Gardening makes me happy

“Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.’

My friends, I woke up early yesterday morning to plant some chilli seeds and ‘Cekur Manis’, a popular leafy vegetable native to Southeast Asia, scientifically known as ‘Sauropus androgynus’.

It was something I wanted to do for the past one week but didn’t.

Suddenly, I told myself, “It’s now or never.” You see, the ‘Cekur Manis’ stems were in danger of withering in the small pot of water where I left them while the chilli seeds had been lying in a plastic basket for a week.

On Friday night, while relaxing in front of the office before beginning our respective long journey home, a colleague warned me that many locally grown chilli samples in the market had been found to have pesticides.

“It is better to grow your own chillies. I eat chillies that I grow in my garden,” he said.

That short conversation inspired me to wake up early that morning to do my gardening.

Yes, my friends, gardening is one of my hobbies. Actually, I have already planted a few chilli plants of different varieties but they do not bear many fruits.
I hope many chilli plants will germinate from the seeds I planted yesterday so that I can follow the tips offered by successful gardeners on YouTube.

My colleague also told me his mother-in-law made pickled chillies and ‘sambal belacan’, a popular Malaysian chilli condiment made from chillies, belacan (dried shrimp paste) and lime juice, from his garden harvests.

I guess that’s what I would do, too, if I had bountiful chilli harvests from my garden. Of course, I will share some of the harvests with family members and friends. In life, I think all good things should be shared.

I am trying to plant more ‘Cekur Manis’ because my family loves the vegetable, especially when it is fried with eggs.

When my son took me out for lunch not so long ago, one of the dishes he ordered was ‘Cekur Manis’ with eggs. That dish is mandatory at most of my family dinners at seafood restaurants too.

When we were young, my siblings and I ate ‘Cekur Manis’ with egg soup almost every day. I guess it was the simplest, fulfilling dish for my mother to cook.

Now, I only have a few ageing ‘Cekur Manis’ plants in my garden. That’s why it’s time to plant some new ones.

Meanwhile, tapioca and basil plants as well as the Brazilian spinach are flourishing in my garden. Like many Malaysians, I love stir-fried tapioca leaves.

There are, in fact, many innovative ways of cooking the humble tapioca leaves. Just go and search for them on YouTube or TikTok.

Meanwhile, like all types of spinach, the Brazilian spinach, a low -growing perennial leaf vegetable, is good for health. For example, it maintains eye health and is a good source of Vitamin K and Vitamin C. I usually stir -fry it.

As for basil, those who love Thai food will definitely love it. Now, who hasn’t tasted the ‘Basil Chicken Stir-Fry’ dish? I usually add basil leaves to my salad.

I began with one basil plant which I asked from a friend. Now, I have four beautiful plants; the other three are propagated from the seeds of the mother plant.

My friends, my column on gardening this week is incomplete if I fail to mention the turkey berry, also known as ‘terung pipit’ in Bahasa Malaysia.

“Terung in Bahasa Malaysia’ is eggplant while ‘pipit’ is a sparrow. This eggplant, which grows wild here in Malaysia, goes by the scientific name of ‘Solanum torvum’.

Kind birds dropped the seeds in my garden. Now, I have a few ‘burung pipit’ trees.

The Dayaks and Malays use the fruits, which are also known as pea eggplants, as vegetables. Believed to have potential medicinal value, the plant is now being studied for its efficacy in treating diabetes.

I’ve tried distributing the ‘terung pipit’ from my garden to some Malay and Dayak friends but alas, not all like them. Personally, I think they taste good when stir -fried with chillies, garlic and anchovies.

I appreciate them because they are gifts from the birds and 100 per cent chemical-free.

I think it is good for everyone to plant their own vegetables. For instance, when I’m lazy to go to the market, all I have to do is to pick the chemical-free fresh vegetables from the garden.

Watching the plants grow and thrive also makes me happy every day.

What about you, my friends? Are you planting your own vegetables? Remember, it is never too late to start.

The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune.