The Citrus Bomb of Goodness
As I drove into a weekend resort on the outskirts of Gurgaon, I was mesmerised by these tiny bright balls shinning on a hardy hedge that lined its drive away. This was almost two decades ago and that was when I ever saw a chinese orange or naarangi tree for the first time. The dazzling oranges against the deep green foliage were very welcoming and added vibrance to the entrance.
The picturesque view stayed with me for long, so much so that almost ten years later, when I started growing a little food garden, I planted these for their sheer beauty. They dont really ask for much care except for a dose of nutrition twice a year while keep flowering and fruiting throughout. Additionally, if you need some guidance on growing plants in your own greenhouse, this may help you with your garden.
Over the years, in my gardening journey, I saw most gardeners being clueless about using this ultra sour citrus fruit and hence just brush it off. All over the world sweet orange varieties are probably the most popular to be grown, though citrus and orange fruits were originally sour.
With two of these trees in my garden patch, harvest seemed to increase every year and I always ended up just making one or two batch of marmalade or at the most sweet and sour pickle.
Since it tasted almost as juicy and sour as their big brother, off and on, I plucked one or two and replace them for lemons in salads or soups. They virtually became handy for almost all dishes in the kitchen when ever lemons were not around.
So naturally came lemon cakes, lemon tarts or even lemon curd, all with these baby oranges rather than regular lemons.
With each passing year, abundance of this fruit made me explore a little more to look for innovative ways to consume its bounty. From sour and tangy orange sauce for stir fries and a variety of pickles, I found several ways to conserve them. Soon it was time go exotic with orange pulao or orange pilaf to enjoy this tiny citrus bomb.
And how could I forget the healthy teas and brews. One can simply squeeze some juice or merely brew dry peels to enjoy different flavours of orange tea
This is super digestive, an immunity booster and a spring of vitamin C. The strong flavours of orange tea releases saliva, stomach acids and hence aids in absorbtion of nutrients.
The citrus goodness does not end here. According to Ayurveda, narangi is known to be helpful in asthama, liver disorders and managing cholestrol. A quick ubtan or scrub and home made cream is great for a glowing skin. Used for over 3000 years in chinese medicine, its peels are effective in delaying skin ageing and hence popular in cosmetics. The orange zest or peels can also be dried for culinary experiments or even bottled as the best bio enzyme.
So today, as I sip my orange brew and fondly look at my ten year old, I’m in complete awe and gratitude. For it has given me so much, surely more than I ever expected from this under rated garden beauty.
For those of us who lives in small spaces or apartments and cannot accommodate trees, a NASA study suggests several common house plants that can neutralize common toxins as well act as our natural oxygen cylinders. Luckily when I turn and look around the house, I find most of n plenty. Hmm! I take a deep breath! So let’s make some space for them as vertical arrangements, pots around the patios, balcony trails, hanging baskets or creepers up the boundary walls. They shall promise to make your living spaces come alive as well as give you a puff of fresh air.
Ferns are champions and remove more formaldehyde than any other plant and are highly efficient at removing other indoor air pollutants, such as benzene and xylene that can migrate indoors if you live in heavy traffic areas. They love shady verandas and like to be watered regularly. Thrive during wet months and need regular watering during dry summers.
Palm trees seem particularly good at removing indoor air pollutants, specifically formaldehyde, and they’re relatively easy to care for. Dwarf Date Palm, Bamboo Palm or Areca Palm all are superstars of filtering toxins. Dwarf Date Palm thrive in full sun so select a sunny spot in and give an arabian touch to your front yard. They filter good amounts of air as they can grow to be pretty big, as tall as four to 10 feet high, making them exciting indoor additions. Other palms generally love indirect light and give a dense foliage indoors as well as outdoors.
Mums are a gardener’s favourite and the first among winter blooms. They have a perfect timing with Diwali when quality of air is expected to worsen. Chrysanthemums are perfect air-purifiers for removing ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, and xylene and bring a touch of colour to home gardens and balconies.
Sansevieria or Snake Plant is also called ‘The Bedroom Plant’ as it produces oxygen even at night when most of the plants release Carbon dioxide and is this sense a great booster of Oxygen. It also removes benzene from the air. This easy growing is the best choice for non gardeners to balance their air at home. Grows well and performs photosynthesis both in bright and dim light and even if neglected. Six to eight waist high plants give sufficient Oxygen to one person. So it’s a good idea to plant this in the most unused side of your garden or patio so as to accommodate plenty of them. They are an excellent choice for non maintained roadsides or wastelands as they hardly ask for much care or water and ideal for bedrooms too to provide Oxygen at night too.
The sacred Indian super herb, tulsi or the holy basil as it’s called in the west harmonizes the mind, body and soul. It has been legendary part of our lives for over 5000 years now and is virtually found in the center of every Indian courtyard or verandah. Apart from its miraculous medicinal powers, this holy plant is an excellent air purifier and releases a special kind of essential oil which frees the air from bacteria and substances that cause diseases. It also releases ozone that produces three atoms of oxygen per molecule. In 2009, it was decided to plant a million Tulsi saplings near the Taj Mahal in an effort to protect it from this environmental pollution. Its property to release high amounts of oxygen can minimizes the adverse impact of industrial emissions. Further it has the capacity to absorb harmful gases like Sulphur dioxide.
This common indoor vine in anything from whisky bottles to ceramic containers occupies the kitchen windows or heads up on the fridge in many homes for its obvious belief in feng shui. The easy growing money plant is an absolute friendly soul that is happy even in just a water arrangement and grows all over if in a pot or basket. Cannot say if it will brings you greater wealth and prosperity but Money plant surely is a powerful air purifying plant that will clean the air in your house very effectively. It has a particular affinity for formaldehydes and other volatile organic compounds most commonly in the form of off-gassing from synthetic paint or carpets.
Is an easy growing perfect air-filtering plant for every home. English ivy has the incredible ability to remove a wide range of contaminants from the air. It is effective at removing xylene, formaldehyde, and benzene. Additionally, English ivy can remove airborne fecal matter and mold. While it can be grown as a great ground cover, looks awesome in baskets too. Moderate temperature and medium sunlight is great to grow Ivy.
“Yipee!” I call out loud when I manage to pull a perfect grown mooli from my little green patch. Now that’s what I call true happiness. Indeed, enjoying a bowl of crisp lettuce for salad from the backyard or sizzling gobhi paranthas from the freshly plucked cauliflower on a Sunday morning for breakfast is simply divine. What can be more of a delicacy than to relish a few freshly spotted mangoes from the mango tree that stands in your verandah or to squeeze in a few home grown lemons for a quick nimboo pani to quench your thirst in summers.
Space: Look for space in your back yard, terrace, verandah, balcony, ledge or even abandoned land outside your home. Just about anything is good space for an urban farmer.
Fungicides and pesticides: Doing the organic way means to use natural home remedies for plants too. Chhaas is a perfect fungicide and Neem the most general pesticide. Apart from this, chilies, garlic, turmeric and Asafoetida are a farmer’s friend. Common blooms like marigolds planted alongside veggies are pest repellants. 