Plants in my garden

There are a few plants that I did not mention in my previous post about my vegetable patch.

Spring Onions

I am not sure if these are called spring onions because the bulbs and stems are much smaller compared with what I used to buy when I was studying overseas. Spring onion contains antioxidant, vitamin C for immunity, decreases high cholesterol level, sugar level and blood pressure. Having these plants is really a convenience because we usually require only a small quantity to use as toppings on dishes or a few stalks to add to stir fry dishes for more flavour.

I am not sure what these are called in English. Direct translation from Hokkien would be 'Red Bamboo Leaves'. The leaves can be cut, washed and boiled for consumption to get rid of 'heatiness' in our body. Sugar can be added for better taste. My MIL mentioned to me that pregnant woman should not consume this.

Okra (Lady fingers)

My FIL planted about 20 plants of this and since they start to bear pods, we have okra dishes on alternate days but we can never have enough of them. Stir-fry with either anchovies or dried shrimps, steamed with pork, cooked with curry dishes, assam (tamarind) dishes are some of the dishes prepared by my MIL who is a very good cook. I will also stir-fry with garlic with a dash of liquid aminos for 1 year old Tao and she loves it. I feed her regularly because they are free from pesticides and chemical fertilisers. My 3 year old Tian who dislikes vegetables does not mind having okra dishes as well. I think this is due to we have too much of them and since they are free, we will pluck those okras when they are still young and tender, so the texture is really fine and tastes sweet.

Chinese Yams (Shan Yao/ Huai Shan)

Our neighbours who pass by our house will always wonder why we neglect to trim this bush since my parents-in-law take such good care of our vegetable patch. This is in fact the leaves of Chinese Yam (Shan Yao/ Huai Shan) and we have to let it grow abundantly so that we will have fuller roots to harvest early next year. Yes, it takes that long. This Chinese Yam that we are growing are slightly different with those we can buy at wet market. The flesh at the root is purplish whereas normal Chinese Yam is white. We consume these yams by preparing as desserts or porridge.

It is believed to benefit kidneys and female endocrine system but there is no scientific evidence to support safety and effectiveness of the claims yet. My parents-in-law said their parents would prepare Chinese Yam porridge for them whenever they got sick as a child as they were too poor and lived too far away from the city to consult a doctor.

Chillies

Chillies contain high levels of vitamin A and C as immune boosters and antioxidant. Like spring onions that I have mentioned above, it is good to have chilies in my garden because we will not feel obliged to buy a whole bunch of chilies when we need only one or two for flavouring dishes or dipping. The rest will normally rot away before we need it again.
This type is chili is too hot for my liking though but the Indian guards who patrol our neighbourhood will certainly ask for some when they see us around.