🥬 Edibles Encyclopedia • Hindi & English • Free
Edibles Encyclopedia खाद्य पौधों की पूरी जानकारी — Hindi और English में
Vegetables, fruits and herbs — complete growing guides, nutrition, harvest time and Indian kitchen uses
Ginger / Adrak
अदरक
Zingiber officinale
Ginger / Adrak — 1 kg plant → 5-8 kg harvest. Loves partial shade (shady spots!). Pregnancy nausea clinically proven. Dry sunthi 10x more anti-inflammatory than fresh. Freeze whole.
🌱 Feb-April planting | Nov-Dec harvest
⏱️ 6-8 months — 1 kg planted → 5-8 kg harvested
Kiwi
कीवी
Actinidia deliciosa (fuzzy) | A. chinensis (golden)
Kiwi — grows in India (Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand)! 2 kiwi before bed = 35% better sleep (clinical study). Must plant MALE + FEMALE. Skin is edible (more fiber). Hills 700m+ only.
🌱 Nov-Feb (dormant season) | Grafted male + female both required! | HP/Uttarakhand only
⏱️ 4-5 years first fruit | Nov-Feb harvest | Ripen off-vine
Neem Leaves
नीम के पत्ते / निम्ब
Azadirachta indica
Neem Leaves — "Village pharmacy" tree. Datun = toothbrush (clinically equal!). Ugadi tradition = pharmacology. AVOID pregnancy (abortifacient). 150-200 year tree. Zero inputs, zero pests.
🌱 June-July from seed or seedling | Large tree needs open ground
⏱️ Young pale green tips year-round | Spring flush (March-April) = best drying
Turmeric / Haldi
हल्दी
Curcuma longa
Turmeric / Haldi — 12,000+ studies. Always add black pepper (2000% curcumin absorption!). Organic growing = higher curcumin. Lakadong = world's highest 6-7%. 1 kg → 6-10 kg harvest.
🌱 Feb-May planting | Jan-March harvest
⏱️ 7-9 months — 1 kg planted → 6-10 kg harvested
Avocado / Makhanphal
एवोकाडो / मक्खनफल
Persea americana
Avocado / Makhanphal — grows in Coorg, Nilgiris, Wayanad! Fat multiplies other food's nutrients 3-15x. More potassium than banana. Plant Type A + Type B. Seed/skin toxic to pets.
🌱 June-July | Grafted Type A + Type B both for cross-pollination | South India ideal
⏱️ Grafted: 3-5 years | June-Sept main | Does NOT ripen on tree
Chamomile / Babune ka Phool
कैमोमाइल / बबूने का फूल
Matricaria chamomilla (German — most medicinal) | Chamaemelum nobile (Roman)
Chamomile — seeds need LIGHT to germinate (don't cover!). Petals flat = harvest now. Sleep +15%, Anxiety = lorazepam comparable (26 weeks). Shade dry flowers. Ragweed allergy: test first.
🌱 October-November | Seeds need LIGHT to germinate — DO NOT COVER with soil!
⏱️ First flowers: 6-8 weeks | Harvest TWICE weekly (petals flat = peak)
Pumpkin / Kaddu
कद्दू / सीताफल
Cucurbita moschata / C. maxima
Pumpkin / Kaddu — stores 3-6 months room temperature (cure first!). Rooftop ideal. Never throw seeds (30g protein + zinc). Deeper orange = more beta-carotene. Hand pollinate.
🌱 Feb-March (summer) | June-July (monsoon)
⏱️ 60-90 days — cure 7-10 days for 3-6 month storage
Coconut / Nariyal
नारियल
Cocos nucifera
Coconut / Nariyal — "Kalpavriksha" every single part used. Coconut water beats sports drinks. Lauric acid = antimicrobial. VCO make at home. Kerala coastal India only — 1500mm+ rainfall.
🌱 June-July | Dwarf or Hybrid grafted | Coastal India only
⏱️ Dwarf: 3-4 years | Tall: 6-8 years | 50-200 nuts/year | 60-100 yr tree
Lavender
लैवेंडर / लैवंग पुष्प
Lavandula angustifolia (English) | L. × intermedia (lavandin hybrid)
Lavender — J&K Bhaderwah = India's lavender country! ALKALINE soil (unusual!). Overwatering kills. Anxiety = lorazepam comparable. Plains India: partial success. Hills: spectacular.
🌱 From cuttings (seeds variable) | Sept-Oct or March-April | ALKALINE soil!
⏱️ Half flowers open = peak harvest | Perennial 10-15 years | Never cut old wood
Showing 9 of 75 edibles
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