MINT

The Tame Adventures of an Urban ‘Gardener’

Common name         Mint

Latin name                Mentha spicata

Native names            Daun pudina

Related plants          Peppermint, Spearmint.

After needing to purchase small bundles of herbs from the markets whenever I had a product shoot, it dawned to me (Aahhh… finally, the gray matter is stirring…) that I could plant some of these herbs on my window stills and have fresh, perfect plants to use at any time. Looking for herbs in the markets like mint in mint condition (Oops… pardon the pun) is not easy as the fragile leaves easily get withered or bruised during packing, handling and transportation; damaged sprigs of herbs are so unsuitable for photography purposes. Many times, they were simply not available due to the lack of demand and supply in this quiet corner of the country and they delayed the product shoot.

So for my last purchase of fresh mint I chanced upon in the marketplace, I prepared a small pot with soil partially mixed with sawdust, inserted one of the stems into it and moistened the planting media. The plant was kept in the cool shade for a few weeks to allow it to recover. Once the barren sprig of mint started to wing out small sprouts of leaves, it was a sign that the plant had stabilized and ready to be put outside. I prepared a small wire tray and secured it so that strong winds will not knock it off. A liner made from a discarded food container will collect water to keep the soil moist; I placed it in the wire tray and the pot of mint in it. Now it’s ready to take on the world.

This image was taken against a black background in my studio after it had been placed on the ledge for a few days. Water droplets on the plant make it look even more appealing. This is one of my favorite images and sits on my desktop screen for the month. It looks so cooling and refreshing.

The position of the ledge is in cool shade for the first part of the day and gets a strong bath of sunlight during the latter part of the day. The plant seems to love the few hours of strong light as there is a profuse growth of leaves. However, the plant will slightly wilt during these hours if it has been stressed but it will fully recover in the cool evening.

A weak oil-free nutrition solution made from fish emulsion (water that has been used to clean and wash seafood) is used to water the plant every day where possible. Where given quality compost, the leaves can reach a length of 4-5cm and a width of 3-4cm. Mint has a much better visual appeal than peppermint. The plant releases a very nice, minty perfume when the leaves are brushed against.

A bonus for me is that the small plant has grown quite well and I have a truly organic herb also to garnish my meals and teas. I can also use the whole plant as a interesting background subject. It is not very difficult to grow this herb and I would recommend that every passionate gardener, cook, food lover and photographer should have this herb grown in your garden; as I do not have one in the studio, it certain does well on my window ledge.

Several days later, the healthy growth of the mint plant can be seen in the background of this food shot. This image features the Chinese Fried Red Bean Buns. A Studio Produced Image

Now I have added other herbs such as Indian Dill and Chinese Leeks to the window ledge garden; I am now thinking of adding Sweet Basil as well because my window ledge light conditions are suitable for it.

The King of Bitter

Common name         The King of Bitter Herb

Latin name                Andrographis paniculata

Native names            Hempedu bumi, pokok cerita, akar cerita

Although I have tasted many herbal plants and find many of them extremely pleasant and they add flavoring and aromatic properties to food and beverages, the most strongest herb I have tasted is the King of Bitter Herb or Andrographis paniculata. The name itself is a testimony of the strength of the plant’s properties. Totally devoid of any aroma and resemble a lemon basil leaf but it have a more elongated shape. The leaves look like an inviting, benign piece of green vegetable until one starts to bite into the leaves. My first attempt to sample this herb was to substitute it for the Holy Basil that I normally love to have in my stir-fried rice. Needless to say, it was quite a disaster food-wise.

For the uninitiated, the bitterness creeps onto your palate and then proceeds to invade your taste buds and overpowers any other flavors. Salt and soy sauces compound the sensation of the strong bitterness. The aftertaste of the bitterness continues to linger on my palate for a few hours and eventually fade away but apart from that, there are not any other unpleasant side effects.

I supposed that during cooking, the compounds of the herb strongly flavored the rest of the fried rice and the whole dish tasted bitter and bitter. Perhaps, I should be a bit more apprehensive on my first tasting attempt. Nowadays I prefer to have it raw and I find it be more palatable… a rush of bitterness initially and it fades away, then the rest of the food’s flavor comes into play. The younger leaves are much mild than the older leaves.

Known as a traditional herb for several ailments, it is used by the South East Asian community and in Ayurvedic medicine for many decades as a laxative, digestive and stomachic aid. It has also several uses for the traditional treatment of internal worm infections, flatulence, diarrhea and skin disorders such as ulcers. More accolades are bestowed on the herb as a recognized agent for treating diabetes and high blood pressure (Ahmad & Asmawi, 1993; International Conference on the use of traditional medicine and other natural products in health care, USM). Traditionally, it is also known to have anti-fertility properties and may cause abortions in pregnant women. Excessive consumption of this herb may produce some unpleasant side effects such as heart burn or insomnia.

International interest in the pharmaceutical research industry has picked up on the potential properties of this herb to treat diseases associated with autoimmune disorders. Research is being conducted to assess the potential of using the herb as a treatment for AIDS. Complex, powerful compounds have been identified by the scientific community as promising agents to treat blood clots, infections, skin diseases and cancer. It is interesting to note that it is being used for treating malaria patients. In Europe and America, King of Bitter as herbal supplements are gaining popularity for more than fifteen years in combating respiratory infections and colds. Like the Neem Tree, this humble weed’s powerful medicinal properties are mind-blowing, which leads me to conclude that this plant should have a confirmed place in every herb garden in spite of my “bitter” experience.

Found as an annual weed in Asia, it thrives in several types of soil but ideally a rich, moist soil with some partial shade is preferred. The plant in my garden grows up to the size of a small bush besides a row of orchids that provides it with some shade. It can be grown from stem cuttings or seeds. Young plants are sensitive to hot weather and 50% shade should be given until the plant starts to reach the flowering stage where the plant becomes more woody and puts out smaller and lesser leaves. Once the plant has matured, it will flower profusely and produces a lot of seeds. Eventually, the whole plant will consist of mostly terminal and axillary panicles with very small flowers. It is highly resistant to pest infestation and does not require a lot of care apart from daily watering and feeding.