Turkey berry: a vegetable and a medicinal plant.

         

Turkey berry is also known as Chundakka, Chundakkai, Solanum torvum or Sudakkai. Chunda is a bushy plant looks like an egg plant which grows up to two meters height. It is seen almost everywhere in India. The fruit of Chunda is known as Chundakka. Turkey berry is considered as a vegetable and a medicinal plant.

Turkey berry belongs to the family of Solanaceae. Chundakka is traditionally using as a medicinal plant which has been considered as a good antidote for worms in stomach and for treating stomach ulcers. Including chundakka in our regular diet would control Blood pressure, Diabetes, disorders of Kidney and Liver. It also helps to produce more healthy juices in Pancreas and is used as a liver tonic.

Chundakka is a tasty vegetable which can be used in various recipes like Kondottam, thoran, sambar, theeyal, Pachadi and more. As a rich in fiber vegetable Chundakka helps to easy digestion. Remove the seeds of chundakka or dip it to salt, curd or turmeric before cooking for lessening the bitterness of it.

Try chundakka today as a vegetable; it is easily available everywhere in India.

 Visit Keralaponics or contact us on 9387735697 for more information on gardening, Aquaponics, Hydropnics, Bottle gardening, Self watering planters and more.

Kitchen green: a self watering Indoor kitchen garden @ Keralaponics.

Kitchen green is another Indoor self watering kitchen garden developed in Keralaponics. Kitchen green is a mini self watering garden which enables us to grow vegetables, herbs or ornamental plants indoors. This system combines so many established gardening techniques.

A large metal or plastic container of minimum 6” height is the main part of the system. A 2 litre soda bottle with auto siphon mechanism supplies water to the plants. Any vegetables or herbs which are growing well without the full sun light are suitable for planting in Kitchen green.

 A stainless steel basin of 2’ diameter and 0.5’ height is used for the kitchen green shown in the picture. In the bottom of the basin, 1” crushed rubble pieces are filled in to 2” thickness, next 1” is covered with small pieces of coconut husks. The soda bottle with auto siphon mechanism placed inside a 4” PVC pipe at the middle of the basin in way to keep the water level is always up to the top of the crushed rubbles. The PVC pipe acts as a guide for the bottle and holds it. Potting mixture filled above the coconut husk pieces. Planted seedlings and rooted cuttings in the kitchen green.

Plants used here are saplings of Curry tree, Rambha(Panda leaves), Chaya(Spinach tree), Basil, Verigated Cuban Oregano, Pothina and more. This system is only meant for placing under a roof. An over flow system must be attached for placing it on outdoors. Refilling of the bottle is required 10-15 days when became empty. We could add diluted liquid fertilizers to the water when refilling the bottle.

Kitchen green is very useful for the peoples living in urban areas where space is the main constrain for making a garden. Keep a kitchen green, it is very beneficial as a store front of organic vegetables or herbs in our home.

For more details call us on 9387735697 or visit; Keralaponics