Koorka (Chinese Potato) 2015

This post is mainly about Koorka/Chinese Potato, which I planted in September 2014 and harvested in July 2015.

Plectranthus rotundifolius or Solenostemon rotundifolius, called Chinese potato in Indian English and often referred to as native potato or country potato in Africa, is a perennial herbaceous plant, of the mint family (Lamiaceae), native to tropical Africa, cultivated in parts of West Africa, South Africa, Madagascar, South Asia and Southeast Asia for its edible tubers. Wild varieties are found in the grasslands of East Africa. Read more...

Dishes made of Koorka can be seen here

Planted this in September 2014. Initial harvesting done in the first week of July.

04-Nov-2014                                                                      04-Dec-2014

This is the state once I am back from India after the holidays.

25-Jan-2015                                                                      14-Mar-2015                         

21-Apr-2015                                                                       03-May-2015

It looks like the time to harvest. Lets see whether we get something from this or not.

Harvesting on 07-July-2015

1st harvest was not bad. Now its the second time. This time will post the photo of the dish also.

12-Jul-2015                                                                       17-Jul-2015

Still some more to go. Will do that in few weeks time.

Beetroot and Carrot : 14-Jun-2015

Winter has started in Perth and I wanted to plant something in the garden 'NOW' :)

Looked at internet and as per the below links, it says you can plant Beetroot at any time and Carrot in any month except Jun,July,August.
Growing Carrot in Australia
Growing Beetroot in Australia

But I don't want to wait, so I decided to plant both. Went to Bunnings and bought Beetroot and Carrot seedlings.

 Beetroot Seedlings

Carrot Seedlings

I have a small veggie garden in my front yard. Beetroots and Carrot grow better in a Sandy soil than Hard Soil. What I have done is , just dug almost 10-15cm and then mixed the sand with some Cow Manure  (which I bought last year this time) and then raised the sand almost 5cm from the ground. Then I planted the seedlings on top of that. 

Will update the blog with the latest photos every month till harvesting :).

Not much growth yet, so no point in  posting the photos. Will post the photos after a month.

Veggie Patch: Wattle Grove, Perth 2014

Koorka

Have a read : Koorka (Chinese Potato) 2015 

                                                                     Koorkka kilirthu

 Koorkka padarnnu

Koorkka poothu 

Beans

Green beans, also known as string beans, or snap beans in the northeastern and western United States, are the unripe fruit and protective pods of various cultivars of the common bean.Read more...

Beetroot

The beetroot is the taproot portion of the beet plant,also known in North America as the table beet, garden beet, red or golden beet, or informally simply as the beet. It is several of the cultivated varieties of beet (Beta vulgaris) grown for their edible taproots and their greens. These varieties have been classified as B. vulgaris subsp. vulgaris Conditiva Group.  Read more

Carrot

The carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist.

It has a crisp texture when fresh. The most commonly eaten part of a carrot is a taproot, although the greens are sometimes eaten as well. It is a domesticated form of the wild carrot Daucus carota, native to Europe and southwestern Asia. The domestic carrot has been selectively bred for its greatly enlarged and more palatable, less woody-textured edible taproot. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports that world production of carrots and turnips (these plants are combined by the FAO for reporting purposes) for calendar year 2011 was almost 35.658 million tonnes. Almost half were grown in China. Carrots are widely used in many cuisines, especially in the preparation of salads, and carrot salads are a tradition in many regional cuisines.Read more...

Carrot was a flop :(

Strawberry

The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; Fragaria × ananassa) is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus Fragaria (collectively known as the strawberries).

It is cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The fruit (which is not a botanical berry, but an aggregate accessory fruit) is widely appreciated for its characteristic aroma, bright red color, juicy texture, and sweetness. It is consumed in large quantities, either fresh or in such prepared foods as preserves, fruit juice, pies,ice creams, milkshakes, and chocolates. Artificial strawberry flavorings and aromas are also widely used in many products like lip gloss, candy, hand sanitizer, perfume, and many others.Read more...

Strawberry

Tomato

Vendakka

Sunflower

 Rose

Beetroot again

 Green Chilli

 Cheera, Chilli, Vendakka, Curry Leaf

Capsicum, Pani koorkka, Mango tree

Capsicum

Capsicum /ˈkæpsɨkəm/ (also known as peppers) is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Its species are native to the Americas, where they have been cultivated for thousands of years. In modern times, it is cultivated worldwide, and has become a key element in many regional cuisines. In addition to use as spices and food vegetables, Capsicum species have also found use in medicines.  Read more....

Okra (Vendakka)

Okra or Okro (US /ˈoʊkrə/ or UK /ˈɒkrə/; Abelmoschus esculentus Moench), known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers, bhindi, bamia, ochro or gumbo, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of West African, Ethiopian, and South Asian origins. The plant is cultivated in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions around the world.  Read more...

Curry Leaves

The curry tree (Murraya koenigii or Bergera koenigii) is a tropical to sub-tropical tree in the family Rutaceae (the rue family, which includes rue, citrus, and satinwood), which is native to India and Sri Lanka.

Its leaves are used in many dishes in India and neighbouring countries. Often used in curries, the leaves are generally called by the name 'curry leaves,' although they are also literally 'sweet neem leaves' in most Indian languages (as opposed to ordinary neem leaves which are very bitter and in the familyMeliaceae, not Rutaceae). Read More....