#elderberries — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #elderberries, aggregated by home.social.
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Squashed
Hello Friends!
The summer heat has broken and what a relief it is! Temperatures this past week have ranged between 75F/24C to 85F/29C, which is what “normal summer” should be. That’s not to say there won’t be a 90F/32C day slipping in now and then, there will be, there always is. Only, the likelihood of excessive heat warnings shrinks with each passing day. The hours of sunlight are shorter—the sun is rising on my bike commute and setting by 8:30.
But of course it can’t all be care-free rainbows. Ragweed season is upon us and it took me a couple of days feeling poorly to figure it out. Once I started in with the extra allergy medication I felt much better. While spring allergies are worse for me, I somehow manage to power through with the help of medication, but by summer’s waning, I feel so very tired. I’m certain the explanation is allergies combining with a spring and summer’s worth of garden work and the shortening days. Still, I’m not ready for autumn, I will hit that wall sometime in early September.
Meanwhile the green striped cushaw squashes get bigger by the day. The one on top of the trellis arch is so big and heavy the arch is drooping in the middle:
Given how much the pumpkins (only on tiny long pie and a couple small ones from the volunteer feral pumpkin that we don’t know if they will taste good) and butternut (none) struggled in the heat and drought this summer, I did a bit of research for winter squash substitutes that might be more heat and drought tolerant. I have discovered Hopi Pale Gray squash that is highly productive even in challenging growing conditions and is an excellent substitute for pumpkin. Also, it will keep in storage for up to two years. I am definitely going to try this one!
The other squash I found is an Italian heirloom called Tromboncino. The young squash can be eaten like summer squash and the mature squash can be a butternut substitute. It is also resistant to squash vine borer, squash bugs, and powdery mildew. While this is definitely intriguing, I am leaning more towards the Canada Crookneck. This is the ancestor of the butternut squash and is thought to originate with the Iroquois. It stores well, needs moderate moisture, and thrives in temperatures as warm as 95F/35C. Seems like it might be a winner.
The elderberries are getting ripe, I picked the first bunch yesterday. The elderberry is in the chicken garden and Baba loves them. She stands beneath the tree and jumps up to eat whatever she can reach. I don’t mind at all. She can have as many as she can eat from the lower branches. The sparrows get the ones on the highest branches that I can’t reach. I get the bulk of the berries in the middle. Everyone gets some!
Dig in!I stopped growing zucchini in the garden a couple of years ago partly because their productivity dropped ( I was getting almost all male flowers) and partly because I wanted to grow more winter squash. At first I worried I would have to buy zucchini to make relish (we did buy a few from the farmers market earlier in the season and made relish) and other zucchini things. I didn’t need to worry! When sheepish friends with excess giant zucchinis ask if I would like one I gratefully accept and we are all happy. We got a giant zucchini from a friend the other day and James made zucchini lasagna and chocolate zucchini bread. There is still a large chunk left that might turn into garlicky zucchini rice. By taking excess zucchini off their hands, it’s like I am doing friends a favor, while at the same time I only have what I actually want. It’s a win for everyone!
#allergies #CanadaCrookneck #elderberries #greenStripedCushaw #heat #HopiPaleGraySquash #TromboncinoSquash #zucchini -
Squashed
Hello Friends!
The summer heat has broken and what a relief it is! Temperatures this past week have ranged between 75F/24C to 85F/29C, which is what “normal summer” should be. That’s not to say there won’t be a 90F/32C day slipping in now and then, there will be, there always is. Only, the likelihood of excessive heat warnings shrinks with each passing day. The hours of sunlight are shorter—the sun is rising on my bike commute and setting by 8:30.
But of course it can’t all be care-free rainbows. Ragweed season is upon us and it took me a couple of days feeling poorly to figure it out. Once I started in with the extra allergy medication I felt much better. While spring allergies are worse for me, I somehow manage to power through with the help of medication, but by summer’s waning, I feel so very tired. I’m certain the explanation is allergies combining with a spring and summer’s worth of garden work and the shortening days. Still, I’m not ready for autumn, I will hit that wall sometime in early September.
Meanwhile the green striped cushaw squashes get bigger by the day. The one on top of the trellis arch is so big and heavy the arch is drooping in the middle:
Given how much the pumpkins (only on tiny long pie and a couple small ones from the volunteer feral pumpkin that we don’t know if they will taste good) and butternut (none) struggled in the heat and drought this summer, I did a bit of research for winter squash substitutes that might be more heat and drought tolerant. I have discovered Hopi Pale Gray squash that is highly productive even in challenging growing conditions and is an excellent substitute for pumpkin. Also, it will keep in storage for up to two years. I am definitely going to try this one!
The other squash I found is an Italian heirloom called Tromboncino. The young squash can be eaten like summer squash and the mature squash can be a butternut substitute. It is also resistant to squash vine borer, squash bugs, and powdery mildew. While this is definitely intriguing, I am leaning more towards the Canada Crookneck. This is the ancestor of the butternut squash and is thought to originate with the Iroquois. It stores well, needs moderate moisture, and thrives in temperatures as warm as 95F/35C. Seems like it might be a winner.
The elderberries are getting ripe, I picked the first bunch yesterday. The elderberry is in the chicken garden and Baba loves them. She stands beneath the tree and jumps up to eat whatever she can reach. I don’t mind at all. She can have as many as she can eat from the lower branches. The sparrows get the ones on the highest branches that I can’t reach. I get the bulk of the berries in the middle. Everyone gets some!
Dig in!I stopped growing zucchini in the garden a couple of years ago partly because their productivity dropped ( I was getting almost all male flowers) and partly because I wanted to grow more winter squash. At first I worried I would have to buy zucchini to make relish (we did buy a few from the farmers market earlier in the season and made relish) and other zucchini things. I didn’t need to worry! When sheepish friends with excess giant zucchinis ask if I would like one I gratefully accept and we are all happy. We got a giant zucchini from a friend the other day and James made zucchini lasagna and chocolate zucchini bread. There is still a large chunk left that might turn into garlicky zucchini rice. By taking excess zucchini off their hands, it’s like I am doing friends a favor, while at the same time I only have what I actually want. It’s a win for everyone!
#allergies #CanadaCrookneck #elderberries #greenStripedCushaw #heat #HopiPaleGraySquash #TromboncinoSquash #zucchini -
Elderberry: contraindications and side effects #elderberry #alternativemedicine #elderberries
... Continue to: https://youtube.com/shorts/2qib8DanX8M?si=EEoUcSQFqU33GrVl -
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And yeah, I've seen urine used for various purposes, but not as a dye mordant... Not for the squeamish!
20 Natural Dye Plants You Can Forage and Grow in Your Garden
By Catherine Winter
Excerpt: "Would you prefer to go a super-natural route, since you’re using plant-based dyes? If you’re aiming to be as self-sufficient as possible, there are also all-organic mordant options as well.
Natural Mordants:
- Sumac: Simmer fresh sumac twigs for about an hour, strain out the twiggy bits, and reduce the liquid by half
- Urine: human urine is ideal for mordanting, but you’ll need to age it. Collect it in a jar and allow it to age for several days. [🤢 ]
- Salt: You can use standard table salt as a mordant, but Kosher salt can yield some of the strongest color-fastness. [I've used that]
- Vinegar [That too]
- Wood ash lye"You’ve probably noticed that some of these are alkaline, and some are acidic. Alkaline mordants tend to work best with plant-based fibers like cotton, linen, and #hemp. In contrast, acidic mordants like vinegar are better with animal fibers like #wool, #alpaca, and #angora.
"Note that if you use an acidic mordant and your colors still run, you can set the color by dipping the fabric in a 50/50 vinegar/water solution. In contrast, if you’ve used an alkaline mordant like lye or baking soda [another one I've used], an acidic solution will strip the color rather than setting it." [Been there, done that!]
Learn more [includes a list of #DyePlants -- does not include #BlackWalnuts though]:
https://morningchores.com/dye-plants/#SolarPunkSunday #DIY #FiberArts #NaturalDyes #Gardening #Foraging #Goldenrod #Elderberries #Chicory #Beets #Onions #RedCabbage
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And yeah, I've seen urine used for various purposes, but not as a dye mordant... Not for the squeamish!
20 Natural Dye Plants You Can Forage and Grow in Your Garden
By Catherine Winter
Excerpt: "Would you prefer to go a super-natural route, since you’re using plant-based dyes? If you’re aiming to be as self-sufficient as possible, there are also all-organic mordant options as well.
Natural Mordants:
- Sumac: Simmer fresh sumac twigs for about an hour, strain out the twiggy bits, and reduce the liquid by half
- Urine: human urine is ideal for mordanting, but you’ll need to age it. Collect it in a jar and allow it to age for several days. [🤢 ]
- Salt: You can use standard table salt as a mordant, but Kosher salt can yield some of the strongest color-fastness. [I've used that]
- Vinegar [That too]
- Wood ash lye"You’ve probably noticed that some of these are alkaline, and some are acidic. Alkaline mordants tend to work best with plant-based fibers like cotton, linen, and #hemp. In contrast, acidic mordants like vinegar are better with animal fibers like #wool, #alpaca, and #angora.
"Note that if you use an acidic mordant and your colors still run, you can set the color by dipping the fabric in a 50/50 vinegar/water solution. In contrast, if you’ve used an alkaline mordant like lye or baking soda [another one I've used], an acidic solution will strip the color rather than setting it." [Been there, done that!]
Learn more [includes a list of #DyePlants -- does not include #BlackWalnuts though]:
https://morningchores.com/dye-plants/#SolarPunkSunday #DIY #FiberArts #NaturalDyes #Gardening #Foraging #Goldenrod #Elderberries #Chicory #Beets #Onions #RedCabbage
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I decided I didn’t want to pick through poisonous unripe berries, so ended up leaving my #elderberries for the birds. It’s been a pleasure to watch bluebirds, finches, and mockingbirds gorge themselves. #gardening
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OK #PlantFedi and #FoodFedi, I have a *lot* of elderberries from my yard and I have never prepared them before.
What should I do with them? Does anybody want them? #Harvest #Elderberries #Foraging #Seattle -
OK #PlantFedi and #FoodFedi, I have a *lot* of elderberries from my yard and I have never prepared them before.
What should I do with them? Does anybody want them? #Harvest #Elderberries #Foraging #Seattle -
The American Elderberry bushes (Sambucus canadensis) are laden with enormous, lacy clusters of tiny white flowers. Some parts of this species are toxic, but the berries are a wildlife favorite and are traditionally used for jams and jellies.
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The American Elderberry bushes (Sambucus canadensis) are laden with enormous, lacy clusters of tiny white flowers. Some parts of this species are toxic, but the berries are a wildlife favorite and are traditionally used for jams and jellies.
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It’s said that planting elder near your home will keep Witches and the devil away, although burning the wood is said in some traditions to summon the devil, and witches are said to congregate under the trees, especially when they are full of fruit.
10 things you might not know about elderberries:
https://topicaltens.blogspot.com/2023/06/5-june-elderberries.html
#Elderberries #Fruit #Folklore #FrenchRevolutionaryCalendar #Elder #Trees
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#CastleStalker in #Scotland. #Recognizable by #MontyPython #fans who are #EnglishPigDogs, had #mothers who were #hamsters, #fathers #smelled of #elderberries and/or have been #farted at in their #GeneralDirection
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#CastleStalker in #Scotland. #Recognizable by #MontyPython #fans who are #EnglishPigDogs, had #mothers who were #hamsters, #fathers #smelled of #elderberries and/or have been #farted at in their #GeneralDirection
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Thanks @veekas
If you or others are interested in learning more about #elderberries, I created this public Zotero collection listing some of the resources I've already identified: https://www.zotero.org/groups/312808/agroforestry/collections/XPKB9LEL
Still more to learn (and experiment with) in terms of integration with #agroforestry...
"Poultry-Centered Regenerative Agroforestry Systems" like Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin has been developing include elderberries. This article describes that a bit: https://alseed.com/tree-range-farm-tour-regenerative-ag-venture-coming-to-albert-lea/
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Jeff "never puts away anything, especially oven mitts" Cliff, Bringer of Nightmares 🦝🐙 🇱🇧🧯 🇨🇦 @[email protected] ·So I've seen now a pro-elderberry post and an anti-elderberry post.
What does the science actually say? Is the below accurate?
> Important! No Elderberry and no NSAIDs (Ibuprofen, Motrin, Aleve, Naproxyn, etc) if you suspect you have been exposed to COVID19.
Data showing elderberry may actually make things worse since COVID19 causes respiratory failure via a cytokine response/release. Elderberry normal increases immune response, but the process of ARDS is actually an over-activation of the immune system. Elderberry increases cytokine release. That is part of the over-reaction. Elderberry may be great for influenza, but is bad for COVID19 and serious sequela. Ibuprofen has a similar effect. Avoid it.
#choosetylenol #flattenthecurve
https://www.facebook.com/arethaben/posts/10221307023566544
#elderberries
