The Kitchen Garden
Madagascar Periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus)
The nature of our visit to India did not give us the opportunity to spend time in Kerala. But when my Dad told me that my grandmother was not doing well, we took time off and made a 24-hr Kerala visit to see her. We flew in mid-afternoon from Bombay and left the next day around the same time. So we pretty spent time at my parents house – watched TV, I cooked some beef curry (My wife had expressed interest in having water buffalo meat, which is what normally qualifies as beef in Kerala), and also photographed the plants around the house.
My parents own two plots of land, and they have an eclectic mix of vegetables, spices and trees. The star is of course the nutmeg tree. My engineer-turned-farmer father is on an organic farming warpath to diversify his portfolio of tree acquisitions. It started with nutmeg, then the rambutan, and the latest addition – avacado. Then there is my mom’s “banana tree collection” (click on the link above to see the different kind of banana trees).
Here are some of the plants and trees at our “kitchen garden” -
Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.)
Papaya (Carica papaya)
Curry leaves (Murraya koenigii)
Banana tree
Banana
Spinach (I think it is Basella Alba)
Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum)
Mangoes
There are called "Muuandan" mangoes in the Kerala. Most commonly used for fish curries and pickle. Sour when not ripe.
Alphonso mango
Young mango tree
Nutmeg
Nutmeg. A not-so-common thing - four nutmegs bunched together
Nutmeg trees
Other trees
Rambutan tree (Nephelium lappaceum)
Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis)
Cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale)
Neem tree (Azadirachta indica)
Around our house
The Kurumali River
Stream and coconut farm
