Winter Melon (Compost)

Also known as white gourd, winter melon, white pumpkin, wax gourd, petha, safed kaddu, boodida gummadikaya, pooshnikai, ash gourd is actually a fruit but is referred to as a vegetable because it is cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

Oblong in shape, and 1 to 2 metres in length, ash-gourd has a smooth rind that's an ashy green with white flesh, and big, flat, oval seeds (like the red pumpkin). These gourds have been cultivated since ancient times in countries like India, Malaysia, China, and Papua New Guinea.

In India, the ash-gourd is offered to the gods in religious ceremonies. It is also considered to be effective in warding off evil spirits and the evil eye -- hence it's hung outside newly constructed homes and buildings. 

Ash-gourd is now found around the world. In the US, ash-gourd is available pretty much year-round in Indian and Asian grocery stores. It keeps well for a long time and is thus ideal for exporting. What contributes to its longevity is the chalky wax on its skin which prevents micro-organisms from attacking it and preserves it. Uncut pumpkins can be stored for almost a year without refrigeration.

Ash-Gourd and Health

Quick Facts

Ash-gourd is loaded with nutrients. It's an excellent source of vitamin B1 (thiamine), a good source of vitamin B3 (niacin), and vitamin C. It is also rich in many minerals like calcium. Its high potassium content makes this a good vegetable for maintaining a healthy blood pressure.

Containing almost 96% water, this gourd is a dietitian's delight. Be sure to include this vegetable in your weght-loss diet.

In Ayurveda and other traditional eastern medicine, ash-gourd is used as a general tonic for its restorative properties.  

In Ayurveda, ash-gourd is also used as brain food - to treat mental illnesses and nervous disorders such as epilepsy, paranoia, and insanity.

Ash-gourd is alkaline in nature and hence has a cooling and neutralizing effect on  stomach acids and as such used effectively for treating digestive ailments like hyperacidity, dyspepsia, and ulcers. Ash-gourd juice is a popular home remedy for peptic ulcers. Ash-gourd juice is also used to treat diabetes.

Ash-gourd is also useful in treating respiratory disorders like asthma, blood-related diseases, and urinary diseases like kidney stones.

Every part of this fruit is useful. Ash-gourd leaves are rubbed on bruises to heal them, while the seeds are used for expelling intestinal worms. The ash made from burning the rind and seeds are mixed with coconut oil and used to promote hair growth and to treatdandruff.

Inexpensive and versatile, ash-gourd is a healthful vegetable that should definitely be a part of any nutritious diet.

Cooking Tips

Choose full-sized, mature fruit with a hard, unblemished rind. In the US, this gourd is available pre-cut into large pieces and wrapped in plastic. Select those with firm flesh. Store the cut pieces in the refrigerator

Cut away all of the hard rind and cut into medium pieces before cooking. Ash-gourd cooks very quickly and easily, so be sure to not overcook it. If overcooked, ash-gourd almost dissolves in the water.

Ash-gourd has a bland taste and absorbs well the flavors of whatever spices you use; as such it's great for soups, curries, as well as desserts and sweets. 

Unlike the uncut ash-gourd, cut ash-gourd needs to be refrigerated and even then, it keeps fresh only for 3-4 days.

Easy to grow black mulberry

Traditionally, mulberries have been used to nourish and clean the blood, benefit the kidneys, treat weakness, fatigue and anemia. They have a strong anti-inflammatory and antiseptic action, which may help cleanse the digestive tract and benefit those with gout, arthritis, or rheumatic problems. The fruits faint scent and sweet taste make it suitable for all ages. 

Black Mulberries are believed to have been consumed by mankind since before recorded history. The mulberry has been cultivated in China for at least 50,000 years, mainly for the rearing of silkworms. The bark of the black mulberry tree is traditionally used for Chinese papermaking. A mulberry tree can live for over 600 years. Until recently many trees in England dated back to the 17th century. King James I planted plantations of trees around England, in an effort to rear silkworms. The entire yield was enough to make only one dress for his Queen.

Nutrition Facts for 8oz
Amount per Serving		% Daily Value
Calories	137	0%
Calories from Fat	0	0%
Total Fat	0g	0%
Saturated Fat	0g	0%
Trans Fat	0g	0%
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	6mg	0%
Potassium	180mg	6%
Total Carbohydrates	33g	11%
Sugars	32g
Dietary Fibers	0.2g
Protein	.60g	0%
Vitamin A  1%    *     Vitamin C  1%    *     Calcium  2%       *   Iron  4%
*Percent of Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Zero Sen

Zero Sen

The idea behind Zero Sen is to get people together to step away from depending on the Government for provision such as food, transport, water, electricity and anything that affects our life with little or no money to start with. Today, more than ever before there is a bigger demand for food due to the growing population, weather change, natural disaster, human selfishness and greed.

The way to overcome this is for us to grow our own vegetables and fruits.  If space is limited, we can grow vegetables through bottle stacking – an innovative technique that maximizes the growing of vegetable crops vertically. Besides vegetables we can breed animals such as chickens, ducks, fishes, prawns, rabbits and others in our very own compound or from unoccupied buildings.

Stating the obvious, vegetables need fertilizer to grow healthily while animals need food.

However, the cost of fertilizer and animal feed presently is RM2,000 per ton each and is expected to go up further before the year ends. Since both are beyond our means to procure, why not make our own fertilizer and animal feed? As the saying goes, ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’

We believe in creating self-sufficiency within the poor communities in Malaysia that can be jump-started by mere unwanted food wastes. In Klang Valley alone, 50,000 tons of foods are thrown to the rubbish bins every month. Globally, 1.3 billion tons of food goes to waste per year, according to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). If we can harness just a fraction of these wastes, we can make a difference. I know it can be done because I have gone through it: grow vegetables, rear chicken and make compost (by conventional method) in my own garden. What more if there is a proven machine that can produce compost and animal feed, it will simplify the tedious process.