15 Nov Sat 2014
Eating Healthy is NOT Just for the Birds
The good book says that God will supply ALL my needs, with a few loop
holes thrown in there. It also says that God provides for the birds of the air.
Yep... It is true... little did I know that He would provide for the birds through
me. The ones in my neck of the woods eat from the bounty of my garden
from June till the first frost of winter kills it all.
This year the snails and slugs got most of my greens and the birds after
having their share of greens moved on to pick over the squash, strawberries,
tomatoes, and even some of my flowers. I did some studying and found how
to beat those pesky slugs and snails without one bit of poison, pesticides or
chemicals... but more about that closer to June.
I had planted six types of lettuce, three types where our favorites: romaine.
Unfortunately I was only able to rescue for harvest barely enough for three
meals. Not good.
While surfing recently, as I said above, I found answers to several problems.
I learned of an edible 'tree' that not only has many medicinal properties,
drives the bees wild, offers a great tasting tea, and for nine wonderful, salad
filled months out of the year provides romaine flavored lettuce like leaves that
can be used in salads or sandwiches and in fall when you mix the flowers
with its unripe fruit into a paste you get something very akin to the flavor and
texture of chocolate pudding (and no sweeteners are supposed to be
needed). The entire tree can be either used or eaten for life sustaining
situations or medicinally healing purposes.
This tree grows in zones 4-9 and is frost hardy. You can trim it into a shrub,
cut it way back into an oriental bonzi, espalier it, let it grow for five years to
about six feet and chop it down and it will start all over, or let it grow to
between 40 and 60 feet tall.
Ya'll have probably known about or seen this tree around for years.
This tree grows in Canada and they call it Basswood, in Britain it is called a
Lime Tree ( no relation to the citrus ) and here in the great ole USA it is
called a Linden Tree.
I will be planting mine when it arrives as a dormant root ball in a few days.
It may take months to eat that first salad and nearly a year or two before my
new baby can treat me to some faux chocolate pudding ... but I am sure by
that time, with a 'tree full of blessings - pressed down, shaken together and
running over'... I won't begrudge the birds, snails and slugs their share of the
harvest. lol.
I will keep you posted.
Judy