Welll not on bees, but a rant about bees.
Honey is a miracle food. Packed with nutrition, it is also anti-biotic and anti-viral. It's been used as a dressing for wounds, with pretty much the same results as capsicum cream. Wounds heal faster, without infection, and scarring (anecdotally) is minimized.
The human race uses enormous amounts of honey. It's almost as high on the sweetening list as sugar and where sugar is rare it's higher. Every culture in the world (well, every culture I've studied) uses honey.
Honey is made by bees. So, without bees, there is no honey. Duh.
And the bees are dying. Honeybees in particular are becoming an endangered species. I seldom see them anymore in my garden, although the hornets and wasps are thriving...
But that's not the point. The bees are dying. People scream because they don't know why, but if they thought about it it would make perfect sense. So three points to prevent this from being a VERY long post.
1 Honey is bee food. Professional beekeepers take the honey to sell and feed their bees sugarwater, as if this makes up for the lack. Then they feed the bees antibiotics when the hive fails because of malnutrition.
2 Breeders keep Queen bee hives to breed queens for captive hives. They sell these queens to beekeepers across the world. In a wild hive, the first emerging Queen kills all her unhatched rivals, thus eliminating the competition and the weakest genes. Breeders make sure that all the queens survive. They then sell these weakened strains, the second generation queens hatch and swarm into the wild, passing on the weakened strains to the wild hives.
3 People (in general) don't like bees around, so when they find a wild hive they either destroy it or call a beekeeper to come get it, thus perpetuating the cycle and ensuring that those bees will work all summer for their honey only to see it stolen and be fed on sugarwater.
In essence the problem is not the bees--it's the people, as usual. I guess bees are just insects, in most people's minds, and can be exploited into oblivion without consequence. When there aren't any bees to pollinate the crops, just hire a hive. And when the hives are all gone? Then what?
It's closer than most people think.
Maybe a rant on the responsibilities of humans to domesticated animals would be in order.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Maybe a cold
I had a nasty headache yesterday, and this morning my throat is a little sore. I think I caught something from my nessies (nieces and nephews, for those who don't understand my shorthand) so right now I'm taking honey and garlic.
Both have anti-biotic and anti-viral properties. Usually when I start feeling sick I go to the honey and garlic (which leads to a rant on bees, but that's not for this post) to take it out before it takes me out. I'll take a clove of garlic and a spoonful of honey every day for about the next week.
It usually works. It's when I forget to start taking my "medicine" at the beginning that colds are a problem. Once the thing settles in, it's harder to get rid of.
Both have anti-biotic and anti-viral properties. Usually when I start feeling sick I go to the honey and garlic (which leads to a rant on bees, but that's not for this post) to take it out before it takes me out. I'll take a clove of garlic and a spoonful of honey every day for about the next week.
It usually works. It's when I forget to start taking my "medicine" at the beginning that colds are a problem. Once the thing settles in, it's harder to get rid of.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Transitions
I did a batch of pickles yesterday, with less than a week's worth of cucumbers, including the "siamese" cucumber. Two of them grew together.
During the summer I eat a lot of fresh food. Cucumbers, zuccinni, tomatoes, onions, beets, fruit from the trees, carrots, potatoes. My herb garden is going crazy so I have fresh basil and mint, sage and thyme.
I think the hardest part of summer is the transition from "fresh" to "winter" in terms of diet. For close to six months I'm eating real food, not something that's been processed to death for the sake of profit.
There is no comparison between a potato right out of the ground and one of those gray things they sell as potatoes in the supermarket. Fresh potatoes eaten with butter--they need nothing else.
Then suddenly it's gone, and I can feel the difference. What they call "produce" in the stores is a pale shadow of the real thing, short on vitamins and minerals, grown on chemical fertilizer in played-out soil that's been used and reused for years.
It's no wonder that people are always sick during the winter. I've tried growing plants inside during the winter, but it never works. I'll keep trying because I want fresh during the winter, too.
During the summer I eat a lot of fresh food. Cucumbers, zuccinni, tomatoes, onions, beets, fruit from the trees, carrots, potatoes. My herb garden is going crazy so I have fresh basil and mint, sage and thyme.
I think the hardest part of summer is the transition from "fresh" to "winter" in terms of diet. For close to six months I'm eating real food, not something that's been processed to death for the sake of profit.
There is no comparison between a potato right out of the ground and one of those gray things they sell as potatoes in the supermarket. Fresh potatoes eaten with butter--they need nothing else.
Then suddenly it's gone, and I can feel the difference. What they call "produce" in the stores is a pale shadow of the real thing, short on vitamins and minerals, grown on chemical fertilizer in played-out soil that's been used and reused for years.
It's no wonder that people are always sick during the winter. I've tried growing plants inside during the winter, but it never works. I'll keep trying because I want fresh during the winter, too.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
A few facts about herbs
1 Valerian is NOT related to Valium
2 There are interactions between pharmaceutical drugs and herbs
3 Herbs are no more safe in large doses than pharmaceuticals
4 "Herbal" refers to the above-ground portion of any plant
5 Many substances referred to as herbs are in reality roots
6 Plants are annuals (live one year), bi-annuals (live two years), or perrenials (live more than two years)
7 Many bi-annuals are in reality perrenials but they reach their highest potency in the second year
8 Dividing the root of many perennials will create new plants which are clones of the parent plant
9 Plants breathe in and out, just like we do
10 In the winter, all the nutrients from a perrenial are stored in the root. Therefore, the winter or early spring is the best time to harvest roots
11 By harvesting the root you actually kill the plant--no more next year
2 There are interactions between pharmaceutical drugs and herbs
3 Herbs are no more safe in large doses than pharmaceuticals
4 "Herbal" refers to the above-ground portion of any plant
5 Many substances referred to as herbs are in reality roots
6 Plants are annuals (live one year), bi-annuals (live two years), or perrenials (live more than two years)
7 Many bi-annuals are in reality perrenials but they reach their highest potency in the second year
8 Dividing the root of many perennials will create new plants which are clones of the parent plant
9 Plants breathe in and out, just like we do
10 In the winter, all the nutrients from a perrenial are stored in the root. Therefore, the winter or early spring is the best time to harvest roots
11 By harvesting the root you actually kill the plant--no more next year
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
The myth of the black thumb
(Note: This was actually written in the spring but it got put off. It's still applicable, though)
I just spent a few hours in my sister's greenhouse. She's still got some tomatoes that she hasn't put out.
The interesting thing there is that the tomatoes were all planted at the same time and in the same way. From the same packages even. But her tomatoes are about three inches tall (or less) and mine are a foot tall and some have blossoms already. Well to be honest, it's the climbing tomato that has blossoms. It's a slow grower so I started it in January--it had better be further along than the others!
I'm not sure what the difference is. Maybe soil, maybe sun. Or that black thumb she keeps complaining about.
Although I'm not certain I really believe in a black thumb. My thumb's black every time I stick it in the dirt.
That was a joke, by the way.
Some people are said to be able to make anything grow, but in reality that's not the case. Some people are just lucky enough to find the group of plants that their particular brand of neglect works for.
Personally I'm in the mid-range. I kill anything that needs a lot of water and care (such as orchids or bamboo) and anything that needs very little water (such as cacti). Oh, and anything that needs to be fertilized regularly. If it can stand being watered once a week and ignored the rest of the time, it grows. I think some people do better with orchids and bamboo because they have the urge to water too much, and others do better with cacti because they forget to water at all.
Then there's the last group, who can't decide. I think this is the group that complains the worst about the black thumb because they'll water every day for a while, then stop, then realize they haven't watered for a month and try to compensate by over-watering and over-fertilizing. Then the watering tapers off (although oh, I forgot, I'll sprinkle some fertilizer, but then forget to water it in) so the plants go through this helpless neglect cycle of drought and plenty and the plants get confused.
There are plants out there that can survive this way, but they're generally not the tropical or semi-tropical greens that we surround ourselves with as indoor plants.
As far as landscape plants, I believe in casual neglect. I plant a lot of different things, and whatever survives I buy more of. Or divide and spread, but again that's a different topic.
I love perenials. :)
I just spent a few hours in my sister's greenhouse. She's still got some tomatoes that she hasn't put out.
The interesting thing there is that the tomatoes were all planted at the same time and in the same way. From the same packages even. But her tomatoes are about three inches tall (or less) and mine are a foot tall and some have blossoms already. Well to be honest, it's the climbing tomato that has blossoms. It's a slow grower so I started it in January--it had better be further along than the others!
I'm not sure what the difference is. Maybe soil, maybe sun. Or that black thumb she keeps complaining about.
Although I'm not certain I really believe in a black thumb. My thumb's black every time I stick it in the dirt.
That was a joke, by the way.
Some people are said to be able to make anything grow, but in reality that's not the case. Some people are just lucky enough to find the group of plants that their particular brand of neglect works for.
Personally I'm in the mid-range. I kill anything that needs a lot of water and care (such as orchids or bamboo) and anything that needs very little water (such as cacti). Oh, and anything that needs to be fertilized regularly. If it can stand being watered once a week and ignored the rest of the time, it grows. I think some people do better with orchids and bamboo because they have the urge to water too much, and others do better with cacti because they forget to water at all.
Then there's the last group, who can't decide. I think this is the group that complains the worst about the black thumb because they'll water every day for a while, then stop, then realize they haven't watered for a month and try to compensate by over-watering and over-fertilizing. Then the watering tapers off (although oh, I forgot, I'll sprinkle some fertilizer, but then forget to water it in) so the plants go through this helpless neglect cycle of drought and plenty and the plants get confused.
There are plants out there that can survive this way, but they're generally not the tropical or semi-tropical greens that we surround ourselves with as indoor plants.
As far as landscape plants, I believe in casual neglect. I plant a lot of different things, and whatever survives I buy more of. Or divide and spread, but again that's a different topic.
I love perenials. :)
Monday, July 23, 2012
Ginger
Zingiber Officinale
Family: Zingiberaceae
Ginger is an interesting herb. For the most part it sits in cupboards and people pass right over it. It's just "there," and has no particular use unless you're making gingerbread.
On the other hand, ginger is pretty much considered a panacea, or a cure-all. I won't go into everything it's claimed to do (plus the kitchen sink!), but its general properties seem to be:
As an anti-spasmodic and an intestinal anti-biotic
Used for intestinal worms and other parasites.
General tonic for the reproductive system and the digestive system.
I've used ginger with turmeric as a tea for stomach upset, but be very careful about drug interactions on this one! Because ginger has so MANY chemical compounds, it will react on some level with a lot of pharmaceuticals.
Family: Zingiberaceae
Ginger is an interesting herb. For the most part it sits in cupboards and people pass right over it. It's just "there," and has no particular use unless you're making gingerbread.
On the other hand, ginger is pretty much considered a panacea, or a cure-all. I won't go into everything it's claimed to do (plus the kitchen sink!), but its general properties seem to be:
As an anti-spasmodic and an intestinal anti-biotic
Used for intestinal worms and other parasites.
General tonic for the reproductive system and the digestive system.
I've used ginger with turmeric as a tea for stomach upset, but be very careful about drug interactions on this one! Because ginger has so MANY chemical compounds, it will react on some level with a lot of pharmaceuticals.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
In the Kitchen: The Perfect Food :)
Even when I'm not paying attention (which is usually) I still have to cook. Or rather, I have to eat, which is the end result of cooking.
All of the following are stimulating cullinary herbs. They have a lot of other properties as well (for example, most of them are anti-bacterial or anti-fungal) and together with tomatoes they make spaghetti sauce. Meat optional.
Basil
Rosemary
Marjoram or Oregano
Thyme
Garlic
Pepper
Dice and cook 1 large onion and dice or crush garlic (cook it with the meat if you prefer meat, or add a teaspoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of milk for the same taste without the meat)
Cut up three large tomatoes. Add them to the onions.
Add tomato juice if you like it runny rather than chunky.
Add seasonings.
Cook down and serve. I like eating it alone, without noodles. Tomato soup! Or wrap it in a tortilla before it has cooked down with fresh basil leaves and mint.
Use in place of chicken soup for colds, eat it with additional basil, rosemary and oregano when you need to be alert. Add more Rosemary if you have a headache and more garlic if you have high blood pressure. If I use it for medicine, I add the extra seasonings last, after everything else has cooked in.
I like to sneak it in as an "herbal" meal for someone who needs help but won't admit it.
All of the following are stimulating cullinary herbs. They have a lot of other properties as well (for example, most of them are anti-bacterial or anti-fungal) and together with tomatoes they make spaghetti sauce. Meat optional.
Basil
Rosemary
Marjoram or Oregano
Thyme
Garlic
Pepper
Dice and cook 1 large onion and dice or crush garlic (cook it with the meat if you prefer meat, or add a teaspoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of milk for the same taste without the meat)
Cut up three large tomatoes. Add them to the onions.
Add tomato juice if you like it runny rather than chunky.
Add seasonings.
Cook down and serve. I like eating it alone, without noodles. Tomato soup! Or wrap it in a tortilla before it has cooked down with fresh basil leaves and mint.
Use in place of chicken soup for colds, eat it with additional basil, rosemary and oregano when you need to be alert. Add more Rosemary if you have a headache and more garlic if you have high blood pressure. If I use it for medicine, I add the extra seasonings last, after everything else has cooked in.
I like to sneak it in as an "herbal" meal for someone who needs help but won't admit it.
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