Closure for CNY

Bollywood Veggies Pte Ltd will be close from the 13th up till 23rd of Febuary 2010 and will open to public on the 24th Febuary 2010. Happy Holidays People =) h|d|R

Scientific name: Aloe Barbadensis aka Aloe Vera
Common name: Aloe, Indian Aloe, True Aloe, Barbados Aloe, Burn Aloe & First Aid Plant
Family: Lilaceae

Aloe vera which is also known to the Malay community as “Lidah buaya” is a succulent herb planted as an ornamental plant. Its leaves are mainly use as for facial and cosmetic products. It is also said to be able to control bleeding and itching of piles and as pain relief from arthritic pains. In traditional Chinese medicine it is used as mild laxative.

These days due to is health properties that is said to make one look younger and also sooth heart burns together with digestive problems, Aloe vera is widely consume and made into various desserts such as Aloe vera jellies, drinks, yogurts and other beverages.

References
Chin WY (1992), “A guide to Medicinal plants”, Singapore Science Center p. 11
Vogler BK, Ernst E (October 1999). "Aloe vera: a systematic review of its clinical effectiveness". The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners 49 (447): 823–8.

Moringa oleifera - Pokok Kelo/Murungukai/Drumstick Tree

Moringa oleifera - Miracle Tree



The Moringa tree is also known as the Horseradish tree or the Drumstick tree (Nparks 2009). It is hailed as the Miracle tree or the Tree of life for its nutritional properties and major contributions to both human and animal health (RAS 2009: Umbber Plus 2009). Unlike conventional medicine with side effects and risk of over-dosage, there have been no negative effects of daily consumption ever been reported (RAS 2009: Umbber Plus 2009).

The Miracle of Moringa
The Moringa tree nutritional values are in the leaves and roots. It is an amazing source of calcium. One gram of its leaves contains 4 times the calcium in milk and 7 times the vitamin C in oranges (RAS 20009)! It is also said to contain 4 times the vitamins in carrots, 3 times the potassium in bananas and twice the protein in milk (RAS 2009). Therefore in the Philippines and Malaysia, it is a good practice to consume the leaves as soup for pregnant women and the elderly (Ivy. S 2009: Mahaya. M 2009).



Consumption of its leaves are also said to stabilise the human body blood pressure, lower and control glucose and sugar levels which ultimately will help people with diabetes (Ramachandarn 1980: RAS 2009: Umbber Plus 2009). In both modern and traditional medicine world, the Moringa tree has been used to treat ailments such as anxiety, skin infections, internal parasites and many other conditions (Ramachandarn 1980: RAS 2009).

Increase your calcium intake and try our Scrumptious and Mouth-Watering
Bollyveg Moringa Tempura today at only $5 per plate !!!

The Moringa oleifera is also known to many local Singaporean as "pokok kelo" to the Malay, "malongai" to the philliphinos and "murungukai" to the Indian community. The many common names is evidence itself of its acceptance throughout the Asia communities.

You can purchase a Moringa oleifera plant at Bollywood Veggies located at 100 Neo Tiew Road.

You can contact me Muhd Haidir Aman| Farmchief at bollyveg_farmchief@hotmail.com or bollyveg@ singnet.com.sg for any potted plant arrangements or any further information abhout the farm. See you soon

References
• National Park Boards, 2009 4th Edition; “1001 Garden Plants in Singapore”, p.659
• Ramachandran,C., Peter,K.V. and Gopalakrishnan,P.K., 1980, Drumstick (Moringa oleifera): A multipurpose Indian Vegetable. Economic Botany, 34 (3) pp276-283
• Royal Agricultural Society of The Commonwealth, November 2009, “ Moringa- The Tree of life- well Almost!”: RASC News, p.3
• Umbber Plus Herbal Products,”2009, “Introducinng Moringa oleifera”; http://www.moringaoleifera.org/:, viewed, ; 22nd December 2009

Earth-Friendly Raised Garden Beds by Lauren Heimburg

Eco-friendly Raised Garden Beds are the hot ticket item for this year's spring planting season. Raised garden beds and planters are multi-functional and can be used for planting flower beds, vegetable gardens or shrubbery, landscape edging, playground borders and splinter-free sandboxes for kids.

These modular raised garden beds can be stacked on top of each other, to adjust the height as your garden blooms. Typically, raised beds are sold in 6" high increments, and can be purchased in heights of 6", 12", and 24". The width of raised beds should be limited to 2' or 4' widths, so they will be easy to maintain, without having to climb into beds.

The best elevated garden beds look like real wood grain but are made from earth-friendly recycled, composite plastic timbers. They are durable and long lasting, non-toxic (like arsenic-containing, pressure treated lumber), termite-free, and do not rot, warp, splinter or lose their wood grain finish like traditional timber.

There are a multitude of benefits to raised planters or raised garden beds including:

· Provides a beautiful frame for your garden

· Longer lengths may be used as landscape edging or playground borders

· Can be used as a, or sandboxes

· Improves drainage

· Improves poor soil conditions by providing a deeper topsoil layer

· Adjusts in height, size & shape to accommodate plant growth

· Lawn mower and edger proof plant and flower beds

· Easy to install

When purchasing elevated or raised beds and planters, make sure they are made from eco-friendly recycled materials and include anchor joints for connecting plastic timbers. You may also need finishing sleeves for landscape edging kits.

After constructing your raised garden bed, and securing it into place, place a liner made from gardening plastic or weed mat in the bottom of bed; this greatly reduces the growth of weeds.

Next fill the liner 1/3 full with nutrient-rich compost (from your compost bin, we'll talk about this later) then fill the rest with potting soil (store-bought or from another area of your landscape) and some dry organic fertilizer. Finally, you are ready to create your garden by sowing seeds or planting flowers, vegetable and plants starts.

Lastly, water your raised bed and don't forget to water these beds frequently since there are above ground, and do not retain water as well.

If you are using the raised garden bed for a sandbox, it is best to place a gardening plastic liner in the bottom before filling with sand. Some raised garden beds are sold as sandboxes and come with covers for protection from the elements and from animals who think it's a giant kitty litter box.

After you've created your very own eco-friendly, raised garden oasis, you can begin work on the composting and vermiculture.

Garbage Gardening - The Sweet Potato Plant

I would like to start a series of educational articles dealing with plants however these articles are what I generally consider to be Garbage Gardening. In the articles which follow you will be able to instruct your children in the fine art of growing plants from cast off waste that would normally end up in the trash. This is what I refer to as garbage gardening. We will begin the series with the Sweet potato plant.

The popular sweet potato is rapidly growing as a vegetable for those who are interested in their health. Years ago the sweet potato was traditionally the thanksgiving or Christmas product and rarely did one find it on the table menu for any other time of the year. This healthy vegetable is at home with a variety of spices and herbs blended skillfully to produce some very interesting and tasty meals. This healthy alternative is comfortable as a main dish, a casserole, made into a salad, excellent as an additive to bread and does just fine as a dessert.

When used as a main dish the sweet potato provides an economical and nutritional food. Just one sweet potato baked will provide over 8800 IU of the vitamin A, 42 percent for vitamin C, approximately 6 percent for calcium as well as 10 percent for iron however it contains merely 141 calories. This makes it a great item for those people who are watching their watch. This vegetable is low in its sodium content and an excellent source of fiber.

When purchasing sweet potatoes you should select only those with firm roots. Be sure to handle the sweet potatoes carefully to prevent them from bruising. When storing them place them in a dry, un-refrigerated location at a constant temperature of 55 to 60 degrees F. An important point here is Do Not Refrigerate as the lower temperatures below the 55 degrees F. tends to chill the vegetable giving it an undesirable taste after it is cooked.

To prepare your sweet potato wash it well and then boil or bake it until it becomes slightly soft. Should you boil it then drain it immediately. Completely cool the boiled or baked sweet potatoes. You can then wrap them individually with freezer foil leaving the skins on them. Next place in suitable plastic freezer bags, seal and label them appropriately.

The majority of prepared foods using sweet potatoes will freeze well; they will save you considerable time and energy. The sweet potato can be boiled, baked, fried, canned, broiled or frozen. In addition they can be cooked conventionally with your stove or oven as well as with a microwave.

Now I would like to tell you about a way to really catch your children's attention and make them appreciate the value of a sweet potato. When I was but a small child we would place a sweet potato into a glass jar with water. We would grow this plant merely for its decorative value. Here are the items you would need.

4 Toothpicks to support the plant

A glass Jar

Tap water

Start out by looking very carefully at your sweet potato that you would like to sprout. Look to see if you can find any small shoots starting to generate at one end. If you do this will be the end of your potato which should be facing up. The other end will be the part which you will be placing into the water.

Measure halfway towards the bottom of the sweet potatoes and stick the four toothpicks into each side. Space them evenly around the potato and make sure to leave about ½ of it out. The purpose of the toothpicks is to prevent your potato from falling into the jar of water.

Fill the jar at least ½ full of water and place your sweet potato into your glass jar. You may need to add additional water to bring the level to within an inch of the top.

Place your completed sweet potato jar near a very sunny window. Within a few days the sweet potato will start to generate roots within the water. After approximately a week leaves should begin to appear on the top.

Your children will quickly gain a new outlook on not only the sweet potato but garbage gardening in general. I will add more plants to the series at a later date.

Copyright @2008 Joseph Parish

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Parish

Organic Gardening - Six Beneficial Tips!

Organic garden is nothing but gardening with the help of all the naturally endowed gifts that we possess. It deals with how well we use the natural endowments for the purpose of creating the garden of our dreams.

Why would anyone want to have an organic garden? Here is the answer to the question.

1. It is the IN thing to do. With the help of the kitchen and garden waste that we get, one can be very eco-friendly and put the waste into good use though it is quite time consuming than opting for pesticides and fertilizers available in the market.

2. There is very little usage of chemicals in case of organic gardening as we tend to use only what is naturally available to us. Hence, we can be safe from many serious consequences which are faced if chemicals are used. Many researches have proved that even small amounts of chemicals found in fruits and vegetables due to use of fertilizers and pesticides can cause great damage to our health especially among children.

It is believed that on an average every child swallows at least 4 to 5 times more cancer causing agents from pesticides than an adult. Organic gardening helps in eliminating this issue. We need to keep it in mind that the main motive behind using pesticides is to kill little organisms.

3. Organic gardens are very eco friendly. Usually, the pesticides that we use are washed into water which in turn causes a lot of harm to the organisms which thrive in it. This is eliminated in case of organic gardens.

4. Helps in saving costs. As we do not have to purchase fertilizers and pesticides for keeping away pests and insects we are saved from spending the extra buck. The items that we use for organic gardens mostly come from our kitchen cupboard. And many times, we can grow other plants with the ability to keep insects and pests at bay along with the main plant that we intend to grow. For instance, marigold is often grown along with vegetables as they are very helpful in repelling aphids.

Another solution for the pest problem is by using a mixture of 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid with a cup of cooking oil and using three tablespoons of this mixture with a quart of water to use as a pest spray on plants.

5. A mulch of pine needles will help in controlling the growth of weeds and will also keep the necessary moisture intact.

6. Organic gardening ensures a great environment to live for the generations to come.

Abhishek is an avid Gardening enthusiast and he has got some greatGardening Secrets up his sleeves!

These is a must have weather your a beginner, enthusiast or an expert.It has helped me a lot in my current job related to organic farming.

Welcome

This blog serves as an alternate platform from out main website at http://www.bollywoodveggies.com/for our visitors to give their comments, discuss on the farms they visited in the Kranji Country Side or give their views on related topics. It is also an area for us to share as much as we know about plants and herbs grown in Singapore. Propagational tips and caring for your plants and platelets. I hope that you will find the blog useful in some ways and hope to see you at our farm =)

Heres an extract from our bollywood veggies main page:

Bollywood Veggies probably grows the most variety of fruits, vegetables, flowers etc. and is the largest producer of organic bananas and papayas in Singapore. They also specialise in fruit vegetables such as ladies fingers, long beans, cucumbers, bitter gourds. They also grow uncommon medicinal trees and herbs and probably the hottest chilli padi on the island. There is also a natural and beautiful lotus pond in the Sanctuary.

Here's one of the picture of the ever young looking owner Ivy Singh Lim( my dear boz) hahaha.

She has been holding the title the Gentle Warrior Farmer in Singapore but I like to describe her as a "strict Tigress with a gentle heart"

You can buy organically grown vegetables, pots of herbs and medicinal plants, have a lovely meal at the Bistro, or just stroll about on the farm. A great introduction for kids to farms. You don't have to leave Singapore to visit the country and farms

Opening Hours : 9am – 6pm (Wed – Sun, including Public Holidays) Admission charges (for individuals) : S$2.00 per person (above 12 and below 60 yrs) entrance fee to visit the farm area. Free entry to the Bistro