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Easy Winter Vegetable Gardening in India :The Ultimate guide

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on December 23, 2022 0

Do you want to grow some of your own vegetables?May be just the leafy greens?Are you planning to gt a Hydroponic system?Do you plan to invest in one of those cute table top salad producers?

I have a hydroponic system and I stopped using it because the chemicals I have to buy regularly online for sustaining my crops stopped making sense during COVID, when delivery of certain things were restricted.

Today I will tell you the story behind my kitchen garden.From my teenage years I suffered from various episodes of gastritis.It wasn’t a regular affair but if I missed meals or had processed food like the famous fried chicken or pizza from a renowned pizza shop , I suffered classic travelers diarrhea even when I didn’t travel.Funny right?

Frozen chicken ,frozen fish didn’t agree with my tummy.But at home I could eat almost anything.

The problem was with my digestion. I saw that I could eat anything if the quantity was less and ate before 8 pm.It was also important I avoid sweets in the evening.These two things were not really rocket science, but me being a sweet loving Bengali it was difficult. I was the doctor who had to moderate her own sweet intake before I recommended less sweets for my patients.

Now how does the story about my digestive capabilities link to my farming activities?I wanted to grow my own food.Organic food is not possible in a small town where I live.Commercially produced or mass produced vegetables reek of pesticticides and taste like sawdust.During the COVID lockdown I grew pumpkin greens,bottle gourd greens,mustard greens,spinach and lettuce in pots on my balcony garden.

My husband seeing this and my daughter being stuck at home had a change of heart.He decided to restore and refurbish the broken down childhood home and reclaim the soil that was his gift .

You can read about the village home and garden here ,but since you have read this far ,here is a list of easy vegetables you can grow in a small 1000 square foot plot in smallpatches in winter.

Malda Temperature in December is maximum 24.5°C and minimum 13° degree C.November it’s warmer. January is colder .The nights stay cold till end of March .So the winter veggies grow well.There’s usually no rainfall until end of February when few days of rainfall prolong the cold season .Its humid subtropical zone where most tropical fruits and vegetables grow

Vegetable to Grow

Spinach
Lettuce,
Radish
Carrots
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Mustard greens
Methi greens
Coriander
Green chillies and bay leaves are a year round staple now.Onion greens ,garlic greens you can grow in pots on window sills and balcony for some fresh green every day.

Read about the 6 Edible greens to grow on your balcony garden

Gardening tools

Garden spade,rubber gloves, pail,water hose.

Garden soil,Coco peat,cow dung manure,vermicompist,bone meal,blood meal .

Most important

Start small
Celebrate your wins
Eat a variety of greens
Remember soil health and avoid over farming.
Growing what you eat is a win win for all
Grow native plants ,vegetables and try to save your seeds .

Terrace garden,container garden,roof garden ?

Don’t worry I have got you covered.Both Open roof and terrace have direct sunlight and yiu can grow anything you like eating

For balcony garden things get a little tricky.

But you can still grow spinach,mustard greens,methi greens,lettuce,borboti green chillies ,bitter Gourd,pumpkin greens,cucumber as long as you have atleast 5 to 6 hours of sunlight .Remember greens can grow with less sun but for vegetables to grow, good direct sunlight is crucial.Without sunlight the photon energy cannot be converted to chemical energy in the carbohydrates/starch in the veggies..

Broccoli last winter

Advantages of growing (some of) your own food (even partly)

Less chemicals used. Less time spent traveling from farm to table,zero refrigeration ,zero loss of nutrients together means your body thanks you everyday .What you put inside the body is reflected in what happens to your health.Food is not just calories. They give us energy and are the source of building blocks for growth and repair .

Farm to Table Advantage

Less chemicals used .
Less time spent traveling from farm to table.
Zero refrigeration .
Zero loss of nutrients .

This is what we grew last winter

Borboti Harvesting

Related queries

Growing Baby Carrots

Baby Carrot harvest haul

Radish farming and harvesting is fun with kids

Growing methi and cooking methi ka paratha with home grown Methi made it easier for me to introduce this saag to my daughter .

Spinach harvesting makes for some delicious dishes

Writing this for the final #CauseAchatter post for Blogchatter

Wrapping Up 2022 #GoogleforIndia

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on December 20, 2022 0

#GoogleforIndia stole the show with their funding announcement for India’s digitization and the 4 pronged plan. My favorites were enabling access with better and cheaper connectivity and empowering businesses.

The year just flew by. I wanted to start a shop on a famous eCommerce portal. But the pricing was not suitable. The free option of another shop front I use now doesn’t work very well. While I continue the research for the next year. It’s time to say goodbye to 2022 and say hello to the shiny New 2023 waiting just around the corner. But before that comes Christmas and my best wishes for everyone to be Merry always and happy forever. This is what Diana @prisletters on Instagram lettered and I had to use it.

Some Health Wellness News

WHO may be declaring the world pandemic free in 2023.But there’s also warning about a new strain.

The MR vaccine will soon be given to school-going kids in the age group of 9 months to 15 years.

I attended a health checkup camp at my daughter’s school and was pleasantly surprised by the level of mental health awareness in teens. If you want me to talk at a school or educational institute about health -wellness you can write to me at dramrita@healthwealthbridge.com

Breast cancer screening is something I am passionate about and I wrote a detailed blog post about it.

HPV prevention is important and the more you know, the better it is.

Google for India announced a host of plans for India including empowering women and affordable digital access. Plus AI-powered reading of a Doctor’s prescriptions will give you information about drugs, dose, and complications. But this is one way of search engines get access to your private medical data too. I am not sure it’s all hunky dory on that count. Because the information with regards to medicine, their brand names, and complications are all available even now on the internet.

Some Creator News

The Anchor may soon be called Creator Studio by Spotify.

You can auto-enhance your audio recorded on mobile with the Anchor app.

Google may soon bring courses from creators with options for both paid and free courses.

CANVA now has a docs option with AI writer.

Revue is retiring in January.

A Gift :

I finished the serialized podcast version of my Ebook How to Walk, Write and Garden for the Healthy Life You Want. You can hear it for free on Healthwealthbridge Podcast

On a personal note

I loved visiting the Mayfair Tea Resort in Siliguri with its antique decor and warm hospitality and painting to my heart’s content.

Bottle Gourd: Did you know we eat the entire vegetable?

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on December 5, 2022 0

Did you know we eat the entire Bottle Gourd? Yes, we do. The main vegetable, the seeds, the peels, the shoots, and the leaves. Now bottle gourd is called Lau in Bengali and Ghia, dudhi, or Launki in Hindi. It’s popular all over India with various methods of cooking. Just like the pumpkin shell, the bottle gourd shell has various ornamental use too.

It’s a part of the pumpkin family and is one of those veggies which have helped me survive the lockdown. You will ask me why?

Well, the humble bottle gourd you will find growing on roofs of West Bengal countryside. The old and dried bottle gourd is used to make bori. It’s used as a dried condiment. Its fresh juice is popular due to its pharmacological properties.

It’s cooked as a delicious vegetable side dish. Bengalis cook it both as a vegetarian dish or with shrimps as a non-vegetarian dish.

The best part is this vegetable is versatile, it can be eaten with rice or phulka/roti. We use the vegetable peel as a delicious side dish with rice and even eat the greens and leaves of the bottle gourd plant. That’s the best ways to eat responsibly. Eat the whole vegetable.

Now I will tell you about Bottle gourd cooked as a vegetarian side dish.Its super easy,filling and nutritious requires very little oil ,spices and delicious too.

Bottle gourd /Lauki /Lau:Quick easy Healthy Recipe

How to cook the bottle gourd?

Peel the bottle gourd. Keep the peels separately. Now you need to dice the bottle gourd. Once it’s diced, get the spices ready.

Spices:

Bay leaf,
cumin whole,
red chillies(optional)
Ginger paste or grated
Haldi/turmeric
Cumin powder
Salt to taste

Others ingredients:

Green chillies,tomatoes

Steps of cooking

You need to heat oil in a big Kadai.
Mustard oil or sunflower oil works.10ml oil was used for a 1.5Kg bottle gourd.
Bay leaf and red chili or green chill, the whole jeera is used to temper the oil.
You can add the ginger now.
But I like the extra gingery taste and have added it a little later. Add the diced bottle gourd.
For a one and a half kilo bottle gourd I use 5mg turmeric,5mg jeera, salt according to taste, ginger paste, tomatoes, green chilies.

The Dont’s

Don’t cover and cook.

Don’t add water .

Don’t cook in high flame .

The tomatoes and the bottle gourd both release a lot of water and it gets cooked slowly. When it’s cooked just right, the water will all be dried. The bottle gourd will be slightly firm but cooked all the way.It’s spicy from the green chilies, tangy because of the tomatoes with lovely ginger and jeera flavoring.

If bottle gourd is bitter after peeling and cutting,dont eat it. Don’t drink bitter bottle gourd juice.

Growing Bottle Gourd in our Vegetable garden

In my next book coming up, I will be sharing bottle gourd cooked with milk, the nonvegetarian bottle gourd, and the vegetable peel recipe too. Can you guess what the book is about?

Real Estate Investing made Simple

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on November 30, 2022 0

What’s real estate looking like in 2023?

Did COVID-19 spoil the market or make it better? Is real estate an excellent investment this season?I have always been a saver but I love buying when it’s a great value.

I might bore you with this, but read what Charlie Munger says. But more about that later. So how to invest in real estate? Is it even a good idea?

Well, it depends on your portfolio. I am not an investment specialist. I don’t give professional Financial advice on this blog or elsewhere. What I do is share what helps me.Investment is dependent on personal risk appetite and best with professional advice.

If you have planned your monthly savings, well remember diversified, safe but good returns don’t always go together.So choose the type of investment that makes sense for your current financial life and future goals.

*Real story about buying Real Estate in West Bengal*

I started my Public Provident fund when I entered Medical College. During my PG I invested in a double benefit life insurance. After marriage, we both invested in a good health plan, a life insurance term one and then a mutual fund each.This was the basic starting point before we planned to buy our first house. We even checked out possible monthly EMI before going house searching. That way, we wasted less time.

*Google trends image showing trends for real estate topics in India post Covid* .Darker colour region indicate more interest

I also didn’t focus on iffy deals from iffy banks, but pre approved projects under good builders.But that’s a topic for another time

Today I talk about how COVID-19 has affected my decision of buying real estate. Work from home changed what people werre looking for in real estate.My husband abd I being doctors didn’t really have work from home as a decisive point. But all the mask wearing which though protective made us more conscious of the need for open spaces and clean air .

Before COVID 19, hit having a well ventilated, airy home was important for me just like everyone else.I have an extensive balcony garden and indoor plants to keep the room air as fresh as possible. But after COVID-19 I wanted a home with outdoor spaces.Does it make sense?Yes it does and this article in Forbes talks about how the graph for real estate is not as bad as you think.

Being cooped up in a cage is bad for your health.My husband’s family home was in a dilapidated condition.There was a renter who barely looked after it.I wanted a chance to visit it on weekends and holidays so that my daughter could play surrounded by nature didn’t happen for 7 years. Until COVID 19 hit and my hubby cooped up indoors month long. That first month decided to reclaim his heritage.That started him on the way to researching real estate in the small town we live in part time and Kolkata .

When we planned on buying a home in the outskirts of the town we checked out whether the home loan EMI and the cost of the land for our budget or not.

Whether to buy some land or buy an apartment ?What would be a good idea?What with the economy being what it is right now,what makes more sense?In the part of the world where I live COVID 19 has given a push for reclaiming lost land,homes and gardens.

It’s not just land, it’s a chance to breathe in fresh air because one never knows.While overpriced city properties face few takers ,bigger properties with green spaces look inviting.

If you have the resources ,buying when the market it down gives you more choices.

After much thought, we renovated our ancestral home in the village as the renter was shifting .We also bought a piece of land which we are reforesting partly and using the rest as a vegetable garden. The land we financed through a bank loan and the home renovation took place slowly, with monthly payments to a local contractor. It fit our budget and solved a problem.

We now have a family home and garden to visit every weekend and since the land we bought was around 20 minutes from where we lived in the town centre but in a rural area, the pricing was just right. Diversification of our portfolio was much better with real estate involved.

3 tips for choosing a real estate property

Have a budget .

Know why you are gaining a property.

Never buy overpriced property. Its more difficult to recover the investment .

Buying real estate is a part of a long-term investment plan to prevent capital gains taxation .

If you are buying land for the first time,buy it at a place where you can visit and where you have plans for the long term.

13 Tough Blogging Lessons I learned in eight years of Blogging Journey

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on November 29, 2022 2

When life gives you lemons, you can do many things. But one of them is lemonade. If you are lonely, you can have a lot of problems, but one result is you can start writing.

Research says most writers start writing when they don’t have enough people to talk to. Maybe that did happen to me back in 2014. Being the mommy of a two-year-old living in a small town with limited adult social interaction can affect you in different ways. With that, I lost touch with people close to me. It was a difficult time but the inner confusion spurted forth through the keyboard on my phone. For the first two years of my blogging journey, I wrote on my phone with the baby napping in my lap. Using the laptop was a luxury I didn’t have time for.

When you can’t help yourself, sometimes helping others helps us in ways beyond the usual.

Writing helpful content, in the health- wellness sphere was my way of doing more of what I did professionally but online. It was one way of giving back for all the help I received. Plus it was possible from home, at any time, while building a possible resource for the future. I didn’t know SEO, Keyword research, I was a non-native English speaker but I had a passion and the elusive Ikigai (which I didn’t know back then).

I published my first nonfiction book-the Fruits for Life ,the first in the Nutrition secrets series,that went on to help create a different avenue of opportunity. I was now also an author. It was a turning point and I am grateful to the self-publishing world of KDP for making this possible.

Then came the podcast in 2018 and there was no looking back. The blogging journey was influenced by Pat Flynn and Amy Lynn Andrew’s blogs. But the Podcasting leap was solely because of the Smart Passive Income podcast. The dream of future passive income, when you are active today was inspiring.

Then there was a surprise win for my second podcast with India’s first Voice of Anchor 2022, co-hosted by Anchor and Spotify India which made me brave enough to push for the launch of my first fiction Audiobook. None of this happened in isolation and everything happens for a reason. How did I grow my blog? What worked, and what didn’t? What do I wish I knew? That’s what this post is about.

13 Blogging Lessons I learned in eight years of Blogging Journey

The Lessons from eight years of Blogging were learned through sweat and grime and loads of time, learning, doing, making mistakes, giving up, and then trying again.

1) Writing helpful content with the audience persona in mind is crucial. Write the answers to questions people search for. Google Helpful content update says just that. Educate bridge the knowledge gap and level the playing field. Whether people will learn and what they do after learning, is another matter altogether. My blog, Podcasts, and YouTube channel are all a part of the content ecosphere. I believe in education to level the playing field.

2. Don’t forget search engine optimization but don’t let it weigh you done. Too much research can be mind-numbing.SEMrush and Yoast have several free courses so keep learning. Read a lot. Always.

3. Writing with keywords in mind but your unique take will help make you write better content. But this won’t happen overnight and even now sometimes I just write opinion posts when I don’t want to research keywords. That’s the good part of being a blogger. You are a writer, a change-maker, a teacher, a social activist, or anything you want to be. But Keywords are crucial if you want to reach the people who need your help.

4. Internal linking is an often ignored piece of backend work that can really help Google index your content. Just be careful about what you are linking to and avoid keyword competition within your own blog posts. It’s called Keyword cannibalization and should be avoided at all costs. That happened to me and I have to go back and correct my mistakes.

5 Sharing on social media will help even early ones. But don’t build your blogging business on a social platform. Rented land is rented land. Schedule posts to avoid burnout. Did you know Jetpack premium has a scheduler and now allows multiple sharing of blog posts from within your WordPress dashboard?I am a procrastinator when it comes to scheduling and forever struggle to remember to do it just right.

6. Start creating a podcast on a free platform like Anchor around your pillar posts to see how it works for you. Similarly, create a YouTube channel. Remember to focus on one platform at a time. If you are the only one managing all sides of your blog, then having a plan for each content type becomes even more important. Repurposing smartly according to the platform is the best way to extend the life of your blog posts and reach more people. Go for paid hosting for audio and video, after you are willing to go the extra mile.I am still not there and that’s for another post in the future.

7. Write the book or blog the book. Whatever works for you. Having your own book to share an in-depth topic you are passionate about will really help make you an authority in that field. That is a cool way to get you more brand work and opportunities. You can self-publish the book or offer it as an opt-in freebie. Either way, it will help you. I have a collection of nonfiction and cozy mysteries in Kindle Unlimited under Dr.Amrita Basu’s pen name that is free to read. Check them out.

8. Start the newsletter and this is where I am still struggling and regret not doing it in a more dedicated manner. I did start back in 2018, but life was too busy back then and I was barely managing. But now I am back to sending newsletters to my fledgling list. Start early. That’s my advice. Don’t make the mistake I made. Subscribe to my newsletter here.

9. Don’t compare yourself with anyone. It’s soul-sucking and will stop you from creating. Ignore the noise and FOMO

10. Be persistent in content creation. Be part of a quality platform like Intellifluence to help brands find you. It’s the best way to help support the work you do. While reading a lot will help you learn. Writing a lot will help you build that muscle memory and confidence which is needed to grow in your blogging journey.

11 Be mindful of your why a.k.a the mission statement. Every content piece is a chance to help another person. That’s my mission and if this helps you, I would love it if you subscribed to my newsletter.

12 Rehashing content without your unique take is a disservice to your reader. So remember to always create with your reader in mind. Their time should never be wasted.

13 Accepting new technology and marketing methods will help your mission and vision. Whatever you do, never forget to have fun while exploring the creative playground.

What helped me continue creating content?

I wanted to live my life, not die trying to prove a point. Blogging was my part-time income and continued working as a private practitioner full-time. I love being a doctor, and the flexibility of being self-employed is addictive, even if challenging. But blogging helped me spread my wings, have fun and help people in ways I never dreamt of. That is the reason that keeps me going.

3 Best Deals for Bloggers on #BlackFriday

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on November 25, 2022 0

When I talk about three things to buy on Black Friday Sales,you can’t miss the three below.Unlike other creators sharing numerous offers ,I kept it simple.The reason being I talk about software and courses only when I have bought them and used them or been gifted them and used .The 3 below I bought myself, liked them and then signed up as an affiliate.

The links below are affiliate links.This means I earn a small commission if you buy any product through these links.Thst in no way affects the price of your product.Thank you for your support .

Printable by Numbers is one of my favorite courses and if there is one thing you want to buy to start your digital entrepreneurship it’s that.If you are thinking of starting small check out her digital product ideas for a quick jump start into creating info products

Can I talk about creative entrepreneurship without Canva?Get Canva Pro and start creating printables like a pro with pro elements.

Pro Writing Aid Life time is what I bought abd it’s easily my best investment decision as a writer.Whatever creative content I write,my books,blog post,podcast script or video script ,the editing ,structuring flow readability are all taken care of by ProWritingAid .

Now that’s done.I have to tell you,why I waited several months before recommending them .

On this blog I started to share about my journey towards mompreneurship back in 2014.In 2020 I became a creative mompreneur.That I felt was more befitting my journey in the digital world.

Canva is perfect for growing your brand identity,creating blog post images,social images,podcast show creatoves,videos,book covers,digital products etc.You name it they have got it.I am using Canva for a very long time and now using Canva Pro for 3 straight years.Its one of the best investments ever.

The pro templates ,fonts ,images,videos,are amazing.But even better are their one click video background remover ,which by itself makes Canva Pro worth its prize.Plus Canva now let’s you schedule from inside the app.

The best accompaniment to Canva Pro is Suzi of Start a mom blog Printable by Numbers course.Her updates are free and it’s for lifetime access.Create your own digital business with Suzi’s easy to use Printable by number.Even if you don’t have Canva Pro you can use her tutorials with the free Canva account.Plus she shares how to use other free software to create Printable.

Pro Writing Aid is now my favorite software to edit better.If you want some special tips from the experts of editing get this free book Take your writing to the next level

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