Murungakai - Treetales#1

'The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago.. The next best time is NOW" - A Chinese proverb.

Our home currently hosts three big trees and five small ones that were recently planted. Let me feature them in this blog one by one.

Moringa Oleifera

Commonly known as Drumstick trees and their pods are called as Murungakai in Tamil. The drumstick pods are an important ingredient to make Sambar which is one of the most famous dishes in South Indian cuisine and also in tamarind-based gravies.The drumstick trees are easily grown from seeds, although many trees are propagated via stem/trunk cuttings in our area. 

Drumstick leaves

Currently we are hosting two Drumstick trees in our garden. These trees are known for their prolific fruiting, producing hundreds of pods every season. Also their fruiting period extends over many months,thus keeping us always supplied.Another significance of Drumstick tress is that their leaves and flowers are edible too and have high nutritious value. So when the fruiting period seizes, we start harvesting the young leaves to make poriyal.

Drumstick pods collected in one harvest

The drumstick pods are usually plucked when you see the seeds protruding along the sticks.This is the indication that they have matured and ready for harvests. The harvested pods are usually cut into 2 inch pieces and then used in our cuisine.

Ready to go into the Sambar

The drumstick trees are easy to grow as they are drought-resistant and hardly requires regular watering.One problem faced in the maintenance aspect is that they are prone to caterpillar infestation. In such cases,it is best to remove the particular branch to avoid the infestation spreading across the whole tree. Usually the removed twig is burnt with help of kerosene to completely remove the infestation threat.

One practice we follow regularly is pruning. We prune the drumstick trees once a year and usually all of the leafy branches will be cut leaving only the main trunk. They will grow quickly just in time for the next season and the re-growing period is the best time to do the leaf harvests.