Showing 1 - 6 of 6
Grow your own grub
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 22/11/2015
» Readers must have heard of His Majesty the King’s por piang (self-sufficiency) economy for farmers. Based on the assumption that a farmer owns 15 rai of land, it advises the land be divided four ways: 30%, or 4.5 rai, for a pond or water reservoir, 30% for a rice field, 30% for vegetable and fruit orchards, and 10%, or 1.5 rai, for a residential area.
Not by any other name
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 29/03/2015
» What's in a name? Following the column about Quisqualis indica two weeks ago, Alain Missorten asked: “Any idea why it is called the Rangoon creeper?”
Tree foundations vs building foundations
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 18/05/2014
» Trees around the house make the surroundings cool and lessen the air-conditioning bill. They provide privacy and screen the house from the heat of the sun and dust. However, trees grow big, and planted too close to a house or building, they can cause problems in the long run. A big branch of a large tabebuia tree behind my brother-in-law’s house once broke in strong winds and landed in a neighbour’s garden. It missed her roof by a couple of metres and, luckily, it did not hit someone.
In search of the tasty tomato
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 11/05/2014
» I have eaten tomatoes all my life. When I was growing up in the Philippines, my mother used them in most of her dishes, except when they were not in season. For her, a stir-fried dish was not complete unless it had sauteed onion and tomatoes in addition to garlic. As in most Filipino homes, salted eggs and fish were always eaten with sliced fresh, juicy red tomatoes, as was the Filipino version of “salad”, which was actually blanched or boiled vegetables dipped in a sauce made of bagoong (fermented fish or shrimp) and tomatoes.
Fifty ways of shade
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 24/11/2013
» Reader Ekachai sent me an email saying that his house faces south. "The afternoon sun is unbearable especially from November 'til May," he wrote. "I would like to grow trees to help shade the garage roof. Unfortunately, there's no place where I can plant trees, as the ground is paved with cement. I heard we can grow trees in big circular concrete blocks. Can I have your comment, please?"
Tree of life: Leaves help good health take root
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 07/07/2013
» Andre wrote from Ban Chang in Rayong to say that he wanted to get some dried leaves of Terminalia catappa, or Indian almond tree, for his wife's fish tank and asked where he could get them. I suggested that he find a tree and pick up the leaves that had fallen from it. If Andre cannot find a tree in his immediate neighbourhood, Wang Kaew Beach Resort near Laem Mae Pim in Rayong has several Terminalia catappa, known in Thai as hu kwang, by the seaside. Leaves fall every day, so I'm sure he will be able to obtain what he needs there. All he has to do is to dry them a bit more and they won't be any different from dried hu kwang leaves sold at some shops selling Siamese fighting fish at Chatuchak Weekend Market.