SYMPHYTUM OFFICINALE
INTRODUCTION:
My twentieth article is a bit of a celebration for me since I have now gathered information on almost enough plants to print and publish a simple guide on local wild edibles. I shall celebrate this magnificent 'almost' by revealing my purpose in all this: My hope for the future is to design a blueprint on an organic garden based on local wild edibles. The aim is to step away from pesticides and hard-to-grow/water needy plants, toss in a few seeds of perennials and self-sowing plants, and watch the garden form at its' own speed and accord. No tilling, no watering, no chemicals. Just an abundant food forest that can be kept in control by eating the abundance. All organic, healthy, medicinal food.
Thus far in my experiments, I have been successful with Borage, Chicory, Amaranth, Strawberries, Clover, Sweet potato, and a few wild flowers. Besides that Mallow, Nettle, Calendula, Daisy, Dandelion, and Purslane sort of present themselves without the effort of even seeding. Thus I am at a slow pace moving towards organic food diversity, optimal health, and self sustainability.
I know, it all sounds awesome, but of course it's never that easy: The climate is changing, the weather is unreliable, and even wild species have a hard time adapting to the enormous amount of toxins mankind has put into soil, water and atmosphere since the industrial revolution. I have around 100 different seeds which I am experimenting with to meet these new conditions, where and how and when they grow, which is all very sweat, blood and tears. But as a result of my efforts, I have come to the conclusion, that one of the key elements to a successful self-sustainable garden is companion planting:
There are a wide range of plants out there, some edible, others just beneficial: Some just work neatly together with specific plants. Others help scare bad bugs off and attract the good ones and can actually be extracted and diluted into organic pesticides. Some help to stabilize depleted soil, or provide a ground cover to retain water and stop the soil from drying up. Because that is what happens when you till the soil: You get a scarred piece of land that retains no water, turns to mud with the rain season, and into rock hard soil with the warm season. Now, that's a lot of hard work just to do some mono-cropping to produce dull bulk food which will require pesticides and give us all cancer. How that insanity started to begin with I dare not fathom.
Myself I aim for diversity, and the first step towards achieving that is introducing hardy plants that will heal the soil instead of depleting it, and then introduce more sensitive perennial and self-seeding edible plants for seasonal food diversity. And considering that KayaKöy just introduced a water bill which will put many small scale farmers out of business, I believe such an undertaking is not only comfortable, but a dire necessity for the future.
Clover, Chicory, Borage, Calendula, Tagetes, Poppies, Aloe, Nasturtium, Asparagus, Garlic, and Nettles are examples of plants that will not only stabilize the soil, but form a ground cover to retain moist as well as scaring off bad bugs and attract the beneficial ones. They are also edible and on average more healthy than conventional food crops. But the undisputed King of companion plants is Comrey -
My twentieth article introduces Symphytum officinale:
QUOTE:
"It is now highly feasible to take care of everybody on Earth at a higher standard of living than any have ever known. It no longer has to be you or me. Selfishness is unnecessary. War is obsolete. It is a matter of converting the high technology from weaponry to livingry."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller
SYMPHYTUM OFFICINALE:
Comfrey is an endemic plant in our part of Turkey (even though I have not seen it myself in the wild), it is perennial AND it is invasive. There is still a lot of debate whether it is edible or not. It does contain some nasty alkaloids which will severely damage the liver, cause irregular heartbeats, and make your tummy swell, but many claim that's a small price to pay considering all the medicinal properties of the plant. Perhaps it's a bit like wheat: It will fill your belly, but overconsumption will probably give you cancer and will definitely give you a big butt! (Just a local assumption from white bread abuse and local bodily stature, no hard feelings). But besides being as poisonous as it is medicinal, it is a plant many gardeners worship because of its' sheer effectiveness on the soil and surrounding plants.
MYTHOLOGY & HISTORY:
* The plant is also known as 'knitbone', 'bone-set', 'healing herb', and 'miracle herb' due to it effectiveness in healing and strengthening bone structure.
* Comfrey is said to give any gardener green fingers, due to its' soilfixing properties and in producing green manure.
MODERN RESEARCH:
There seems to be a great deal of difference in opinion regarding the medicinal use of Comfrey. The scientific community is very critical, in fact it has been banned from sale in some countries. In spite of this, the use of Comfrey is so deeply imbedded in homeopathy and herbalism, that many spokesmen of alternative medicine actually advise to ignore the findings of scientists.
Whereas Comfrey speeds up cell reproduction, probably being the most effective skin- and bone healer on the planet, it is mostly used externally since modern research claims internal use will stress tummy and liver. Whereas making tea might either kill you or transform you into superman, the true magic of this plant is in the garden:
COMMON USES:
Comfrey germinates slowly, but once it has established itself you will probably never get rid of it. Even from a small piece of root it will regrow and spread vigorously underground, sprouting up where you least expect it. And this a good thing! The roots are strong and dig deep, which both tills the soil underground, drawing up nutrients to surrounding herbs, as well as attracting worms to till the soil further. As a result, where Comfrey grows, the soil will be soft, moist and packed with nutrients. No fancy petrolium machinery needed! Soft soil underneath, ground cover above... Unless of course you cut the fast growing foilage down to kickstart a hot compost or add as direct compost...
Compost activator, liquid fertilizer, mulch, companion plant, you name it, just don't (unless you are very brave) eat it... Where as all this might sound trivial to the uninitiated, the energy abuse of a modern petrolium-based agriculture vs. organic gardening, is larger than huge when it comes to producing food...
KEY WORDS:
Bone- and wound healer, inflammations, eye complaints, cancer, rheumatism, arthritis, superior companion plant.
INTRODUCTION:
My twentieth article is a bit of a celebration for me since I have now gathered information on almost enough plants to print and publish a simple guide on local wild edibles. I shall celebrate this magnificent 'almost' by revealing my purpose in all this: My hope for the future is to design a blueprint on an organic garden based on local wild edibles. The aim is to step away from pesticides and hard-to-grow/water needy plants, toss in a few seeds of perennials and self-sowing plants, and watch the garden form at its' own speed and accord. No tilling, no watering, no chemicals. Just an abundant food forest that can be kept in control by eating the abundance. All organic, healthy, medicinal food.
Thus far in my experiments, I have been successful with Borage, Chicory, Amaranth, Strawberries, Clover, Sweet potato, and a few wild flowers. Besides that Mallow, Nettle, Calendula, Daisy, Dandelion, and Purslane sort of present themselves without the effort of even seeding. Thus I am at a slow pace moving towards organic food diversity, optimal health, and self sustainability.
I know, it all sounds awesome, but of course it's never that easy: The climate is changing, the weather is unreliable, and even wild species have a hard time adapting to the enormous amount of toxins mankind has put into soil, water and atmosphere since the industrial revolution. I have around 100 different seeds which I am experimenting with to meet these new conditions, where and how and when they grow, which is all very sweat, blood and tears. But as a result of my efforts, I have come to the conclusion, that one of the key elements to a successful self-sustainable garden is companion planting:
There are a wide range of plants out there, some edible, others just beneficial: Some just work neatly together with specific plants. Others help scare bad bugs off and attract the good ones and can actually be extracted and diluted into organic pesticides. Some help to stabilize depleted soil, or provide a ground cover to retain water and stop the soil from drying up. Because that is what happens when you till the soil: You get a scarred piece of land that retains no water, turns to mud with the rain season, and into rock hard soil with the warm season. Now, that's a lot of hard work just to do some mono-cropping to produce dull bulk food which will require pesticides and give us all cancer. How that insanity started to begin with I dare not fathom.
Myself I aim for diversity, and the first step towards achieving that is introducing hardy plants that will heal the soil instead of depleting it, and then introduce more sensitive perennial and self-seeding edible plants for seasonal food diversity. And considering that KayaKöy just introduced a water bill which will put many small scale farmers out of business, I believe such an undertaking is not only comfortable, but a dire necessity for the future.
Clover, Chicory, Borage, Calendula, Tagetes, Poppies, Aloe, Nasturtium, Asparagus, Garlic, and Nettles are examples of plants that will not only stabilize the soil, but form a ground cover to retain moist as well as scaring off bad bugs and attract the beneficial ones. They are also edible and on average more healthy than conventional food crops. But the undisputed King of companion plants is Comrey -
My twentieth article introduces Symphytum officinale:
QUOTE:
"It is now highly feasible to take care of everybody on Earth at a higher standard of living than any have ever known. It no longer has to be you or me. Selfishness is unnecessary. War is obsolete. It is a matter of converting the high technology from weaponry to livingry."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller
SYMPHYTUM OFFICINALE:
Comfrey is an endemic plant in our part of Turkey (even though I have not seen it myself in the wild), it is perennial AND it is invasive. There is still a lot of debate whether it is edible or not. It does contain some nasty alkaloids which will severely damage the liver, cause irregular heartbeats, and make your tummy swell, but many claim that's a small price to pay considering all the medicinal properties of the plant. Perhaps it's a bit like wheat: It will fill your belly, but overconsumption will probably give you cancer and will definitely give you a big butt! (Just a local assumption from white bread abuse and local bodily stature, no hard feelings). But besides being as poisonous as it is medicinal, it is a plant many gardeners worship because of its' sheer effectiveness on the soil and surrounding plants.
MYTHOLOGY & HISTORY:
* The plant is also known as 'knitbone', 'bone-set', 'healing herb', and 'miracle herb' due to it effectiveness in healing and strengthening bone structure.
* Comfrey is said to give any gardener green fingers, due to its' soilfixing properties and in producing green manure.
MODERN RESEARCH:
There seems to be a great deal of difference in opinion regarding the medicinal use of Comfrey. The scientific community is very critical, in fact it has been banned from sale in some countries. In spite of this, the use of Comfrey is so deeply imbedded in homeopathy and herbalism, that many spokesmen of alternative medicine actually advise to ignore the findings of scientists.
Whereas Comfrey speeds up cell reproduction, probably being the most effective skin- and bone healer on the planet, it is mostly used externally since modern research claims internal use will stress tummy and liver. Whereas making tea might either kill you or transform you into superman, the true magic of this plant is in the garden:
COMMON USES:
Comfrey germinates slowly, but once it has established itself you will probably never get rid of it. Even from a small piece of root it will regrow and spread vigorously underground, sprouting up where you least expect it. And this a good thing! The roots are strong and dig deep, which both tills the soil underground, drawing up nutrients to surrounding herbs, as well as attracting worms to till the soil further. As a result, where Comfrey grows, the soil will be soft, moist and packed with nutrients. No fancy petrolium machinery needed! Soft soil underneath, ground cover above... Unless of course you cut the fast growing foilage down to kickstart a hot compost or add as direct compost...
Compost activator, liquid fertilizer, mulch, companion plant, you name it, just don't (unless you are very brave) eat it... Where as all this might sound trivial to the uninitiated, the energy abuse of a modern petrolium-based agriculture vs. organic gardening, is larger than huge when it comes to producing food...
KEY WORDS:
Bone- and wound healer, inflammations, eye complaints, cancer, rheumatism, arthritis, superior companion plant.