Earlier this year, I picked up neglected plants from the street and got free plants from a nearby community garden for my backyard. However, my schedule was full of activities including travelling abroad, and I didn’t have much time to care for them during spring and summer. Alhamdulillah, everything grows on its own, allowing me to enjoy a small harvest while letting the family of rabbits enjoy the rest.
From the harvest, I cooked a stir-fry using basic Indonesian ingredients (shallots, garlic, soy sauce, and sambal). I love it, and I appreciate that I can simply go to my backyard and pick the veggies to cook.
My biggest achievement so far is my papaya plant. I have been growing it in a pot from seed since 2021. I keep it indoors during the winter and let it thrive outdoors during the summer. This year, baby papayas are growing on the plant. Unfortunately, winter is coming soon, and I am not sure if it will survive.
Baby Papaya
Another thing I was excited about was my milkweed plant attracting Monarchs again. Last year, no Monarch showed up due to construction next to my backyard. In previous years, a family of Monarchs enjoyed my milkweed. I also love my native plant, the Goldenrod, which bursts with beautiful yellow color and attracts bees.
I am grateful to be inspired and have learned so much from Muslim community about planting and gardening—something I once thought I was not capable of doing.
I was inspired to start growing plants after the Chicago Muslims Green Team organized the 2020 Green Ramadan online campaign during the COVID pandemic, which included sharing our eco-friendly practices in our everyday lives via Zoom. At that time, I shared my love for recycling art and crafts, while others shared their passion for gardening and growing things from food scraps. I love that we can learn so much from each other in our community about how to go green and back to nature.
