My Korean-American Life

I spend a lot of time outside tending vegetables in my garden. As I'm particularly susceptible to mosquito bites,  I thoroughly spray mosquito repellent on my hands, ankles, and neck even though I wear long sleeves and pants. A pack of three mosquito repellent bottles I bought even before the season had begun and I used them all in the midst of summer. I wondered  how this repellent is made and searched how to make it easy at home. Then, I found a very easy way: a lemon mosquito repellent. All you need is lemon and water. At first, I was skeptical. As I had two wilting lemons in the fridge, I decided to give it a try. I squeezed the juice of the lemon, poured a cup of water, boiled them together, cooled and put them in an empty spray bottle. To test it, I put it on my arms and neck and went out into the garden. The mosquitoes pierced my socks and bit my feet and ankles, but to my surprise, no mosquitoes bit me at all on my arm that was covered with the lemon spray. I was so cu...

 How to make Namul (Korean Vegetable Side Dishes) in 3 steps Korean Yam (sweet potato) flowers bloomed in the backyard garden. When I heard that the lavender-colored sweet potato flowers are beautiful, I determined to grow and see them. I cut off some withered sweet potatoes, placed them in water to root, and once the leaves grew lush, I planted them outside about a month ago.  Korean Yam flowers After I posted a photo of the flowers in a gardening group chat, a farmer poet replied that cutting the flowers would allow nutrients to be directed to the roots, making the sweet potatoes grow larger. I cut the flowers, put them in a vase, and also harvested the lush leaves and stems to make Korean side dishes. It is said eating sweet potato greens as a side dish improves skin texture, alleviates constipation, and strengthens digestive function. Additionally, sweet potato leaves are rich in various nutrients, with protein levels comparable to pork and beef, and carotene levels three ...