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Don’t let cows or goats you plan to milk eat kudzu, gives the milk a peculiar flavor.
Plenty of other uses for the stuff though, it turns out. Several creative local farmers have found a way to convert a big stand of it into a cash crop. Harvest and bale, feed it to livestock. The vines are saleable to craft shops for certain wreaths and flower arrangements. The young leaves are edible and fairly tasty fried up in a light batter. Jellies made with the purple blooms tastes nice enough, the color seems to intensify as it’s cooked, which is unusual. And finally, the roots are not just edible but regarded as medicinal in Asia. Good hangover cure, helpful to stave off alcohol cravings in those who have a problem with it.
The vine that ate the south might turn into a blessing instead of a curse after all, lol. Now, if I could just figure out how to make biofuel out of it.
The free enterprise system at work. I like stories like these.
Shhh, the democRATS/Peta/EPA will find a way to close it down or tax it heavy.
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Sheep belonging to Brian Cash, the owner of Eweniversally Green, were hard at work at the home of Kathie and Kevin Brown in Dunwoody on Friday, June 10, 2011.
Neat story OP! Thank you!
Ain't enough goats/sheep in the world to get rid of the southern scourge known as Kudzu.
Neat story OP! Thank you!
Neat story OP! Thank you!
The sheep don’t just eat the kudzu; they actually convert it into a nice fertilizer which they graciously deposit around the yard.
I once had a plan that was so un-PC and so efficient that it would have blown liberal fuses all over the planet.
Briefly, take young herd boys from any of the East African pastoral tribes, Pokot, Turkana, Karamajong, Maasai. Only a single tribe a a time, though. Bring them & their young goats & lambs to the SE USA.
Rent the boys & their goats to clear Kudzu covered land. Half of the boys watch goats in the morning, the other half go to school. At noon, swap places. After just under a year, load the boys, their fat goats and sheep onboard a ship heading to Africa.
Stop by Jeddah on the way back to Mombasa in time the sell the livestock to the pilgrims doing their haj. Drop the boys back at Mombasa with tickets home, half the cash from renting & selling the livestock, and a good start to an education.
Use the other half of the income for the expenses of the entire operation.
Now that’s a symbiotic relationship! Otherwise known as “Win, Win, Win”.
Just another wild & crazy idea from BwanaNdege!
;-)
HOW TO GROW KUDZU
by Tifton B. Merritt
All you beginning gardeners out there might want to consider growing kudzu as a fine way to launch out into the great adventure of gardening. Kudzu, for those of you not already familiar
with it, is a hardy perennial that can be grown quite well by the beginner who observes these few simple rules.
CHOOSING A PLOT: Kudzu can be grown almost anywhere, so site selection is not the problem it is with some other finicky plants like strawberries. Although kudzu will grow quite well on cement, for best results you should select an area having at least some dirt. To avoid lawsuits, it is advisable to plant well away from your neighbor’s house, unless, of course, you don’t get along well with your neighbor anyway.
PREPARING THE SOIL: Go out and stomp on the soil for a while just to get its attention and to prepare it for kudzu.
DECIDING WHEN TO PLANT: Kudzu should always be planted at night. If kudzu is planted during daylight hours, angry neighbors might see you and begin throwing rocks at you.
SELECTING THE PROPER FERTILIZER: The best fertilizer I have discovered for kudzu is 40 weight non-detergent motor oil. Kudzu actually doesn’t need anything to help it grow, but the
motor oil helps to prevent scraping the underside of the tender leaves then the kudzu starts its rapid growth. It also cuts down on friction and lessens the danger of fire when the kudzu really
starts to move. Change oil once every thousand feet or every two weeks, whichever comes first.
MULCHING THE PLANTS: Contrary to what you may be told by the Extension Service, kudzu can profit from a good mulch. I have found that a heavy mulch for the young plants produces a hardier crop. For best results, as soon as the young shoots begin to appear, cover kudzu with concrete blocks. Although this causes a temporary setback, your kudzu will accept this mulch as a challenge and will reward you with redoubled determination in the long run.
ORGANIC OR CHEMICAL GARDENING: Kudzu is ideal for either the organic gardener or for those who prefer to use chemicals to ward off garden pests. Kudzu is oblivious to both chemicals and pests. Therefore, you can grow organically and let the pests get out of the way of the kudzu as best they can, or you can spray any commercial poison directly onto your crop.
Your decision depends on how much you personally enjoy killing bugs. The kudzu will not be affected either way.
CROP ROTATION: Many gardeners are understandably concerned that growing the same crop year after year will deplete the soil. If you desire to change from kudzu to some other plant next year, now is the time to begin preparations.
Right now, before the growing season has reached its peak, you should list your house and lot with a reputable real estate agent and begin making plans to move elsewhere. Your chances of selling will be better now then they will be later in the year, when it may be difficult for prospective buyer to realize that beneath those lush, green vines stands an adorable three-bedroom house.
http://www.walterreeves.com/how-to-archive/how-to-grow-kudzu/