They're also pressed to make sesame oil or processed into tahini paste. Open sesame—you can harvest your own sesame seed crop right from your own garden. Seeds are ready for harvest when the pods turn brown and begin to crack open slightly.
The seeds are high in calcium and have been found to be beneficial in reducing cholesterol and blood pressure. The slaves called the seeds sesame benne, a name that Thomas Jefferson would use throughout his extensive correspondence with people.
Photo courtesy Ken Colwell This week, the world lost a very special lady, a lady who faced many of life's hardships and yet always seemed to present herself with grace and gentleness.
Don't forget that when things get tough—when your cucumbers are plagued with squash bugs and the tomatoes have blossom end rot because of seven days of ceaseless rain—that your love for the land exudes far beyond the task at hand.
A layer of straw, chicken-coop litter, leaf debris, kitchen compost or half-finished compost also works just fine. You can seed it immediately or transplant vegetable starts into the soil pockets within and around the bed.
Spring will give way to summer, which will blossom into autumn and eventually return to winter. Let's just be honest: It was cold this week. It's not even what I'm used to as a Yankee transplant, despite growing up in northeastern Ohio and going to college...
« More Mondays with Martok » Tags homeopathic remedies , homeopathy , Mondays with Martok Dr. Hahnemann boiled the bark into tea and drank it for several days. Do-it-yourselfers can use homeopathic remedies to treat minor ailments and injuries, for...
Despite the beauty of its tempting fruit, eating winterberries should be avoided -- especially by children. Humans with severe, prolonged reactions to winterberry ingestion should be evaluated by medical professionals.
We're always thinking of ways to better our gardens or brainstorming new recipes to try out in the kitchen, and unlike other daydreams—I'm looking at you, Three Arms—we have the power to make them come true.
Sometimes it's a new supplement. It is said that there are great benefits to eating a leaf steam each day. I called Richo, and after he very kindly looked up his planting records, I asked him what first drew him to grow the plant.
They often can point you to a entomological expert who may be able to look at a photo or examine a captured specimen to help you determine what insect you're dealing with and offer potential treatment strategies for pest species.
Test your soil first by walking on it or patting it in several locations. Digging in your garden too soon or in the wrong conditions results in two things: frustration for you and poor soil structure.
Other preventative measures include using well-drained soil and avoiding overcrowding of plants. It may help to water less often or apply fungicide to prevent damping off.may be applied as a soil drench after planting, incorporated into the soil as a...
Beware of dusty white patches, as they are a sign that dangerous spores are present. In many cities and townships organic waste materials MUST be separated from normal trash and failing to do so can result in a written violation; the local government...
I assume that includes packaged lunchmeats and not just turkey on the platter. It was more expensive than a store-bought Butterball but I will eat it with honor, knowing it was raised humanely and on healthy pasture.
You may not believe it, but I still have laurel dry leaves from my store! About twenty years ago I had a grocery store. But they only bought candies, crackers, snacks, chocolate, wafers or other sweets.
Three stalked plants are given for luck, five stalks are said to represent wishes of wealth and seven stalks are thought to bring and keep good health. Lucky bamboo is not, in fact, related to true bamboo plants.
It's worth your time to seek out different species, especially native species; not only will this help in creating biodiversity in your community, but it will also reward you with fewer garden pests and plant problems.
Each plant species leeches something from the soil while giving something else back. This philosophy fuels the idea of sustainable farming and gardening, where wise crop rotation -- and allowances for fallow soil -- keep soil naturally sustained rather...
Within its native range, Okoume is considered widespread and relatively common. Solid lumber is used in furniture and joinery where it grows locally. The lumber of this tree is known by many names, among them Acoume, Gaboon wood, Uume and Zouga.
You might have read about our new chickens in a previous post. Other weekend chores will include reseeding some bare spots in the lawn, pulling out the plethora of spent calendula plants in the front garden, harvesting spinach, digging up and dividing...
Novelty is the great parent of pleasure. When I was growing up, I was a pretty picky eater. My family loves to reference an early-'90s home movie of a New Year's Eve party where a gaggle of my cousins are watching a cartoon, giggling and chatting, while...
They are highly attractive spilling over a container or retaining wall. If you have a deer problem and want to make sure your bougainvillea is left alone, consider planting it in a hanging basket and hanging it high enough so that deer can't reach it.Keep...
State agricultural extension services often provide soil testing services for a nominal fee or no charge. Soils over limestone bedrock tend to have a high pH (7-9), and few plants will do well in them.
Mulch Improves Diversity and Soil Health: It protects soil organisms , like worms, insects, and soil microbes, which will help protect against pests. But by taking the time to give some extra care and thought to your soil at the beginning and end of each...
Arrrggghhh! I've been waiting for a chance to use some pirate-ease on this blog. The technicians insulated the entire house in less than four days, including clean up. It offered suggestions for areas to insulate now versus later and explained how each...
If not, the reader probably doesn't have the breeds he thought. Is there any way of telling them apart?” If your chick order includes a handful of different breeds , learn as much about each of their physical characteristics as possible.
