Author: Archana
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Cnidoscolus aconitifolius- Chayamansa/Mayan Spinach
Botanical Name: Cnidoscolus aconitifolius Family: Euphorbiaceae (Castor family)Common name from Flowersofindia: Tree Spinach, Tread Softly, Cabbage Star, ChayaEtymology: Cnidoscolus : This genus name is derived from two Greek words: “knidos” meaning “nettle” and “skolos” meaning “thorn.” This is indicative of the plant’s characteristic of having stinging or prickly hairs on its leaves or stems.aconitifolius: This specific epithet…
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Taro leaves
Finally, I cooked ‘pathrodo’ all by myself for first time after years of hesitance, lazyness, scaredness & all those kinds of related feelings! When some specific food is tagged to the community we live in, & being a woman, it’s mandatory to know how to cook! Not my words guys. This is from many people…
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Multi-greens Chutney – Recipe
When I find edible greens around, it would remind my Amma’s food experiments with all the possible ways. Colorful idlies, mixed green/flowers chutneys, rice varieties, payasams, thorans (dry sabji/curry with grated coconut).. The highlight of those foods is we won’t get to know what all are the ingredients which went in 😝 Amma likes to…
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Sauropus androgynus – Madhura cheera/Multivitamin plant
This versatile leafy green, known by several names in Malayalam, including Madhura cheera, Chekkurmani, Veli cheera, Mysore cheera, Vitamin cheera, Block cheera, and Pressure cheera, Malay Cheera, Japan Cheera, Block cheera, Singapore Cheera, Ela cheera is a nutritional powerhouse. It goes by common names such as Star gooseberry, sweet leaf, Tropical Asparagus, Vitamin plant. This…
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Natural drinks for a cool Summer
Stepping out in summer is always a sweat-work! Especially when you are in a humid place, you will feel extra fatigue and thirst. These times the juice shops in Kerala would be crowded for the sarbats and juices. I am sure that you might have heard about the famous ‘Kulukki sarbath’ too :P. Here I…
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Burans drink – An Elixir from Himalayas
Burans/Buransh is Rhododendron arboreum or the tree rhododendron which is an evergreen small tree with bright red,pink or white flowers. It is the state flower of Uttarakhand & Himachal Pradesh. Also found in regions of Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and all the other neighboring countries. The flowers are widely known for it’s medicinal and ayurvedic purposes. The…
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Leucas aspera – Thumba
Starting the series of edible greens from the list I provided in one of my previous posts. If you missed to see the list, click here. Botanical Name: Leucas aspera Family: Lamiaceae (Mint family)Common names from flowersofindia: Common Leucas • Hindi: छोटा हल्कुसा Chhota halkusa, गॊफा Gophaa • Manipuri: ꯃꯌꯡꯂꯝꯕꯨꯝ Mayanglambum • Marathi: Tamba • Tamil: தும்பை Thumbai • Malayalam: Tumba • Telugu:…
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Pottu-vellari – A natural Summer thirst-buster
This fruit is called as Pottu vellari in Malayalam. Blonde cucumber/Snap melon in English. One of the summer fruit(Read about other Summer fruits of Kerala here) which is easily available in few places in Kerala. Pottu Vellari got its name because of the cracks that appear on its skin when it gets ripe. I used…
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DIY Hanging Shelf from fruit crates
Never make a reason that you don’t have space for a pot! When I asked my near by shop guy to home deliver the fruit crates they were throwing out- Initially they were puzzled(they might have thought why I need the junk) and later they agreed. I had many ideas in my mind and hence…
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Upcycled plant pot holder
The biggest problem of DIY Crafters is space! Not to keep their upcycled works but to store the things they keep aside thinking they would make something out of it one day. Those things may include empty courier cardboard boxes, kid’s broken toys, glass bottles and wooden scraps picked from roadsides, sea shells, the list…
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Coconut leaf decorations workshop and memories of the natural handmade toys
Last Sunday I attended coconut leaf decorations workshop at Ragi Kana conducted by Mr. Nowsh. More than the fun I had in the workshop, it brought back many of the childhood memories. This workshop gave me a chance to become that kid of 90’s who loved making these types of crafts. The guy who climbs…
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Green Delights: The Lesser Known Edible Wild Plants of India(500+ plants)
The significance of wild and foraged edible greens, found in India, is discussed in the content. The nutritional benefits, environmental importance, and cultural heritage of these greens are highlighted. A comprehensive list of uncultivated, underutilized wild edible greens is aimed to be created by the author, with encouragement for mindful harvesting and sharing of knowledge…
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