We ha lovely crop of onions this summer. Onions are used in most Indian recipes from ages. When taken as a juice (a few tablespoons) with honey is said to give any heath benefits like – reducing high BP and lowering cholesterol.
Organic Onions
Cheers!
Whenever I visit my farm the site of the healthy and robust basil plants seem to say “A warm welcome to you”! And the wonderful fragrance of basil is so intoxicating and blissful!
Sweet basil in sunshine
Cheers
On Christmas Day my friend the Colonel visits the farm. The Colonel knows a lot on the finer points in agriculture and farming and gave us some good tips. The weather was nice and sunny. Here are a few shots of some of our plants.
Bird chilli plant
Kaffir lime plant
Lemon balm is a herb which when taken as a tea calms the nerves. It acts as mild sedative and helps in getting sound sleep. Lemon Balm essential oil help is used in aroma therapy.
I find it easy to grow and it has a strong lemony flavor.
Lemon Balm
Cheers 
We grow culinary herbs in Jugnoo Farms for sale to South East Asian and Italian restaurants in Pune. Off late we have been getting requests for fresh herbs for home consumption. The good news is that we have started keeping a few packets of each – Basil Sweet and Thai, Rucola, Lemon Balm, Kaffir Lime leaves, Thyme and Oregano at a retail point. The place is a popular health food shop located at North Main Road, Koregaon Park Pune. Do visit and try out some herb favored culinary delights in your kitchens
Have a nice day
“Tea … is one of those rare treasures, enjoyed throughout the world, that actually benefits health”! ~ Quote by KIT CHOW, All the Tea in China
Lemon grass plant
Lemon grass tea called gavti chaha or गवती चाहा (in Marathi) is very popular for its refreshing flavour. Lemon grass tea also provides relief for people having common cold or cough. Regular use of this tea provides mild immunity against cold and cough.
Lemon grass
Generally we add a few leaves of fresh lemon grass while boiling water for preparing our regular tea. The flavour of the regular tea gets distinctly enhanced.
So do enjoy this wonderful tea especially in the rainy season or in winter. The lemon grass tea is not taken in summer perhaps because it increases body heat slightly.
A lemon grass plant is very easy to grow you just need to water it regularly. Grow it soil or in a clay pot.
Sweet or Common Basil and Thai Basil are grown in fairly large quantities at Jugnoo Farms. In our home we take great care of two plants
Krishna Tulsi
of Krishna Tulsi also known as holy basil. In most traditional homes the Holy Basil is worshipped. Sweet Basil leaves are light green whereas the Krishna Tulsi leaves are darker and slightly purple in colour.
The tulsi plant has many medicinal properties. The leaves are a nerve tonic and also sharpen memory. It has strong anti bacterial properties and its anti oxidant properties strengthens the nervous system.
Other reported benefits are healing colds, coughs and stomach disorder skin infections. Some Ayurvedic doctors claim benefits in diabetes, lowering cholesterol and stress. This plant gives out ozone which means that the presence of this plant protects the surroundings from the
Holy Basil
harmful ultra violet rays. A friend who despite being a alopathic physician is a strong believer in alternative healing. And has a row of Tulsi plants in front of the bungalow perhaps.
Also do read the amazing story of Holy Basil which today has become a global business at http://www.organicindia.com/tulsi-holy-basil.php
Most mornings we have Tulsi tea instead of the usual morning Tata or Lipton cuppa. Here a few leaves are added to hot water and allowed to steep for few minutes. Some folk add a little honey for taste and for medicinal value. In the mornings when we are in a hurry just chew a few Tulsi leaves – it even freshens the mouth.
We can easily conclude by saying Tulsi moves the body towards good health. Enjoy good health and a calm mind.
“If one consults enough herbals…every sickness known to humanity will be listed as being cured by sage”- Varro Taylor, Ph.D. (herb expert)
Sage is a perennial with gray-green, pebble like, textured leaves in a long, oval shape. It has an attractive, compact spreading growth habit. Generally grown in full sun in a well-drained sandy, alkaline soil but I find best results in a greenhouse. Plants can reach a height of 2 feet with a spread of 18 inches.
We had plenty of Sage growing and spreading steadily and me and many of my friends enjoyed its varied benefits. But a couple of years back it suddenly withered away. We could not do much to save it. Now happily after a long gap our sage plants have started reviving as seen in the picture.
Sage Herb
Sage Tea uplifts your spirits
Herbal teas are good for your health. It is not much different to making ordinary tea! Just put some fresh herb leaves in a pot, pour boiling water over them, leave to brew, and then enjoy! More specific way is by simply pouring 1 cup of boiling water on to 3 or 4 sage leaves. The result is a pleasant drink, cooling in fevers, and also a cleanser and purifier of the blood.
When you feel a little down or exhausted after a days’ work Sage tea with honey is ideal to lift the spirits. The flavors of sage and lemon blend nicely. You may squeeze a little fresh lemon juice and add a teaspoon of honey too. It helps and acts as a tonic, restorative and digestive.
Sage may help in meditation and concentration
Some people who meditate in the OSHO Ashram Pune. I always met their request for dried sage. When the dry sage leaves are lit it releases fragrant smoke and helps them to meditate deeply. Perhaps it is the fragrance that brings about relief from stresses both mental and physical stress and so the meditation improves.
Sage is good for health
As given in WebMD Sage is used for digestive problems, including loss of appetite, gas (flatulence), stomach pain (gastritis), diarrhea and heartburn. Sage is applied directly to the skin for cold sores; gum disease (gingivitis); sore mouth, throat or tongue; and swollen, painful nasal passages. In manufacturing, sage is used as a fragrance component in soaps and cosmetics.
Fresh leaves can be rubbed on the teeth for making them stronger. Good for the gums – simply massage on gums.
Dipping a cloth into hot sage tea creates a compress which can be applied to the forehead to soothe a tension headache. Studies have shown that the sage tea boosts memory and is being researched to potentially aid in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Sage is also an important antioxidant agent.
Caution:It is advised not to take Sage as a medicine when pregnant or breast feeding.
Culinary
Fresh sage is a most wanted item in Italian cuisines. Use fresh sage as needed. It is a good addition to salads and mashed potatoes. Adding sage leaves to sandwiches makes it flavorful and also gives digestive benefits. It gives a delightful flavor and used for chicken and fish. These are just a few ways of Sage for culinary purposes.
Quote
An old proverb runs, “How can a man die when there is sage in his garden?”
Cheers
Come winter and its methi growing in gardens, farms and in vegetable shops here in Pune. Popularly known as Fenugreek it also falls in the category of an herb.
Fenugreek or common methi
It not only tastes great when cooked but has immense health benefits too. It’s very easy to grow and is ready for harvest in just a few weeks. Some common benefits that I know of are lowering cholesterol levels. Some people claim cardiovascular benefits also. But its anti diabetic properties are well known.
Baby methi
Then there is the a tiny leaved methi which tastes even more better – some call it ‘baby methi’. Baby methi parathas taste delicious (almost like a snack) when you have it for a winter morning breakfast.
Grow & enjoy Methi and be healthy too!
I am growing Basil for the past 10 years now. This post is on the Thai variety of basil. Thai basil or bai horapa, is a variety of basil commonly used in Thai, Vietnam, Cambodia cuisines. In the common parlance here we call it Thai basil. My first packet of seeds was the ‘Queen of Siam’ brand. The flavor was just exquisite and strong.
Thai Basil in the open
Now I use my own seeds. Compared to the common Mediterranean sweet basil, Thai basil has a more pronounced licorice or anise flavor. There is a distinct difference between Thai basil and common sweet basil and so chefs do not use them as substituted for each other in – Thai etc or Italian recipes. Thai basil tends to hold its flavor better when cooked than its Mediterranean cousin does.
My Thai and common basil in some seasons grow side by side. After 6 months we observed that the sweet basil flavor got mixed with the Thai Basil scent. And the Italian chefs started complaining. Now we grow them quite far apart with a different crop in between to avoid the cross-pollination.
The leaves of Thai basil are deep green, smaller than those of Western basil, and arranged on purple-hued stems. Some people find the flowers edible as well. The flowers of Thai basil form in a cluster, not on a spike, unlike those of common basil. The flowers make an attractive plate garnish or colorful addition to green salads.
We use this aromatic basil in our soups at home and find it changes the entire experience.
Try out this lovely herb and enjoy!
Recent Comments