Planting Meadowsweet and Bamboo

The weather was decent, 60 degrees with a little wind and beautiful sunshine, so I decided to get a few plants in the ground that had been lingering in pots for over a year. I know, that isn't the ideal place, but that is where they had to live for a while.

Meadowsweet, mine does not look like this now

I had bought some Meadowsweet a year or so ago and tried to plant it over by the chicken house. But the next day they discovered this small plant and decided it was tasty. So before it totally disappeared, I dug it up and put it in a pot until I had a better place for it. A few days ago, I was reading more about medicinal herbs and came across the benefits of Meadowsweet again. I had read this before, that is why I bought some to begin with, but it had been a while. Rereading this information gave me the motivation to go out and find it a permanent home. 

My meadowsweet looks like a pot of dirt.

I will probably order another plant to add to the mix and see if I can get a good, permanent planting established so that I can harvest and dry my own supply. In the meantime, I ordered some from Monterey Bay Spice Company. We will be adding this to a celery seed, chamomile tea combination that we have added to our daily medicinal intake. My hope is that I can grow enough for our needs this summer, that way I won't have to depend on another source.



The benefits of Meadowsweet listed in my medicinal herb books include:

• salicylate properties similar to aspirin
• astringent
• anti-inflammatory
  
• diuretic
• antacid and calming for overactive digestive system
• acid stomach, heartburn, ulcers, hiatus hernia
• helpful for rheumatism and arthritis
• clears sandy deposits in urine 

Meadowsweet prefers a moist area with semi shade. This location is on the edge of a small branch that is wet much of the year. It will go dry during a hot dry summer, but is generally fairly wet. I hope it will thrive in this area.

The other plant that has been living in a pot on the porch for too long is a sweet, edible bamboo. I did quite a bit of research on bamboo to find one that produces edible shoots and is hardy in planting zone 7. The one I bought is a sweet shoot bamboo, Phyllostachs Dulcis.

This is a running, spreading type that will have plenty of room here to grow. It will also provide some natural camouflage for this building. Many bamboos cannot tolerate the cold weather here and I was glad to find one that could. 

 
But, I think the really cold weather we have had recently has killed off part of this plant so I want to get it in the ground to see if it can be saved. This is another one of those little chores that was postponed for too long. But the plant seemed to be doing fine on the porch until just recently.



My motivation for investigating edible bamboo was the effort to find some perennial vegetables that I could get started here that could provide some food on a consistent, yearly basis. In this day and age, the types of food that are perennial are not usually part of our diets. Jerusalem artichokes, bamboo and asparagus don't go with many things that we eat regularly. At least, we don't. But we do have all three of these things growing here. And if the time comes that we need to depend upon what we can produce to eat, they will add a few more meals to our table. 

Sun chokes

Both the bamboo and Jerusalem artichokes (which we call sun chokes) in some circles are considered to be nuisance weeds because of their invasive, spreading nature. But I like things rather wild and unkept looking, so they will suit me just fine. Besides that, the more they spread, the more food they provide. The sun chokes are good for people and livestock. The nutritional content includes protein, inulin, potassium, iron, fiber, niacin, thiamine, phosphorus and copper. 

There are so many things we can grow that are beneficial and amazingly productive, even if you baby them with total neglect. Do they taste like potato chips, donuts and ice cream? No. Will they lend a hand to provide excellent nutrition with little to no effort on my part? Yes. The more I learn, the more amazed I am at the tremendous sources of life that are right at our fingertips. Isn't that just great? Learn something new today. Something that makes you smile and increases your ability to provide for your family. 


Until next time - Fern

Dandelion Root Tea

A while back, Frank came across an article on Fox News.com that talked about dandelion root tea and how it benefits the body. It sounded interesting so we did some research.

Two of my favorite medicinal herb reference books both outline the positive affects of dandelion root tea for daily use. These benefits include:

•  a liver tonic; to help stimulate a sluggish liver; for liver and gallbladder problems
• promotes good digestion
• for indigestion, loss of appetite and constipation

•  one of the most effective detoxifying herbs
• helps liver and gallbladder remove waste products
• stimulates kidney to remove toxins in the urine
• encourages steady elimination of toxins due to infection or pollutions
  
• therapeutic benefits for constipation, skin problems, arthritic conditions including osteoarthritis and gout

Then I looked up information online and found the following at MindBodyGreen:

• improves digestion and aids weight loss
• eases congestion of the liver
• helps to purify the bladder and kidney
• reduces risk of urinary tract infection
• contains calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, potassium, vitamins B and C
• helps to purify the blood, regulate blood sugar, and improves blood circulation
• helps to ease bloating and aching joints
• helps to cure skin conditions

With all of this information in hand, we pondered the benefit of adding a cup of dandelion root tea to our daily diet. Since it is winter, we can't harvest our own crop, but we could buy some and give it a try. Dandelion is something that is always readily available in the summer and we could easily grow and dehydrate our own crop of roots if we found this to be beneficial. So after we thought about it for a few days, we decided to order some. I went to my favorite bulk spice company, Monterey Bay Spice Company, found several choices, and ordered some.

When it came in, it was back to my herb books for directions. Since we are using a root for the tea it is considered to be a decoction, not an infusion. A decoction is: the act or process of boiling usually in water so as to extract the flavor or active principle. Compared to an infusion which is: the steeping or soaking usually in water of a substance (as a plant drug) in order to extract its soluble constituents or principles. From all of my reading I have learned that an infusion is used with leaves and flowers. A decoction is used when the plant parts utilized are seeds, berries, bark, roots and stems. With these plants parts it takes more time to extract the desired contents, therefore it has to be boiled. It has taken me some time to learn the differences since I am new to trying to grow herbs for health or medicinal purposes. 



Both books give similar directions for making a decoction of dandelion roots. The measurements for the amount of root is given in ounces so we needed to weigh it to determine an appropriate measurement.

The first scale we bought, many years ago, is on the right. We found out quickly that it may look good with the bowl on top, but it is not very accurate or easy to use. So we bought the one on the left. It is definitely the type we would recommend. It can weigh out one and a half ounces of herbs or six pounds of tomatoes. It is much more versatile and durable. It is also easy to adjust, so that regardless of the weight of the container you use to hold the items you are weighing, the dial can be set to zero, making accurate measuring very easy. 

We bought one pound of dandelion root to start with. If this appears to be something we want to continue, we will order more until we can harvest and dry our own this summer. It is very interesting to learn more about the properties of plants, even this pesky little weed, that have been put here for a purpose. The more I learn, the more humbling it is to know we are provided every needful thing.

The decoction recipe calls for one and a half ounces  of root per pint and a half of water. I think in cups and tablespoons so I converted things as we figured out the measurements.

We also decided to make a weaker version to start with until we can see if we have any undesirable side effects. I think it is always wise to err on the side of caution when trying something new of this nature. We can increase the dosage over time, similar to how we started off with kefir.

We decided to make our first batch one third strength. So we measured one half ounce, then figured out it was less than a quarter cup, about a tablespoon and a half. As we did this, I realized that one pound of root won't go very far, but I didn't want to order very much and find out we weren't going to use it.

Well, here goes. We added almost two tablespoons of root to three cups of water, which is a pint and a half. It looks rather strange, honestly. The directions say to bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. We chose 10 minutes.

Our comment when it was done? It looks kind of like dirt and smells like dirt and grass. Do we really want to drink this? We were surprised how much the roots swelled during the boiling process.

The directions say to strain out the roots. Well most of them stayed in the pan as we slowly poured out the liquid, so we don't really see the need for the strainer next time.

Hmmm.....it is a little bitter, but not near as bad as we thought it would be. Not something you would serve to guests, unless maybe you sweetened it with honey or something. I prefer to drink mine down quickly once it has cooled. It's not something I want to sip on, like coffee. We have been drinking a cup everyday. There are no specific side effects that we can detect. For now we will continue to keep this at one third to half strength for a while.

So, next I got out another book about growing and harvesting herbs. This will give me good recommendations about collecting seeds, planting and harvesting this summer. Then I will figure out how to dehydrate and store these roots. There are so many things to learn and do to be more self reliant. Being dependent upon others for our food and good health makes us vulnerable. Dependence evokes a helplessness that we prefer not to have. Each and every little thing that we can learn and do for ourselves increases our freedom. Freedom to choose to live the way we wish without the preset mandates that marketing and the medical field insist that we live by. I truly feel this knowledge and the skill to produce viable alternatives will be essential in our future. I know so little and need to learn so much. I feel the time is short.

Until next time - Fern

Garlic Honey, Anyone?

Yep, that's what everyone needs, some garlic flavored honey. Very strong garlic honey. So strong when you open the jar the smell knocks you down. You think I'm kidding, right? I'm not.

Many years ago, I don't remember when, Frank and I came across some information about the benefits of infusing, for lack of a better word, honey with garlic for medicinal purposes. The benefits of honey and garlic go back as far as man has been keeping records, so there is no surprise there. But as a review, I will include some of the many advantages of including these two items in your diet.

According to Herbal Antibiotics some of the medicinal uses and properties of honey include: 

• can be applied directly to a wound
• used internally for immune stimulation 
• treatment of colds, flu and respiratory infections
• expectorant
• anti-inflammatory
• anticarcinogenic
• promotes healing of peptic ulcers and bacterial gastroenteritis
• good for gingivitis
• NEVER give honey to babies under one year old due to the chance of botulism 

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Healing Remedies outlines some of the medicinal properties of garlic which include:

• Garlic strengthens the immune system as well as helps to fight chest infections, coughs and congestion. I - See more at: http://www.naturalblaze.com/2013/04/10-amazing-health-benefits-of-garlic.html#sthash.ly8rF1zy.dpuf
  cleanses the blood
• helps bring down fever
• antiseptic
• antibiotic
• antifungal
• tones the heart and circulatory system
• boosts the immune system
• may help to reduce high blood pressure
• may prevent some cancers, in particular stomach cancer
• treats infections of the stomach and respiratory system
• helps prevent heart disease and reduces the risk of atherosclerosis
• antioxidant
• decongestant

When we first started using our garlic honey mixture we mainly used it as a cough/cold medicine. Now the more I read about it, the more I realize how beneficial it would be to consume it everyday. Since I have been having some sinus problems lately I have been taking it everyday, several times a day, which means it is time to fix up another batch.
 

The jar on the right is the one we are currently using.

Our daily kefir and my new sourdough starter are sitting in the background.

It is a very simple process. Take one whole head of garlic, and use all of the cloves. This is some of the garlic we grew last summer. Since they are pretty small heads, I am using several of them instead of just one large head. Peel the cloves.

Fill a quart jar about 3/4 full of honey. We prefer to use local honey, but this time I am using up some store bought honey we stocked up on right after we moved here. We have since been able to locate a source of local honey, but we need to use this up as well.

Put the cloves in the honey.

Stir it up to coat the cloves.

Set it back out of the way. Stir it up every few days for a couple of weeks. When you open the jar and the garlic-y smell is so strong it just about knocks you down, it's ready.  I usually leave the garlic cloves in the honey until they are kind of mummified looking or until they are just in the way too much. We don't eat them, I just throw them away. I have debated about cooking something with them, but I never have. They get pretty wrinkled up and look rather dead.

To use this wonderful concoction, just get a spoonful and eat it. The first few times you do this you might gag a little. It depends on how sensitive you are. We have been eating it for so long that we don't really notice it much. Not that it tastes that great, it's just worth it. Now, I would recommend you be strategic in the timing of taking this elixir. If you are going to have company over, you might want to wait until they are gone, unless, of course, you want them to leave quickly.  Just be aware of how fragrant you may become after partaking of a dose.

This is just another one of those things that we can do for ourselves instead of relying on others to provide us with something that may have numerous side effects that we may, or may not even know about. We feel the more we can eliminate medications, over the counter or prescription, the better our health will be. This is not always possible, but we can try to the best of our ability. Some day soon, we may not have a choice in the matter. 


Until next time - Fern

Garlic strengthens the immune system as well as helps to fight chest infections, coughs and congestion. I - See more at: http://www.naturalblaze.com/2013/04/10-amazing-health-benefits-of-garlic.html#sthash.ly8rF1zy.dpuf