Shell ginger

     Native to Eastern Asia, Alpinia zerumbet (Shell Ginger) is an amazing addition to any permaculture garden. It thrives with very little water and deep shade.
     It is edible, with the leaves being used to wrap rice dishes and rice cakes. Tisanes are made with ground leaves, stems, and roots. It is considered to have many antioxidants and to lower blood pressure.

    According to this study, Shell Ginger has many effects including antimicrobial (against E. coli), antiparasitic, insecticidal, anti-cancer, antiproliferative, antiinflammatory, analgesic, antiallergic, neuroprotective, and antioxidant properties. It has a proven efficacy against HIV virus and against neuroaminidase enzymes (Influenza viruses). Phytochemicals in Shell Ginger inhibit oxydative stress in adipose cells, and contribute to lipolysis. The phytochemicals also decrease intracellular triglycerides, which limits fat cell production/growth. A chemical in the roots called labdadiene inhibits glycation, preventing glycation related diabetic complications. Essential oils, specifically terpenin-4-ol, relax smooth muscles and decrease blood pressure.

     Apparently Shell Ginger is the local superfood that no one knows about! And here I am telling everyone. The superfood outside the back door...
    Propagate gingers by lifting the rhizomes and dividing them. Plant the rhizomes at the same depth ad the parent plant, or closer to the surface when in doubt.  It should be about as deep as the rhizome is tall.

     It has been my experience that all gingers hate being disturbed, and may look poorly for a year or two after dividing. One source says that after a Shell Ginger produces flowers/seeds then thay stalk can be cut to the ground and the rhizome will send up a new shoot. If you do any cutting, the stems and leaves make great rabbit food. Indeed, they think it's a treat! The cut leaves also have a wonderful aroma, not unlike a mixture of cardamom and ginger. Not too bad in a smoothie either.

Found Opuntia

     I feel like it's Christmas in the Springtime. When I was planting the Yucca filamentosa on the easement boundary of the new place I found several beautiful, native Opuntias growing there. I wonder if the previous owner planted them or it was just a fortuitous accident?

Grocery Store Onions

     You can plant the bases of fresh green onions. Most will regrow their leaves and provide you with additional green onion to eat. This will be the first year I have been able to keep them alive into the hot part of the summer, because the onions can't dry out in the heat. Shade is helpful also.

     You should try it! It's rewarding to see the fast growing changes and growth. And it stores food outside in the ground, uneaten by bugs and rot. The onion's pungency repels other insects.

Opuntia planted into an unstoppable barrier

     Someone gave me some Prickly Pear cactus, and I took some freshly grown tunas to the new property. I dug a trench in the limestone sand near the easement, and popped the tunas into the ground.

     Exhilarated, snapped a picture to show how the moat around my Firtress is progressing. I have also added a few Yucca Filamentosa to the wall of spikes. I plan on intermittently placing some Agave Americana amongst the wall, which will really deter anyone or anything from stepping onto my property.

     At the other boundary I have been placing Yucca filamentosa and Agave Americana. This part seems to be in direct sunlight, so Prickly Pear might not do as well. I will be adding more plants to my moat as much as I can, limited by supply of free plants from my little yard and time to go out to the property.

    One of my other plans is to dig the low spot on the property deeper, perhaps into a pond. On a previous trip I snagged these plants from the low spot, which I think might be cattail. I potted the little grasses into my backyard pond, successfully as of yet. Neither has created a
cattail flower or any kind of distinguishing mark.
      Digging the low spot deeper isn't a plan to create drinking water at the property. I am still working on that problem.

Opuntia placed using the STUN method, update

  It has been about two months since I planted all those tunas at the new property. They look great considering no rain and no care, right?
     It won't be too long, maybe another 6 months, and I will place them around the border of the new garden. It will be just one layer of fencing around my fortress of solitude.

Fortress of Solitude - Building a Moat

     Other than the Prickly Pear cacti that ai am propagating for my moat, I also have plans to use Yucca filamentosa as an additional barrier. If the yuccas were spaced appropriately it would be enough danger to stop most large animals, in theory. No deer preying on my garden!
    I planted out some of the immature yuccas from my house with enough spacing in between them for a row of prickly pear and then Agave americana on the inside row. Of the three aforementioned species Agave americana is the moat useful to me at the moment, as a leaf from it needs no adulteration in order to feed the rabbits. They like it! So having agave on the inside seems to make sense to me at the moment, even if I am sick from a cold and sleep deprived.
     Here is the beginning of the plant fence near the road.

Veronica spicata, Blue carpet speedwell, update

     Now that the Speedwell plants have gone to seed, they aren't nearly as beautiful as they were when they were flowering in this picture. But now they have dozens of seed pods, which are moist and mucilaginous. Perhaps when they dry out I will seed this spring flowering beauty elsewhere on the lands! It's useful as an expectorant or just as an additive to tea; almost a shame it's not native.

Rabbits, Spring of 2019, part 2

     Early Saturday morning, I remembere d that one of the rabbits was about to kindle, so I quickly scrubbed the nesting box and threw it into her cage, beautified with a new cardboard bottom. It was a good thing that I had done that right then too, because when I went out there Sunday morning to feed the rabbits, she had filled the box with fur and squirming masses. And inhaled every last drop of water and food. So I topped her up with an additional water bottle and plenty of greens with more to come every day.
     The garden has been producing growies in abundance this year, thanks to my super plant selections and attention to watering. This morning the rabbits received leaves of ginger, tropical sage, turks cap hibiscus, and Spanish Needle.

Buy this plant from me - Dwarf Red Canna

This morning I snapped a quick picture of this dwarf, red Canna. This is its first bloom of the season.
As you may know, Cannas love full sun and plenty of water. It's difficult to overwater them! Cannas can be placed into a pot in a new or existing pond, or planted out in the ditch that might exist in your yard.
I was thinking $5 or a trade/barter would be a good price, as this is a 100% organic offering of an edible plant beautiful enough for the front yard.
Thank you for checking out my plants. More offerings to come in the future. Ok to ask questions, even dumb ones.
-Knotty Pots
Chrissy

4 O'Clocks, Mirabilis jalapa

     Years ago I had discovered these beautifully flowered fragrant beauties hiding amongst the unwanted plants in the swale of my front yard. At that time I had thought the 4 o'clocks were pretty but toxic. It turns out there is mixed and conflicting information put there regarding Mirabilis, but Plants for a Future states that it has an edibility rating of 2 out of 5. And has been used in the past for medicinal purposes. And hallucinatory purposes.
     The leaves are edible, but not the seeds or the roots. Other sources say the roots are edible. Be cautious.
     I'm going to propagate this plant. It grows well year after year here and often creates seedlings in unexpected places.

Opuntia Placed Using the STUN method.

     I may have said before that I am a huge fan of Mark Sheppard's STUN method of gardening, which is short for Sheer Total Utter Neglect.  In short, you plant a whole lot of the thing you want to grow, as many different varieties as you wish, collect the seeds of the survivors, and continue to plant and collect seed of future generations so that you will be growing the best, most adapted plants for your space.
     So I pruned all of my Opuntia, which came out to a lot more than I had thought it would. Filling up an entire bucket! From my postage stamp yard I was impressed. These are not old and large plants, but tiny things I have found in the neighborhood and bought one at the botancal gardens. These are the native Opuntias, be cautious when handling!

     Then I took all the tunas to the new property, which I am going to have to give a name to. I had wanted to make a fortress of solitude out of the place complete with a moat of Cactus all around it, but as yet I dont have enough plant matter for that. So I placed them all in the ground in a protected area. Could always move them later on. I was delighted to find the sand was moist about an inch deep, perfect for these cacti! With any luck, I can STUN these into thousands more plants for my moat.

Opuntia, a revisiting

     I have been rethinking the case for planting spiny Opuntia at the new place. The spiny Prickly Pear still makes a delicious fruit, and it has the added benefit of keeping out people, deer, and anything else soft and fleshy.
There is a very nice overview here.
     I must have at least 20 starts in the front yard ready for transplant. Exciting!

How to Clone your Basil, Part 1 of 3

You may be wondering how to stay productive with your growies during the heat of summer. UofF IFAS recommends to do no planting or transplanting during the month of July, likely due to the high temperatures and extremely intermittent rainfall. In August, it would be acceptable to plant some seeds indoors for later transplanting outside, if you are into that sort of thing. Me, I would rather reproduce the growies that are successful asexually indoors during July, particularly growies like this delicious basil that I started from seed earlier this year.
This is a picture of the basil cuttings in my clone bucket, a miniature aeroponic system that bathes the stems in a constant mist. I had previously modified the sprayer head to produce finer misting particles, and once it was loaded with water and a pinch of rooting hormone it was ready to go. Also, the plants won't need light, so the clone bucket is tucked into my fairly dark kitchen where I can keep an eye on it.
Have you ever started cuttings in water, using this method or any other method?

Eat Your Sand, beautiful edibles for the front yard

Announcing the official opening of project Eat Your Sand

After two grueling years of college, I have finally emerged. Hopefully the headaches will be over, and I will have more time to do the things that I love to do, like teach the little ones about nature and growing plants. I have also been cultivating a minimalist lifestyle, and this spring I have been potting and propagating, in hopes to find other permits to trade with, or just interested gardeners. Its not about selling plants and rabbits, its about sharing, getting, and producing bounty. Care of people and all.
So this spring I have more growies than I know what to do with. It has inspired me to create a trading page with a listing of everything that I have a lot of success with, including rabbits and premium plants.
Come check it out
EatYourSand
Don't hesitate to shoot me an email or use the form to contact me. I love to trade! Eat Your Sand will be updated frequently with what is currently being offered, and I am willing to travel to trade.

Combating Invasive Plants

     There are so many different views as to what constitutes an invasive plant. The state of Florida would say invasive plants are all non-native plant species that displace natural habitats. My mother would say that all vines are invasive plants that should be removed before the get "out of control." Perhaps she should stick to something that is easier to manage, like Confederate Jasmine.
     Then there are native invasives, like Dog Fennel in pastureland. Florida does not like to be turned into pasture, it likes to turn into scrub forests and swamps, and Dog Fennel is a succession plant that helps with that process. It quickly flowers and reseeds itself over an entire field, ruining it in just one season. (Maybe that's why Florida has no large land herbivores?)
     The agricultural state university 'round here is doing trial testing for releasing a beetle that eats Air Potato. While I'm all for getting rid of Air Potato, a member of the yam family from Africa that may or may not be edible, I'm unsure that the beetle is the way to go. UofF was also responsible for the Lovebugs being introduced here, and look how well that turned out! The Lovebug's only natural predator is... cars driven by humans.
     The extension service agents and the university website will both point out chemical controls for various plants, and how to properly apply them. This technique could be useful for a very small infestation of a particularly noxious plant, like Poison Ivy, but how would it work for an acre of forest covered by Air Potato or a field infested with Dog Fennel? On the other hand, proper land management techniques are generally cheap or free, excepting for time investment.
     Some techniques: controlled burns, agro-forestry, tilling and seeding, over-seeding, frequent rotational grazing, overgrazing and seeding, hand-scything, rotational grazing with multiple species, holistic management. Perhaps really rethinking how agriculture is done here might include something even more drastic, like small-scale, holistic, organic farms that raise key deer and rabbits instead of cattle.

Harvesting the Cranberry Hibiscus

     Earlier this spring my mother found these young plants at a garage sale, and they must have been priced well because she picked up one for me. It turned out the bargain annual happened to be the interesting and beautiful Hibiscus sabdariffa mentioned on the Florida Survival Gardening blog by David. No doubt the original seeds were from ECHO, as my mother lives not too far from there.

     I had no idea this plant could be so beautiful, unusual, useful, pest free, maintenance free...

     Today I am going to harvest the fruit. According to David, the round green bits are not the delicious part, but are where the seeds are stored. It's the red wrappers (or calyx) around the  round green fruit that is used for cooking and eating. This year recouping seeds is a high priority, since this is the only plant that I can source, and likely the only cranberry hibiscus growing in my county. It would be amazing to grow about 10 of these next year, as they like full sun. They do visibly wilt if you neglect to ensure hydration, but bounce back very easily and quickly. (I must have wilted it at least 5 times during the hot part of the summer.) Never would a tomato be this resilient.


       The leaves are edible, and I can tell you that the rabbits eat these leaves even before they eat their normal favorite weeds, Spanish Needle (Bidens alba). Although Hibiscus sabdariffa is tasty, none of the plants in the mallow family, or rose family, are particularly high in nitrogen (protein about 2 1/2%) - a consideration for overall rabbit dietary needs. I did eat a few of the leaves, which were very mild but did have a pretty tasty flavor, much better than Bidens, which is tart. These leaves would be good in a salad or on a sandwich (which is probably what I will be doing since the cold weather is here.)

     The seeds are higher in protein and very high in omega 6 fatty acids, and in quantity are valued as animal feed, particularly for chickens.

     This is the first and largest of probably two harvests from my one plant.

Turk's Cap Hibiscus, Malvaviscus penduliflorus, Sleepy Mallow, Mazapan

Uses: Edible, Xeriscaping, Forage, Medicinal. Native to: Mexico.
     This is another great plant that looks beautiful and blooms for most of the year. It's a great candidate for turf replacement, since it is very well-behaved once established. The bright red flowers attract pollinators including butterflies and hummingbirds.
     Perhaps one of the best things about Turk's Cap Hibiscus is that the leaves and flowers are edible, like all members of the mallow family. Wikipedia says, "Certain species of hibiscus are also beginning to be used more widely as a natural source of food coloring (E163), and replacement of Red #3 / E127." I have used it to color handmade soap, by making a tea for the water portion of my recipe, coloring the soap a pinkish hue.
     Have you ever had Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger tisane? According to their website, Hibiscus flower is their main ingredient. And after reading that list, doesn't it sounds pretty simple to make a version at home?

     Hibiscus flowers are known to be medicinal. They contain vitamin C and other vitamins and minerals. A study in 2008 found that it can lower blood pressure in mild cases. The flowers contain anthocyanins, acting as natural ACE inhibitors. This study reveals hibiscus' strong link to lessening the effects of metabolic syndrome. With a bit of looking, much more research can be found regarding the downward blood cholesterol effects of hibiscus. Some people are convinced the properties mentioned above can help them to lose weight.

Vitamin C for the Survivalist

     Have you ever thought about what your diet would be like if you had to fend for yourself? Have you found a solution to the problems of vitamin insufficiency in restricted diets? Most of our modern, processed foods have been vitamin-enriched to prevent scurvy, rickets, and folate deficiency. If you were trying to supply your whole diet from what you can grow or forage, would you be safe?

     Interestingly, capybaras and guinea pigs (cuys) also lack the ability to synthesize ascorbic acid just like humans, bats, and some other apes. If cuys are one of your survival protein sources or urban farming animal, this is a problem you will have to address.

     Lack of vitamin C results in scurvy, with significant symptoms appearing in as little as three months. Foods naturally high in ascorbic acid are cruciferous vegetables, all kinds of peppers, kiwi, seabuckthorn, acerola, goji berry, persimmon, and citrus. Also found in oysters and animal liver. Heat (cooking or canning) significantly reduces available vitamin C in foods. One trick for canning is to add lemon juice to foods which are lacking, increasing the vitamins, preventing oxidation, and lowering the pH.

     Although I have no real proof, I suspect that the leaves of many of our edible plants that produce high-vitamin crops probably have a higher than average concentration of those vitamins, particularly before flowering and fruiting. I suspect strawberry, rose, and hibiscus leaves to be higher in vitamin C, banana leaves to be higher in potassium, citrus leaves high in both. With our soils naturally being magnesium-deficient, I suspect that to be lacking in a person living on a native Floridian diet (in the absence of shellfish and other seafoods). The more research I have done to prove or disprove this hypothesis, the more I notice there is a lack of study in this area, though I did find here that purslane and plantain are very high in vitamin A precursor. This study finds that ascorbic acid is higher in lemon leaves than in the bark, roots, and juice, partially confirming my hypothesis.

Another Great Reason to Grow Lemon Trees

     There are several reasons to grow citrus trees even if your production of fruit turns out disappointing, or if you live in an apartment and only have room for a small plant in dim light indoors.
     Vitamins found in the leaves can be higher than the vitamins found in the fruit. This includes vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin A precursor. Potassium and vitamin C are not stored well by the body, so have to be replenished periodically by the diet. There is some evidence that dehydrating the leaves concentrates the vitamins, as long as the dehydrating is performed without excessive heat. Can we say valuable post-apocalyptic trading commodity? Also a great reason to enjoy herbal tisanes and justify the cost of an inexpensive solar dehydrator for the backyard.
     Citrus greening could become a problem, but not if you are growing the plants specifically for the leaves. Greening is the newest, baddest threat to Florida's citrus industry, basically an uncontrollable bacteria that causes fruit to improperly ripen. However, leaves are unaffected, and the bacteria is not a human pathogen. The best time to harvest leaves is right before the lemon trees flower and fruit, as that is when they will have the maximum nutrition. Meyer lemons flower in December, usually, and fruit a few months later. The flowers are fragrant and nutritious too! Citrus trees are perennials, so care must be taken to sustainably harvest them.
     As much as IFAS and the news sensationalize the plights of the citrus industry, most citrus trees are largely resistant to pests. Perhaps it is because those statistics come from the monocultured orchard citrus industry. Perhaps it's because most are already grafted before you have the opportunity to purchase the trees. Perhaps it is because most people's backyard citrus are not planted so densely so as to encourage the growth of pests and the lack of beneficial insects and bacteria. Remember this previous article about how the state destroyed thousands of homeowner's citrus trees, then lost a lawsuit because it was scientifically unfounded? It just shows that they don't really know the answers either.
     The fruit has many culinary uses. It is used in canning to lower pH and prevent oxidation. It can be used to cook raw fish without heat, but dehydrates the proteins - changing the texture. Lemonade. Household cleaner. Fragrance. Color. Limitless possibilities.
     It may have some medicinal properties. Although not thoroughly researched here in the US, lemon is used in Ayurveda in India. According to this study, lemon is used to treat disorders of the throat and persistent catarrh (inflammation of the mucous membranes usually in the airway, causing an overproduction of phlegm and mucus). The low pH of lemon juice inhibits bacterial growth. Certainly vitamin C is absolutely necessary in our diet. Remember this post where I wrote about vitamin C and guinea pigs (as a survival protein source)? We all need good nutrition.
     The recommendations for lemon culture from IFAS state that lemons are more vigorous than most citrus species and that dense plantings encourage pests. They are recommended for the warmest, sunniest part of the landscape that does not flood. IFAS doesn't recommend propagation by seed, but rather grafting onto a rootstock specifically chosen to avoid certain soil pathogens.

Debunking the paleo diet: Christina Warinner at TEDxOU

     I have decided that every once in a while I will be sharing some videos of interesting, probably nerdy topics. Not all will be related to the food supply, but many will, since we all need to eat.
     This video espouses the common claims that it is even possible to approximate Paleolithic humankind's diet in our modern world. She points out many interesting facts, the most remarkable being the severe hybridization of our modern agricultural system. Our fruits and vegetables aren't what they once were. The end wraps up with a concise summary and plan for those who want to eat in a more paleolithic style.
     What is your opinion?