Posted on 03/23/2008 11:36:40 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
Americans finding soaring food prices hard to stomach can battle back by growing their own food. [Click image for a larger version] Dean Fosdick Dean Fosdick
Home vegetable gardens appear to be booming as a result of the twin movements to eat local and pinch pennies.
At the Southeastern Flower Show in Atlanta this winter, D. Landreth Seed Co. of New Freedom, Pa., sold three to four times more seed packets than last year, says Barb Melera, president. "This is the first time I've ever heard people say, 'I can grow this more cheaply than I can buy it in the supermarket.' That's a 180-degree turn from the norm."
Roger Doiron, a gardener and fresh-food advocate from Scarborough, Maine, said he turned $85 worth of seeds into more than six months of vegetables for his family of five.
A year later, he says, the family still had "several quarts of tomato sauce, bags of mixed vegetables and ice-cube trays of pesto in the freezer; 20 heads of garlic, a five-gallon crock of sauerkraut, more homegrown hot-pepper sauce than one family could comfortably eat in a year and three sorts of squash, which we make into soups, stews and bread."
[snipped]
She compares the current period of market uncertainty with that of the early- to mid-20th century when the concept of victory gardens became popular.
"A lot of companies during the world wars and the Great Depression era encouraged vegetable gardening as a way of addressing layoffs, reduced wages and such," she says. "Some companies, like U.S. Steel, made gardens available at the workplace. Railroads provided easements they'd rent to employees and others for gardening."
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
Gluten-free recipes at these posts,
6215, 6248, 6301, 6305, 6353
BRUSH FIRE INFORMATION
Last updated: November 26 2008 2:23 am.
UPDATE
MANDATORY EVACUATIONS ORDERED
Mandatory evacuations are in effect for the Brush Canyon area, the Box Canyon area, and the
North Fairmont/San Antonio area.
During the manadatory evacuation, the Thomas Lasorda, Jr. Field House (4701 Casa Loma
Avenue) will be available as a shelter location.
Source: http://www.ci.yorba-linda.ca.us/fireinfo.php
Note: this page has all types of survival / emergency information on it, several interesting links.
A new fire in Calif. I do hope you are safe.
It is raining, as if God is very angry, I think he missed the fire spot, by 300 miles or so.
granny
Joya thank you for your help, added to Vickie’s we now have the recipes links.
Jetson, if you see new recipes, would you please post them, there must be others who have the same needs.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.
http://www.growinggroceries.com/
Bring the Tropics to your Garden- Grow Cassabanana!
Posted: 25 Nov 2008 06:24 PM CST
Every so often, even I, your ever-talented host, fail.
One of those occasions happened this year with a plant I was really excited about and intended to write a comprehensive article on growing it. This plant was Cassabanana, Sicana odorifera.
It’s not a banana at all, but it’s still quite tropical and nearly unheard of in the United States. It’san herbaceous perennial vine, but can be grown as an annual….where? I’m not sure. The information on the plant is so sketchy, it’s very hard to find any kind of information on it. All I know is several copy-and-paste garden websites listed it as a perennial in the tropics and an annual in “most climates.” Whatever that’s supposed to mean.
The fruit is long and cylindrical. Think overgrown cucumber, with a very tough skin and what is said to be a lovely aromatic smell. In fact, many people use the long-lasting fruit to freshen the smell of a room.
The fruit is either cooked prematurely like squash (which I wasn’t interested in since I was drowning in squash of all kinds this year), or allowed to ripen and used fresh, in drinks, pies, or preserves. It’s said to have a sweet tropical flavor. Again, whatever that’s supposed to mean
Growing Cassabanana
My own experimentations lead me to believe you stand an okay chance trying to grow this sucker down to USDA Zone 6. It thrives in hot summer weather, and for me, didn’t do much till summer arrived. Afterwards it needs a lengthy ripening time before frost. Because of this, I would nominate this plant for starting indoors early.
The vine may be too long and cumbersome for very small gardens. It needs a lot of sprawl space or a tall trellis. It’s said to grow up to fifty feet, but mine sure didn’t. My trellis was short, but I let it grow up and down on it, resulting in a jumbled mess that at least kept the fruit off the ground.
Seed is not too difficult to come by, several tropical-oriented companies offer seed for sale. My seed germinated very poorly- about 20%. It could have just been old seed, since most members of the gourd family germinate in no time flat. 20% equaled two seedlings, which for the amount of space the plant takes up, was no less than I needed. I was still a little bummed. I paid for ten seed, I wanted ten plants.
Nothing but trouble thereafter. While transplanting the very slow growing seedlings, I half cracked the stem of one plant. Ouch. This one actually survived but was set back for some time.
It grew slowly to start, until the heat kicked in. Then it took off. It didn’t produce very many female flowers, but all of them set fruit.
The fruit grew splendidly into a rather large cylindrical shape. It began changing color from green to yellow. Then from yellow to purple-ish. What followed was a week of solid rain, and the fruit all split open. Bugs quickly found their way inside and ruined whatever might have been edible.
Fruit was still setting, so I hadn’t lost all hope, but then came an infestation of squash bugs, that killed many of the flowers before I vacummed them all up (more on vacumming pests in a future post). Afterwards, fruit was still setting, but the ripening period for this fruit is so long that none of them made it till frost. I was so disgusted I didn’t even bother harvesting the immature fruit for cooking. I wanted ripe cassabanana, and I won’t be completely happy till I get it.
Bottom line? It didn’t work out so well for me, but that’s no reason for you not to give it a try. Up to USDA Aone 6, at least. I’ll be giving these guys another go-round next year. Let’s hope for better things!
#
Cassabanana
A handsome and interesting member of the Cucurbitaceae, the cassabanana, Sicana odorifera Naud. (syn. Cucurbita odorifera Vell.), is also called sikana or ...
www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/cassabanana.html - 10k - Cached - Similar pages
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cassabanana — Britannica Online Encyclopedia
Fruit and leaves of the cassabanana (Sicana odorifera). perennial vine of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), native to the New World tropics and cultivated ...
www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/98072/cassabanana - 45k - Cached - Similar pages
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PlantFiles: Detailed information on Cassabanana Sicana odorifera
Browse pictures and read growth / cultivation information about Cassabanana ( Sicana odorifera) supplied by member gardeners in the PlantFiles database at ...
davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2775/ - 19k - Cached - Similar pages
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PlantFiles: Pictures of Cassabanana (Sicana odorifera)
View original, high resolution pictures of Cassabanana (Sicana odorifera) at Dave’s Garden. All pictures are contributed by our community.
davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/63221/ - 17k - Cached - Similar pages
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Cassabanana - Sicana odorifera
Sicana odorifera · Cassabanana. Tropical Fruit Database ... Cassabanana. Seeds Now Available! Sicana odorifera. Very large fruit (up to two feet long), ...
www.tradewindsfruit.com/cassabanana.htm - 20k - Cached - Similar pages
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Effectiveness in defense against phytophagous arthropods of the ...
Sicana odorifera (Vellozo) Naudin (Cucurbitaceae),. the cassabanana, is a large vine, believed native to. Brazil but today found spread throughout tropical ...
www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1570-7458.2002.00973.x - Similar pages
by DW Kellogg - 2002 - Cited by 4 - Related articles
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Sicana odorifera - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jun 17, 2008 ... Sicana odorifera, the only species of the genus Sicana, ... English names include cassabanana or casbanan, sikana, and musk cucumber. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicana - 21k - Cached - Similar pages
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Cassabanana (sicana odorifera)Tropical Rainforest Seeds - eBay ...
eBay: Find Cassabanana (sicana odorifera)Tropical Rainforest Seeds in the Home Garden , Yard, Garden Outdoor Living , Gardening Plants , Plants, ...
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‘CASSABANANA’ SICANA ODORIFERA SEEDS A RARE FRUIT - eBay (item ...
eBay: Find ‘CASSABANANA’ SICANA ODORIFERA SEEDS A RARE FRUIT in the Home Garden , Yard, Garden Outdoor Living , Gardening Plants , Plants, ...
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Picture and details of CASSABANANA see Sicana odorifera Seeds and ...
How to grow CASSABANANA see Sicana odorifera instructions coming soon! And CASSABANANA see Sicana odorifera growing tips coming soon! ...
www.banana-tree.com/Product_Detail~category~20~Product_ID~386.cfm - 12k - Cached - Similar pages
[continued]
Granny notes: One year I grew a Luffa plant in the living room, it was a beautiful plant that flowered every morning at 4 am, you could set your clock with the flowers.
Half my living room ceiling was a green plant, LOL, I have never taken down the macrame rope that I ran all over the ceiling, from hook to hook, as I still plan to do it again, or a gourd, a feather or paint brush will fertilizer the flowers.
http://www.growinggroceries.com/
Garlic for Pest Control- It’s not just for vampires!
By admin | Nov 16, 2008
Organic Pest Control | 1 Comment
Garlic is an amazing vegetable. Can you imagine cooking without garlic? Would anything be worth eating? Garlic’s unique flavor is a must in countless dishes throughout the culinary spectrum (Except in cakes. That would be nasty).
Garlic’s myriad of health benefits also make it a popular dietary supplement. But did you know it can also be used in the garden?
Garlic is a mild, but effective, pest deterrent (it’s a people deterrent too, if you eat it raw) and also has fungicidal properties. A garlic spray can be bought made easily at home.
The problem with garlic spray is, while being natural and organic, it isn’t as powerful as the likes of rotenone or pyrethrum. Both of which are used more widely used in large scale organic agriculture.
This really isn’t much of a problem, though, as rotenone and pyrethrum are non-selective and can be very damaging to beneficial insects. Garlic is also non-selective, but it’s lack of strength won’t totally obliterate your garden life. Nor, however, will it faze an infestation of most major garden pests.
Which brings us to the use for which garlic really shines- as a preventative spray. Spraying garlic every ten days or so on crops that you have historically had pest problems with can be very helpful as a part of your IPM (integrated pest management- more on that another day) program. Then, if all else fails, you can bring in the big guns like rotenone.
The same goes for plants that you have had fungus problems with in the past. I have problems with wilt in young pepper plants, for instance. Spraying the leaves and soaking the soil with garlic spray before the problem shows up can be helpful.
Don’t go crazy and spray your whole garden. Focus on crops that you have trouble with or think you may have trouble with. If you never have any pests attack your cucumbers, for instance, then don’t use a preventative spray on them. Frequent garlic spraying of your entire garden can have bad ecological effects. As with all pest control solutions, organic or not, use with caution.
A few tips-
* As with all foliar applications, don’t spray right before rain or during the heat of the day. Or else your hard work will evaporate or wash away.
* Don’t spray garlic right before harvest! This should be obvious, but give your plants at least a couple of weeks before harvest with no spraying. Unless you like garlic flavored lettuce.
* Don’t spray on plants that are already diseased or dying. That’s akin to shooting a rhino with a BB gun.
* You may want to think twice about showing visitors around your garden immediately after spraying…
*
MOST IMPORTANT- As with all pest control measures, keep a careful eye on your garden after spraying. If you notice ladybugs and bees are disappearing, or anything else unusual is going on- STOP!
“Cassabanana”
Sicana odorifera
Characteristics - The cassabanana is a fruit bearer, once widely cultivated in domestic archards. Today it is less favored. It is rarely found in its natural habitat, southern Brazil. It is a trailing or climbing herbaceous vine, 3erennial, with angular, sarmentose stems, ^eaves are simple, irregularly lobed, hirsute-subescent, 20-30 cm in diameter. Flowers are solitary, axillary, unisexual, with both sexes )resent on the same plant. They form from une to September. Fruits are large, cilindrical, irown, maroon or black berries with many eeds, surrounded by fleshy, soft or hard aro-natic yellow pulp, with a slightly sweet flavor, “hey ripen during the summer.
Uses - The fruits are consumed only in their latural state and are considered pleasant isting .
Propagation - Propagated by seeds.
Note the website for the above link, says it is moving its site and will be back up...has other interesting food plants/trees for indoor or tropical growing.
granny
http://www.amazon.com/Cassa-Banana-Fruit-Vine-Seeds/dp/B000RL9GK2
Cassa Banana Fruit Vine 10 Seeds - Sicana odorifera
Other Hirts: Seed; Fruit products
No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
Price: $2.99
Special Offers Available
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Hirt’s Gardens.
[Other odd/new veg/plants on the Amazon page:
Back
Mexican Miniature Watermelon 15 Seeds -Melothria scabra
2.3 out of 5 stars (3) $2.99
Noni Juice Plant 10 Seeds - Morinda citrifolia -Magical
$3.99
Black Sea Man Tomato 20 Seeds - Heirloom
3.5 out of 5 stars (6) $3.99
Big Rainbow Tomato 50 Seeds - Heirloom
$2.99
Pua kenikeni Perfume Tree 10 Seeds -Coin Flower-Fragrea
$2.99
Hmong Red Cucumber - 10 Seeds
3.0 out of 5 stars (2) $3.99
Next
I am in trouble, on a gray and rainy day, I wind up looking at fancy food plants, LOL, I would love to have most of these.
granny
http://rainseed.com/fruits.htm
Fruits
(all seed packets are $3.00 each)
Apricot Tomato ~ Solanum Quitoense
An exciting bushy plant with purple-tinged large leaves that are curiously inverted, with the broad end upward. Attractive white flowers are followed by tomato shaped orange/red fruits that taste like a ripe apricot. Makes an excellent indoor plant.
Baby Papaya ~ Carica Papaya
A fast growing small succulent tree about four feet (1.2 m) high at maturity. Unusual leaves are 7-lobed. It produces its ambrosial peach tasting fruit at an early age. The abundant flowers are greenish yellow and heavily scented. An engaging conversation piece.
Bael Fruit (aegle marmelos)
This nutritious fruit is prized more for its medicinal qualities than its taste as it used in different parts of the world to cure dysentery, diarrhea, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and is said to be good for the heart and brain. The leaves and seed oil are also used as pesticide.
Cassabanana (sicana odorifera)
Fast-growing, fleshy vine produces large fruits up to 60 cm long. The mature fruit is sweet with orange-yellow pulp that is eaten raw or made into preserves. Immature fruit can be cooked like a vegetable.
Chiclet Tree (manilkara zapodilla) - Out of Stock
A stately evergreen with velvet-smooth dark green leaves. Abundant white flowers and edible brown-skinned fruits about the size of golf balls. The tree is best known for being a natural source for chewing gum.
Chocolate Vine (akebia quinata)
A hardy vine whose red-purple flowers smell like white chocolate when in bloom. The flowers are followed by purple, edible 4”-5” sausage shaped fruits which contain a white pulp with a tapioca like flavor.
Cocktail Plant ~ Psidium Friedrichstahlianum
A small fruit tree with green to red foliage, depending on the amount of sun. Small white flowers are followed by small fruit that are used in tropical juices. The leaves are sometimes digested in a tea form as an antacid.
Custard Apple (annona reticulata)
Tropical tree to 40’ widely cultivated in lowland tropics. Grown for its large heart shape fruits with juicy sweet pulp. Blooms have the scent of vanilla.
Date Plum (diospyros lotus)
A type of persimmon tree, produces a small fruit with a taste similar to both dates and plums. The fruit is said to be so delicious that it was known to the ancient Greeks and “the fruit of the Gods”.
Flowering Banana ~ Musa Ornata
A very showy ornamental banana that grows up to four feet (1.2 m) in height, with pseudo stems, pale green and waxy, dotted with black blotches. Leaves up to three feet (90 cm) long, glaucous green. Inflorescence erect with pink bracts tipped yellow.
Forest Peach ~ Cochlospermun Vitifolium
An exceptionally spectacular looking tree with leaves resembling that of the grape vine. Flowers are a mass of golden cups. Fruits are similar in appearance to a perfect looking peach and dangle in pretty bunches.
Goldenberry (physalis peruviana)
Small tree with a smooth pinkish trunk and fragrant white flowers. The fruit contain a sweet pinkish-purple flesh that is used in making jellies. Often served with cream cheese, guavas can be eaten raw, canned, used in desserts and salads.
Guava (psidium guajava)
Small tree with a smooth pinkish trunk and fragrant white flowers. The fruit contain a sweet pinkish-purple flesh that is used in making jellies. Often served with cream cheese, guavas can be eaten raw, canned, used in desserts and salads.
Kaffir Plum (harpephyllum caffrum)
Small tree with a smooth pinkish trunk and fragrant white flowers. The fruit contain a sweet pinkish-purple flesh that is used in making jellies. Often served with cream cheese, guavas can be eaten raw, canned, used in desserts and salads.
Kiwi Fruit (actinidia chinensis)
This edible, oval fruit is about the size of an egg and the taste has been described as a combination of pineapple, banana and strawberry. The brownish outer skin appears to be “furry” and is not eaten, however the fruit contains rows of small, black edible seeds.
Miracle Fruit (synsepalum dulcificum) - New Shipment Arrived 7/3/08!
A small tree, 5’ tall, with leathery leaves and clustered flowers. The novel red fruit, 3/4” across, is fleshy and contains one seed. Miraculously, after eating it, it causes everything, even a lime, to taste sweet. A much-applauded houseplant.
Monkey’s Comb ~ Apeiba Aspera
A magnificent plant of awesome ornamental value. Beautiful foliage. The scented flowers are yellow. They are followed by the curious sea-urchin like fruits 2” in diameter, which are black and covered with short, soft spines.
Music Tree ~ Crescenta Alata
A most interesting plant with short trunk and long spreading branches. Very intriguing bright green foliage. The scented blooms are yellow with a touch of purple. The hard-shelled fruits are used to make the Latin American musical instrument Maraca.
Naranjilla (solanum quitoense)
Produces fragrant white and purple flowers that are followed by edible medium sized fruits that turn bright orange when ripe. The juicy pulp is green and tastes like a cross between a pineapple and a strawberry. Can be eaten fresh, used on ice cream, in fruit salad, cooked in pies or made into a juice.
Paw Paw (asimina triloba)
Related to the tropical Cherimoya (Custard Apple), the Paw Paw has huge leaves and although it is quite happy in the shade, it also tolerates full sun. The fruits, weighing up to a pound each, are rich, sweet, and custard-like, with hints of banana and vanilla.
Pepino (solanum muricatum)
An evergreen shrub that produces a sweet, edible fruit that resembles a melon in both color and flavor. The fruits have a smooth round or oval shape and are light yellow in color with purple lines throughout.
Pomegranate, Dwarf (punica granatum)
This dwarf variety can grow up to six feet and produces smaller, delicious red fruits with a thick rind and many seeds. Also a popular species for use as a bonsai.
Pond Apple (annona glabra)
Produces fruits which look similar to a green apple that can be eaten raw and are sometimes made into jellies and wine. The plants mature quickly and start producing after two years.
Purple Banana ~ Musa Velutina
A very showy ornamental plant reaching five feet (1.5 m) in height. Slender trunk with long green leaves and a flaming red flowering head, elegantly tinged with yellow. Small purple fruit fingers are a great conversation piece.
Purple Passion Fruit (passiflora edulis)
Robust climber with winged stems and oval leaves, much grown in the tropics for its edible fruit, which is oblong, about 6” long, yellowish green and pulpy. Very exotic fragrant flowers, 4” across, purple-red. Ideal for trellis.
Sancoya (annona purpurea)
This beautiful tree can reach up to 30’ and produces a very juicy, sweet fruit that contains an orange colored pulp. Can be easily grown in a container but requires a consistently warm climate if planted outside.
Sausage Tree (kigelia pinnata)
Unusual tree that produces huge sausage-like fruits that hang down from the limbs on long ropelike stalks. Grown as a curiosity or ornamental as the fruits are only eaten by animals, the tree also produces large, showy red flowers.
Soapberry (sapindus saponaria)
Shrub-like small tree that produces fruits which can be toxic if eaten, however the seeds are crushed to make soap. Saponin, found in the seeds, is a natural detergent which is used to clean clothes and has become a popular alternative to manufactured, chemical detergents.
Soursop a.k.a. Guanabana (annona muricata)
A well-known fruit commonly found in tropical markets, they are usually processed into ice creams, sherbets and drinks. High in vitamins B1, B2 and C, the delicious fruits usually weigh several pounds.
Star Apple (chrysophyllum cainito)
This rapidly growing tree produces delicious purple fruit with a star pattern in the pulp. The trees are self-fertile and bear fruit year round after they reach maturity at about seven years of age.
Star Fruit ~ averrhoa carambola
A handsome tree whose sensitive leaves close when touched. The small purplish flowers are clustered in unique form. The oval fruit is five lobed, translucent and pleasantly tart. It is star-shaped when sliced crosswise.
Strawberry Tree (arbutus unedo)
A picturesque tree year-round that produces strawberry-like fruits high in vitamin C and sugar content. The fruits are used as jams, jellies, syrups and in wines and liqueurs. The bark has also been used for tanning leather. The plant is often used as in informal hedge or screen.
Sugar Apple (annona squamosa)
An extremely popular fruit that is typically eaten raw, added to ice cream or blended with milk to make a delicious beverage. Throughout tropical American, a decoction made from the leaves is imbibed for use as a cold remedy, or used in baths to alleviate rheumatic pain.
Surinam Cherry (eugenia uniflora)
Primarily grown as a hedge, this shrub produces beautiful bright red fruits slightly bitter edible fruits. Wonderful sprinkled with sugar and served on top of shortcake similar to strawberries, the fruits also make a great addition to fruit cups and salads, or can be made into pies, syrups, jams and jellies.
Tamarind (tamarindus indica)
This tropical fruit tree is known for its tart pulp used in chutney and numerous other dishes. Very attractive tree makes a terrific indoor plant that may easily be kept pruned to a desirable size. Its numerous branches are laden with feathery pinnate leaves.
Three Leaf Chocolate Vine (akebia trifoliata)
A hardy vine whose red-purple flowers smell like white chocolate when in bloom. The flowers are followed by purple, edible 4”-5” sausage shaped fruits which contain a white pulp with a tapioca like flavor.
Tree Tomato a.k.a. Tamarillo (cyphomandra betaceae)
A large shrub that grows ten to twelve feet in height and produces fruits that resemble tomatoes in appearance but have a sweeter taste. The fruits are used in jams, jellies, sauces and soups and can also be eaten raw.
Wild Mandarin ~ Citrus Sp.
A beautiful small tree with pretty, bright green leaves. The flowers are tinged red in the bud, white inside. They are followed by an abundance of tangerine looking, sweet and sour fruit.
Wild Pear (psidium guajava)
Also known as Tropical Guava, this small tree can grow to 34 feet. Produces an abundance of pear shaped fruit, generally two crops per year, within 90 to 150 days after flowering. The fruit can be eaten raw but is preferred seeded and sliced as a dessert or in salads. It is also used for juice, made into syrup or jelly.
Zebra Banana ~ Musa Zebrina
Definitely the most unusual-looking member of the banana family. A slender highly-ornamental plant 6’ high with tall trunk bearing delicate long-stalked leaves, satiny bluish green, richly variegated with blackish blood-red; the midrib brown-red.
An interesting newsletter, copy of it, food, plants and more:
Limoncello and Old Sour
by Peter Ray
W
ith lemons and limes, it’s feast or fam-
ine. In early summer, when I don’t
have any lemons or limes on my trees
(and hadn’t the foresight to freeze some juice),
I may be driven to pay a dollar for two or three
of them. Then, when the crop comes in, it’s
more than I can use or give away. Here are a
couple of recipes that can help use the surplus.
Limoncello
This is a high-octane liqueur made from just the
zest of lemons. (That’s the peel, removed with a
carrot peeler leaving the white part). Lemons are
called for, but it should be good with limes also.
Less expensive 80 proof vodka can be used, or,
for a more potent product, use pure grain alcohol
(sold in liquor stores as EverClear).
15 lemons
2 750 ml bottles of 100 proof vodka
4 cups sugar
5 cups water
Scrub lemons with soap and hot water and rinse
thoroughly. Remove zest from lemons with a very
sharp peeler (no white pith).
Put the zest in a large
glass bottle with a tight lid (at least five quarts).
Add one bottle of vodka. Close tightly and place
in a cool, dark place for 40 days.
After forty days,
boil the sugar and water until sugar dissolves. Let
cool, add to the jar along with the other bottle of
vodka.
Return to cool dark place for another for-
ty days. Strain zest and bottle. Serve very cold
(from freezer).
Now you’ve got fifteen denuded lemons or limes.
Old Sour has long been used in the Bahamas and
the Florida Keys as an embellishment for seafood
dishes. It was traditionally made with sour oranges
and the little bird peppers found there, but lemon
or lime juice and any hot pepper works fine.
Old Sour
2 cups lemon or lime juice
1 tablespoon salt
2 hot peppers, halved (to taste-fewer for mild,
more for hot)
Combine ingredients. Bottle and store in refrig-
erator for 2 weeks or more. Use as a marinade or
at table with seafood
Crua or Melao do Caboclo (Sicana odorifera, Naud., Cucurbitaceae).—In the ripe state it (the fruit) has a very pleasant odor. The juice is used as a refrigerant and antifebrile remedy, and the seeds are regarded as a powerful emmenagogue.
http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/journals/ajp1884/12-brazil.html
Note: 1884 Brazilian herb notes on many of the plants from rare seeds list........of interest, not intended for you to use for medicine.
Another site said that you might find the fruit in a specialty market, and save the seeds for planting.
granny
Re: Civil War Era Vegetable Varieties
Quote:
Originally Posted by SandyAnn View Post
Try this link http://docsouth.unc.edu/imls/porcher/porcher.html Its a powerful amount of reading, and most of it pretty dry, but this document is just a wealth of information. Written by a surgeon during the Civil War whose job it was to catalog all the plants in the CSA (Confederate States of America). Veggies, fruit, herbs, trees, everything you can imagine.
Happy reading,
Sandy
That is a great read Sandy.. i just took a glance at it to see what it was. Lots of great info in there like making coffee out of asparagus seeds and making sugar out of corn stalks. Didn’t know that the corn stalk has a higher sugar content than sugar cane... and sugar beets, well i guess i learn something new everyday.
I’ll have to get back and read it more when i do have some time... for now i’m just gonna add it to my bookmarks.. Thanks from me anyways..
D.
http://idigmygarden.com/forums/showthread.php?p=180351#post180351
[For granny to read later]
Seed swaps, some rare and a lot are searches for them:
http://idigmygarden.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=7
Someone around Reedley, California is growing luffa. I saw it at the Fresno County Fair with the “odd plants.” There was a craze for luffa for a while to help with cellulite... you can still buy it in the stores. Is that the same luffa?
Haha, I saw a garlic muffin recipe this morning. Granny beat them to it!
Note: this site will need deep digging for all the good info that is lurking here, I saw that they are studying Purslane, as a crop for shipping to market, here we call it a weed.
Australia is doing research on several of our weeds and more:
Many reports and info:
http://www.rirdc.gov.au/fullreports/npp.html
Research programs including Purslane, which I grow and like:
http://www.rirdc.gov.au/programs/npp.html
Objective:
To support the growth of a profitable and sustainable essential oils and natural plant extracts industry in Australia.
Research Manager - Dr Roslyn Prinsley, Phone: 02 6271 4120 email: roslyn.prinsley@rirdc.gov.au
RIRDC Essential Oils and Plant Extracts Research Results:
Essential Oils publications for sale Free downloadable research reports
Free Short Reports (research sumaries) Essential Oils Five 5-Year Plan
Completed Projects in 2006-2007 & Research in Progress as at June 2007
Archived versions 2005-2006 || 2003-2004 || 2002-03 || 2001-2002 || 2000-2001 || 1999-2000 || 1998-1999 || 1997-1998
Handbook of New Industries entries Essential Oils & Extracts Agfacts (factsheets)
http://www.rirdc.gov.au/programs/eop.html
Ping, another gluten free recipe.
Good post for writers to research too. Self ping.
There is a group of guys in Phoenix who gather to discuss and help each other grow tropical plants. I suppose they have misting systems or greenhouse arrangements to keep in the moisture. They were discussing papayas, mangos and I think banana plants. Interesting plants, it would be cool to have something different to grow and eat. Our repertory of plants is so small, it’s no wonder we are undernourished and overfed.
I have a friend who has a Meyer lemon tree in her yard (or maybe it’s her neighbor’s yard), and it gives ripe lemons all year round. So if I had a lemon tree, that would be the type to grow. It’s better too because the danger of frost is a lot less. Ahh, lemon flowers in the spring... mmmmmm.
You’re welcome. If you find good gluten free recipes that work for you, please post them here. You can be our guinea pig, LOL.
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