Continued from here
Nova – at 08:36
Be Well: I did not know sunflower sprouts needed to be grown in dirt…no wonder mine never amount to much (I’ve been using the jar method and they have been turing out totally yucky) Could you give me exact instructions? I actually have an indoor garden space for growing herbs and salad greens so dirt would not be a problem. Thanks!
PS to Be Well: The indoor garden I have are deep pots of dirt. I did read somewhere once that dirt grown sprouts should be in shallow pans. Does it really matter? Thanks!
Be Well, you have hit on some very good points in your discussion about sprouts, especially when you pointed out that bean sprout tails shouldn’t get too long.
Nova, I’ve eaten sunflower sprouts for years- they are really delicious! I once posted to a thread my method of growing them in shallow pots. I’ll find it for you- just give me some time…
Ok, Nova, I found it. The forum is called “Gardening For Emergency Part II and it also has some great tips on growing using limited spaces.
tinyurl.com/yd7fa2
Hope that tinyurl works. I find it sometimes difficult to use. Anyway, if it doesn’t, you have the name of the thread and can find it with ‘search site”, upper left on this page.
Ocean2: Thanks! I’ll search it out. Can you use large flower pot containers, or do they need to be shallow?
Nova – at 11:56 - The depth of the pot needed depends on what you want to grow (and where). I grew tomatoes this year in the deepest plastic pots I could find, and still had problems with them drying out too fast.
I’ve almost always grown tomatoes in 5-gallon buckets. Holes drilled in the bottom for drainage. I’ve found that as a tomato plant matures, it can require close to a gallon of water every day!!!
Nova, the sprouts are harvested a few days after planting. They grow fast and their roots grow even faster! Small pots are better because you only need the soil a short time (saves on soil) and because you can quickly recycle the soil by shaking out the roots. This way I was able to re-use the soil (after breaking it up and letting it “rest”) without it getting moldy. You could even use flats, if you grow them for others, too. Say, half the flat for newly sprouted seeds and the other half for almost-mature sprouts. I found it hard to catch the overflow this way and it made more sprouts than I could eat. But it’s also possible. Have fun with it!
Ah, Nova, I shoud say that this is the method I use for sunflower sprouts. The other sprouts I grow using the same method Be Well describes, jars with puntured lids.
Just for the record, here’s directions for sunflower sprouts from a handy little booklet DH found yesterday - and I have not grown them for years and years, so little to no personal experience. One thing with sunsprouts (as with bean sprouts) don’t let them get too big. Once they’re all furry and stringy, they’re no good.
BTW, mung sprouts are my hands-down favorites. Unless it’s freezing in the house, they’re ready to eat in about 2 1/2 days from soaking, or 4 max. They are totally unlike storebought long white things. (Ick). Watch out for “Old Maids” - beans that don’t sprout and are little little rocks. That’s why I soak them extra long time, and try to pick out any that haven’t swollen up. Getting good quality mung beans (or any beans/seeds) is important. I buy them by the 25# bag even without prepping! I also eat a lot of mung bean soup. And to sprout them just a little and then cook speeds up cooking time.
Sunflower Sprouts
Soak 1 cup unhulled suflower seeds to 10=12 hours. Allow seeds to sprout for an additional 24 hours.
Using a shallow gardener’s tray, fill with 50–50 mix potting soil and peat moss and wet it thoroughly.
Spread a layer of seeds over the soil allowing for each see to touch but not overlap eah other.
Cover the seeds with a layer of (WHAT?!?!?) WET NEWSPAPER?? (NO WAY!) and put another tray on the top to cover. NOTE: I would NEVER use wet newspaper - ink is toxic! Sprinkle with dirt, fool!
On the fourth day remove coverings. Water and palce in the sun for 3 to 4 dyas. Harvest.
NOTE: I would appreciate feedback on this system, since I do plan to frow sunflower sprouts and I don’t know if this method is good. Forget the newspaper, though. (Shudder)
(And I will look up the emergency gardening thread later)
BeWell – at 12:51 If you don’t mind, please post your recipe for Mung Bean Soup.
You find polar bears in practically all arctic coastal regions, but rarely inland. Avoid them if possible. They are the most dangerous of all bears. They are tireless, clever hunters with good sight and an extraordinary sense of smell. If you must kill one for food, approach it cautiously. Aim for the brain; a bullet elsewhere will rarely kill one. Always cook polar bear meat before eating it.
CAUTION Do not eat polar bear liver as it contains a toxic concentration of vitamin A.
Earless seal meat is some of the best meat available. You need considerable skill, however, to get close enough to an earless seal to kill it. In spring, seals often bask on the ice beside their breathing holes. They raise their heads about every 30 seconds, however, to look for their enemy, the polar bear.
To approach a seal, do as the Eskimos do—stay downwind from it, cautiously moving closer while it sleeps. If it moves, stop and imitate its movements by lying flat on the ice, raising your head up and down, and wriggling your body slightly. Approach the seal with your body side-ways to it and your arms close to your body so that you look as much like another seal as possible. The ice at the edge of the breathing hole is usually smooth and at an incline, so the least movement of the seal may cause it to slide into the water. Therefore, try to get within 22 to 45 meters of the seal and kill it instantly (aim for the brain). Try to reach the seal before it slips into the water. In winter, a dead seal will usually float, but it is difficult to retrieve from the water.
Keep the seal blubber and skin from coming into contact with any scratch or broken skin you may have. You could get “spekk-finger,” that is, a reaction that causes the hands to become badly swollen.
Keep in mind that where there are seals, there are usually polar bears, and polar bears have stalked and killed seal hunters.
Universal Edibility Test
There are many plants throughout the world. Tasting or swallowing even a small portion of some can cause severe discomfort, extreme internal disorders, and even death. Therefore, if you have the slightest doubt about a plant’s edibility, apply the Universal Edibility Test (Figure 9–5) before eating any portion of it.
1. Test only one part of a potential food plant at a time.
2 Separate the plants into its basic components—leaves, stems, roots, buds, and flowers.
3 Smell the food for strong or acid odors. Remember, smell alone does not indicate a plant is edible or inedible.
4 Do not eat for 8 hours before starting the test.
5 During the 8 hours you abstain from eating, test for contact poisoning by placing a piece of the plant part you are testing on the inside of your elbow or wrist. Usually 15 minutes is enough time to allow for a reaction
6 During the test period, take nothing by mouth except purified water and the plant part you are testing.
7 Select a small portion of a single part and prepare it the way you plan to eat it.
8 Before placing the prepared plant part in your mouth, touch a small portion (a pinch) to the outer surface of your lip to test for burning or itching.
9 If after 3 minutes there is no reaction on your lip, place the plant part on your tongue, holding it there for 15 minutes.
10 If there is no reaction, thoroughly chew a pinch and hold it in your mouth for 15 minutes. Do not swallow.
11 If no burning, itching, numbing stinging, or other irritation occurs during the 15 minutes, swallow the food.
12 Wait 8 hours. If any ill effects occur during this period, induce vomiting and drink a lot of water.
13 If no ill effects occur, eat 0.25 cup of the same plant part prepared the same way. Wait another 8 hours. If no ill effects occur, the plant part as prepared is safe for eating.
CAUTION Test all parts of the plant for edibility, as some plants have both edible and inedible parts. Do not assume that a part that proved edible when cooked is also edible when raw. Test the part raw to ensure edibility before eating raw. The same part or plant may produce varying reactions in different individuals Figure 9–5 Universal Edibility Test
Before testing a plant for edibility, make sure there are enough plants to make the testing worth your time and effort. Each part of a plant (roots, leaves, flowers, and so on) requires more than 24 hours to test. Do not waste time testing a plant that is not relatively abundant in the area.
Remember, eating large portions of plant food on an empty stomach may cause diarrhea, nausea, or cramps. Two good examples of this are such familiar foods as green apples and wild onions. Even after testing plant food and finding it safe, eat it in moderation.
You can see from the steps and time involved in testing for edibility just how important it is to be able to identify edible plants.
To avoid potentially poisonous plants, stay away from any wild or unknown plants that have —
Using the above criteria as eliminators when choosing plants for the Universal Edibility Test will cause you to avoid some edible plants. More important, these criteria will often help you avoid plants that are potentially toxic to eat or touch.
I think I recall that Okieman once posted a very long listing of what Indian Tribes survived on. A very intensive and comprehensive listing, if I recall about 45 pages. Some groups primarily on insects, but it said they weren’t particularly healthy groups. It was very specific as to what insects, and in what way they were consumed and at what season and stage of development. If you have the strong will to survive you’ll go to any lengths needed.
diana – at 15:07
Is this what you are talking about? INSECTS USED AS FOOD BY INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS
gardner – at 13:14
Here it is, more or less:
Soak one or one and a half cups whole mung beans overnight or about 12 hours. Pick out any stones etc (hopefully the beans you have will be good quality without any but check the first time or so that you use them). Rinse well and cook in one of two ways, pressure cooker or regular.
1. Pressure cooker - put in cooker with at least minimum amt of water or a little more, and add these spices (or your own mix of course): a chunk of peeled chopped ginger root, half t. turmeric, half t. coriander powder, half t. cumin powder, good sprinkle black pepper, half t. salt, one teaspoon good oil (I use ghee). Bring to pressure, take of heat and turn heat to a low rice cooking heat, and then put on and cook for 22 minutes. At least that’s how I do it.
2. Regular pot: put soaked beans in pot with about 1 1/2 inch of water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook at medium heat until water is almost gone. Watch to make sure they don’t burn! Then add the same spices as above and about (hmm, I never measure) 5 or 6 cups of water. Bring to boil, then cover and turn heat to almost low (the same heat I cook rice on) and cook until totally soft. You can add some chopped vegies half way through. I like my mung soup really plain and eat it with rice and some kind of vegies on the side.
Mung soup is considered extremely healthy and digestible in Ayurveda.
(I am working on a website, nothing special, but focusing on natural survival methods, recipes, first aid etc. Gmail me if you want to be alerted when it’s up. MayAllBeWell at gmail.com)
Thanks BeWell, sounds great!
I just found this great site. She goes on an herbwalk month by month, and has great photos she has taken on these walks. These are for food as well as medicine.
BeWell at 00:43,
How long does it take to cook mung beans in a regular pot? Hours? I was thinking about trying them, but want to buy more beans and legumes that take less time to cook, such as split peas and lentils.
Thanks in advance.