What's Fab About Fennel Seeds

If I ever wondered about when is the best time to harvest my fennel seeds, and I have, then this article in www.yourorganicgardeningblog.com is just what I have been looking for. 

What’s fab about fennel seed? This versatile seed freshens your breath, soothes coughs, even slims your stomach.

Once you’ve tasted the delicate flavor of fennel seeds from the garden, you’ll never go back to that tasteless stuff at the store.

Do you love the taste of licorice? If you do, you are going to love fennel seed too! Guess what! It tastes just like licorice. Fennel seeds exude anise like sweet fruity-aroma when rubbed between fingers. Read More....

Just in case, anyone seeks more info regarding fennel, here is some more info from: www.preservingyourharvest.com .

Fennel was greatly prized by the Greeks, who used the herb for as many as twenty (20) different ailments, including an appetite suppressant to help loose weight.
The Romans ate the leaves, roots and seeds, using them in salads, and baking them into breads and cakes. Roman ladies used Fennel to loose weight and Roman soldiers ate it to promote good health.
The Anglo-Saxtons chewed the seeds during periods of fasting to stave off the pangs of hunger.
Our Puritan forefathers gave the seeds to their children to chew during the long sermons in early churches to ward off hunger pangs, which was known as "Meeting Seeds".
In the Middle Ages stews were made with the herb, helping the flavor of almost everything and keeping insects out of the food, since no refrigeration was available way back then!
By the 16th century, botanists and physicians alike were writing of the benefits of Fennel as an eye wash and a remedy for poisonous snake bites and to combat the ill effects of eating less than savory mushrooms.

Culinary Uses of Fennel:
Fennel has been used for centuries to flavor fatty meats such as lamb and pork and in stuffing for poultry and oily fish. The leaves are delicious chopped and sprinkled over vegetables and in salad dressings. The dried seeds are used in sauces and baked into breads and cakes.

Medicinal Uses of Fennel:
A tea made from boiling water poured over 1 teaspoon of Fennel seeds allowed to seep for five minutes, then strained, makes a great digestive aid, helping to relieve heartburn and constipation. It is known to sooth the muscles of the intestine, aiding in constipation. It is thought to help with water retention, making it an aid in reducing urinary tract problems. It is used to treat cellulitis when mixed with a carrier oil such as sweet almond oil and massaged into the effected areas.

Minor uses of Fennel include mouthwash for gum infections, often being used in toothpaste and mouthwashes.
PLEASE NOTE: Very large doses can lead to nervous system disorders and convulsions. It should never be given to children under the age of six or used by people who are epileptic.

Aromatherapy Uses of Fennel:
Fennel has been used for centuries to regulate menstrual cycles and reduce the symptoms of Pre-menstrual Stress Disorder and water retention. During menopause, the tea is helpful in to reduce the unpleasant symptoms caused by fluctuating hormonal levels, stimulating the adrenal glands to produce estrogen once the ovaries have stopped producing it on their own, helping to off-set the appearance of aging.
Seeping a compress in the cooled tea and applying it over your eyes will help relieve watery, swollen eyes.

Harvesting Fennel:
Fennel is a hardy perennial that grows well in a sunny position in the garden in well drained, fertile soil.
Due to the close relationship, Fennel should not be grown next to coriander or dill, as they can cross-pollinate, corrupting all three spices.
Young Fennel sprigs can be harvested at any time during the growing season to use fresh. Care should be taken not to harvest too many sprigs from each plant in order to leave enough to help the plant produce flower heads.

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED:
Garden Shears
Collection basket of some sort

METHOD:
1. Clip the young, green leaves in the early morning after the dew has dried off of the leaves, leaving the hard woody stems to generate more growth. This will encourage branching, for a bushier, well formed plant.
2. Alternate in various locations around the crown, leaving leaves to help feed the plant. This will assure a full crop for preserving in the late Fall

How to Harvest and Use Fennel Pollen and Seeds

My fennel plants look like I should of harvested them a few weeks ago. Hope it is not too late, they certainly have turned brown. I was so glad to find this article from examiner.com.

Although it is not recommended to harvest wild fennel for eating or using on your body because so much of the plant is effected by the fumes it grows up around - you can often find safe fennel in rural fields and it is easy to grow as long as you aren't living in an extremely hot environment or an extremely cold one. Bronze fennel seeds are easy to transplant from starts. One plant will produce enough fennel seed to last a family for a year, given it is a well-fertilized plant that grows to over eight feet. Also, if you are growing fennel in a moderate region you may be able to have the bulb winter over and thus become a perennial. You can also harvest the bulb to put into a salad or braise under some fennel pollen sausages, but more on those later. Read More... 

Don't Throw Away That Pumpkin Puree from The Pumpkin

Here is a quick recipe from allrecipes.com.

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2.	Cut pumpkin into small manageable pieces and cut off pith and seeds.
3.	Place cut pumpkin skin side up in a large roasting pan. Add 1/4 inch of water and bake uncovered for 1 hour or until tender. Remove from oven and allow pumpkin to cool.
4.	When cooled, cut away skin and mash or puree. Use in any recipe that calls for canned pureed pumpkin.

More Info On the Wholesome Goodness of Pumpkin Seeds

How to enjoy the goodness of pumpkin seeds. Do not throw away those goodies.  I found this great article on ehow.com. 

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Discover the expert in you.

Perfect Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

By Athena Hessong, eHow Contributor

Save the seeds from cutting a fresh pumpkin, and make roasted pumpkin seeds. The seeds will be a cheaper, fresher and healthier snack option than packaged potato chips from the store. Perfectly roasted pumpkin seeds have a rich flavor and slight crunch.

1. Preparation

   • Roasting pumpkin seeds in an oven darkens the coloring on the seeds and improves the flavor over microwaving or drying the seeds. Remove the seeds from a fresh pumpkin, or other hard, winter squash. Rinse the seeds off to remove the strings from them. Toss the seeds with 1 tbsp. of olive oil and seasonings of your choice. Roast the seeds for 30 to 40 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit or until lightly toasted. You can also increase the temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and roast the seeds for 12 to 15 minutes, but the higher temperature increases the chances of burning the seeds. Wait for the seeds to cool completely before eating.

   Seasonings

   • Use your imagination when flavoring your pumpkin seeds. All spices should be added when tossing the seeds with oil. Plain salt is a favorite seasoning option, but other spices can also be added. Try spice mixtures such as barbecue seasoning, crab boil seasoning, Cajun spice seasoning, Asian five-spice seasoning, or Italian dressing dry mix. Toss the pumpkin seeds with cinnamon and sugar for a sweet treat. Try hickory-smoked salt instead of plain table salt for a barbecued flavor. Chili powder and lime or garlic and onion powders will enhance the flavor of pumpkin seeds used as an ingredient in Latin-American recipes or as a snack for a fiesta.

   Nutrition

   • Roasted pumpkin seeds are a nutritious snack any time of the day. According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, a 1-oz. serving of roasted whole pumpkin seeds (85 seeds) without salt contains only 126 calories. There are only 5.5 grams of fat in the same serving size. Pumpkin seeds are also a valuable source of protein and fiber, with 5.2 grams of each per serving. Pumpkin seeds are also a good source of potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc. Naturally, pumpkin seeds have a low level of sodium, but adding salt to the seasonings will change this depending on the amount of salt used.

   Serving and Storage

   • Serve the pumpkin seeds as a snack, recipe ingredient, or to top salads and soups. Eat the entire seed whole, or crack the shell with your teeth and spit it out. Seal the cooled roasted pumpkin seeds in an air-tight container. The fat in pumpkin seeds causes them to become rancid after two days at room temperature, but they can be stored for up to two months in the refrigerator.

Resources

• Chow: 10 Ways to Spice Up Pumpkin Seeds

How to Make Homemade Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Its that time of year when pumpkins are growing and pumkins are decorated for Halloween. Generally, people rush to decorate these goodies and then throw them away wasting some of the best thing in nature: pumpkin and pumpkin seeds.

Pumpkin seeds are reputed to be high in zinc and also helpful to prevent prostaste cancer in men. Year after year, we run to the store for cans of pumpkin mush to make those delicious pies, all the while throwing away perfectly good pumpkins. Hahhh? Does that really make sense? Why not harvest the goodies? On this web site: Pumpkin patches and more I found some really good instructions, (easy to follow) on how to roast your own pumpkin seeds.

Here is another quick and easy recipe for roasting your own pumpkin seeds from ehow.com.

How to Bake Pumpkin Seeds

By an eHow Contributor

Very few fruits are as versatile as the pumpkin. You can make pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup or pumpkin bread; you can make a lantern out of the non eatable parts for Halloween and you can even bake the seeds and eat them as a snack. This eHow will instruct you on how to best bake pumpkin seeds.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Fresh pumpkin seeds
• Vegetable oil or cooking spray
• Salt
• Kitchen knife
• Baking sheet
• Paper towel
• Spatula

Suggest Edits

1. • 1
     Separate the seeds of a freshly carved pumpkin from the stringy membrane. Rinse the seeds just until they are free of any membrane matter.
   • 2
     Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
   • 3
     Put the seeds on a paper towel and let them dry for a few minutes.
   • 4
     Spray a baking sheet with butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray or brush with a light coating of vegetable oil. Put the seeds on the baking sheet in a single layer, turning to coat lightly with the spray or the oil. Sprinkle the seeds lightly with salt, if desired.
   • 5
     Put the baking sheet in the oven. Cook the seeds for 10 to 20 minutes, or until brown and slightly crisp, turning once. Allow to cool before eating.
   • 6
     Store seeds in an airtight container.

Tips & Warnings

• Pumpkin seeds can be eaten with the outer shell on or off.
• For a saltier treat, boil the pumpkin seeds in heavily salted water for ten minutes, then bake them.
• Also try additional seasonings on your seeds: Cajun seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic salt are some possibilities.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish

Picking Milking Goats for the Homestead

So glad to have found this article in Mother Earth, I am looking for a couple of milking goats for my homestead.

Picking Milking Goats for the Homestead

Solomon said, "Thou shalt have goat's milk enough for thy food, for the good of thy household, and for the maintenance of thy maiden" . . . a statement that — besides extolling the beverage-producing attributes of these caprine creatures — goes to show that the generous beasts have been domesticated for a long time! However, a modern goat enthusiast might wish to add to Solomon's wisdom, noting that — over and above its ability to produce healthful dairy products — the "poor man's cow" can be a pretty danged amusing and lovable animal to have around


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How to Pick and Preserve a Pumpkin

 

 

 

 

It isn't necessary that you eat your entire supply of pumpkin right away . . . since one of this               vegetable's greatest advantages is its easy preservability. The gourds don't keep quite as well in a rootcellar as do thicker-skinned winter squash . . . but if handled gently so that they don't bruise, and stored — off the ground and not touching one another — in a cool (50° to 60°F) moisture-free location, they should stay fresh for up to three months. (Do wipe the cellared fruit with a cloth from time to time, though . . . otherwise, the moisture resulting from condensation could lead to decay.)

Read More....