Alternative Community Farmer/WPB.FL

Here in south Florida , the climate of excessive heat/humidity and precepitation acts as a catalyst for growing spices and heat loving herbs.

Since ancient times , man and women used herbs  for their effective properties in culinary and medicinal recipies.

Herbs are potent and contain mega doses of vitamins and minerals when compared with vegetables.So when in use :Do not overdose and abuse.Small quantity is enough .

Heat loving herbs like basil,rosemary,sage have spiritiual meaning besides their culinary and medicinal values.Lovers love BASIL.Spirituals revere SAGE.Rose mary serves as an exceptional ANTI-OXIDANT and is good as REJEUVINATOR for  body mind and spirit .

There are CHALLENGES in growing herbs in south Florida.Mainly the soil is acidic and deficient in minerals.Therefore , before you think of growing herbs, think twice about your best soil to use.I grow and make my own herbs and soil!You can do it as well.

To learn more come to my classes every Saturday and Sunday ...Sign up for the HERBSlass this COMING SATURDAY at:

localharvest.org/farms/M20618

Bring/tell a friend!

People tend to abuse DRUGS and end up in hospitals or dead.There is now an ADDICTION RUSH/ RASH that is spreading in S.Florida by COVENTIONAL MD clinics for PROFIT that prescribe and dispense on the spot PILLS for PAIN..Welcome to the PILL MILL big  business fraud that is being targeted by LAW ENFORCEMENT ..

It is good to know:Dr.Hulda Clark wrote three books :Cheif among them "The Cure for all cancers" exposed some vitamins and herbal manufacturors who "intentionally" added lead and other toxins to their supplements..That was back in the 1990's.What is new?

A MEGA pharmaceutical company also cleared the market of small owners of herbs and vitamin companies by BUYING Them and becoming THE controller of producing supplements in the market .It kept the names of the previous old  companies withiout change to deceive the consumer.The name of that Mega CEUTICAL company? You tell me?Get an education abvout what you put in your mouth before you get hurt !Another company a major Tobaco company has now a chain of food companies that it bought after the sale of cigarettes dropped down.Guess what they are doing with the food they produce?The same they were doing with the cigarettes:More additives,presetrvatives and toxins being added under the pretext of preswerving this and that!Get educated about who ptroduces your food?

Now the big Pharmaceutical companies are losing more money to the supplemnts and herbs business.So they are sending their lobbyiests to Washington to attack the Herbs and vitamins companies and drive them out of the market.Get educated about who are the companies that want to send you to the hospitals and feed you junk food and drugs for the buck of it?

Your best bet? Grow your own herbs and organic vegetables.You save on the grocery and hospital bill and God forbid ,you do not end up a life long drug consumer/ addict of the PILL MILL!

Get rid of the pill mill "addiction" and instead get an "education" about what you put in/out of  your mouth.No ignorance or fungus among us.. It is good to know:

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2009/apr2009_Dietary-Supplements-Under-Attack_02.htm

 http://educate-yourself.org/cn/supplementsunderattackagain12apr02.shtml

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+great+supplement+scare%3a+are+herbal+remedies+under+attack+from+a...-a020581507

I am on the move again and my yard is full of herbs and veggies grown in containers.The first thing that comes to mind about growing herbs in S.Florida is where shall I find a place to grow them? Most peolpe now are having their home forclosed and lost to the bailed banks .So , why not grow whatever herbs you like in containers.Containers are not subject to foreclosures and they can be saved by just moving them out with you!

There is a word for the wise:Avoid growing herbs and veggies in PLASTIC CONTAINERS.They are loaded with a chemical called BISHPENOL A.The vegetables and herbs grown in plastic containers get also PLASTICIDES and chemicals used in the plastic containers are usually derivatives from the petrochemical industry.So, when you go to the garden center and buy ORGANIC herbs or plants grown in PLASTIC CONTAINERS be aware of the fact that there are hormone supressors that may influence and compromise  your endocrine system.There is a study about a weed control chemical called ATRAZINE that has been released lately as reported by a blogger at local harvest.org ref the below link:

http://.localharvest.org/blog/28378/entry/atrazine_and_other_endocrine_interruptors

Weeds are another name for HERBS. I grow the foillowing weeds or HERBS in my ORGANIC containers that atre mostly made of brick stones and ceramics.Even the PLASTIC containers can be modified to adjust to the natural way .I usually insulate the root system of my herbs that I grow in plastic containers by surrounding the inner plastic linning of the container with a sheet of natural cork or any ORGANIC material like unbleached natural paper/leaves/cloth..be creative and avoid the plastic contact with the root system.

My experience in growing herbs in containers in Florida especially in the sub-tropical zone 9-10 is : Most herbs love the heat especially :Basil,parsely,mint,rosemary,culantro,aloe vera,lavender,sage and more.This is the best time to plant the seeds for the summer herb container garden.

Herbs are like humans , they come from different geographical and topographical regions.some originate in cold regions  example: dandelion and comfrey.Others originate from sizzling deserts and tropical climates like aloe vera.

When preparing for the HERB CONTAINER garden take this into consideration.Pay attention to where the herbs come from and try to make them happy in their new home that should mimick their original one.Say that you want to grow dandelion for example.Dandelion  favors soil rich in organic matter and wood.Notice that it grows close to tree trunks!So mimick this environment and you will have a successful harvest! ROSE MARY AND ALOE VERA FAVOR  WARM SANDY AND ROCKY SOIL SO PLANT THEM IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT MIMICKS THEIR ORIGINAL HOME!

ONE MORE IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER:Herbs are different than vegetables.So treat them differently.Their soil should be rich in minerals hweras the vegetable soil must be rich in nitrogen and other organic matter.

Hrebs work in the human body as medicine .sO USE THEM SPARINGLY AND LESS !vEGETABLES NOURISH THE BODY AND FRUITS PURGE IT.

HAPPY hERB CONTAINER GARDENING!

More @localharvest.org/farms/M20618

In exploring and researching the roots of growing herbs in the tropical zone of Florida I stumbled on the mystical meanings as revealed throyghthe ancient healing arts of Ayuervida and TCM(TraditionalChinese Medicine).

It is so funny that we are witnessing a revival of this forgoton healing art that was buried in history and mystic philosophies.

In our times we are now hearing stoies about the pain killer pills and the narcotics blended in them in the name of medications to heal..Lot of patients have experienced the morbid side effects of those so called legal drugs.There are victims who fall everyday and we read about them when they happen to be celebrities and we dont hear about them if they are not.

For those of us who are suffering and have no access for medical professional help because they have no insurance or a job to sustain their living who is goping to turn a helping hand when they fall ill?

Man and women have learned from experience to trust their guts .Just like aniumals when they get sick , they trust their instinct to survive and go to the woods fetching digging(bears)and sniffing(cats and dogs)for the  plants that could give them help .

We humans have forgotten about how to relate to Mother Earth as we retired to our shelters in cement boxes and wrapped our selves recently with toxic dry wals to mention the least.

Time out.

As I went searching the the woods of books I dug out some roots about TCM .The Chinese knew the benefits of herbs as well as the ancient Greeks and Indians.The Greeks gave us Hippocretes the father of Medicine who preached about using food as our medicine and "let your medicine be your food".The Indians gave us Ayuevedic medicine.Now the East and West are meeting not in the battle field like once Rudyard kippling mentioned.They are meeting in the civilized study and application of herbs as food and medicine.

Most of us when we get sick swallow a pill.Not any more.It took us FIVE THOUSAND YEARS to be educated here where we stand now in the 21st century.Time is the best teacher.Time tested...Yes, herbs have been time tested for more than five thousand years.The rest is for us to open our hearts and minds to apprehend and comprehend .Understanding is the key for LEARNING.The mind is like a PARACHUTE.If you do not open the parachute then you are doomed as you jump into the world.The same thing applies for the heart .

There are four elements of creation as the Native Americans teach us:Air,Fire,Earthand water.There are Four vital fluids :Blood,Phelgm,Choler,andMelancholy as the Chinese TCM and Indian Ayeurvida teach us.Understanding how herbs can help us we need to go through the mystic journey of learning those ancient doctrines.

Happy Herb Gardening in Florida.