There’s a new superfood on the market, and it is rapidly taking over the world. Kale comes with a variety of health benefits, and it is pretty easy to see why it has such a rapid rise in popularity…
Source: Why You should Grow Organic Kale
ABC of plants
Most, if not All of the plants we grow here at the universeofplants
August the month of plenty
Onions
Onions are really easy to grow, but if you don’t dry and store them properly you’ll end up with a net of stinking mush infested with fruit flies. Firstly gently lift them with a garden fork, being careful not to damage as much of the root ball and growth plate that attaches it to the body of the onion. Gently rub off any excess soil on the skin, and hang them up in a ventilated covered area away from rain.
If you live in a dry, hot climate you can just leave them on the soil to dry for a few days if you have hundreds, but if it gets too hot they’ll cook. Check on them every few days and gently shake off the dried earth and separate them if the stems are not withering back.
once the stems are mostly yellow and dry or if the necks seem a bit wet, it’s time to clean them up take off any dried leaves and very loose outside skin, don’t go down to fresh onion, you must have a dried outer layer for long term storage. And don’t cut the roots too far back just far enough not to trap in moisture. We still have onions from 14 months ago that are firm and un-sprouted.
Leave them in a shallow basket somewhere airy at room temperature to dry completely. You can of course use your onions at any time before drying and they are most delicious and sweet, with very few tears. Red onions need to be kept drier for a few weeks before harvest, resist watering them if you want them to store well.
When the onions are dried, i.e. when all the neck is absorbed into the onion you can place them in a storage net about 10 lb at a time and hang them somewhere shaded, airy and cool but avoid frost. Check them monthly and remove any rotten ones and any showing signs of doing so, if your onions aren’t storing well then now’s the time to make our delicious caramelized onion relish, actually any time is. Tastes really great on Burgers, Hot dogs or goats cheese.
Tomatoes
Hopefully you have been picking tomatoes for a while now and enjoying them in salads or just on there own from the vine with a pinch of sea salt. But around now they are reaching their peak. We have a few varieties so harvests are about 2 kilos per day. Don’t wash your tomatoes till you want to use them. The first thing we do with the glut is make a sweet chilli sauce. See recipes.
And then we dry some of them, especially the variety that is usually thick skinned and of less flavour. Place them loosely on an oven tray cut any that are large but not completely in half. Add salt and pepper to taste drizzle with olive or rapeseed oil, a sprinkle of herbs if you want, we love them with a couple of fresh Bay leaves, not garlic as it gets too bitter, add chillies if you want some heat.
Then place in a heated fan oven at 180 deg.C for 15-20 mins. Then turn down to 100 deg.C. For 3-4 hrs checking them hourly. When almost all the water has evaporated and they are slightly sticky, place in a sterile jar with 2 mm of olive oil on top. Keep for around a month in the fridge. Better by far than any shop bought.
Or why not make a hearty tomato, red pepper and butternut squash soup, remember to sweat the veg. in butter or olive oil first for 10 mins. season well, add boiled water to desired amount and simmer until soft. Serve lumpy or pureed, with a bit of double cream and fresh chopped parsley on top yum.
Plant effects on the Mind and Body
Humanity has a long history of People using plants to alter their states of mind from the Ayahuasca and Coca of Indigenous South American tribes, or the use of Peyote in Shaman rituals of native North American Indians famously described by Carlos Castaneda in the teachings of Don Juan
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To the journeys of the Siberian Shaman with Amanita Muscaria, which led to our custom of Santa Clause in his red and white coat, coming down the chimney bearing gifts that they had crafted whilst under the influence of this powerful and highly dangerous Narcotic Mushroom. Or chewing the leaves and inhalation of the burning dried root, of Nerium Oleander, by the Oracle at the Temple of Delphi to produce her prophetic trance like state.
The Pythia at the Temple of Delphi.
A highly poisonous globally widespread common garden plant, Oleander is found in gardens and road verges throughout Greece and the Mediterranean .
You can grow this beautiful plant in containers, to avoid frost, it’s flowers come in a variety of colours, red, pink, yellow or white, and are very fragrant, keep well drained and feed infrequently once a month, let it rest in the winter. Obviously the plant is highly toxic even deadly, but then so are Lilys, keep away from children and pets.
Many have forgotten that common beverages we consume today such as coffee, tea and even beer, were once considered sacred by our ancesters, and such plants as tobacco, were used in shamanic rituals to aid in the passage to the spirit world
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These powerful and sometimes deadly psychotropic plants opened up nature’s vista and produced an intimate deep connection with plants and nature. The plants were even imbued with living spirits, for example the Mandrake root
in the shape of a being that takes the person on a journey of discovery or trepidation, or the Ayahuasco vine and Coca plant derived from the fingers of the daughters of the Sun Father which broke off during child birth, were buried in the ground and grew into these 2 plants.
Many customs, rituals, arts and crafts have resulted from the influences of these plants on the mind illustrated are some examples
The wonders or horrors of Nature that were revealed by using these plants revealed our transient existence and the illusion of our habitual fragile reality, as many of these plants effect the ego as well as the mood. We all know how disinhibited and elated we become on drinking alcohol, and then fall into drowsiness or depression.
Now I want to go into a little more detail about some of these plants and like to categorize them into, Stimulating or energizing, Sedating or relaxing and Hallucinogens or waking dream states.
Stimulants
The Tea plant-Camellia Sinensis, member of the Camellia genus, which you can grow outdoors, it will tolerate temperatures down to -5 Celsius in a sheltered well drained sunny spot. It needs acid soil to grow, like all Camellias & Rhodedendrons, it likes a cool moist environment and regular ericaceous liquid fertilizer. First cultivated in China and now Cultivated as a shrub or small tree throughout the world even here in the UK. .
Only the choicest top 2-3 leaves and bud are picked steamed and dried to make green tea or left to ferment a while then dried to make black tea. The leaves contain caffeine and xanthines, the latter used in Asthma treatments. But also older and larger leaves contain much more Tannin, which imparts the bitterness, thought to cause cancer of the gut, but now known to have strong antioxidant effects that combat this, as well as antibiotic properties and lowering of blood pressure.
The Coffee Arabica plant, was thought to be derived from Ethiopia, and later the Middle East- hence Arabica, around the 10th century. It wasn’t until the 18th century that it was cultivated in Latin America which is now the world s major producer.
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The seeds are dried aged and roasted then ground into coffee. The Coffea Arabica plant makes a beautiful house plant that is easy to grow, they prefer a bright situation, but out of direct sunlight, so away from the window. Keep away from drafts and above 18 degrees Celsius as possible. It needs a moist but well drained soil. Keep it on a pebble tray to keep humidity up, water less in the winter when light is reduced. Feed with liquid fertilizer every 2-3 months. It can grow up to 6 feet and so prune in spring. Flowers around 4 years and needs hand pollination with a small brush to set fruit.
Benefits of drinking coffee are, improvements in concentration, memory, and mood. It increases the metabolic rate so aids in fat burning and weight loss. Physical performance is also enhanced. It reduces the risk of developing type II Diabetis if drunk regularly. But it doesn’t stop there, it reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease developing. It can protect the liver against Cirrhosis and reduce some cancers like bowel and liver, it is very rich in antioxidants and therefore can reduce heart disease and stroke. Quite a panacea!
This article will be continued. It can be found permanently on the Plant Magic page.
How is Global warming affecting our gardens and plots?
We as gardeners are noticing the effects of our planet warming up, extreme weather is putting a lot of stress on animals and plants. We have seen a dramatic decrease in our bee and butterfly populations as well as our bird life.
Flooding and drought can decimate crops and make plants more susceptible to disease, therefore to survive we have to modify our way of growing them to give them a helping hand. Raising our plots and beds adding adequate quantities of organic and cellulose material will help buffer against the extremes, not being too zealous with stone removal from your beds, deeper down and on the surface, will also help.
Creating bug hotels with bamboo, dry sticks and coarse grasses, or a stumpery is a great home for dozens of species, try to create a variety of niche habitats. Don’t tidy up your garden over the winter, leave a few plants to go to seed, such as pole beans, parsnip and borage, fennel is particularly loved by our birds and will grow year on year, if left, spinach and chard produce masses of seeds.
Leave a patch of your lawn for native wild flowers or plants in your area to seed, many insects and birds have evolved with these in their diets and rely on them for optimum health.
Leave some windfall from fruit trees on the ground and on the tree, and even those slimy critters- slugs and snails, who do so much damage to seedlings and tender plants, play a very important part in mopping up dying vegetation. We would all be buried under yards of rotting vegetation without them.
Any way they’ll be easier to find under shelters you’ve created over winter, and you can move them somewhere they won’t bother your prized plants, (at least 30 metres away as they have a homing ability). Or keep them as ‘pets’ contained in your compost bin, use fine mesh to contain them -they’ll speed up composting.
Many animals rely on all these, what we call pests, to survive and the widespread use of pesticides over the last few decades is one of the reasons our wildlife populations are on the verge of a precipice. This is discussed in more detail on the beneficial bugs page.
The decimation of our tree population over hundreds of years is probably one of the worst environmental disasters caused by humans. Trees singularly and with symbiotes provide the greatest habitats and preservation of soil fertility and integrity, of any plant. And thereby prevent soil erosion and flash flooding, every farm should be made by law to plant suitable trees even if its just on the northern boundary of the fields. There’s no reason they couldn’t be productive trees or shrubs, rather than fences or privet.
Really, unless something is done and done soon to address this disharmony to our natural environment, where our animal and plant life is treated like third class citizens or worse systematically annihilated, we will perish!
Please leave your observations on how climate change is affecting your gardens and plots and what you have done or doing to combat it, together we can all share our ideas and images, and unite as a world of growers and nature lovers to make a global impact.
I will post regular updates on this issue with images, please feel free to do the same.
Lemon Grass
Cymbopogon citratus Ht. 1m
Native to Indonesia widely grown in South East Asia and Australasia and belongs to the grass family, it’s wonderful aroma comes from the citronella oil it contains, which is why it is widely used as an insect repellent and in perfumes.
It loves a sunny, warm, humid environment and a moist, rich soil and will quickly spread if given enough room. Grow some in pots and bring indoors, so as you brush by it releases it’s wonderful fragrance.
The essential oil can cause skin irritation. An infusion or compress is a good antiseptic for superficial wounds. It,s also good for acne, coughs and colds. In South East Asia it is brewed as a tea to alleviate nausea and aid sleep.
It will not tolerate temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius, so needs to be brought inside during the winter or grown from seed each year.
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