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Tag: Diversity

Wild Lettuce, Spontaneous Generation in the Garden of Diversity

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| Categories: Growing Hints, Richo's Blog
Wild Lettuce

We like to leave our best plants to produce seeds, seeds that may be harvested and set aside to plant at a later time, or seeds that fall spontaneously to the ground, germinate and grow in season.  We follow  the “Mother  Plant” concept where, given that one is working with open-pollinated plants, a single plant can produce enough seedlings…

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hinduvoices.com Interview

https://blog.strictlymedicinalseeds.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/richochecinterview10_15_19.mp3

KZYX.org Interview

https://blog.strictlymedicinalseeds.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/kzyx.org_.interview.m4a

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Strictly Medicinal Seeds

strictlymedicinalseeds

Organic growers of medicinal herb seeds, medicinal herb plants, organic vegetable seeds and organic garden seeds.

Styrian pumpkin, the so-called naked-seeded pumpki Styrian pumpkin, the so-called naked-seeded pumpkin, off to a good start in a hill of compost out in the middle of the field. I'll keep a sharp eye for the standard pests but so far a very clean year. I think if the seedlings are weak, usually caused by too-cold soils or too much wetness, the pests come after them. I plant only one C. pepo per year, so as not to cross, which can easily happen. Home-grown protein and oil, a worthy goal. Still time to get seeds at Strictly Medicinal Seeds.
(Link in profile)Pumpkin, Styrian (Cucurbita pepo)
Family: Gourd (Cucurbitaceae)
Annual. 90 to 120 days to maturity.
(Hull-less Pumpkin, Naked-seeded Pumpkin–Standard Vining Type) This is a unique pumpkin cultivar developed in the province of Styria in Austria. These pumpkins have a seed that is encased only in a thin membrane, which may be consumed along with the seed. The seeds can be lightly toasted with a little salt or eaten raw and uncooked. Traditional usage (TWM): prostate health. Source of a high-grade dark fixed oil used in cookery. The flesh of the pumpkin is thin, bright yellow, coarse textured, tasty. The Styrian pumpkin plant is problem-free, fast-growing and a rewardingly prolific producer of the large fruits. Prepare the hill or the bed with plenty of aged manure or compost, direct-seed the seeds, and be careful not to overwater–these seeds have no testa and can rot. Just sow in warm, moist soil and don’t water again until they germinate. Choose the three best seedlings from the hill (or if row cropping, thin to 1 plant every 3 feet). Keep weeded and watered. Vines will soon become self-mulching. Harvest and processing: Harvest pumpkins after maturity (they go from green to striped orange/green) or right away after first frost. Split open and scoop out seeds and spaghetti onto a table screen. Using your hands, work the mash until the seeds are free of spaghetti. It is usually best to not use water. Scoop up the seeds and spread them out on screens to dry, stirring several times per day, until the seeds are dry and stable. Store in paper bags.
A Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) finds purch A Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) finds purchase to scramble on a Dragon Tree (Dracaena draco). Plant companions may be attracted to the same conditions, occupy different horizons, provide support, attract pollinators.... I suppose the role of the gardener is to intercede if companionship turns into competitiveness--what supports may start to be strangled, for instance. Gives one a sense of purpose. It is often the mediator that best embodies peace.Passionflower seeds available at Strcitly Medicinal Seeds.
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Greek Mountain Tea (Sideritis scardica). A plant t Greek Mountain Tea (Sideritis scardica). A plant that extracts well in the fresh state, especially if the herb is finely chopped before covering with hot water and steeping. What comes up for me is, there is no reason to buy anything, no ripping of little paper packets, no string, no box. And, if one misses the little messages stamped on the tab on the end of the string, one can make something up. It isn't hard to be equally wise. Something like: "Bless this herb." should do nicely.Both seeds and plants available at Strictly Medicinal Seeds.
(Link in profile)Greek Mountain Tea (Sideritis scardica)
Family: Mint (Lamiaceae)
Hardy to Zones 7 to 10
(North Greek Mountain Tea, Ironwort) Woody perennial growing to 18 inches, native to Bulgaria, Greece and Yugoslavia. A comely plant, highly desired for those of us blessed with hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters. Tea of dried flowering tops is sweetish and pleasant. Traditional usage (TWM): colds and restless insomnia. Plant prefers full sun and very fast draining soil of raised bed or rockery, needing water to establish but drought tolerant once established. Plant prefers full sun. In the spring or anytime in warm soils, sow in pots or flats. Barely cover, tamp well and keep warm, evenly moist and in the light until germination, which occurs in about 10 days. Individuate seedlings to gallon pots and grow until sufficiently sized to transplant successfully to garden or landscape. Space plants 18 inches apart.
One of our best Native Plants for the diverse medi One of our best Native Plants for the diverse medicinal herb garden: Spicebush (Lindera benzoin). 8 month germination cycle. When the seedling did come up, they came up together, albeit almost invisible to the human eye, due to their sparse leaves and thin, elongated stem. Patience! The only way to keep away from anxiety is to grow so many things that every success is in some way unanticipated. Ah, another benefit of diversity--filling the moment with bliss!Seeds available at Strictly Medicinal Seeds.
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European Black Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) trees i European Black Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) trees in full blossom right now. The blossoms themselves are a remedial, if one dares rob them from the bees and other tiny pollinators. If there is great abundance, it is easier to justify... Snip the flowering heads in the late morning after they are dry of dew. Lay out on paper on screens. Turn frequently until crispy. Make the tea or tincture. Don't forget to use the pollen that has accrued on the paper. The flu has been going around and it is nice to have something to treat it with, otherwise one is just a victim of the nasties. Here are a few photos of my favorite black elderberry tree in habitat, and some closeups of the flowers. Coupla things to note: It is planted in the shade of a Cascara Sagrada tree. Elderberries do well that way. The roots are covered with cardboard and then heaped with compost. Elderberry is a heavy feeder, and dislikes weeds. Nice 9-inch potted plants still available at Strictly Medicinal Seeds.
(Link in profile)Much more info on cultivation and use in "Growing Plant Medicine Vol 2."
Milky Oats (Avena sativa) harvest coming up. A mis Milky Oats (Avena sativa) harvest coming up. A misty monday morning, All nature is still, turgid, as if waiting. It is the summer that thrums somewhere above these clouds, the golden tympani of sun that heralds the growing season. A few more days to wait. Good to nourish the nerves with a solid quart of oat decoction. The oats must emit the white droplet when squeezed. Put a couple of handsful in a quart jar, cover with hot water and cover the jar. Let steep overnight. In the morning, strain and drinks. Let them go running all over town looking for the next thrill, the next useless frill that will drain the pocket and leave one yearning for more. I'll sit here down home with my milky oats decoction. . . complete.Dried milky oat green seeds available at Strictly Medicinal Seeds.
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The gentle art of herb gardening. Someone asked ab The gentle art of herb gardening. Someone asked about harvest and preparation, what I thought about large-scale tools. I spoke of drying screens, rubbing the dried herb through the screen to break down the particles and exclude the stems. But in the back of my mind, I've learned, it isn't volume that we should be after, but quality. Small amounts of high grade herbs--it's an earth-friendly approach without the stress imposed by--volume. This approach seems to fit with the garden of diversity. By caring for a few well-grown plants of each type (Calendula, Yarrow, Echinacea, Elecampane, Goldenseal, etc.) the apothecary shelf can be loaded with the tinctures that matter to remedy any affliction. I just want to see people making reasonable goals instead of blowing it up--a gardening that supports reasonable lifestyle and gives back to the earth.
Temperate Tulsi (Ocimum africanum) plants on sale Temperate Tulsi (Ocimum africanum) plants on sale at Strictly Medicinal Seeds. We've been pinching them back to bush them out and they look absolutely great!
(Link in profile)Family: Mint (Lamiaceae)
Annual, harvest at 40 days and ongoing to frost
(Temperate Tulsi) The plant is a bushy annual tea basil with small leaves, purple flowers and a tutti-frutti fragrance. Among all basils in my experience, this one is (surprisingly) the shortest season, most frost-hardy cultivar. I've also seen these self-seed the following year, which is unusual among basils. We tested this cultivar and confirmed the presence of essential oils linalool, nerol, geraniol, citral, icocaryophyllene, humulene, etc. Also ran it for genetic analysis to confirm identity as Ocimum africanum. This is the holy basil my wife and I grow for ourselves to make into tea. We find it very satisfying, with aroma most appealing. Traditional usage (Ayurveda): stress, anxiety, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, and dementia. Drinking tulsi tea in the morning is a fantastic way to get started.
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About

Richo is an internationally recognized expert on the cultivation, processing and usage of medicinal plants. He is the author of the popular herbal, Making Plant Medicine. His life-long interest in seed saving lead to extensive travel and plant exploration, largely in the USA and Africa but also in South America, China and Europe. This collection of seeds, including numerous unique introductions and rare plants as well as many common medicinal plants and permacultural trees, is currently conserved and multiplied in his greenhouses and gardens.

Strictly Medicinal, LLC is the name of this organic seed company and nursery based in Williams, Oregon. The mission is to sow seeds worldwide for the benefit of people, plants and the planet.

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