AlgaeLab, grow your own Spirulina Foraging Fun: Making Your Own Wild Root Brew : Peaceful Dumpling Human beings have been gathering their food for nearly two million years. Up until around ten thousand years ago, foraging was very likely people’s only means of survival. It’s hard to imagine no quick run to the corner market to pick up a little flour, but a Homo erectus who wanted to eat bread had to wait until summer, go find the grain, harvest it with a handmade scythe, pound it, and bake it into an unleavened loaf. I am very glad for my corner market. One plant that has always intrigued me is the chicory. Another wonderful quality of this roadside herb is that the roasted root of the chicory makes a delicious coffee-like (but caffeine free) drink. Using a trowel, I dug down into the ground as close as possible to the taproot. Once I got the root all dug out I was ready to head home with my treasure. Even Dingo knows that chicory is good to eat! I cut off the roots and cleaned them well. Voila! Hope this gives you some foraging ideas for your next hiking trip–enjoy! Photo: Susana Romatz
Cultivating, Harvesting and Curing Tobacco -- Victory Seed Company Cultivation, Harvest, and Curing We originally started growing and offering tobacco seeds as ornamental annuals. They are a quite magnificent plant with beautiful flowers making them a great selection for the back of flower beds. All of the seed varieties available here have interesting histories, were grown in different geographical locations, and cultivated for varied and different final uses. Pictorial of a Growing Cycle For more information about organic tobacco cultivation, click here. After the tobacco has cured for a period from several months to several years, it is then fermented and processed in many different ways. Click Here to Purchase Tobacco Seeds Many of the variety descriptions above are from the book entitled, "Tobacco Leaf", 1897, by J.
Forage For Life I discovered the most heavenly herb shop in Houston today. All of the herbs are in alphabetical order by Spanish though so I gotta figure out the Spanish names for what I need. Welcome! (All Things Plants) "What's Blooming Now" Amaranth: Grain, Vegetable, Icon A book could be written about amaranth, and probably has, if not several. Amaranth is a seed used like a grain. A grain, a green, a cultural icon, a religious symbol… amaranth is colorful plant with a colorful history. It’s also nutritious. Aztecs farmed with floating mat islands. Amaranth today is enjoyed many ways. Note notches in the leaves, often present It’s a bushy plant growing 3 to 10 feet, depending if it’s wild or cultivated, a vegetable variety or a grain variety. Amaranth seed is high in protein, some 16%, contains lysine and methionine, two essential amino acids that are not often found in grain, and is high in fiber, three times that of wheat. Spiny amaranth has edible leaves and might be a medicine and sex aid. There are some 60 amaranth species, maybe 70 (it depends on who’s counting.) Amaranthus australis (southern amaranth) can easily grow 18 feet or more. The fourth amaranth was a bit of a mystery for a while. Here’s an interesting recipe from Salt Spring Seeds. Tabouli
7 Natural Uses For Baking Soda In The Garden Share Baking soda is a vital part of green cleaning and has so many uses in the house, but what about the garden. Here are 7 ways to use it in the garden. 1. Mix 4 teaspoons of baking soda and 1 gallon of water. 2. Powdery mildew is causing major problems with impatiens this year, but also can be a problem for other plants, like lilacs, cucumbers, squash and zinnias. Spray Recipe: 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 1 gallon of water, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid Mix all the ingredients together and spray plants weekly. 3. Mix in 1 gallon of water, 4 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon biodegradable soap. 4. Pour or sweep baking soda in a thick layer into cracks on a sidewalk or patios. 5. Mix equals parts flour and baking soda and dust plants (cabbage, broccoli, kale) being eaten by cabbage worms. 6. Simply wet the crabgrass, pour a heavy dusting of baking soda on the weed. 7. Source: Plant Care Today
Foraging wild food with 12 easy wild foods that anyone can harvest Nature's Superfood on your doorstep In days gone by, wild foods were all we had, that used to be staple diet necessary for human health and survival. Often full of natural medicinal benefits, wild foods often saved lives in times of famine, war and ill health. It’s a little bizarre to contemplate how radically removed from nature we have actually become. As intensive farming methods and consumerism came into being, our general attunement to nature fell away, and our knowledge thereof has somewhat dwindled. Increasing food prices, uncertain times of global change and decreasing food availability has invited more and more people to contemplate alternative ways of finding food by foraging. Full of nutritional goodness Most, if not all, wild edible foods are packed full of vitamins and minerals that far surpass any cultivated varieties of fruit and vegetables. Finding out what's available in your locality I’ve posted information about 12 of my favourite wild foods below. Most of all enjoy!!!
Heirlooms, hybrids and GMOs: A hackers guide to knowing the difference - NaturalNews.com Wednesday, May 21, 2014 by: Derek HenryTags: GMOs, heiloom seeds, hybrid plants (NaturalNews) There has been plenty of discussion surrounding the food supply, and for good reason. Natural, nutritious food seems to be rare compared to its altered, compromised counterparts. This has forced labels onto food, which has created some confusion for the consumer as to what exactly they are buying. The most natural way to produce plant-based foods, and the way it has been done for thousands of years, is what we now refer to as heirlooms. It's quite simple actually -- you save the seeds of a fruit or vegetable that has favorable characteristics (color, shape, size and flavor are the most commonly considered) and plant them on a yearly basis. In this case, the seeds are in no way manipulated. Since these seeds can be harvested and planted on a yearly basis, farmers never have to concern themselves with buying those particular types of seeds again. As a result, the nutrient content has decreased.
How to Grow Garlic: Organic Gardening Soil preparation: Garlic will tolerate some shade but prefers full sun. While I've seen cloves sprout in gravel pits, garlic responds best in well-drained, rich, loamy soil amended with lots of organic matter. Raised beds are ideal, except in very dry regions. Planting: To grow garlic, you plant the cloves, the sections of the bulb; each clove will produce a new bulb. The largest cloves generally yield the biggest bulbs. Spacing: Place cloves in a hole or furrow with the flat or root end down and pointed end up, with each tip 2 inches beneath the soil. Watering: Garlic needs about an inch of water each week during spring growth. Scape Sacrifice: By mid-June, your garlic will begin sprouting flowery tops that curl as they mature and ultimately straighten out into long spiky tendrils. Harvesting Hints When half to three-quarters of the leaves turn yellow-brown, typically in late June or early July (depending on the variety and the weather), it's harvest time.
Off Grid Info - Food Independence - Where To Get Heirloom Seeds - Non-GMO Seeds - Organic Seeds Join 75,000+ Fans on Facebook: Follow Us On Pinterest: Please Share This Page: Here is a useful list of 40+ 230+ companies supplying heirloom / non-GMO / organic seeds. **UPDATE** This page has proven to be massively popular...! , we are gathering them up and will add them to this page as soon as we can. Please Like Off-Grid On Facebook to stay in touch and receive our latest posts! USA (states in alphabetical order) EUROPE (except UK & Ireland) South Africa All inquiries - please contact: Privacy Policy | About