Treetales#2

"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow".

I had said in the last post that our garden currently has five young tree saplings. Here are the details of two of them.

Curry Leaf tree (Murraya koenigii or Bergera koenigii) :

We had a big curry leaf tree until last year in our garden. It had produced loads of lovely fragrant leaves over many years for us but got infested with tiny insects over last year mid. Suddenly all of the leaves started withering and new leaves formed were curled inside. Its leaves are the main reason we grow them as part of kitchen garden and so this infestation is a case that had to be handled quite seriously and quickly.

After pruning

We pruned the tree heavily as is the general precaution taken to control pests in these trees. But the new growth kept forming curled leaves with whitish patches and then all of a sudden the entire tree wilted and dried one day although we suspect the reason for wilting maybe due to root maggots and not those insects whatever caused the leaf curl. Anyways when so many enemies attack a plant it can only put so much fight. We had removed the dried tree but its main root had gone quite deep so we could remove only those portions that are above the ground.

The new addition

We quickly bought a replacement tree sapling in the Sunday market, which turned out to be a good one with red tinted leaves(which adds taste) and very pronounced fragrance. My father planted it nearby the hibiscus patch so it could be watered well. Yes, the curry leaf plants drink water in plenty and had to be watered regularly to get a good harvest.

Pomegranate tree (Punica granatum):

Who would not love pomegranate fruits ? Maybe there might be some out there but everyone in my house loves them. So our ambition to grow them at home was kindled when we set the garden last year. In our earlier garden that we had around fifteen years back, we had a pomegranate tree that was fruiting but sadly we had to move to a new residence when the first season of fruiting began.So imagine our excitement in tasting its first fruits when we planted a sapling in our garden. 

It had been eight months since this little sapling was planted but it had grown only a few inches in height since then. This is mainly due to the rocky area in which it is planted but we do not have a better site for it. So let it take as many months as it wants, but I am sure it will put a good fight and grow big and fruit one day.

Picture taken when it was planted.

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.

The lifecycle of Coriander

Coriander is one of the most famous herbs in my part of the country. Every item that is on menu for lunch(maybe except plain rice)will be added with a modest amount of fresh coriander in the end just before taking the completed dish off the stove. This is mainly to retain the freshness of the herb at the same to imbibe its aroma in the dish. Even though the coriander leaves are available for very reasonable price in the market, nothing could compare the aroma of the home grown coriander leaves. Along with the leaves, we use the seeds as well, predominately in the non-vegetarian & tamarind based curries that we make. So of course our kitchen garden had to have a slot for growing coriander. Instead of growing them only for their leaves, we let few plants grow to full maturity till the stage of producing seeds to collect the coriander seeds.

I was all the more enthusiastic to witness its full growth lifecycle for the first time.Here is a series of pictures showing its development.

The seed germination is pretty quick in hot climate regions. 

Appearance of the first true leaves

Slowly they grow bigger in size giving out branches. At this stage the leaves are mostly plucked to use in the kitchen.

But if left to remain on plant, the leaves turn quiet stringy slowly giving out white flowers in clusters

And gradually these flowers start producing tiny green seeds. Look closely to find them

As the seeds grow big the flower turn into a beige kind of color and slowly wither off

Note, at this stage the stringy leaves resembles the carrot foliage closely,confirming that the fact that these two belong to the same family

Seeds fully grown but not matured yet. They have a shiny green color at this stage

Seeds up close .. slowly the green color fades and changes to a brown shade

It is best to let the seeds turn brown in the plant and then be removed to dry completely in the sun

Completely dried seeds ready to be used in kitchen or to be planted for the next batch of coriander leaves

Though the seed amount is very less, the aroma it gives out is quite strong confirming the fact again that home grown kitchen ingredients are priceless and peerless.