Posted on 02/09/2009 12:36:11 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny
Yahoo ran an interesting article this morning indicating a rise in the number of survivalist communities cropping up around the country. I have been wondering myself how much of the recent energy crisis is causing people to do things like stockpile food and water, grow their own vegetables, etc. Could it be that there are many people out there stockpiling and their increased buying has caused food prices to increase? Its an interesting theory, but I believe increased food prices have more to do with rising fuel prices as cost-to-market costs have increased and grocers are simply passing those increases along to the consumer. A recent stroll through the camping section of Wal-Mart did give me pause - what kinds of things are prudent to have on hand in the event of a worldwide shortage of food and/or fuel? Survivalist in Training
Ive been interested in survival stories since I was a kid, which is funny considering I grew up in a city. Maybe thats why the idea of living off the land appealed to me. My grandfather and I frequently took camping trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway and around the Smoky Mountains. Looking back, some of the best times we had were when we stayed at campgrounds without electricity hookups, because it forced us to use what we had to get by. My grandfather was well-prepared with a camp stove and lanterns (which ran off propane), and when the sun went to bed we usually did along with it. We played cards for entertainment, and in the absence of televisions, games, etc. we shared many great conversations. Survivalist in the Neighborhood
PASTA DOUGH FLAVORED WITH HERBS
Posted by: “KittyHawk”
PASTA DOUGH FLAVORED WITH HERBS
Basil Flavored Pasta Dough
Add 1/4 cup dried basil to the flour and proceed as directed for Basic
Egg Pasta Dough.
Garlic Flavored Pasta Dough
Follow the recipe for Basic Egg Pasta Dough.
Peel 6 garlic cloves and mince well in a blender.
Add the 3 eggs and 3/4 teaspoon salt and blend well.
Add remaining ingredients and proceed as directed for Egg Pasta Dough.
Saffron Flavored Pasta Dough
Follow the recipe for Basic Egg Pasta Dough, but omit the oil.
Put 1/2 teaspoon crushed saffron threads in a cup.
Add 1-1/2 tablespoons hot water and let stand 20-30 minutes.
Put in a food processor with the 3 eggs and puree.
Add remaining ingredients and proceed as directed for Basic Egg Pasta Dough
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5. Homemade Pasta using your Mixer or Food Processor
Posted by: “KittyHawk”
Homemade Pasta using your Mixer or Food Processor
Serves: 4 - 8 people (depending on how hungry you all are)
3 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
4 - 6 eggs (the more eggs you add, the richer the dough)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp warm water
Preparing Dough Using a Mixer with a Dough Hook
1. Place the flour into your mixing bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, salt and olive oil.
3. Turn the mixer on low and then slowly pour the egg mixture into the
bowl, incorporating the egg into the flour.
4. Add the warm water slowly if you need to moisten the dough (I almost
always do this). Sometimes you may need it all, sometimes you will only
need a bit.
5. When the egg is added into the flour and you have a rough dough, take
everything out of the bowl and set it on a marble or wooden counter or
board.
6. Collect the mixture into a ball on a marble or wooden counter or board.
Preparing Dough by Using a Food Processor
1. Place the flour into your processor’s bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, salt and olive oil.
3. Pulse the processor while slowly pouring the egg mixture into the
bowl and incorporating it into the flour.
4. Add the warm water slowly if you need to moisten the dough (I almost
always do this). Sometimes you may need it all, sometimes you will only
need a bit.
5. When the egg is added into the flour and you have a rough dough, take
everything out of the bowl and set it on a marble or wooden counter or
board.
Kneading the Dough
1. Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes. When you’re done, it should be
smooth with everything fully incorporated. Be sure not to stop too soon
(even if your arms are tired) as your dough won’t stretch well later and
you’ll regret it.
2. Let the dough rest in a bowl covered with plastic wrap for at least
an hour on the counter or up to a day in the refrigerator.
Making the Pasta
A. Rolling out the Dough by Hand
1. Line a cookie sheet with paper towels that have been sprinkled with
flour.
2. Spread some flour onto your counter or board and set the dough on top
of it.
3. Cut a 1/2 inch slice off your dough ball, and keep the rest covered
with the plastic wrap.
4. Using your rolling pin, roll your dough to your desired thickness (I
like it on the thin side) and then cut into whatever shape you’d like. I
think pappardelle, tagliatelle, and fettuccini are the easiest to cut.
5. Set the cut noodles onto the cookie sheet, being sure not to clump
them too much. Sprinkle on more flour if needed.
6. Continue until you are out of dough.
Making Individual Shapes by Hand
1. Line a cookie sheet with paper towels that have been sprinkled with
flour.
2. Spread some flour onto your counter or board and set the dough on top
of it.
3. Cut a 1/2 inch slice off your dough ball, and keep the rest covered
with the plastic wrap.
4. Make whatever shapes you’d like (I think orecchiette is the easiest
as you just make little balls and then press your knuckle into them),
being sure not to make your shapes too thick or too big as they won’t
cook well.
5. Set the cut noodles onto the cookie sheet, being sure not to clump
them too much an sprinkling on more flour if needed.
6. Continue until you are out of dough.
Note: I won’t provide pasta maker instructions as each machine comes
with a helpful manual.
Cooking the Pasta
1. Add the pasta to salted boiling water. Be sure to have a nice full
pot so there’s enough room for the pasta to move around and cook in
separate batches if your pot isn’t big enough.
2. Boil for 3-5 minutes, or until the pasta seems cooked through.
3. The pasta should be firm, but cooked through, when you take it out.
Just be sure not to let it get mushy.
4. Serve with your favorite sauce.
Freezing the Pasta
1. Take your fresh (uncooked) noodles still lying on the cookie sheet
and cover them with a layer of paper towels.
2. Stick the cookie sheet in the freezer for about an hour.
3. When the noodles are frozen, place them in a freezer bag or container
and freeze until ready for use.
mailto:FoodPreservationDryingCanningAndMore-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
I love a good pot roast. Especially one made with cola! We ate a small bit for dinner, for three people, and have plenty to take in sandwiches for work. The juice left over I will freeze and make soup later. This very well could be the most unsustainable recipe post ever!
Here is the recipe for those who care:
Coca Cola Roast
1 2 1/2 - 3 lb roast- you can go with a cheaper cut of meat like chuck roast
1 can of Cola- not diet as the sugar in the cola is part of the process that tenderizes the roast
1 can of French onion Soup (I used Campbell’s)
whatever veggies you want to add
Put roast into crock pot, dump in the soup, dump in the cola add vegetables. Cook on low setting for about 6 hours.
Posted by Robj98168
http://robj98168.blogspot.com/
This weeks Cooked something new recipes:
DANDELION FRITTERS
1 cup of dandelion flowers
1 egg
1 cup of milk
1 ½ cups of flour
½ cup of Corn Meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
To make the fritter batter; beat 1 egg, then blend in 1 cup milk. Mix 1-1/2 cups flour and 1/2 cup cornmeal with 2 tsp. baking powder in a separate bowl before blending with the egg mixture. Rinse and dry flowers. Dip the flower buds into the fritter batter. Carefully drop breaded flowers in hot oil until golden brown. These can be used as croutons in a green garden salad.
NOTW: It would probably work better if you used the flowers fresh rather than putting them in the fridge and waiting until 11:30 at night Like I did the first time. They tend to close up a bit.
Borage and cucumber salad
3 large cucumbers
1/2 pint sour cream
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon of dried dill seeds or 2 or 3 sprigs of fresh dill
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh, young borage leaves (chopped finely)
Slice the cucumbers thinly. Salt lightly and set aside in a colander for 30 minutes, then rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Mix the remaining ingredients, add the cucumbers to the mixture, and toss lightly. Garnish with borage blossoms. Chill for one hour before serving.
CRUNCHY DOMESTIC GODDESS 5 MINUTE SHOWER CHALLENGE Still doing it at 5 minute or less showerd, still catching shower warm-up water, still clean and not smelly! Got the water bill and we used about half the water we normally do for August.
http://robj98168.blogspot.com/search/label/garden
Since my new founded interest in sprouting, I would dearly love to try one of those fancy sprouting systems sold online, But instead I madesome new sprouting jars.
The easy answer is to use a meshy fabric like cheesecloth or some nylons and wrap around the top like in the second video. But, being a guy, I don’t have nylons lying around and not about to go out and buy some Big Mama nylons. These are easy to make- don’t buy sprouting jars or lids.
Here is how I make mine. Take an ordinary mason jar. You need to buy some type or mesh or netting to use in place of the cap. I use plastic canvass, which is available at JoAnn’s and I would imagine Michael’s has them as well. Take a mason jar and put it on the plastic canvass lid side down-
Take a mason jar and put it on the plastic canvass lid side down- and a sharpie to mark the circle.
Then simply cut the circle out of the canvass. Now place it ontop of the mason jar and screw on the lid. There you have a sprouting jar in whatever size you need! For instructions on using your sprouting jar, go to sproutpeople or sprouting.com or best yet the cityfarmer.org.
http://robj98168.blogspot.com/search/label/garden
Excellent idea to use the plastic cross stitch foundation, would be better than the cheese cloth and screens.
Interesting blog, lots of hidden tips.
granny
http://robj98168.blogspot.com/search/label/Making%20Bread
How to make 3 kinds of bread, with 3 videos.
From what I've found so far, you can get an off brand gasoline powered generator that produces enough power to run my freezer, fridge, and charge batteries or run 1 or 2 light bulbs for $120 to $200. These are 950 to 1200w, run on gas or an oil-gas mixture, and generally run about 3-4 hours on a gallon of gas.
Harbor Freight tools has something else that caught my eye. It's a generator head that you hook up to your own engine. The one they have works on a 20hp gas engine, but I didn't see smaller ones you could hook up to a push mower, which would make the perfect size for occasional home use. Anyone have any plans or ideas on this subject??Don't leave me "in the dark" on this (pun intended)
[An excellent gardeners blog....granny]
http://www.cheapvegetablegardener.com/2009/01/cheap-vegetable-seeds.html
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Cheap Vegetable Seeds - UPDATE
Looking at my web logs I have seen the query for “cheap vegetable seeds” a few times so figured would be good to help people find what they are looking for. Being The Cheap Vegetable Gardener, I can do better than “Cheap vegetable seeds” how about some “free vegetable seeds” as well.
Free Vegetable Seeds (pretty much)
* Ask your neighbors Notice your neighbor is a gardener, check if they want to go in on a seed order and share unless you really need 200 carrots this year.
* Harvest your own seeds If your plants bolt to seed early this year, dont pull them out let them create some seeds for next season. Notice your neighbor has some seeding plants, ask if you can get some (important part is to ask though)
* Get seeds from the grocery store Before putting those vegetables in the compost bin, set the seeds aside to let them dry and you got some free seeds. Though a word of warning many vegetables are hybrids and may be infertile or not produce the same quality of product but hey its free.
* Check your spice rack Many cases you can plant seeds from your spice rack. Some ideas, mustard seed, dill seed, coriander, poppy seed, celery seed. If your spice rack is lacking you can pay a few cents buy a teaspoon of organic spices in bulk, last time I bought dill seeds got about 100 seeds for $0.05.
* Seed swap web sites Below I have listed a few links where you can share seeds with others. This is a great way to find some heirloom seeds you might not be able to find in stores/seed catalogs. In many cases people will offer seeds for free by just sending a SASE (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope) Just remember to pay it forward when you come into a plethora of seeds yourself.
o http://www.almanac.com/swap/index.php
o http://www.thriftyfun.com/board_seeds.html
o http://www.garden.org/seedswap/
o http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/exseed/
Cheap Vegetable Seeds
* Local seed swaps Many groups will have annual seed swaps where you enter for a small fee and/or a packet or two of seeds and you leave with much more than you came with.
* Buy online If you want to save some time and just buy them check online. You can get great selection and some great prices. For example Park Seed right now is having a $1 seed sale, if you click on the image on the left side you will see many are on sale for $0.75.
Park Seed Seeds
UPDATE: If you order by end of Feburary and enter the promo code “SPRINGSEEDS” you can save an additional 10% on your order at Park Seed.
Posted by The Cheap Vegetable Gardener at 11:30 AM
Labels: cheap, free, seed saving, seeds
5 comments:
Kared said...
Huh, I never thought of planting dill from the spice rack. Does it really work?! That’s awesome!
January 8, 2009 11:12 PM
Patrice Farmer said...
OMG, I never thought to plant the dry seeds in the cupboard. Thanks.
January 9, 2009 5:10 AM
Daphne said...
Just a warning if you try to grow your seeds from your spice rack. Test the germination rate first. Dill seed can live a decade, but it can die in just a few years too. Just purchased seed is probably fine (though it could have been sitting there for years). If you take the seed from your shelf and haven’t been replacing your spices every couple of years, those old ones might have issues. It is safer to test them in a moist paper towel inside.
January 9, 2009 5:49 AM
shibaguyz.com said...
Great ideas...
Our FAV place right now for inexpensive seeds is Tomatobob.com. They have twenty-five cent seeds on some of their supply. Other than that, there are GREAT prices right now at West Seattle Nursery (for you local Seattle folks). Our other online source is heirloom seeds dot com.
Thanks for the info post... going to go get some more seeds now!! LOL
You Gotta See This!!!
http://sweetpotatopromethus.blogspot.com/
Aeroponic Sweet Potato Prototype
Aeroponic, Sweet Potato, hydroponic, NASA, Sweet Potato slip, Fogger, Fogponics, Fog, This is a homemade Aeroponic system which I am trying to grow sweet potatoes in with no soil
Seed Bombs for Guerilla Gardening
I recently became interested in Guerilla Gardening, which is using dilapidated or unused land to garden on. Seed balls can be used to inconspicuously beautify an area.
Heavy Petal has a great guide on making them.
Heres the recipe:
5 parts dry red clay*
3 parts dry organic compost
1 part seed**
1 - 2 parts water
They are rolled into balls and are dried in a place with good ventilation. To use them, toss a handful on bare ground. The clay will protect them from birds or being stepped on and will fertilize them once they germinate.
Heavy Petal also recommends using edible, medicinal, and drought tolerant plants.
This was written by Red Icculus.
5 Comments
Okay, I’ve got my store-onion roots planted. I am guessing I need a little slice of the onion a-top the root to feed the root a bit. Say, 1/4 - 1/2 inch? At least that’s what I tried.
Celery is not something that will grow here due to the rockiness and shallowness of the soil. I will have to work on preparing a bed to try planting the celery. That’s another good project for me to experiment with. I just keep hoping the Lord is good enough to give me enough time to do all these experiments.
Try things out and see what happens.
Where I am, tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes, peas and lots of others do well if I just grow them in the ground.
Never had much luck with like cucumbers, though.
Last year, I planted cucumbers in a planter. And ended up with enough cucumbers to choke a goat.
So you have to find what works in your local area, and which plants like to grow next to other plants, etc.
Let there be light the man says....
Get a propane refrigerator and a wind generator.
Well maybe not for 200 dollars, but you might be surprised at what you can get on free cycle groups.
I honestly as so far out of date that I can’t offer you what you need to know.
I sold a rock house that was wired for 12 volt and 110, with a bank of telephone company batteries that were charged when the generator came on, generator was gas as I recall.
I would have to say “where will you get the gas to run the generator?”, when it hits hard.
wind power would be great, but is expensive, unless you build it yourself.
Before the science nuts discovered wind power I knew all about it, as Ben Gilbough had worked on the patents for it and he and Barney Oldfield held the patent for the “hot tube” the forerunner of the spark plugs we use today.
Ben was using a 1912 Franklin rear end, on the top of his windmill and had it hooked to a ? [magneto as I recall, as from a Model A]
It did power a couple 25 watt light bulbs in his house.
Years ago, I saw a neat one at Meadview.
Think of a carnival Ferris Wheel, lay it on the side, replace the seats with 55 gallon barrels, that have one side cut, to leave a flap to catch the wind.
It is mounted on the base, just enough off level, that it will push itself around and run a generator that charges the batteries.
It was fun watching it move, with no wind.
Do you have a hill?
Dig a deep tunnel in it, it will be a cool place for food.
A propane refrig and freezer is just the kind of things that will show up on free cycle.
You might find an answer here:
To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HunkerDown06/
He is a regular poster on the below group:
Book review for homesteaders
Posted by: “lamar5292”
Date: Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:17 pm ((PST))
My book “Simple Solar Homesteading” was just reviewed on raw land
guides for anyone interested.
Heres the link:
http://rawlandguide.com/?p=172
LaMar
http://www.freewebs.com/simplesolarhomesteading
To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/simplyoffgrid/
Make Your Own Seed Starter Pots
The startup costs for starting seeds can be dauting with trays and flats. You probably have the best seed starting pots sitting in your garage- newspapers.
To make one, simply tear a 9 x 9 inch square out. Fold it over the outside of a drinking glass. Pull it off, and fold the top lip in or staple.
They can go right into the ground outside and are biodegradable!
Regrowing Scallions
I had seen a couple people were regrowing scallions, so I had to try my hand at it. I put just the growing tip of a scallion in the coconut blooming my amaryllis:
And it just grew back!
see photos
Another good blog for gardners.
http://tim-gamble.blogspot.com/2009/02/resource-miser-010.html
I have not read the article, this writer is a left leaning green, who does have a few ideas for all of us, on saving energy.
granny
The New Materials Economy
I also want to recommend a two-part essay by Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute:
Raising Energy Efficiency in a New Materials Economy, part one
Raising Energy Efficiency in a New Materials Economy, part two
Project of the Week
Most likely, there are holes in your house. Holes that let in cold air during the winter and let out cool air during the summer, wasting lots of electricity and your money. Those holes may also let in rats, mice and insects. The holes were put there on purpose when your home was built, to make room for pipes.
Look for holes in your kitchen, your bathrooms, your utility room or laundry room, and even your basement. Look under and beside sinks, toilets and laundry hook-ups. A surprising amount of air can pass through those holes.
If you find any holes, they can easily be filled with a can of spray foam insulation for $5 or less. Cans of spray foam insulation can be found at Wal-mart, Target, Home Depot, Lowe’s and just about any local hardware store. Be sure to read the instructions on the can, but it is really easy to do.
When I checked my Mother’s house for holes, I was surprised to find the one under the kitchen sink was so large. Even with the pipes running through it, there was still room enough to put my fist in the hole. I also found a smaller hole under the sink in one of the two bathrooms.
More tips on sealing your home’s envelope can be found by clicking here.
Posted by Tim Gamble at 10:26 PM
When I first discovered this it made so much sense when I thought of honey's natural antibiotic properties. Add in a little sugar for a jump start and bingo, you've got a booster for a cutting. Makes total sense when ya think about it. But, who'd o' thought?
http://tim-gamble.blogspot.com/2008/12/index-to-resource-miser-series.html
[live links on site and many other articles]
Index to The Resource Miser Series
Here is an index to The Resource Miser series. It will be updated on a regular basis.
The Resource Miser #001 - Radical Resource Efficiency; Home Energy Efficiency
The Resource Miser #002 - Twenty Free Ways to Save Energy
The Resource Miser #003 - Tips for Saving Energy in Winter
The Resource Miser #004 - Saving Gasoline; Saving Water
The Resource Miser #005 - How attitudes & behaviors effect resource use
The Resource Miser #006 - Sealing Your Home’s Envelope
The Resource Miser #007 - Household Tips for Saving Energy & Other Resources
The Resource Miser #008 - Resource Efficiency links; Project: Electricity Vampires
The Resource Miser #009 - General Tips; Project: Check Out Your Trash
The Resource Miser #010 - Articles of Interest; Project: Holes in Your House
The Resource Miser SE-01 - Insulation Explained
The Resource Miser SE-02 - Index to The Resource Miser Series
continued....
http://tim-gamble.blogspot.com/2008/12/index-to-engineering-future-series.html
Index to the Engineering the Future Series
Here is an index to the Engineering the Future series. It will be updated on a regular basis.
Engineering the Future #001 - The Resurgence of Nuclear Energy
Engineering the Future #002 - Space Solar Energy
Engineering the Future #003 - Biofuels
Engineering the Future #004 - In the News
Engineering the Future #005 - The New Space Race
Engineering the Future SE-01 - Index to Engineering the Future Series
continued, and live links..
http://tim-gamble.blogspot.com/2009/02/life-forests-003-getting-started-part-1.html
Life Forests #003 - Getting Started, Part 1
Life Forests is a newsletter focused on a type of permaculture called forest or woodland gardening, sometimes referred to as food gardens. It is published every Wednesday on the Sustainable Future website. Please feel free to forward Life Forests to your family and friends.
Getting Started (Part 1)
Once started, a forest garden can be relatively low-maintenance, but it does take some planning to get there. Your approach to the design of your particular forest garden will be affected by the current state of the land you are using:
1- A bare plot of land, with no trees or shrubs.
2- A plot of land that has some scattered trees and shrubs.
3- A plot of land that is already heavily wooded.
All three offer a different set of challenges and opportunities.
continued......
>>>>But the truth is Monsanto has messed with our seeds and loves to sue a farmer, even for their plants that are not in areas planted by the farmer, but may be bird droppings.<<<<<
Not only is Monsanto involved in genetically modified seeds, but for years, they have been VERY involved in getting their genetically engineered products not only approved, but they do NOT want labeling to reveal the presence of their product.
Check your milk carton - does it say - “ Does Not Contain rBGH” ?
It probably doesn’t - You see, Monsanto pushed (bought) legislation not to have to show it’s presence, as if having rBGH was normal - IT IS NOT! If you want to avoid it, milk has to be labeled that it does not contain it.
OK, what is rBGH? recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone. Also known as (recombinant bovine somatotropin) rBST.
Who makes it? MONSANTO!
What does it do? In short, it increases the amount of milk a cow produces (without going into the gory details)
Effect on humans? UNKNOWN - but - there is significant evidence that it unbalances hormone levels in humans. Has been somewhat linked to increases of breast and other cancers.
It is banned throughout Europe, Canada and Japan.
Gee, DelaWhere must be some kind of conspiracy kook, why should I believe him that rBGH is widely used in dairy cows?
Among the many jobs I have had in my lifetime, One of them was as General Manager of a regional milk testing organization with milk testers in 4 states. I have been on about 80% of the dairy farms in those states during their milking. (Supervising and evaluating my milk testers)
Believe me - rBGH IS HEAVILY USED!!!
Thanks Monsanto! (NOT)
[Interesting site to seeds for sprouting and info on same...]
http://www.sproutpeople.com/index.html
Our site contains over 400 pages of sprout information:
Sprouting Instructions for over 80 seeds
Recipes for Sprouts, Greens and even Grasses
Detailed Sprouting Device information
and every recipe and set of instructions has
a printable (plain-text) version too!
http://www.herbsarespecial.com.au/free-herb-information/loofahs.html
LOOFAHS
Description
Loofahs are said to have origins in Asia, with about 8 species belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family. Below is information on three useful species.
1. Smooth Loofah (Luffa cylindrical) also called Dishcloth Gourd; a hardy annual (to perennial in sub-tropical climates), creeping or climbing tendril vine, with large, hairy, deeply lobed leaves. Yellow trumpet-shaped male and female flowers. Round, green fruit 20-60cm long with scallops running lengthways. Skin turns brown at full maturity. When dry the skin can be peeled off, revealing a thick mass of light brown fibre that looks like a tightly spun cocoon, with the widest end open to allow easy exit for the flat, oval, black seed.
Loofahs
Loofahs
2. Angled Loofah (Luffa acutangula) also called Chinese Okra, Ridged Gourd, Thai Vegetable; annual with growth like the smooth loofah. Oval fruit 15-30cm long forms thin at the vine end expanding to 8cm diameter at the terminal end. Ten very defined ridges form around the full length of the fruit, which give a very appealing appearance. Oval, flat, dark brown seed form within cavities of the fruits interior mesh-like fibre.
3. Little Loofah (Luffa purgens) also called Mini Loofah; an annual with a smaller leaf than the above species. Oval fruit the size of a bantam egg with oval, tiny, soft spines which form along 10 ridges that run from end to end. When the skin turns from green to brown, the skin is easy to peel off. If little loofahs are not picked when mature a little top-knot at the terminal end drops off and the black, oval, flat, 7mm long seeds fall out, part of natures plan of seed dispersal for the next seasons plants.
... ... see How can I use HERBS in my daily life? for full text.
Medicinal Uses
A traditional Chinese food plant (species 1 and 2) to benefit the liver, lungs, heart and stomach; having a cooling effect on the body; also used for migraines, lumbago, bronchitis and uterine bleeding. Little loofah has been found to have quite unique therapeutic uses. Many years ago Hildegard rang for seeds of the little loofah, and she lent me the book Healing without pills and injections by Anita Backhaus, who mentions the research of Dr. Fliess, a professor at the Berlin University Hospital, Germany, in researching natural remedies and reflexes of the body. He found that the trigeminus nerve in the nose was a remarkable trigger point for healing all manner of illnesses. Dr. Fliess had heard of little loofah from a herbalist who found the plant had brought a return to health for a patient who was suffering from a brain tumor. Dr. Fliess experimented with little loofah on himself, and found the procedure most successful. Half a Loofah purgens is soaked
... ... see How can I use HERBS in my daily life? for full text.
[You have to order the book for the rest of the story...granny]
This information on herbs is provided free from Isabel Shipard’s book “How can I use HERBS in my daily life?”
“... ...” have been used to indicate omitted text.
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