Carrots!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Carrots_of_many_colors.jpg

I came across a photo of a bunch of carrots, and I was again reminded about the amazing variety of this common root crop. I was also reminded how sad it is that most people think carrots come in two forms - large and orange ("standard carrot") or small and sealed in plastic ("baby carrots"). Just take a look at the range of colors and sizes that exist... yet another reason for growing my own food.

Oh, and my "Purple Haze" carrots are just beginning to form tubers!

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2BAQOw0wv90/TLA1hIyIlNI/AAAAAAAAA5k/TlZRXKIp5RU/s1600/233843419.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/CarrotDiversityLg.jpg

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Video: There's No Tomorrow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOMWzjrRiBg

This video takes a look at the future of energy and food production in the world. I have not seen a presentation that takes the the problems we face and explains them so well. I highly recommend taking the 33 minutes to watch this video. I fear too many will start to watch it and turn it off too quickly (and stick their heads back in the sand), because they don't like the message. I have studied the facts behind this video for a long time, and I cannot find one overt error in the information presented. All I am asking is for you to become aware of the issues, become knowledgeable on the information. This is the only way out of the crash I see coming our way. Yeah... it's a bit of a downer, but unless we actually understand the problems, we will never create a solution or an alternative.

Cauliflower Leaves are Edible!

I recently posted this photo of a head of cauliflower from my garden right before I harvested it. This  plant has continued to grow very well. It's not uncommon for the plant to push up one or a few smaller heads after the main head has been harvested, so I have let it stay in the garden. However, the other day I was out in the garden and I was amazed at how large the leaves of that cauliflower had grown.  You can see in this photo...

My cauliflower leaves are huge!

I started thinking, "What a waste of a plant to harvest just the flower buds!" Then I remembered Permaculture Principle Six: Produce No Waste. I thought the leaves will be a great addition to the compost pile... but then I wondered, "Can you eat them?"

A quick Google search later and I found out that, sure enough, cauliflower leaves are indeed edible! Apparently they can be used like any other green from the garden (collards, kale, beets, turnip, etc.). So I took one leaf... one really large leaf as you can see in the photo above... it was just over 3 feet (1 meter) long! I cut out the thick center rib and only used half for an omelet.

Ingredients: one half leaf cauliflower, one slice of bacon, 2 eggs, black pepper.

One rough chopped half cauliflower leaf sauteed with one slice bacon, rough chopped.

Two whisked eggs and black pepper added when greens were cooked through in 3-4 minutes.

The finished bacon and cauliflower leaf omelet!

So the big question... how did it taste?  Really good!  It tasted like a firmer (in a good way) cooked green like collards. Similar to kale without that faint earthy taste kale often has. I have since made a half cauliflower leaf, half brussels sprout dish that was fantastic as well... and my sometimes picky wife really enjoyed it as well. I am truly surprised that this is not a more common food... and I am thrilled that I have so much of it still left in my garden!

Permaculture Plants: Groundnut

Groundnut: this North American native has a lot going for it.

http://www.cambreenotes.com/images/groundnuts.jpg

Common Name: Groundnut
Other Names: Potato Bean, Indian Potato, Hopniss
Scientific Name: Apios americana
Closely related plants: Apios fortunei (Fortune's Groundnut), Apios princesana (Prince's Groundnut)
Family: Fabaceae (Legume/Pea/Bean Family)

Great photo of Groundnut's tuber chains.

http://chenocetah.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/apiostubers2.jpg

Description:
North America's most well known native root crop, although it is not very well known by most people. It is a large, vining, herbaceous plant with small to large tubers (grape to grapefruit sized) that have an earthy, nutty taste somewhat between potatoes and peanuts or roasted sweet potatoes. It is also a nitrogen fixing plant... it puts nitrogen back into the soil. It is a good attractor of beneficial insects and is a fair groundcover plant. If you have a medium to large area that this plant can spread, then strongly consider adding Groundnut to your Edible Forest Garden.

Groundnut tubers cleaned and ready to be trimmed and cooked.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h17uWlUI8wg/TPvO5GYikvI/AAAAAAAADX0/ClfU8Ji0Z80/s1600/IMG_1831.jpg

History:
Groundnut is native to eastern North America, and it was an important food crop for Native Americans and European settlers. It was often transplanted by Native Americans where it often naturalized near their settlements. Recently there has been a lot of improvement work done on Groundnut by Southern Louisiana State University.

Trivia:

• Groundnut is a starchy root crop with a high protein content - improved varieties have up to three times the protein at potatoes.
• Groundnut (Apios americana) should not be confused with other plants sometimes called "groundnut", like the common peanut (Arachis hypogaea).
• The scientific name Apios americana means "American Pear"

Groundnut's seedpods can be eaten like beans, but the larger pods may be a bit fibrous.

http://www.gardenbytes.com/2010/09/late-breaking-news-on-my-favorite.html

USING THIS PLANT
Primary Uses:

• Edible Root Crop - must be cooked. Treated like other root crops. May become dry and mealy if not cooked the right way (it can easily be cooked too much). Boiling for 10-15 minutes is all that is needed.
• Nitrogen Fixing Plant - it puts nitrogen back into the soil to be used by other plants

Secondary Uses:

• General insect (especially bees) nectar plant
• Insect-shelter plant - lacewings prefer to lay eggs on Groundnuts, and parasatoid wasps are often found on Groundnuts foliage (although we are not quite sure why)
• Chips (both American or British!)
• Dried and ground into flour for addition to breads or as a thickening agent
• Seeds and seedpods are edible, but not typically produced in large enough volume to be a main crop - treated like peas or beans

Harvesting: 
Tubers can be harvested at any time of year; although they are often harvested in Fall and Winter (October-March). For those of us who desire to grow these as perenials, there is a technique for harvesting the roots without destroying the whole crop. Roughly divide the planting into 3-4 parcels. Each Fall or Winter, harvest one parcel, and leave the others to grow for another season or two. Rotate each season.

Storage: 
Since tubers can be harvested at anytime, and since Groundnuts store best in the ground, some choose to only use fresh Groundnut straight from the garden. However, Groundnut can be stored in a moist, dark location (like in a plastic bag in a refrigerator) for up to a few months if conditions are right. Just avoid letting the tubers dry out as this can easily happen and ruins the crop.

Groundnut flowers are small, beautiful...

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3270/2789608381_6149e94cc2_z.jpg

...and have a scent like violets.

http://www.thismia.com/A/Apios_americana1.jpg

DESIGNING WITH THIS PLANT
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-10 for Groundnut (Apios americana)
AHS Heat Zone: No reliable information on this.
Chill Requirement: No reliable information on this; however, they can thrive in locations with hot and humid summers and do not grow well in the tropics. This causes experts to think that Groundnuts need some chill for proper growth and development.

Plant Type: Herbaceous vine (dies back each winter, but may leave thick stems in place)
Leaf Type: Deciduous
Forest Garden Use: Underground Layer, Vertical/Climbing Layer, Groundcover/Creeper Layer
Cultivars/Varieties: There are a few improved varieties available.

Pollination: Self-Pollinating/Self-Fertile
Flowering: June-September

Life Span:
Years to Become Established: 2-3 years
Years of Useful Life: No reliable information available

Seeds and seedpods of the Groundnut (with ruler in centimeters).

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1990/figures/v1-438a.jpg

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS PLANT
Size: 4-8 Feet (1.25-2.5 meters) tall if allowd to climb, 4 feet (1.25 meters) tall if spreading, and 1 foot (0.3 meters) wide, although it can spread indefinitely
Roots: Tuberous, Suckering (can send up shoots quite a distance from main plant)
Growth Rate: Medium to Fast

Groundnut has fairly distinct foliage.

http://zottoli.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/366-apios-americana-groundnut-vine-2-mb-sept-16-2004.jpg?w=576&h=432

http://extension.umass.edu/landscape/sites/landscape/files/weeds/leaves/apoam6228w.jpg

GROWING CONDITIONS FOR THIS PLANT
Light: Prefers full sun
Shade: Tolerates moderate shade and still produces
Moisture: Medium, but can grow well in very moist soils that drain well
pH: Acidic to Neutral (5.1-7.0), Apios fortunei (Fortune's Groundnut) 3.5-8.5

Special Considerations for Growing:

• May be slow to become established, but once it is established it can be expansive. May be a plant reserved for medium to large forest gardens.
• Groundnut needs a trellis or other structure (non-fruiting tree?) on which to grow or it will need lost of room for expansion over the ground. Consider rhizome barriers if your space is limited and your tolerance of spread is low.
• If growing Groundnut as a groundcover, then space the plantings 12-18" (0.3-0.4 meters) apart. It is a medium density groundcover plant, so it is best interplanted with other medium density groundcover plants (like lowbush blueberry, lignonberry, groundcover raspberry, thyme, yarrow, strawberry, violet, chives, chamomile, oregeno, etc.)... considering its ability to fix nitrogen and grow in acidic soils, blueberries and lignonberries are natural permaculture partners.
• Groundnuts can be susceptible to parasitic nematodes in the deep South U.S.

Propagation: 
Usually, and most easily, by division of the tubers. May replant either a whole string of tubers or each tuber individually. Reported to become dormant for a season if not divided in the Autumn. Can be propagated via cuttings. May be propagated via seeds, but this is more difficult as germination can be difficult, seeds need scarification and soaking for at least 3 hours, and not all seeds are fertile.

Maintenance:
Minimal once established. May need to keep its growth in check with vigorous pruning/tuber harvesting if it becomes expansive.

Concerns:
May become expansive.

Great photo (by Jason Houston) of the Groundnut from the Orion Magazine article below.

http://www.orionmagazine.org/phpthumb/phpThumb.php?src=http://www.orionmagazine.org/i/article_images/Groundnut%20450.jpg&w=450

Here is a great article on the wild forage of Groundnut (aka Hopniss) by Samuel Thayer, the author of The Forager's Harvest and Nature's Garden.

Here is another great article on Stalking the Wild Groundnut by Tamara Dean from Orion Magazine.

Permaculture Video: Weeds in an Edible Food Forest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESyCbN7Psps

This is another great video by Paul Wheaton from Permies.com.

This video takes on a tour of Michael Pilarski's Edible Food Forest. The forest is only a few years old, but there is an amazing amount of diversity.  The video is less than 15 minutes and well worth the time.

Fruit Leather

Fruit Leathers are a traditional method of preserving a fruit harvest.

http://simplyrecipes.com/photos/fruit-leather.jpg

I recently got a great, brief question from a reader, Kyan:
"Would you be willing to do a post on fruit leather? I've never heard of it before."


If you've ever eaten a "Fruit Roll-Up", as many kids in the U.S. have, then you are familiar with the idea of a Fruit Leather... even if you've never heard the name.  Although making your own is significantly healthier than the store bought, mass-produced variety; plus it's a lot of fun, and kids (and grown-up kids) love them!

If you look online there are literally hundreds of recipes for making Fruit Leather, but they all involve the same process...

Thicker Fruit Leathers take longer to dehydrate.

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Instructions for Making Fruit Leather

1. Obtain the freshest, ripest fruit possible.
2. Clean the fruit if needed.
3. Cut up the fruit if needed. Discard bruised or damaged areas.
4. Optional Step - Add a color stabilizer. The most natural is lemon or lime juice, but some people make a liquid dip from a mixture of water and ascorbic acid crystals (easily purchased at large grocery stores). Fruit chunks are allowed to soak for about 5 minutes. This step is used for apples, apricots, pears, and peaches.
5. Puree the fruit in a blender - may need to add a small amount of water so the fruit blends well and the puree pours well. The texture should be close to applesauce. 
6. Optional Step - Strain the puree. This gives a smoother texture, but also removes some of the fiber and nutrients from the puree.
7. Optional Step - Add a sweetener. I think honey is the healthiest, plus it gives a good texture. Plain table sugar can be used, but it can give the Fruit Leather a granular (almost crunchy) texture. Concentrated fruit juice can also be used - this can be store bought or homemade by heating fresh fruit juice over low heat for a long time until a large portion of the water evaporates, and you are left with a very sweet, thick sauce.
8. Pour the puree onto a flat surface for drying. This is where things can vary tremendously.  See Drying Methods below. The thickness of the poured puree should be about 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) thick. Try to keep the puree about an inch (2.5 cm) from the edge as it will spread as it dries.
9. Remove the dried Fruit Leather, cut to size if needed, roll up or store flat in a clean, dry location (a paper bag works well, but fruit leathers can be frozen.
10. Fruit Leathers will store for three weeks at room temperature, three months in a refrigerator, or up to a year if frozen.

Dehydrators or Ovens can be used to dry the fruit puree.

http://georgiapellegrini.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/DSC6641.jpg

Drying Methods for Fruit Leather

• NOTE - drying times can vary significantly on the method used, the consistency of the puree and the types of fruits used. It is recommended that you begin checking your Fruit Leather after the first 2-3 hours of drying. 
• Dehydrator - this is the easiest method. The puree is poured onto plastic sheets provided with the dehydrator. If your dehydrator does not have the plastic sheets, then a layer of plastic wrap will work fine. 
• Oven - this method works just as well, but may take a little experimentation to get it just right. Place plastic wrap on a cookie sheet. Pour the puree on the plastic wrap covering the cookie sheet. If you wet the cookie sheet a little, the plastic will stay in place on the cookie sheet better. Place the oven on its lowest setting, and crack the oven door open - this is very important as it lets the moist air escape. Ideal temperature is 100 F (37 C). Most ovens cannot be set that low, so just set the oven to the lowest setting, and watch the drying fruit - higher temps will dry faster. 

                    - At 100 F (37 C) it will take about 12-16 hours.
                    - At 150 F (65 C) it will take about 8-10 hours.

A beautiful raspberry Fruit Leather

http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/fruit-leather-588x391.jpg

This is the very basic method for making Fruit Leathers. As I said, there are many, many recipes online that include spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, vanilla, etc.), chopped fruit with the puree (raisins, dates, dried apricots, dried coconut, etc.), or other random ingredients (peanut butter, chopped nuts, pumpkin, yogurt, etc.), and even brandy or liqueur (uh... not for most kids) can be added to the puree. The variations are almost endless, and the results are delicious!

Permaculture Tip: Nature Tending

A perfectly ripe wild blackberry is a thing of perfection!

http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/delicious-alabama-wild-blackberries-kathy-clark.jpg

A Permaculture Tip is an idea that is derived from observing and interacting with nature.  It is simple.  It is safe.  It is effective.  It helps build a sustainable system of agriculture and life in general.  If you have any Permaculture Tips you would like to share, please let me know.  I will post it here, give you the credit, and post a link to your blog or website if you have one.  Email me here: kitsteiner@hotmail.com

Nature Tending is a term I coined to describe subtle gardening of the natural world. In Permaculture, we have the design concept of Zones (read more about Zones in this article). Zone 4 is a semi-wild area. It is a place that is only visited a few times each year and is almost entirely left to nature... but not entirely. It is often used for grazing of animals, for collecting firewood, for coppicing, for hunting, and for wild harvesting. This is where Nature Tending works the best.

Have you ever seen a wild tangle of blackberries or a few black cherry seedlings trying to survive in the forest edge? What if we trimmed back some old blackberry canes to allow the new shoots room to grow? The blackberries produced on those developing canes would likely be larger and easier to harvest. What if we cut back some branches from that neighboring walnut shading those black cherry seedlings? What if we piled a little dirt just downhill of those seedlings so that when it rained a little extra water would linger at its roots? What if we took some of the leaf litter and tucked it up under the seedlings to provide a little extra natural mulch? These quick actions would provide a better life for these seedlings, and a better life often means survival. In a few to a dozen years, those seedlings are now large trees providing habitat and food for wild animals and wood and food for us.

These small things, that take only a few seconds each, can pay big dividends in the months and years to come.

I think back to the time when I live in Franklin, Kentucky. My home's backyard was a strip of woodland before the farmer's field of corn and soy. It was chock full of black cherry trees (that made some great jelly, by the way!) and black walnut trees. There were just a few straggly blackberry vines snaking their way through the edge of the field and the woodland. I remember thinking that I wish these blackberry canes were more vigorous and produced more fruit. This would have been the perfect time and place for Nature Tending. If only...

Maybe we won't be the ones who benefit from this. Maybe it is just the wildlife that benefits. Good for them. Maybe we set it up so another person enjoys the benefits of our (very brief) labor, and maybe they become so enamored with the idea of harvesting from the wild that they do the same for others. Maybe it is just a little kid who picks the blackberries while on an "adventure" in the woods, dreaming he is an explorer and living off the land. Maybe he grows up to be the next Bill Mollison or Geoff Lawton or Joel Salatin or Michael Pollan or...

Once your eyes have been opened to the idea, you can see the opportunities for Nature Tending all around.