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Salma Kamal Pakistan: “Home Kitchen gardening to crush hunger”.

Like the rest of the world Pakistan is also hit by severe inflation and resulting food shortage. Price of all food commodities has triple during past few years. One third of Pakistan population is below poverty line and more and more people are falling into poverty trap. Four to five people in the Pakistan commit suicide every day and a large number of these cases can be attributed to the victims’ inability to make ends meet. Unable to feed the family’s, many poor people are turning to petty cri… Continue

Added by Salma Kamal on November 20, 2009 at 10:30am — 5 Comments

Salma Kamal Pakistan: “Home Kitchen gardening to crush hunger”.

Like the rest of the world Pakistan is also hit by severe inflation and resulting food shortage. Price of all food commodities has triple during past few years. One third of Pakistan population is below poverty line and more and more people are falling into poverty trap. Four to five people in the Pakistan commit suicide every day and a large number of these cases can be attributed to the victims’ inability to make ends meet. Unable to feed the family’s, many poor people are turning to petty cri… Continue

Added by Salma Kamal on November 20, 2009 at 10:30am — No Comments

Marian Worley Pumpkins!

Pumpkin is in short supply this year! Roast and store your own! Continue

Added by Marian Worley on November 19, 2009 at 8:32am — No Comments

Marian Worley Pumpkins!

Pumpkin is in short supply this year! Roast and store your own! Continue

Added by Marian Worley on November 19, 2009 at 8:32am — No Comments

Strumelia my honeybees

Pics taken inside my hive yesterday.... :)

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Added by Strumelia on November 16, 2009 at 6:07pm — 1 Comment

amna mufti And they are selling it!

Potatoes were sown like yesterday ,and they are selling it?I was taken aback when yesterday I saw new potatoes on sale in the market.I thought it was from up north where it cools down much earlier.But then I realized its not possible due to ongoing war in those areas.So it was really local potatoes. I inquired about our own crop and viola! it is also of the same size i:e size of a chicken egg.Its marvelous to see the growth. Continue

Added by amna mufti on November 16, 2009 at 4:10pm — 4 Comments

Kathryn Green Lentils

With the cooler weather starting and the winter veggies appearing we tend to eat slightly more legumes at this time. It isnt always easy to think of ways to utilise them. I have over many years being cooking with lentils both green and red, they are very nutritious and very cheap which makes them ideal for cooking on a budget or for large meals. With these recipes you can use canned if you wish, I usually have some precooked in my freezer for times when I need to make a meal in a hurry. SALAD… Continue

Added by Kathryn on November 15, 2009 at 12:30am — 2 Comments

PiscesGirl Eggs!

We've finally got two hens out of four laying now - one Americauna (though it's anybody's guess which one), and our one and only Silver-Laced Wyandotte. Behold our lovely eggs! -

And they taste AMAZING too! :-) For more on our family's chickies, garden and winemaking adventures, come check… Continue

Added by PiscesGirl on November 12, 2009 at 12:00am — 5 Comments

Glenn Fletcher Useful Tools

I have found no specific place on KGI for identifying useful gardening tools. Everyone has their own favourite tool. It may be one that you use everytime you go in the garden, or it may be one that belonged to your parents that brings back memories, and is still working perfectly. Continue

Added by Glenn Fletcher on November 11, 2009 at 2:00pm — 3 Comments

amna mufti Pickled Mangos.

Pickled mango is the most famous and demanded pickle in our area.Almost every house hold has a different receipe.I pickle them as my aunty use to do it . Ingredients: Green mangoes(they should be the ones that have formed the internal core ,they usually comes at the mid season.)= 1kg. Turmeric powder= 1/4 KG Coriander seeds= 4 TBS Fenugreek seeds= 3 TBS Onion seeds =3 TBS Aniseed = 3 TBS Red chili powder = 5 TBS Mustered oil =1/2 kg Salt = to taste Cut the mangoes in to four halves, remove the s… Continue

Added by amna mufti on November 11, 2009 at 12:00am — 1 Comment

Gillian Tropical fruits

Oh I do love tropical fruit. I just had half a pawpaw out of my garden filled with passionfruit pulp. The cloying sweetness of the pawpaw is offset by the slightly acidic taste of the passionfruit. A match made in heaven :) There are so many mangoes everywhere - the road to work is bumpy with fallen mangoes. Most locals do not like the mangoes that grow wild and so they just fall to the ground and rot. The trees are also huge, so it is very hard to pick them, but everytime I see some within reac… Continue

Added by Gillian on November 9, 2009 at 5:26pm — 4 Comments

amna mufti Chiles.

It was cloudy in the morning,and a very little shower was received.It was holiday,due to birthday of Iqbal our national poet.I went in my kitchen garden,it was not too wet,so I decoded to transplant chilies ,tomatoes and first batch of lettuce.I took my maid .my gate keeper and my maid's daughter with me.We spent half an hour there and completed the task.I also noticed a very delicious fig hiding in the leaves,I picked it along with my harvest of radish,lemons and turnips.Today we had a lunch of… Continue

Added by amna mufti on November 9, 2009 at 6:03am — 4 Comments

amna mufti FOG

It is almost three days back that I noticed fog in the morning.In past days it increased to a thick blanket of fog.I am worried about the potato crop.My chilies in kitchen garden are also effected they are looking pale.This change is un expected.Nobody is prepared for this weather.We are having fog since 1990.Before this it was an occasional fog after two or three years.Maybe its due to pollution or any other phenomenon.But I dont like it at this time of year when all the plants are in need of b… Continue

Added by amna mufti on November 8, 2009 at 8:20am — 4 Comments

Jay O'Val Update

The rocket, bok choi and potatoes are all doing wonderfully. The potatoes came up high enough to be mulched so they are settled and the bok choi had it's first thinning which gave enough greens to fill one hand. I didn't mention at the time but I put in purple beans and snow peas as well but they never came up. I think the purple beans were probably too old, the larger seeds don't last a long time, but I don't know about the snow peas. One of the great mysteries of gardening I suppose. I'm plann… Continue

Added by Jay O'Val on November 7, 2009 at 3:42pm — 2 Comments

Marian Worley Do not ever give up

Because you never know what will come of your efforts. I am so grateful for the fall plants I just threw out in the garden after an exhausting summer season of gardening, harvesting, preserving, and WEEDING! But the fall crops are so wonderful and it is such a pleasure to still be getting fresh food straight from the earth to the table. It will not last too much longer, but for now any green or colorful fresh food is a gift from God. Continue

Added by Marian Worley on November 5, 2009 at 9:02pm — 2 Comments

Kathryn Olives

Have been to the Bazar and bought several kilos of Olives. The ones they sell are green, havent seen any black at the local bazars. I came home and cut into all the olives and have started the leaching. In about a months time I should have some olives ready for the table. I took a knife and cut 2 vertical cuts into each one, then using several containers added water. You then change the water every day for about a month until all the bitterness has left. Then you use a brine solution. It is ver… Continue

Added by Kathryn on November 4, 2009 at 6:00am — 3 Comments

Glenn Fletcher Slug Boards

I have timber step over boards. These allow me to cross over long beds without having to walk all the way around. I do not like to walk on the soil as it ruins the tilth. Most of the year and especially at this time of the year they attract slugs to the underside of the board. These slugs live in the soil and so are normally difficult to find, unless they are eating your plants. I turn the boards over every week and dispose of the slugs that are hiding there. Sometimes there are slug eggs there… Continue

Added by Glenn Fletcher on November 3, 2009 at 3:14am — No Comments

amna mufti 1ST NOVEMBER,TIME OUT.

In our area the 1st of November is considered as a dead line for planting.After that time germination is effected as 10% daily. So I checked my list of vegetables that I am intended to plant.First batch of reddish is ready to consume, I have planted all three batches and they are growing well.Peas ,spinach,fennugeri,white-radish,turnips,fennel ,oregano,thyme lettuce in two colors,cabbage in two colors,broccoli, iceberg,beet root tomato, celery,popy,basil and garlic all are growing well.At our fa… Continue

Added by amna mufti on November 2, 2009 at 9:19am — 4 Comments

Salma Kamal A Buddha Tree.

Talking about trees, a few years back there was a Buddha tree in Islamabad at the foot of the Margalla hills. It was believed to be several hundred years old .it was a pipal tree (ficus religiosa). Residents of Islamabad were generally unaware of the significance of this tree. This tree remained unnoticed except that people passing by used to look at its old gnarled branches and wonder about its age. One day a man from Japanese embassy while jogging took a break in the vicinity of this tree. Sud… Continue

Added by Salma Kamal on November 2, 2009 at 6:25am — 3 Comments

EmmaDear Kitchen Gardeners Unites - You Tube Video

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Added by EmmaDear on November 1, 2009 at 2:34am — No Comments

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amna mufti commented on Salma Kamal's blog post 'Pakistan: “Home Kitchen gardening to crush hunger”.'
Labor is going to foreign countries since ages.In medieval times warriors were required, they left their homes and now you can see many races spread all over the world.In past decades they were called in western and middle eastern countries,its a ...
4 hours ago
Salma Kamal commented on Salma Kamal's blog post 'Pakistan: “Home Kitchen gardening to crush hunger”.'
Dear Amna! Get ready for much bigger population flow.In past it used to be skilled and semi skilled workers,but now workers with agriculture back ground are in great demand.I recently read an advertisment in news paper ,an overseas recruiters agen...
4 hours ago
Muhammad Nadeem Iqbal commented on Salma Kamal's blog post 'Pakistan: “Home Kitchen gardening to crush hunger”.'
This is what we need::::: “Nation Building through Self Reliance” WHAT IS NATION BUILDING THROUGH SELF RELIANCE??? It is a bouquet of Attainable, Retainable and Sustainable initiatives and projects, addressing Best Improvement Practices in all wal...
4 hours ago
Muhammad Nadeem Iqbal commented on Salma Kamal's blog post 'Pakistan: “Home Kitchen gardening to crush hunger”.'
I fully agree with the issue that has been highlighted and also agree to the Amna Mufti sahiba's point of view. Please visit www.vegegarden.net and see the presentation on food crisis. I am trying to raise voice since last 3 years. PLEASE! don't w...
5 hours ago
2 members updated their profile photos
5 hours ago
amna mufti commented on Salma Kamal's blog post 'Pakistan: “Home Kitchen gardening to crush hunger”.'
Salma apa! Problem is many fold,our syllabus should be looked again.I remember in our childhood every body have at least wheat,rice and fuel for them selves.They use to do different duties at village level.Some are laborers in fields,some are pott...
5 hours ago
Mussarat Nadeem and Muhammad Nadeem Iqbal are now friends
5 hours ago
Mussarat Nadeem left a comment for amna mufti
5 hours ago
Mussarat Nadeem left a comment for amna mufti
5 hours ago
Mussarat Nadeem left a comment for amna mufti
6 hours ago
john rocharz and Mussarat Nadeem joined Kitchen Gardeners
6 hours ago
amna mufti left a comment for Mussarat Nadeem
6 hours ago
Salma Kamal added 2 blog posts
6 hours ago
amy commented on Roger's group 'Kitchen garden communicators group'
Hi, everybody! When I decided that I wanted to be more active in spreading the word about growing food, I joined the local Master Gardeners group since it has an education mission. This turned out to be a perfect fit for me. I have worked with a ...
7 hours ago
Penelope I simply must begin carding the llama wool on my porch. Is a drum carder in my future?
8 hours ago
Penelope left a comment for Laurie
8 hours ago
amna mufti added 4 photos to the album 'winter garden 2009'
9 hours ago
Kathryn replied to Penelope's discussion 'Feeling Stuck'
Im a big fan of slow cookers. Just throw everything in and turn on the switch. When you come at night it is all ready and steaming hot. I enjoy grated carrot as a side dish and a bowl of grated beetroot in yogurt. Cook what taste good to you and ...
10 hours ago
Glenn Fletcher News Flash: Global climate experts say that soon, vegetable seeds "may indeed prove more valueable than gold."
13 hours ago
Sally Parrot joined Maggie's group
Gardening in Australia
Australia's climate varies from tropical to cool mountain. This group will discuss kitchen gardening in the variety of climates and conditions found in Australia.
14 hours ago

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Paella with tomatoes

Notes

HOW TO - ADD A LINK

Several people have experienced difficulty putting working links into comments and blogs etc and I know it is clumsy.... so here is how you do it.....

First type the text you want to appear....  ie  IAN'S PAGE

Then go back and highlight the link text.

Then hit the hyperlink button...a pictogram of a chain link.

Your browser may intervene and request permission to allow temporary scripting or some similar message.   Allow it and go back and highlight the text again

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Created by Ian Jun 7, 2009 at 7:28pm. Last updated by Ian Jun 8.

Forum Policy

Hi, I'm starting to put together a few guidlines on using the discussion forum on here.

I would be happy to hear any comments you may have.  This is very much a work in progress so plese feel free to ask me to add anything you think is needed.

I don't want to make our community hide bound by rules and regulations but I think that, as the community has grown, some explanation of what is expected is needed.

Administration

You can refer any que

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Created by Ian May 23, 2009 at 1:55am. Last updated by Ian May 25.

Climate maps

Hi following recent discussion I have put climate maps of the USA, Australia and Europe on here for reference..

 Climate map of the USA

Climate map of Australia

Climate map of Europe

 

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Created by Ian Sep 12, 2008 at 6:20pm. Last updated by Ian Apr 14.

Recipes, Recipes, Recipes

Hi Everyone,  I've started to collect together recipes from various posts on the site and put them all together here.

If you have a recipe you want to add on here, just post it on the site and leave a comment on my page telling me where it is and I'll go and fetch it back here.

They are organised in Contributor Order but I'm open to better suggestions!

BEVA'S RECIPES

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Created by Ian Jun 2, 2008 at 9:54am. Last updated by Ian Apr 13.

US STATES ABBREVIATIONS

 

US STATE ABBREVIATIONS

AK - Alaska               AL - Alabama              AR - Arkansas
AZ - Arizona              CA - California           CO - Colorado
CT - Connecticut          DC - Dist of Columbia *   DE - Delaware
FL - Florida              GA - Georgia              GU

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Created by Ian Jan 27, 2009 at 4:27pm. Last updated by Ian Jan 27.

HOW TO - MAKE COMPOST

Recently there was an excellent discussion about composting. I’ve pulled together all the various comments here. You can also watch KGI's video on composting here.

 

 

KATE’S ADVICE

I used to have a tumbler that we made from a wine-barrel but

1 you have to fill it up all at once

2. it seemed mostly

… Continue

Created by Ian May 30, 2008 at 5:29am. Last updated by Roger Jan 15.

Notes Home

Welcome to Notes.

To view notes that are in the system hit the "all notes" button above.

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Created by Ian May 28, 2008 at 12:10pm. Last updated by Ian May. 30, 2008.

A Note about Notes

I have just written this note so that I can see what we can achieve by using this new feature.

If you read this and have any suggestions then please leave a comment on my page or email me.

Ian

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Created by Ian May 28, 2008 at 6:19pm. Last updated by Ian May. 28, 2008.

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