Backcountry Herbs

A little harvest catchup this morning. It was a milder morning with a cooling breeze, other than just blazing hot. I got the Spearmint cut and another small round of Feverfew, along with the Calendula, Mullein and Echinacea. The garlic was fully dry and got its final cleanup before going into the pantry.
The zucchinis are producing finally! And i was surprised to find a few tomatoes ready!
I took a little time to just enjoy some artwork this weekend… my brain needed an
un-pressured reset.

Bringing this back up again.

Okay folks… i feel the need to shed some light on this. Please, please, please just steer clear of this hyped up garbage! It amazes me that this is still even circulating.

Lets be clear… The vast majority of modern fruit trees and fruit plants are hybrids, and this includes ALL grocery store produce.
So,
X = Grocery store produce, created from C and D parent cross which produces a desirable fruit. C and D would not naturally cross but when manipulated it offers an excellent product (X), which is what you buy at the grocery store. They are crossed to get specific qualities from each parent, say color, size, flavor, longer storability, pest resistance, etc. Make sense?

In the case of fruit trees, these varieties are kept alive by graftings onto a root stock, because you can never get new trees from the resultant seeds that X produces. The fruit seeds from these hybrid trees/plants (X), if grown, often revert back to one of the original two plants (C or D) IF they grow at all, many are sterile.

So, If youre able to get a sprout from these seeds as shown in yhis video, it will produce a plant that looks nothing like the hybrid parent (X) AND the fruit will not be anything near the same if you get fruit at all.
Additionally, MANY berries and roots are also sprayed with an agent that inhibits sprouting, which will lessen the change of anything growing. And… this all still applies to organic produce with no spray… you still have the hybrid issue at hand. Blackberries, blueberries and strawberries CAN be grown from wild or non-hybrid fruits.

Its a fun experiment for growing from any seed, but not worth the time if you want plants that actually grow edible tree fruit. The plant he’s showing in the video (see my photo attached) that is supposed to be a cherry, actually looks more like a celery or parsley in one snipit, and im not sure whats in this photo but it certainly IS NOT a cherry! This depicts a palmate leaf, cherry trees have simple leaves. The filming is created this way to hide the deception.
Massive fake… BOOM! 🤦🏻‍♀️

A note on Blueberries… these cannot grow in just any soil… they are pretty difficult to grow from seed because they require acidic soil. If you live in a region with acidic soil, thats great, but growing it in a pot requires additives to the water and soil to keep the balance right. We have very alkaline soil in east idaho, so theyre difficult to grow at best… some folks do it but they are putting a huge effort into it.

And this almo makes me want to mention tubers and other root crops.
Please, do not, choose grocery store garlic, onions, potatoes, ginger or turmeric, etc to grow either. While they will indeed grow well, it’s important to understand that commercial tubers do not go through testing for soil born and other pathogens. These do not affect edibility, but they can be introduced into your soil from these produce sources. Depending on the pathogen, these pathogens can affect your soil indefinitely! This can cause production issues in your home garden and can be spread by insects or even wind to other gardens and surrounding commercial crops! These pathogens specifically carried on garlic, onions and potatoes threaten our state commerce crops and the livelihood of both the commercial and seed growers here. This is why we have import rules and you cannot get some varieties from other states.
PLEASE, just spend the money, just buy good quality certified seed. Once you invest in garlic and onions, you have a lifetime supply. Once you invest in potatoes, you have at least 3-5yrs of seed. It’s a small price to pay to keep our soils pathogen free.

On a positive note, i can say that the use of cinnamon to prevent mold growth on plant soil is valid. We use this on our seedling trays. Its not perfect but it does work most of the time.

Minidoka County peeps!

📦 Free Food Cases Available – Reserve Yours Today!

The Minidoka County School District Nutrition Department has 1,000 food cases available for pickup next week, and we’d love to help keep local families stocked with nutritious meals.

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Please help us spread the word by sharing this opportunity with family, friends, and neighbors who may benefit. Registration will close once all 1,000 cases have been reserved.

Thank you for supporting the Minidoka County School District Nutrition Department. We look forward to serving our community next week!

Lammas

That point in the year where the seasons hang,
one foot still in summer,
the other reaching towards autumn.

The first whispers of lengthening shadows,
the light growing softer,
as the Wheel turns gently
from summer into autumn.
-Woodlarking

Happy Lammas! 🍞 Lammas was the midpoint between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox. Traditionally, Lammas is a festival associated with harvesting grain. It marks the beginning of the wheat harvest, and the first wheat or corn crop is especially celebrated. Grains harvested at Lammas time also include barley, oats, and sunflowers.

Villages would take the first loaves of bread to the “loaf mass,” which became corrupted in pronunciation to “lammas.” The word lammas comes from the Old English hlaf, “loaf,” and maesse, “mass” or “feast.”

After the loaf was blessed, the farmers broke it into four pieces and placed each piece in the corners of their barn to protect the newly harvested grain. Lammas bread was often made into shapes, including those of wheat, owls, and corn dolls.

Do you celebrate Lammas? Learn more at Almanac.com/Lammas-Day

Phyllis taught a class yesterday on the foodborne parasite outbreak that's been in the news this summer. The part that stuck with people wasn't an herb. It was a bowl of salty water.

She has washed every piece of produce she brings home the same way for decades. A bowl of water, a fat tablespoon of salt, fifteen minutes.

One time it was a cabbage out of her own garden. She pulled back the outer leaves and dropped it in. Ten minutes later, something floated to the top that she hadn't planted.

We're talking about it in Nature is Alive, our free community, along with where to find the full class. Come tell us what the person who taught you to cook did before produce hit the table.

👉 https://www.facebook.com/groups/1296993334798900