Sunday, March 12, 2023

How to Multiply Goji Berries


It is easy to multiply goji berries.

Take some cuttings in spring. Dip them into a jar of water. If it is not freezing, just put them outside or put them next to a window. Change the water every day or two. Once they start sending out roots, you can transplant them to a pot or to the ground.

If you live in Florida with summer rain, you can cut and root them in soil in any season. Both berries and leaves are edible.

Cut a branch, eat the leaves, then multiply. Or you can eat the fruits, collect the seeds, and plant the seeds. Either way is very easy.

Friday, March 10, 2023

Elephant Garlic in Zone 8b

I bought some cloves of Elephant Garlic 7 years ago. Elephant garlic tastes milder than regular garlic.

Climate Change has changed the behavior of garlics. The warm November led to the sprouting of the unharvested cloves of elephant garlic that were supposed to pop up in spring. But they are surprisingly cold hardy. And they all survived a couple of weeks of 20s this winter.

My elephant garlic isn't planted too deep. I just dig a 1-2 inch hole. I interplant it with strawberries (and other vegies) which is bad for the strawberries. But Strawberries cover the ground pretty well. I can get some strawberry runners and transplant them somewhere else.

When I harvest my elephant garlic in late summer. I will just put some back to the soil. Here in hardy zone 8b, a warm Nov, it will sprout when it rains. With a normal Nov, it will sprout in spring.





Tuesday, January 17, 2023

The easiest microgreens: lentil and mung bean sprouts


No egg, no problem. Legume sprouts gives you not only vitamin C, antioxidants, and fibers, but also proteins all year round.

You only need a couple of medium sized mason jars. I bought some stainless steel filters for draining the water. You only need two large table spoons of lentils or mung beans. Soak them in water for 24 hours in a kitchen cabinet. Remove the water. Wash your beans twice a day thoroughly. Voila. You have a full jar of bean sprouts in less than a week.


Monday, January 16, 2023

Mint Family is Full of Vitamin C

Pepper mint and other members of the mint family are very useful. I have a lot of pepper mint, spear mint, lemon balm, purple dead nettle, .. in my property. Pepper mint is a reliable source of vitamin C throughout the entire year. I simply put a bunch of them into my tea kettle together with a couple of tea bags.

Mint is also very useful for controlling rodents and deer. These critters are enemies of reforestation cause they destroy young tree seedlings. Some people believe the mint family is very invasive. Look at the bright side. If you keep eating them. They are not that difficult to control. And it is much more useful that your grass lawn. If you don't want them, just mow it down and it is very low growing. Or just cover it will some cardboard if you really want to get rid of it.