Edible garden 2011

We moved into this house on the last day of March last year so i didn't get around to planting any seeds until May, but i was still really excited and motivated and over the moon with the small amount of food i still managed to grow in my garden. This year i started in March and managed edibles and flowers too, and i have almost finished planting my veg seedlings out into a strip of land i prepared down the side of my garden. This 'plot' is much bigger than last years and i am going to double it insha'Allah over the course of this year so that in 2012 i can try to grow even more.

I started by digging out all of the grass, nettles and dandelions and then digging in some home made compost and shop bought multi purpose compost. I raked the land to level it out and removed loads of stones and shards of glass from the soil. Then it was ready to start planting. I already had a raspberry bush, blackberry bush and blueberry bush there which i planted last year. Ive now added sweetcorn, courgettes, peas, french beans, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli. There is a tiny space left over for the carrots and parsnips which are currently in my greenhouse, but i need to dig more of the grass out really to fit them all in comfortably. I like digging though, and Little D likes to collect all the worms that we find. Sometimes a robin will join us and we throw the small ones to him. Then he will sing in his shrill but beautiful tone and i feel like he is saying thank you.

Already the seedlings have grown so much since i originally planted them out. I protected them with ground up egg shells at the bases (keeps slugs and snails away, naturally, no chemicals, and no harm done to creatures or plants) and hung cd's from sticks as the movement and light reflections scare the birds off. Both methods seem to have worked so far alhamdulillah! No casualties yet! All of my plant supports are either old garden canes from previous years or sticks / small branches which i have cut from our trees.

I took the photos above just after planting the first lot of seedlings. They have since more than doubled in size, building my hopes of eating home grown food this summer insha'Allah.

There are lots of berries on my fruit bushes, last year the blackberries and blueberries didn't fruit so im looking forward to tasting this years crop.

I noticed tiny courgettes developing yesterday, they were my biggest success last year and im hoping that the extra space ive allowed them this year will mean that we get even more from them. Isn't it just so satisfying when you can feed your family with something from your own back garden that your own nurturing hands have helped grow, from the smallest handful of coriander to a whole crop of peas? If you havent tried to grow food for your family yet than i think you should try it, even with just one or two plants.

I have lots of pea plants growing and so many delicate flowers and pods already. The tendrils amaze me, the way they have reached out to support the plant, God has blessed us with so many wonders!

I bought some chives from the Supermarket last Autumn and they have flourished and now display beautiful and extremely tasty flowers. Little D munches on them every day.

And finally there is the Elderberry tree, damson trees, apple trees and our wild cherry tree (which i forgot to photograph) - all covered with either fruit or flowers, preparing to insha'Allah over-run me with organic fruits which i will surely struggle to keep up with.

Spring and Summer are exciting times in my garden, but Autumn and Winter have their high points too. What are you growing this year? Id love to read any of your posts dedicated to your edible garden this year, please drop me a comment and a link...

Edible garden 2011

We moved into this house on the last day of March last year so i didn't get around to planting any seeds until May, but i was still really excited and motivated and over the moon with the small amount of food i still managed to grow in my garden. This year i started in March and managed edibles and flowers too, and i have almost finished planting my veg seedlings out into a strip of land i prepared down the side of my garden. This 'plot' is much bigger than last years and i am going to double it insha'Allah over the course of this year so that in 2012 i can try to grow even more.

I started by digging out all of the grass, nettles and dandelions and then digging in some home made compost and shop bought multi purpose compost. I raked the land to level it out and removed loads of stones and shards of glass from the soil. Then it was ready to start planting. I already had a raspberry bush, blackberry bush and blueberry bush there which i planted last year. Ive now added sweetcorn, courgettes, peas, french beans, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli. There is a tiny space left over for the carrots and parsnips which are currently in my greenhouse, but i need to dig more of the grass out really to fit them all in comfortably. I like digging though, and Little D likes to collect all the worms that we find. Sometimes a robin will join us and we throw the small ones to him. Then he will sing in his shrill but beautiful tone and i feel like he is saying thank you.

Already the seedlings have grown so much since i originally planted them out. I protected them with ground up egg shells at the bases (keeps slugs and snails away, naturally, no chemicals, and no harm done to creatures or plants) and hung cd's from sticks as the movement and light reflections scare the birds off. Both methods seem to have worked so far alhamdulillah! No casualties yet! All of my plant supports are either old garden canes from previous years or sticks / small branches which i have cut from our trees.

I took the photos above just after planting the first lot of seedlings. They have since more than doubled in size, building my hopes of eating home grown food this summer insha'Allah.

There are lots of berries on my fruit bushes, last year the blackberries and blueberries didn't fruit so im looking forward to tasting this years crop.

I noticed tiny courgettes developing yesterday, they were my biggest success last year and im hoping that the extra space ive allowed them this year will mean that we get even more from them. Isn't it just so satisfying when you can feed your family with something from your own back garden that your own nurturing hands have helped grow, from the smallest handful of coriander to a whole crop of peas? If you havent tried to grow food for your family yet than i think you should try it, even with just one or two plants.

I have lots of pea plants growing and so many delicate flowers and pods already. The tendrils amaze me, the way they have reached out to support the plant, God has blessed us with so many wonders!

I bought some chives from the Supermarket last Autumn and they have flourished and now display beautiful and extremely tasty flowers. Little D munches on them every day.

And finally there is the Elderberry tree, damson trees, apple trees and our wild cherry tree (which i forgot to photograph) - all covered with either fruit or flowers, preparing to insha'Allah over-run me with organic fruits which i will surely struggle to keep up with.

Spring and Summer are exciting times in my garden, but Autumn and Winter have their high points too. What are you growing this year? Id love to read any of your posts dedicated to your edible garden this year, please drop me a comment and a link...

Home made beauty treatments...

Another blogger recently asked me where i find my recipes for homemade beauty products. Ive mentioned before that i use olive oil, rose water and coconut oil on my skin rather than moisturising or cleansing creams. I usually just use them straight from the bottle / jar and apply them to my skin as they are. The olive oil i use in the shower every other day - i massage a small amount (perhaps half a teaspoon) of it into my face and then use an exfoliating loofah to rub the olive oil into my skin which removes all of the dirt and old skin cells / dry skin. I prefer showering before bed rather than in the morning, so i go to sleep after exfoliating and the remains of the olive oil on my face has the whole night to absorb into my skin. I wake up with wonderful soft, clear, and healthy looking skin - it really makes a difference, more so than any other product ive ever used. After a couple of days without doing this my skin looks very dull and feels unhealthy.

I use rose water on my face (rubbed in with a cotton wool pad) every morning and again before bed which removes make-up, grease and dirt very effectively, without leaving harsh synthetic chemicals on my skin. But although it cleans really well, it doesn't make a big difference to the look of my skin which is why i need the exfoliating every other evening.

I use coconut oil on my body when i feel like i could do with the extra moisturising. But its not often that i moisturise anywhere other than my face. Coconut oil is generally solid at room temperature, but once you rub a teaspoon full between your hands it turns into a warm oil and rubs in very easily - the smell is beautiful too.

Little D suffers from dry skin and the doctor told me that he needed a chemical packed cream on prescription from the chemist. I declined the cream and told her i would use olive oil and she said it wouldn't work and pushed me into taking the prescription. Under the pressure i took the prescription (she made me feel like id be negligent to not get the cream) but i never went to the chemist. Instead i applied Olive oil and Shea butter (mixed together - bought here) to his skin every evening straight after his bath, and within a couple of weeks the dry, scaly, scabby marks had disappeared and he had perfect baby skin alhamdulillah. I now use it just a couple of times a week and his skin is fine.

If i need to find a recipe to help with a specific problem i will use google to see what comes up as so far i haven't found a specific site which i can guarantee will have an easy to make recipe. Miss Eco Glam is great for natural beauty treatments but not specifically home made ones. I do have a brilliant book on my shelf though. Its called 1001 Natural recipes and includes home made recipes for beauty, home, pets and health.

Many of the ingredients are well known and not too obscure to track down. The book is also easy to read and is presented very nicely - there's great photos throughout. It always has exactly what i am looking for. I would recommend it as the best book ive found on the subject so far.

A second book which i use for reference of the subject of health is called 'As-Suyuti's Medicine of the Prophet'. It was written by Jalaludin As-Suyuti in the 1400's. As-Suyuti was an Egyptian writer, teacher, juristic expert and religious scholar who wrote almost 500 books dealing with Islamic theology. You can read more about him here on Wikipedia. The book includes detailed descriptions of physical and spiritual diseases and their remedies, drawing from the Quran and from the wisdom and practices of the Prophet Muhammad (May peace be upon him). There are plenty of home made beauty and health treatments in it and the index alone is 15 pages long!

I believe that there is a cure for everything except death (as stated in the Quran) and that all of the cures can be found in the natural world. Although man made treatments can help prevent or treat illness, or can change the way we look when they are used in a beauty regime, i believe that the vast majority have detrimental side effects. And to be honest, i just love finding out about everything that grows or exists on this Earth and the reasons for it to be here - there is benefit in everything.

Home made beauty treatments...

Another blogger recently asked me where i find my recipes for homemade beauty products. Ive mentioned before that i use olive oil, rose water and coconut oil on my skin rather than moisturising or cleansing creams. I usually just use them straight from the bottle / jar and apply them to my skin as they are. The olive oil i use in the shower every other day - i massage a small amount (perhaps half a teaspoon) of it into my face and then use an exfoliating loofah to rub the olive oil into my skin which removes all of the dirt and old skin cells / dry skin. I prefer showering before bed rather than in the morning, so i go to sleep after exfoliating and the remains of the olive oil on my face has the whole night to absorb into my skin. I wake up with wonderful soft, clear, and healthy looking skin - it really makes a difference, more so than any other product ive ever used. After a couple of days without doing this my skin looks very dull and feels unhealthy.

I use rose water on my face (rubbed in with a cotton wool pad) every morning and again before bed which removes make-up, grease and dirt very effectively, without leaving harsh synthetic chemicals on my skin. But although it cleans really well, it doesn't make a big difference to the look of my skin which is why i need the exfoliating every other evening.

I use coconut oil on my body when i feel like i could do with the extra moisturising. But its not often that i moisturise anywhere other than my face. Coconut oil is generally solid at room temperature, but once you rub a teaspoon full between your hands it turns into a warm oil and rubs in very easily - the smell is beautiful too.

Little D suffers from dry skin and the doctor told me that he needed a chemical packed cream on prescription from the chemist. I declined the cream and told her i would use olive oil and she said it wouldn't work and pushed me into taking the prescription. Under the pressure i took the prescription (she made me feel like id be negligent to not get the cream) but i never went to the chemist. Instead i applied Olive oil and Shea butter (mixed together - bought here) to his skin every evening straight after his bath, and within a couple of weeks the dry, scaly, scabby marks had disappeared and he had perfect baby skin alhamdulillah. I now use it just a couple of times a week and his skin is fine.

If i need to find a recipe to help with a specific problem i will use google to see what comes up as so far i haven't found a specific site which i can guarantee will have an easy to make recipe. Miss Eco Glam is great for natural beauty treatments but not specifically home made ones. I do have a brilliant book on my shelf though. Its called 1001 Natural recipes and includes home made recipes for beauty, home, pets and health.

Many of the ingredients are well known and not too obscure to track down. The book is also easy to read and is presented very nicely - there's great photos throughout. It always has exactly what i am looking for. I would recommend it as the best book ive found on the subject so far.

A second book which i use for reference of the subject of health is called 'As-Suyuti's Medicine of the Prophet'. It was written by Jalaludin As-Suyuti in the 1400's. As-Suyuti was an Egyptian writer, teacher, juristic expert and religious scholar who wrote almost 500 books dealing with Islamic theology. You can read more about him here on Wikipedia. The book includes detailed descriptions of physical and spiritual diseases and their remedies, drawing from the Quran and from the wisdom and practices of the Prophet Muhammad (May peace be upon him). There are plenty of home made beauty and health treatments in it and the index alone is 15 pages long!

I believe that there is a cure for everything except death (as stated in the Quran) and that all of the cures can be found in the natural world. Although man made treatments can help prevent or treat illness, or can change the way we look when they are used in a beauty regime, i believe that the vast majority have detrimental side effects. And to be honest, i just love finding out about everything that grows or exists on this Earth and the reasons for it to be here - there is benefit in everything.

Buckwheat pillows...

We all know how important sleep is for us but i think many of us are irresponsible sleepers. We don't sleep enough, we don't prepare ourselves for bedtime properly (eating the wrong foods in the evening/ not giving ourselves time to wind down) and we don't sleep with the healthiest equipment - a comfortable mattress, natural bedding or the correct quilt or pillows.

We were very fortunate to be given a memory foam orthopaedic mattress when we got married and we've never slept on anything so comfortable since we started using it. Honestly, if you are in need of a new mattress then i would recommend them. There are downsides to the memory foam ones - namely that the foam is synthetic. This does allow it to react to body heat and mould to the body to offer good support, but its production is more harmful to the environment and the workers who make them, and emissions from the foam can cause more respiratory irritation than natural mattresses (though they are less likely to harbour dust mites and mildew so are better for asthma sufferers). For comfort though, i give ours top marks.

Quilts and pillows should be made from natural materials if possible. Cotton and linen are good choices, and those containing feathers, wool, cotton or buckwheat are best. The chemicals in most quilts and pillows can cause respiratory diseases, autism, ME, problems with sensitive skin, and other diseases associated with a chemical imbalance. They also dont allow the skin to breathe and can cause over heating.

Buckwheat pillows are particularly good. We've been using ours for four or five years and i don't think i would ever want to use any other kind of pillow. They are made from a cotton case and contain the hulls or husks of buckwheat. They are based on pillows which people in the east have been using for hundreds of years. The health benefits are that the husks regulate your temperature - keeping you cool when hot and warm when cold. The pillows feel like beanbags, they mould to the shape of your head and support the head and neck at the same angle as when standing / walking, thus allowing easier breathing so therefore a better nights sleep. Buckwheat pillows have been recognised for their benefits to people suffering from sleeplessness, headaches, neck pain, low back pain, muscle tension, stress, snoring, and other ailments. The husks are generally dust free so help asthma sufferers and those with other respiratory problems. They are really comfortable, and we only use one each where as we used to use two regular pillows each before hand. They are still in great condition, and they unzip to allow the husks to be removed so that you can wash the cover in the machine. The husks can be replaced every few years but this isn't necessary as they do not sag or flatten over time.

Little D is ready for a bed now (he's two now you know!) so i shall be exploring the natural bedding options very soon and will let you know what we decide to buy for him and then review it a few weeks or months down the line. A buckwheat pillow is a definite insha'Allah. Are their any natural products or items that you use and would recommend?

Buckwheat pillows...

We all know how important sleep is for us but i think many of us are irresponsible sleepers. We don't sleep enough, we don't prepare ourselves for bedtime properly (eating the wrong foods in the evening/ not giving ourselves time to wind down) and we don't sleep with the healthiest equipment - a comfortable mattress, natural bedding or the correct quilt or pillows.

We were very fortunate to be given a memory foam orthopaedic mattress when we got married and we've never slept on anything so comfortable since we started using it. Honestly, if you are in need of a new mattress then i would recommend them. There are downsides to the memory foam ones - namely that the foam is synthetic. This does allow it to react to body heat and mould to the body to offer good support, but its production is more harmful to the environment and the workers who make them, and emissions from the foam can cause more respiratory irritation than natural mattresses (though they are less likely to harbour dust mites and mildew so are better for asthma sufferers). For comfort though, i give ours top marks.

Quilts and pillows should be made from natural materials if possible. Cotton and linen are good choices, and those containing feathers, wool, cotton or buckwheat are best. The chemicals in most quilts and pillows can cause respiratory diseases, autism, ME, problems with sensitive skin, and other diseases associated with a chemical imbalance. They also dont allow the skin to breathe and can cause over heating.

Buckwheat pillows are particularly good. We've been using ours for four or five years and i don't think i would ever want to use any other kind of pillow. They are made from a cotton case and contain the hulls or husks of buckwheat. They are based on pillows which people in the east have been using for hundreds of years. The health benefits are that the husks regulate your temperature - keeping you cool when hot and warm when cold. The pillows feel like beanbags, they mould to the shape of your head and support the head and neck at the same angle as when standing / walking, thus allowing easier breathing so therefore a better nights sleep. Buckwheat pillows have been recognised for their benefits to people suffering from sleeplessness, headaches, neck pain, low back pain, muscle tension, stress, snoring, and other ailments. The husks are generally dust free so help asthma sufferers and those with other respiratory problems. They are really comfortable, and we only use one each where as we used to use two regular pillows each before hand. They are still in great condition, and they unzip to allow the husks to be removed so that you can wash the cover in the machine. The husks can be replaced every few years but this isn't necessary as they do not sag or flatten over time.

Little D is ready for a bed now (he's two now you know!) so i shall be exploring the natural bedding options very soon and will let you know what we decide to buy for him and then review it a few weeks or months down the line. A buckwheat pillow is a definite insha'Allah. Are their any natural products or items that you use and would recommend?