. I place the plants in my greenhouse to help reduce pests attacks. The plants does well with lots of sunshine so if you are planting it on a balcony, be sure to allow it to receive around 6 hours of sunlight so a east facing balcony is best – allowing maximum sunglight with less heat.
From my experience, it takes almost 4 months for the cabbage to be ready for harvest so I have to exercise patience but I feel that it is well worth the effort. Being pesticide-free, I enjoy eating the cabbage raw – as an ulam or salad. You can also make coleslaw, stir-fry it as a vegetable dish, cooked as with spices and/or chili, pickle it, use it as a wrap for baked dishes, an item in sayur lontong – the options are endless. So try growing it in a pot and enjoy the fruits of your labor :).
Notes – Lessons learnt:

Soil mixture should be “light” and contain high organic content to ensure a moist growing medium and ease for root growth.
Pest repellent are essential to produce beautiful cabbages.
Fertilization during growth stage before formation of the cabbage head is important to ensure a good size cabbage.
Lots of sunshine.
Never let the soil to dry out – water is critical to good growth. Insufficient water will result in smaller size cabbage heads.

20 Dec 2012

0 Comments By admin Eating Well, Edible Landscape, Healthy Options, Vegetables

The Challenge of Growing Tomatoes

When I was living in U.S,, during the summer months I was often able to buy fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes and there were infinitely much better tasting than the regular store-bought ones. I have always found growing tomatoes to be a real challenge, not only from the weather aspects but also insects and bugs seem to love them. I have tried planting them a few times and from each time, there were lessons learnt. Due to the weather, I bought some tomato seeds that were labelled to be “tropical-friendly”. I used a high organic soil mixture with some sand content to seed the tomatoes. Since I wanted to be able to move around my seedlings, I seeded them in polybags. This also enabled me to keep it weed-free much easier.

After about 3 days, they began sprouting. I find that to ensure good root growth and healthy seedlings, it was important to ensure moist and not soggy soil condition. A key item to remember, good root growth is essential as it is the point of entry for the nutrients that the plant needs. So, if your plant has poor root growth, this will limit its ability to absorb the nutrients from you fertilizers. When it was about 6″tall or approximately 10 cm, I transplanted into large polybags. As the plant grew, more roots grew from the bottom level of the stem so I periodically added additional soil mixture to cover it which is 50% soil and 50% organic compost. In order to accomodate this, when I transplanted them into larger polybags, I did not plant the seedling high but at about mid-level, allowing me the room to add additional soil in the future.

The tomato plants require support or else the plant will fall over as it does have a “soft” plant stem. My plan is to retain these plants in a polybag throughout its cycle so whatever mechanism that I use had to continue to enable me to weed easily as well as move it when necessary. I settled for creating “tube” fences from 2″x2″ metal fence material. These tube fences can be re-used when this set of plants die so I felt it was a good investment – both of time and money.

As my cats love to keep me company as I work in my greenhouse, this also help to keep the plants from being sat-on or knocked-over. As the plants grow, I would help the plant along by assisting the branches to ease their way through the slots, keeping it balanced. After about 2 months, I had to add a stake to provide additional support as well as weave string along the stems as the weight of the tomatoes weighed the stem causing it to “fold” down, reducing the nutrients necessary to the growth on the stem.

To keep the pests away, I use a serai wangi mixture to act as a pest repellent, spraying one a week on the whole plant. The plants are watered daily, in the morning mainly to prevent the formation of moss on the soil and also to ensure that it has sufficient water to prevent the plant from wilting. After approximately 8 weeks, the plants began to flower at the upper part of the plant, producing several yellow flowers per stem.

Within 1 week, the flower had fully bloomed and dried out followed by the formation of the “baby” fruits. The average height where the fruits began to form was 1m so I was glad that my tubes were high enough to be able to provide the necessary support for the fruits. You can see the changes on the growth of the fruits daily and every morning that I am at the farm, this is the first plant that I check. I fertilize the plants about every week, using organic fertilizer, which will further decompose within the soil providing the necessary nutrients to the plant. I find the timing of the application of organic fertilizer is different from chemical fertilizers which dissolves in water immediately. I check the root exposure level of the plant regularly and top up the soil as necessary. It is important to keep the soil moist but not soggy or the stem of the plant will rot at the base, killing the plant.

I decided to experiment – I have some plants in the greenhouse and some outside. I find that they grow as well outside as inside and that as long as I kept the pests aways, it was fine. I placed the outside plants with a east facing so that it received lots of sunshine in the morning but shaded from the late afternoon side. As I had planted it in polybags, it was essential to watch the moisture content of the soil – if it dries out, the quality of the fruit will drop. I continue to spray it with an organic pest repellent weekly and it is now on a fortnightly fertilization schedule. The pest will attack the plant stem, leaves as well as the fruit so it is important to watch out for them. At the farm, the main pests are aphids, ants and caterpillars.

It took about 2 weeks for the tomato to ripen to a nice red-vermillion color from when it formed. The average time from seeding to actually being able to taste the first fruit was 10 weeks.
Nutritionally, it is a great source of vitamin A, C and K as well as Manganese and Potassium. It is also very low on Sodium. It is a good source for Vitamin E and Bs. Being chemical pesticide free, I just needed to rinse of any dust and dive into it. One thing I can say, it definitely tastes infinitely better being fresh off the vine :). Personally, I prefer to have this raw: in a tossed salad, chopped up and mix with cilantro, olive oil and salt or blended as a cold “soup” – either of these ways preserves the nutritional value of the tomatoes best.
Now that this batch is producing fruits, it is time to start seeding the next batch. The work continues……

14 Nov 2012

3 Comments By admin Edible Landscape

Jackfruit (Nangka)

One of the fruit trees that I find grows well in this area is the Jackfruit (Nangka). Its botanical name is Artocarpus heterophyllus. There are several varieties of this fruit and some bear fruit that can weigh over 20kgs.
Personally I enjoy this fruit when it is firm, not soft and mushy. By careful pruning and shaping, it can provide a great resting area as it has lots of leaves providing for a shady spot on hot sunny days.
The tree can start fruiting as early as 3 years after planting and can grow quite tall. Selective pruning can assist in keeping the plant healthy and productive. It does well in a soil mixed with organic matter and relatively low in clay. It loves lots of water but the roots do not fare well in constantly soggy soil. The leaves are mid-size and have a waxy texture to it. The smaller branches also periodically dries out and should be removed to keep the tree nice and neat.

The jackfruit flower is green in color which will transform to a small gritty-skin “baby fruit”. It has an interesting shape and doesn’t much resemble to what we normally see as a flower as it remains green and almost appears as if it is the beginnings of a new leaf. When the fruit is mature and ripe, the fruit emits a distinctive sweet smell and turns into greenish-yellow before turning yellow.

At the farm, sometimes the flowers appear in clusters resulting in a cluster of fruits. To ensure good quality of fruits are produced, I tend to remove some of the fruits, leaving no more than 2 per cluster. This is due to the fact that since the fruits tend to be big, the branch may not be able to support so many fruits and may break before the fruit reaches maturity. When picking the fruit, watch out for the “latex” that is produced as it can stain your clothes. To remove any of these goey stuff that is stuck to your hands, use a little bit of cooking oil to liquify it before washing with soap and water. To remove any that is stuck on your clothes, rub some cooking oil followed by some regular flour before doing your laundry.
When ripe, the color of the flesh ranges form yellow to a golden yellow to an orange-yellow and is more often eaten raw. I find that when the flesh is firm, it can be added as an element in a tropical fruit cocktail. When is is soft and mushy, it can be turned into a milkshake – providing good dietary fibre deliciously, helping improve your digestion. You can add this to your list of healthy, high fibre milkshakes. The young jackfruit is also a favorite locally to be used in cooking curries or savoury dishes either on its own or with dried salted fish, beef or chicken, and eaten with rice. It is not recommended to be eaten raw as it has lots of “latex” and should at least be blanched until tender.

13 Nov 2012

14 Comments By admin Edible Landscape, Well-being Landscape

Durian Belanda (Soursop)

As I was doing my rounds at the farm today, I noticed some interesting things about my Soursop (Durian Belanda) tree. The Malay name when translated to English means Dutch Durian. Although it may have some similarities in its external appearance to a durian, it is very unlike the durian both in taste, smell and the fruit inside. Its botanical name is Annona muricata. The soursop fruit ripens with a green skin with yellow undertones but the “needles” are no longer sharp and pointy and has turned to a brown-black color. The flesh is white with an almost custard-like texture with hard-shell brown/.black seeds. The nearest taste that I can think of that is similar is soft green apple.

My interest in this plant was first raised when a customer at my Sunday morning market asked me if I sold Soursop leaves or know where he could obtain some. He was from Thailand and I asked him what he wanted it for and he explained that it was for his brother that had stones in his gall bladder. I provided him the leaves the following week and for a few more weeks after that and he told me that it helped improve his brother’s condition. Something so simple!

Based on my research on this tree and its fruit, I am quite astounded to learn about its benefits. The whole tree – stem, bark, leaves, flower and fruit – are purported to have many therapeutic and medicinal properties. The extracts from the leaves and stems are reported to have anti-cancer and anti-tumor properties in attacking the malignant cells, In some traditional medicine, the leaves and bark are crushed and boiled and the resulting mixture is strained and consumed. It is also purported to prevent cancer by consuming it periodically such as once a week. There appears to have been many studies conducted specifically in the treatment of cancer. Based on a study by Purdue University, the phytochemical Annonaceous acetogenins has demonstrated its ability to attack cancerous cells whilst not affecting healthy cells.
In Brazil, their traditional medicine men have used the plant to treat hypertension, influenza, rashes, neuralgia, arthritis, rheumatism, high blood pressure, diarrhea, nausea, dyspepsia, ulcers, ringworm, scurvy, malaria, dysentery, palpitations, nervousness, insomnia, fever, boils, muscle spasm. In Thai and Malay traditional medicine, the leaves extract that was obtained by boiling the leaves have been consumed to treat liver and gall bladder ailments.

This tree grows tall and is not “rounded” – it just seems to get taller. However, by pruning the branches, it encourages new branches to form. The flower has an interesting shape and unless you are looking for it, you can easily miss it, hidden amongst the leaves. The petal is a light green and the inner part of the flower is almost a light peach colour.

This flower then becomes a brown colored bud-like shape that if you didn’t know, would think that it has dried-up.

You might even be tempted to remove it. However, that would be a mistake as it is the beginnings of the fruit. At a glance the fruit may appear like a durian but it does not have the sharp points. The fruit is green in color that will turn into a lighter shade as it ripens. To harvest, cut the fruit from the fruit stem. I find that if you try to twist it off the stem, it may injure the branch and this can adversely affect the tree.

Based on research by USDA:

It is an excellent source of vitamin C
Has a high fiber content which can prevent constipation
Contains half the potassium in bananas which can help prevent leg cramps
Its high magnesium content can help prevent water retention especially for women who experience this in PMS.
Good source of thiamin, the B vitamin needed for aerobic energy production, the process where oxygen is used to convert sugar into usable energy
Loaded with the trace material copper which is essential for healthy bones. It also helps boost the effectiveness of vitamin D, which promotes the absorption of calcium.
A good source of niacin which studies have shown to have significant benefits on levels of HDL, the good cholesterol
Good source of folate which is a mineral that is recommended to prevent deficiencies during pregnancy for pregnant women.
Good source of iron, an essential element in the body producing healthy red blood cells
Rich in riboflavin where studies have shown can help prevent migraines.

With its good content of iron and vitamin K, it promotes production of red blood cells hence it is sometimes used in alternative therapy for anemics.

As with anything good, over-consumption can lead to fatigue so based on my research, moderation is recommended and the consumption rate is three leaves as a tea, once a day. At the farm, we produce soursop tea so that it can be easily stored and be ready on-demand. It can be air-dried the chopped leaves and and to make tea, just steep it in just-boiled water for about 10 minutes. It produced a golden-brown tea with a distinct smell of soursop. The tea has a slightly sweet taste with the soursop flavor. I enjoyed drinking it warm. As a farm produce, we produce the tea using a dehydrator to dry the leaves.

If you have a soursop tree and would like to make the tea yourselves, select mature leaves (starting from the the third or fourth leaf of the stalk) and you can either dry the leaves before or after “chopping” them to pieces. As with harvesting of the fruit, use garden scissors to cut the leaves at the leaf stem. You can also make an infusion by simmering the fresh leaves in a pot of water for about 10-15 minutes. The drinks can be consumed hot or cold. Happy growing the tree and trying the fruit and teas.

Updated: 25 July 2017

18 Jul 2012

0 Comments By admin Eating Well, Edible Landscape

Lumai or leunca or Black Nightshade

I was first introduced to this leave when I attended MAHA 2010 and at one of the stalls they had sayur lemak lumai. Later, I found out that they were growing at the farm. This plant belongs to the terung or solanaceae family although the fruit is not eaten especially the unripe fruit and the leaves are eaten either raw or cooked. In Indonesia, it is also known as Ranti.

This plant produces tiny white flowers which turns into a dark purplish black berry which contains many tiny seeds. These seeds can be used to propagate new plants by squeezing out the seeds and putting it into soil, lightly covering the seeds. However, once you have seeded it, this plants do fare well when moved and transplanted to a different location. It prefers a semi-shade location and flourishes in moist but not soggy ground.

The young leaves can be consumed raw as ulam or cooked such as in coconut milk creating sayur lemak pucuk lumai or in water creating sayur air pucuk lumai. To the cooked vegetable you can add shrimps, dried or fresh, or anchovies. Add this to your vegetable selection to increase your repertoire 🙂

18 Jul 2012

0 Comments By admin Eating Well, Edible Landscape

Terung Telunjuk

Before I started farming, I was only familar with a few varieties of solanum or terung. Now I find that there are many species of the Solanaceae Solanum including this particular species Solanum spp. The fruit is almost oblong in shape with the upper portion being green and the lower portion having a mixture of white and green. When the fruit matures, it turns into a golden yellow. The terung telunjuk can be eaten raw or blanched ulam. For 100g of fruit, the amount of nutrients are : water 91.2 g, protein 1.7 g, fat 0.1 g, carbohydrate 5.6 g, fibre1.0 g, calcium 25 miligram (mg), phosphorous20 mg, iron 0.6 mg, carotene90 ug, vitamin A 15 ug, vitamin B1 0.07 mg, vitamin B2 0.05 mg, niacin 0.7 mg and vitamin C 18.4 mg.

The plants are propogated from dried seeds of mature fruit. It takes 3-5 days for the seeds to germinate. The leaves are similar to other aubergine leaves with its velvety and sponge-like texture and distinctive shape. To keep plants healthy, it is best to remove the brown leaves to prevent mold or mildew. It grows like a shrub and can be pruned to encourage a fuller-looking shrub as well as to control the height growth.

It produces medium-sized purple flowers with a yellow center so it makes a nice addition to your landscaping. The time from flower to fruit can take about 1 week and it is harvested prior to the fruit turning yellow. To keep plants producing lots of fruits, fertilizer should be applied about once a week once it starts to flower. At the farm, we use a organic compost and fertilizer to keep the plants healthy. Once it starts to flower, it will continuously flower with the quantity of flowers dependent on the health and nutrients available to the plant.

When eaten raw, the fruit has a spongy flesh with small seeds which you can eat. So if you love ulam or eating raw vegetables, try this. On the other hand, you can also cook it with sambal belacan and anchovies (ikan bilis) or add it to your dalca or curries.

25 Dec 2011

0 Comments By admin Edible Landscape, Well-being Landscape

Pereskia Sacarosa (Bintang Tujuh / Jarum Tujuh)

This is one of the most interesting plant from the cactus family which is often used in herbal medicine and in Chinese medicine, known as qi xing zhen. It is purported to be used for treatment of cancer (colon, breast, ovarian and cervix) as well as a preventative measure, stroke, high blood pressure and other types of ailments in holistic or traditional medicine. It is also used in treatment of hemorrhoids, stomach gastric and bloating.

A very good friend of mine gave me three stems that she had obtained from her father for me to add to my collection of medicinal plants and herbs. Planting the stems was an exercise in caution. It was quite difficult to handle the stems as they were covered with sharp, pointy, needles that can stick into you easily. I received a couple of jabs when I was planting them and yes, it did feel like a sharp needle sticking into you. Being from the cactus family but a tropical plant as opposed to the normal dessert cactus, it loves the sun and the rain but does well in soil with at least 50% sand and 50% organic soil.

Four buds in bloom

Four buds

I find it to be a very beautiful plant with its rose-like flowers and beautiful green leaves but it has to be handled with care because it has the sharp needles on the stem. You will definitely feel the effect of the needle prick for a few hours. As such, if you have small children, I suggest that you plant it in areas where it is not accessible to them. It is a great natural way as a deterrent to intruders when planted as a “fence”.

This plant can grow to over 20m tall. Periodic trimming of it will enable you to control the height of the plants whilst encouraging it to “bush out”. I enjoy watching how the flower changes from its bud form to a beautiful, striking red-orange or vermillion colored petals. Sometimes, the buds are in multiples and sometimes, single. Due to its appearance, I find that it makes a colorful addition to my herb section and can add beauty and color to your gardens to. I often wonder where the name Bintang Tujuh comes from and then I started counting the number of leaves the level below the flowers. Guess what? There are seven leaves!

For medicinal purposes, the leaves are eaten raw, normally two to three young leaves a day. It has a creamy taste, neither sweet, salty or sour. In my research, I found that some articles indicate that it is bitter in taste but I have not found it to be so. Personally, I consume 2-3 raw leaves about 3 times a week for general well-being – another reason why I prohibit usage of pesticides and herbicides on the farm. These leaves are a definite positive addition to my “snack” list as I walk around the farm.

It is also a great addition to salads, adding some crunch. It can also be blended with other items to create a health drink. It also produces an edible fruit that is green in colour which changes to light yellow as it ripens but do not be fooled, it remains to very sour.

Updated: August 20, 2015

19 Oct 2011

0 Comments By admin Banana, Edible Landscape

Banana Plants Part 2

My first article on this was more on what the plant is. Now that I have been at it for almost two years, I have discovered interesting things about this plant. This plant is one of the most useful plants – almost all its components can be used for one purpose or another as well as being an interesting edible landscape addition. I am a proponent for natural, organic farming so no chemical pesticides or fertilizers are used on the farm. I find that going this route does not detract from the quality and quantity of the bananas produced and has the added dimension of being a healthier food option.

Unripen Pisang Berangan

Of course we all know that the fruit can be eaten in various ways, depending on the varieties and personal preference. There is no reason why pisang awak cannot be eaten raw though it is more commonly found as pisang goreng or in cooked form. The dishes that can be prepared with bananas are not limited to sweet forms but also as savoury dishes such as in curries and as savoury banana chips. By going organic, I find that it doesn’t detract from the quality of the bananas albeit it does require a bit more work. However, the results speak for itself.

The leaves are great environmentally-friendly food wrappers and liners. It can be used to wrap rice to make lontong, etc. I personally use it to wrap the vegetable produce for transport to market. To discard it after it has served it purpose, it can be added to the compost pile and transformed to fertilizer. While the plant is growing, I cut off the older leaves to create a cooling ground cover at the base of the plant which also acts to increase the organic content of the soil as it decomposes. With its big leaves, they serve as great sunshades and create a cooling resting place under the tree especially when I need to take a rest from the hot sun.

Almost mature banana,
a few more days to go

In case you are wondering how to figure out when a banana is mature or ripe, especially the green-skin varieties, check out how many leaves are remaining on the plant. As the banana matures, the leaves will begin to turn yellow to brown and finally drop off. When there is 3-4 leaves, this indicates that the banana is mature. In my continuing battle with the birds, this is when I will chop the plant and store them hanging in the house. Depending on your personal preference, the bananas will be ready to eat in a few days. With variety that ripens with its skin turning yellow, I always enjoy watching the progress and marvel at it. One of these days, I aim to photograph the change process.

Now on to the stem and its many uses. Traditionally, the inner part of the stem has been used to create a tasty curry, a recipe common in Kedah, especially for kenduri in the villages. I have cooked this dish when I have invited lots of people over for a meal at the farm which I also add pieces of salted dried fish. Apart from being people-food, it makes a great nutritious food item for my fresh water fish. In support of being environmentally-friendly, I tear-off strips of the outer layer and turn them into ties which I use to tie around my banana leaf wrapped produce for market and also as plant ties. No need to worry about recycling.

The stems also make for a great fertilizer as well as increasing the organic content of the soil. I chop them up and place them around the base of my banana plant, which also helps to maintain the water content in the soil – an important factor for these plants. It also helps me keep the farm more eye-pleasing.

I am continuously learning about this plant and its varieties and I am still on my quest for pisang tanduk plant to add to my collection 🙂

07 Sep 2011

0 Comments By admin Edible Landscape

Edible Landscape – Baby Cucumbers

I was introduced to these cucumbers by one of my staff, Aziz. It is very popular with people from Kerinci, Sumatera and I later found out that it is also popular with “ulam” afficionados. Aziz’s mother obtained some seeds for me from Kerinci and I decided to experiment with it last year and when I took it to market early this year, it was very popular. I love seeing the infusion of bright yellow flowers and it appears that my cats enjoy sitting near them in my current planting.

Being busy with the construction at the farm in the last six months, I didn’t get to focus much on farming so in last month, I decided it was time to shift more attention to the farm and started planting this cucumber. It takes about 3-5 days for the seeds to germinate once sown in soil, It is a climber so I had to prepare a trellis-like structure. By encouraging it to climb, it will ease the effort during harvesting as well as keeping the cucumbers nice and clean.

I prepared the soil by adding mulch, burnt organic matter and vermicompost as well turning the soil many times to ensure it all mixed well as well as removing unwanted matter. I enjoyed tracking the progress of this plant as it started to produce more leaves and beautiful yellow flowers, the precursor to the cucumbers. On alternate days, I will adjust the “arms and legs” of this plant so that it will climb in such a way to ease my efforts when it comes time to pick the cucumbers as well as to create a beautiful arbor in about a months time, creating a lovely addition to the landscape. The effort was well worth it when in about 2 weeks, the flowers began to blossom.

Three weeks later I noticed that the cucumbers had began to form as well as many flowers were blossoming and more buds forming. The cucumbers seem to grow at a rather quick rate when in just a few days they increase in size to just about the right size to eat. I find that it is best to eat them when their skins just smooth-out and about 4 inches or 10-11cm in length.

It is best eaten within 2 days of harvesting and has a nice crisp, sweet taste to it. I enjoy just munching on them, especially on hot days. Because of its smaller size, I am never left with half-cut cucumbers in the fridge – as what normally happens with the larger cucumbers. For salad lovers, I recommend trying this cucumber variety. These plants lasts about 100 days so I guess in about 2 months time, I will have to start new plants in a different location on the farm, creating a new rotation of the land use at the farm.

01 Jun 2011

0 Comments By admin Banana, Edible Landscape

Edible Landscape – Banana Plants >> Types of fruits

Updated version :
There are so many types of Malaysian bananas available and it is fun going on this adventure of discovery. My quest has just begun and I hope to be able to have all the varieties that are native to Malaysia or have been in Malaysia for the last 50 years and have not undergone genetic modification in the last 10 years. As such, I have sourced some of them and some have been on this land when I acquired it.

Pisang Abu Kuning

Pisang Abu Bunga

The Pisang Abu is can be eaten raw but more often is turned into pisang goreng or pengat pisang. There are a few types and some have seeds. Since I hate biting into the seeds, it takes the pleasure out of it, I make sure that the variety I have is seedless. The skin of the pisang abu bunga when ripen has a blackish outline with a mixture of green and yellow whereas the pisang abu kuning as the name suggests, ripen to a nice orangeish-yellow. It is almost squarish, with the clear edges on four sides. It has a nice sweet taste to it. At the farm, this is one of the biggest plant at a height of 7m with a stem diameter of about 12cm.

The Pisang Awak is often eaten as pisang goreng but is also great eaten raw. It has a rounder appearance and the skin is a lighter shade of yellow. Be aware that there is also a variety of this banana that has seeds which definitely takes away from the enjoyment of a great pisang goreng. The skin is also thinner compared with Pisang Abu.

The Pisang Emas is a great after-meal dessert and due to its smaller size, is just perfect. It has a golden-yellow skin when fully ripe. It is creamy and sweet. When it is over-ripe, it also makes a great local snack-time dish such lempeng pisang or cucur kodok and can also be used to make banana cake or bread.

The Pisang Kapas is sometimes taken when young and used in cooking. However for me, I like to let it ripen and eat it as a snack. It has a very sweet taste and definitely less creamy than pisang lemak manis so I often end up eating more. The fruit doesn’t have any angles on its body and has a smooth skin with a creamier yellow skin when compared with other “dessert” bananas.

The Pisang Lemak Manis is best eaten raw and is great as a breakfast component or after-meal dessert. Its smaller size makes it just the right size to be eaten after a meal. When ripen, it has a smooth, bright yellow thin skin and easily separated from its sikat. When this banana is over-ripen, it gets to be mushy and very sweet so makes a great cucur kodok as well as a tasty banana bread.

The Pisang Nangka is one of the few varieties that remain green when ripen. The less-ripened fruits is also often used to make kerepek pisang or banana chips. It can also be eaten raw but is more often eaten cooked as pisang goreng. I have also tried this out in banana bread and it gives a twist to the bread with its slightly sour but sweet taste.

The Pisang Raja is among the most popular variety for goreng pisang or banana fritters. The plants on the farm grow to about 5m tall and takes about 1 year from planting to bear fruit. The skin of the fruit when ripe is bright yellow with speckles of dark brown. It is seedless and the flesh is sweet and firm when ripe thus making it a favorite as gorend pisan as it absorbs less oil. It is a popular variety with pisang goreng sellers however, it is less often available then pisang awak or pisang abu. It is easier to find this variety from pasar tani. When I have this available at my Sunday morning market, it is sold-out in less than 30 minutes.

+60172821219

enquiries@suriahelanglui.com

facebook

Category: Edible Landscape