Meadowsweet, mine does not look like this now |
My meadowsweet looks like a pot of dirt. |
The benefits of Meadowsweet listed in my medicinal herb books include:
- salicylate properties similar to aspirin
- astringent
- anti-inflammatory
- diuretic
- antacid and calming for overactive digestive system
- acid stomach, heartburn, ulcers, hiatus hernia
- helpful for rheumatism and arthritis
- clears sandy deposits in urine
Meadowsweet prefers a moist area with semi shade. This location is on the edge of a small branch that is wet much of the year. It will go dry during a hot dry summer, but is generally fairly wet. I hope it will thrive in this area.
The other plant that has been living in a pot on the porch for too long is a sweet, edible bamboo. I did quite a bit of research on bamboo to find one that produces edible shoots and is hardy in planting zone 7. The one I bought is a sweet shoot bamboo, Phyllostachs Dulcis.
This is a running, spreading type that will have plenty of room here to grow. It will also provide some natural camouflage for this building. Many bamboos cannot tolerate the cold weather here and I was glad to find one that could.
But, I think the really cold weather we have had recently has killed off part of this plant so I want to get it in the ground to see if it can be saved. This is another one of those little chores that was postponed for too long. But the plant seemed to be doing fine on the porch until just recently.
My motivation for investigating edible bamboo was the effort to find some perennial vegetables that I could get started here that could provide some food on a consistent, yearly basis. In this day and age, the types of food that are perennial are not usually part of our diets. Jerusalem artichokes, bamboo and asparagus don't go with many things that we eat regularly. At least, we don't. But we do have all three of these things growing here. And if the time comes that we need to depend upon what we can produce to eat, they will add a few more meals to our table.
Sun chokes |
There are so many things we can grow that are beneficial and amazingly productive, even if you baby them with total neglect. Do they taste like potato chips, donuts and ice cream? No. Will they lend a hand to provide excellent nutrition with little to no effort on my part? Yes. The more I learn, the more amazed I am at the tremendous sources of life that are right at our fingertips. Isn't that just great? Learn something new today. Something that makes you smile and increases your ability to provide for your family.
Until next time - Fern
Great Post! How will you preserve your Bamboo shoots? Could they be dehydrated?
ReplyDeleteMy hope is to can them. We will see. The new spring shoots are the ones to harvest and I will have to see how this plant does. I may leave it to get established for a year before I start to harvest anything.
DeleteGood questions.
Fern
Yes, have lots of room for bamboo. And if you ever want to eradicate it, good luck.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. That's why I put it in this 'out of the way' place.
DeleteThanks for the comment.
Fern
Hello Fern, jsut saw this post of yours and I was wondering how your bamboo is coming along. It would seem that the plants would be spreading, and putting you in a good position for harvesting some shoots in the spring.
ReplyDeleteThank you for asking, Milton. An update on the bamboo, sunchokes and meadowsweet is in the works. I do hope to harvest some shoots in the spring. It would be nice to even try canning some in small jars. We like to buy the small cans at the store to use for stir fry. Thanks again.
DeleteFern