Gardening..... I dont know how and when love of gardening took place in my heart but all i know now is that its the most relaxing and stress relieve activity of my life. Gardening and people of Garden are mentioned in Quran many times but my favorite verses of Quran are the first ten verses of Surah Mominoon( The True Believers). Allah compares a life of a farmer with a life of a true believe. HE states journey of success of a true believer is how journey of a farmer's crop begins by planting seeds.Farmer takes care of the soil around them,pulling weeds, water them and make sure they gets plenty of sunlight without knowing if these seeds are going to sprout and even if they sprouts would they produce a crop that will leads to his earnings. Then Allah tells what qualities you should adopt that will leads you to the success of a true believer.
Chapter 23 The Believers 1:11
Most certainly those Believers have attained true success who perform their Salat(Five daily prayers) with humility: who refrain from vain things: who spend their Zakat (Annual charity) dues in appropriate ways: who guard their private parts scrupulously, except with regard to their wives and those women who are legally in their possession, for in that case they shall not be blame-worthy, but those, who go beyond this (in lust for sexual desires), shall be transgressors: who are true to their trusts and their promises, and who strictly guard their Prayers. These are the heirs who will inherit Paradise (Gardens) and dwell therein for ever.
May we all enter these Gardens with our family friends and teachers. Ameen
Chapter 23 The Believers 1:11
Most certainly those Believers have attained true success who perform their Salat(Five daily prayers) with humility: who refrain from vain things: who spend their Zakat (Annual charity) dues in appropriate ways: who guard their private parts scrupulously, except with regard to their wives and those women who are legally in their possession, for in that case they shall not be blame-worthy, but those, who go beyond this (in lust for sexual desires), shall be transgressors: who are true to their trusts and their promises, and who strictly guard their Prayers. These are the heirs who will inherit Paradise (Gardens) and dwell therein for ever.
May we all enter these Gardens with our family friends and teachers. Ameen
Backyard Gardening
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GROWING GARLIC
Growing garlic is one of my favorite activities of Fall. Its also one of the easiest things to grow and the results are phenomenal.
All About Herbs
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My inspiration to grow herbs came from BJ. BJ inspired me many ways and her continuous encouragement and appreciation always make me do more good to others and to myself. I cant imagine a life without a person like her. So I started small. Found this container at Target on clearance rack. Oh TARGET. Knowing it wooden and it will fall apart after watering. I placed Ziplock bags in each space with potting soil. Add seeds and keep it moist, made sure it stays in a sunny spot in my sun room and then let nature does its work. Out of all Chives are still my favorite. One shooting thing on the right corner are spring onions. Easy and fast growing method for them is every time you bring store bought dont discard the roots just plant them in a pot or in the ground and they will grow back.
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In about a month and so Herbs were ready to be picked and used in summer cooking
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Basil and tomatoes not only taste yummy together on the table they also grow well together in home gardens. It improves growth rate as well as with the flavor. and do you know Basil also act as as bug repellent by keeping many of garden bugs away from tomatoes |
After thanksgiving we often left with bunch of Herbs in our refrigerators. Preserving those Herbs and use them year long saves you money and aromatic effect to your cooking. It’s easy and simple !
Preserving Herbs
Follow Steps
How To
Place left over Herbs on a flat tray. Make sure no fungus has reached them. Leave them in the porch or garage where not necessarily but good if they are exposed to some sunlight during the day. It may take two days or a week. There is one non natural way of drying Herbs is too by placing them flat on a paper towel and microwave for 10 seconds to 40 sec the most. This method require special attention because they can burn easily and may cause damage to your microwave.
It’s better to stick with natural way😀
Once all the leaves of the Herbs turn dark and dry. Separate the leaves from the stems. Grind them in coffee grinder. You may want to grind them separate or make a combination seasoning. Keep the seasonings in air tight container. Make sure no water touches them.
Place left over Herbs on a flat tray. Make sure no fungus has reached them. Leave them in the porch or garage where not necessarily but good if they are exposed to some sunlight during the day. It may take two days or a week. There is one non natural way of drying Herbs is too by placing them flat on a paper towel and microwave for 10 seconds to 40 sec the most. This method require special attention because they can burn easily and may cause damage to your microwave.
It’s better to stick with natural way😀
Once all the leaves of the Herbs turn dark and dry. Separate the leaves from the stems. Grind them in coffee grinder. You may want to grind them separate or make a combination seasoning. Keep the seasonings in air tight container. Make sure no water touches them.
I am a fast gardener. I do most of planting in the morning before school. Yes and sometime even after dressing up for the day:) Families I worked with and friends knows me that well that they gift me with the stuff I need the most in my life. Honestly what more you can ask for a person who loves to dig in the morning and mostly without gloves. Using while handling plants is what i dont like to do because i think plants need gentle handling and often times they need real hand touch.
Morning Gardening
Using what grows in your garden
Appetizer plate for a meeting |
Roasted Egg plant with Garden Veggies |
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On homegrown tomatoes sprinkle some olive oil, lemon juice and Zaatar. Serve with bread and cheese. Perfect munching platter for evening meetings and classes.
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Roasted egg plant also called BENGAN KA BHARTA in urdu is one of the favorite dish on a hot summer day. Growing eggplant is still on a goal list so i used a store bought. wash and cut in half longwise. Brush olive oil all over. Place on a baking dish with some garlic cloves on the bottom. No need to cover place in already hot 400 degree oven and bake for 40 minutes. Take it out let it cool for little bit. Scrape all the flesh out and discard the skin. Mix with diced onions, tomatoes, green chili peppers, banana peppers, and some chopped cilantro. I added couple of chopped Kurry leaves. Mix all ingredients well. At the end add salt, red chili pepper, coriander powder, and crushed peppers. Best to serve at room temperature with fresh Nans |
Vingrett Salad Dressing |
Ground beef filled Peppers
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Sharing a wealth of homegrown veggies is the best thing. As much i love growing garlic far more i like to make friends. my friends invited me to celebrate my sucess as newly elected board member and i thought to keep this bond more strong i should make something for them using my garlic crop.
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Doesn't matter how i select green pepper plants from the nursery no one pepper looks the same as another. I think its not because of the origin of the plant but the amount of sunlight they get.
Well no matter what color and shape i get they all are flavorful. I love to fill them with cooked ground beef and make them in the home grown tomatoe sauce. |
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White Radish AKA Moli
In Pakistan the most popular Sunday morning snack on a Sunny winter day is white radish with carrots, turnips and oranges. Yes in winter. Sun stays warm in that part of the world. I planted these radish seeds in the beginning of summer and the required size was achieved in fall so i guess she is a fall vegetable. Fascinating thing about this vegetable is that she starts to show herself out telling you when she can be pulled out. Hush..... dont ask where did i get her seeds from?
RULE NUMBER ONE
Creativity and Curiosity
- Get the labels ready for the Herb planter let her to be researcher and creative in finding pics and drawing
- Helped her set up a station by collecting all the needed supplies
In Growing mode
Sumi's another project was to plant radishes in egg cartons
She explains the step all by herself
She explains the step all by herself
How can I miss doing a gardening activity with my Abe
Abe explaining his creativity
Growing never stops at Mini's Garden
Now its Qasi's turn to help his mama grow tomatoes for their 15th floor apartment balcony. Lets see how he practice his creativity in pot planting. The messier it gets more curiosity it generates. He is exploring texture of a soil. concept of in and out, filling and emptying containers, grasping things by practicing small motor skills and many more a toddler can sponge in his brain. Happy Planting little fellow!
