Avip & Stefan

Avip & Stefan

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Amaryllis Flower

I have Amaryllis at home. I took pictures of them every day from the early beginning until all had blossoms.

They look tropical and exotic; large, lily-like trumpet blooms on tall, straight stems, with a base of strappy leaves.
The amaryllis comes in many beautiful varieties including various shades of red, white, pink, salmon and orange. There are also many striped and multicolored varieties, usually combining shades of pink or red with white. Of all flowering bulbs, amaryllis are the easiest to bring to bloom. This can be accomplished indoors or out, and over an extended period of time.

Amaryllis Care:
After the amaryllis has stopped flowering, it can be made to flower again. Cut the old flowers from the stem after flowering, and when the stem starts to sag, cut it back to the top of the bulb.
Continue to water and fertilize as normal. When the leaves begin to yellow, which normally occurs in the early fall, cut the leaves back to about 2 inches from the top of the bulb and remove the bulb from the soil.
1. Amaryllis tree











































Rainy Day

I love Rainy Day...
It's raining today here. That means time to be lazy, sleep or drink hot tea. No sun just dark clouds means it is really dark outside and everything is wet, the ground is covered by water and the rain keeps dropping in. Sometimes I hear thunders but too far to see the lightning... yet... else I hear the voices of frogs. Rain days are frog party days, they are enjoying the water and I hear them from all sides around the house. They seem to talk to each other and I know they won't stop until it stops to rain.
















Wednesday, January 30, 2008

PANDAN TREE

Pandan ( P. amaryllifolius)
I have many Pandan Trees in my house. The plant has many uses.
Pandan Leaf is widely used in Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. The Screwpine tree is a perennial and needs to grow in warm, damp areas in partial sunlight. The soil must be kept moist. The tree grows to be twenty-six feet high. The leaves are used there like we use vanilla flavoring. This leaf also has medicinal properties. In ancient times, the leaves were used for making house thatching and women’s grass skirts..
The medicinal uses for this tree are as follows: The entire plant is used as a diuretic, the roots have anti-diabetic properties, and the leaves are used for treating diseases of the skin.
leaves are used in Southeast Asian cooking to add a distinct aroma to rice and curry dishes such as nasi lemak ,dessert such as pandan cake.
In Indonesia, we put a fresh leaf on top of our steaming rice and We also use pandan to flavor various desserts.
Pandan leaves can be used to create a good fragance in your room. Just cut small pandan leaves and lay them on a bowl at the edges of the room. The room will refresh amazingly.

Recipe with Pandan Leaves

Sweet black rice pudding
Ingredients
cup black glutinous rice
3/4 cup white glutinous rice
2 pandan leaves
¼ tsp sea salt
5 cups water
¼ cup palm sugar
¼ cup water
1 400ml tin coconut cream
fresh bananas

Method:
Combine the black and white glutinous rice and rinse in a bowl three times to remove starch. Place rice, pandan leaves, salt and water in a heavy-based pot. Bring to the boil and simmer on medium heat.
Meanwhile, grate the palm sugar and add to the water. Bring to the boil and simmer until the sugar dissolves (about five -6 minutes).
When the rice has been cooking 30 minutes, add the syrup and cook for another 10 minutes.
Try soaking the rice the night before to cut the cooking time in half

To serve:
Serve warm on a wintry night with lashings of cold coconut cream and fresh fruit (try frying banana slices) or chill in cups for a balmy Bali summer's night treat.

Note:
Black and white glutinous rice can be found at Asian grocers. Buy fresh or frozen pandan leaves at Asian grocers. Or, instead of using pandan leaves, add a few drops of vanilla essence at the end of the cooking process.





Pandan Leaves for fragance


Pandan Tree


Friday, January 25, 2008

ANTHURIUM

I have Anthurium (family Areacea) trees in my house, the leaves of Anthurium is really beautiful.
Anthuriums are relatively easy to grow. Anthurium plants love shade and mostly grow in shaded areas. They are usually grown in shade houses while some growers have a fern tree forest and plant the anthuriums underneath the trees. Anthuriums grow equally well in pots as well as in the ground.

















Anthurium Wave of Love










Sunday, January 20, 2008

My PALM TREES

I have many kind of palm trees (Arecaceae or Palmae) in my house:
- Red Palm
- Putri Palm
- Coconut Tree
- Bottle Palm
Palm trees grow in places that are warm and have a lot of sunshine. The palms, cycads and tropical plants sections.palms tree relatively tall, erect, unbranched, regularly cylindrical.The flowers are borne on simple or branching spikes. The seed consists almost exclusively of endosperm, Upper portion of Coconut seed, albumen in a cavity in showing the embryo, embedded in endosperm, which is lodged the relatively very minute embryo.
Flower of Bottle Palm Tree

Flower of Palm Tree

Fruit of Bottle Palm Tree









Coconut Tree



Putri Palm Tree





Young Red Palm Tree

















Saturday, January 19, 2008

Morning Glory in my house

When I woke up this morning, I heard a bird singing, real nice. So I took my camera and tried to shoot some pictures.
I got many beautiful pictures from my garden:
Flowers, sun and I tried to take pictures of the bird, of a dragon fly, butter flies but...ooooohh... this is not easy at all, they are fast and fly around, everywhere...

Morning Forest :)


Morning Glory Flower

A fully open purple morning glory


Pink Anthurium in the morning!!




Cream Anthurium in the morning




Red Anthurium in the morning









Thank you for looking my website!!




My BANANA TREES

I have many banana trees in my garden; I took that picture in the morning…..
My house like a jungle of banana.......

Banana plants are of the family Musaceae. In popular culture and commerce’ Banana’’ Indonesian name is ‘’ Pisang’’ usually refers to soft, sweet "dessert" bananas that are usually eaten raw. Mana kind of Banana in Indonesia:

Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple and red. Bananas can be eaten raw though some varieties are generally cooked first, here are over 400 varieties of bananas, in Indonesia for Example:

-Pisang Tanduk usually for fried banana or kolak (dessert mixed with coconut) (size long and big)
- Pisang Raja usually for grilled mixed with cheese and Chocolate or for kolak
-Pisang Ambon usually eaten raw
- Pisang Mas usually eaten raw (small)
- Pisang Kelutuk usually for Rujak… (Indonesian dessert mixed with other fruits like: Star Fruit, young mango and with palm sugar..)

My favorite dessert is Banana grilled :)

Bananas may also be dried and eaten as a snack food. Dried bananas are also ground into banana flour.

The leaves of the banana are large, flexible, and waterproof; they are used in many ways, including to wrap food for cooking.

A banana is a natural remedy for many ills. It has many protein, carbohydrate, phosphorus, vitamin A and iron, and the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around.
Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup toasted walnuts or pecans, chopped
3 ripe, soft, darkly speckled large bananas, mashed well (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
6 tablespoons butter, melted then cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease bottom only of regular loaf pan, or grease and flour bottom and sides of nonstick 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan.
Combine dry ingredients together in large bowl and set aside.
Mix mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla with wooden spoon in medium bowl.
Lightly fold banana mixture into dry ingredients with rubber spatula until just combined and batter looks thick and chunky.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan; bake until loaf is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 55 minutes.
Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.
Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator for 4 days, on the counter for 2 days.

Young Pisang Mas

inflorescence partially opened (pisang Mas)

inflorescence being taken before the lower part opens.



Pisang Tanduk


inflorescence of pisang tanduk partially opened
a little bit difference with pisang mas

Long and not many inflorescene



Jungle of Banana Tree in My house





















Friday, January 18, 2008

ALOE VERA

I have many aloe Vera in my Garden. The Aloe Vera plant, a member of the Lily Family, is a succulent that closely resembles a cactus.
Aloe Vera is easy to care. Plants have been grown outdoors or indoors in pots in order to help remove toxins from the atmosphere.

If trying to grow this plant outdoors then it will need the sunniest (full sun) or light shade. It grows very well in a sunny windowsill.
Aloe Vera is a tropical and sub tropical plant. The plant can be separated into two basic products: gel and latex.
The aloe Vera plant contains number of health benefits that has been used for medicinal purposes around the world for more than 3500 years.

The properties of Aloe Vera Gel, applied externally or taken internally, have been described in numerous scientific journals and reveals that the Aloe Vera contains more than 70 Essential Ingredients including most Vitamins, Minerals, Enzymes, Protein, Amino Acids and a recent study also discovered Vitamin B 12.

Aloe Vera benefits for skin, Hairs, cosmetics and beauty.
Aloe gel has been used for topical treatment of wounds, minor burns, and skin irritations
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Wednesday, January 16, 2008

KAMBOJA FLOWER (PLUMERIA)

Kamboja flowers (Plumeria) in my garden. Colour: White, pink, red and yellow.It looks so beautiful, the flower grows along the year.Plumeria is a tropical flower.I like this flower, beautiful and exotis, I hope you will like it too

Kamboja flowers which are common adornments throughout Bali and often seen wound in a woman's hair or tucked behind an ear. look so .....beautiful and lovely
Pink Plumeria



Red Kamboja (Plumeria) Flower




White Kamboja (Plumeria)






Tree of Plumeria