Home Gardening : Promote A Healthy and Hunger-Free Family

Good day, Hivers! I hope you are all fine, with the guidance of the Lord. It's me again, Dehai your co-Hivers, who want to share with you garden topics to ponder.

Aside from farming, cooking, and growing ornamental and flowering plants, gardening is also my hobby. I love to grow vegetables, herbs, and spices, especially at home. Despite being busy, I will find time to spend at home gardening because of these reasons; prices of vegetables sold in the market are high, and I don't know if these vegetables are safe. Aside from that, I want that if I need to prepare a vegetable dish at home, these are available already.

Having a garden at home will also promote vegetable production, proper nutrition, and the reduction of hunger. We should enhance the value of gardening and labor by teaching our children and other members of the family about gardening. With these, I planted or grew varieties of vegetables at home. These vegetables were planted at the back, side, and front of my house using recycled containers. Examples of these containers were used bags, empty sacks, and empty bottles. I just selected varieties of vegetables that will grow in the type of soil and can sustain our climate.

So, in this blog, let me introduce you to my variety of vegetables, herbs, and spices available at home.

Varieties of vegetables planted at home were eggplant, squash, okra, and sweet potato yam or ubi. I also included spices like ginger, bell pepper, sword,tangled or lemon grass, and onion leaves in my home garden because these plants are for medicinal purposes. While in food preparation, these enhance the flavor and aroma of food.

Eggplants grow in sandy loam or loam soil and grow best if exposed to enough sunlight. It contains vitamins and nutrients like vitamin c, vitamin k, magnesium phosphorous, and potassium and is a good source of dietary fiber. The best recipe that my kids love is Tortang Talong.

Okra

Okra is also as called a lady's finger. It usually grows in the warm season. It contains nutrients, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fibers. I used to prepare this by adding in vegetable soup and fish paksiw . My husband loves to eat paksiw added with okra.

Squash comes in a variety of colors and shapes. It is made up of seeds from flowering plants. It grows nicely when given enough sunlight. If the squash produces flowers, you must separate the male and female blossoms and unite them to produce fruit. Squash can be prepared differently. My favorite squash recipe is denuldog or squash soup with coconut milk. This is also a favorite of my children. Squash provides our bodies with nutrients and vitamins such as vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin D, magnesium, and potassium. It also has a lot of fiber and water, which helps digestion.

Sweet Potato

People all over the world will eat sweet potatoes. It is high in fiber, potassium, vitamins, and minerals. Its leaves are high in vitamin C, and its root crop is high in fiber, which promotes digestion. Patients with gastrointestinal problems should take this supplement. Having sweet potatoes on hand might help you save money because they are an excellent substitute for corn and rice in your dinner.

Ubi (Yam)

Aside from sweet potatoes, Ubi or yam are usually consumed by Filipinos and even all over the world because it is a good source of fiber, carbohydrates, and other vitamins. A lot of recipes use yam as one of the ingredients. In my case, I usually prepare yam by adding it to vegetable soup and as a meat extender at home.

If we have enough vegetables planted in our home or backyard, our family will consume a safe and healthy meal. No one will be hungry. With the sweet potato, yam, and other vegetables we have plenty of food on our table. So why not have these at home? Home gardening does not need wide farmland, instead, we can utilize recyclable containers available at home. What is needed is your time and your bare hands. If you dare to do the manual work, then start now and harvest later.

That’s all for today's blog! I hope you learn something from this. Thank you and God bless Everyone.)