Let Food Be Your Medicine

Discuss the last days, Zion, second coming, emergency preparedness, alternative health, etc.
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Reluctant Watchman
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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

Post by Reluctant Watchman »

Ok, experiment time. When you go to all that work to develop the soil, choose the right seed, watch the temperature, baby that little sprout, and then watch it get eaten or cut to the group by bugs is VERY frustrating. I think I've narrowed down the culprit to little tiny ants. I see them here and there all over my greenhouse.

I decided to query the all-wise YouTube and found that Borax and sugar/honey may do the trick. I hope I'm not just feeding these little buggers.

In the place where I situated these small cups I only saw 6-8 ants, now there are well over 100+ and they keep coming back. I hope I find none in the morning.
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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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Reluctant Watchman wrote: May 10th, 2023, 5:21 pm Ok, experiment time. When you go to all that work to develop the soil, choose the right seed, watch the temperature, baby that little sprout, and then watch it get eaten or cut to the group by bugs is VERY frustrating. I think I've narrowed down the culprit to little tiny ants. I see them here and there all over my greenhouse.

I decided to query the all-wise YouTube and found that Borax and sugar/honey may do the trick. I hope I'm not just feeding these little buggers.

In the place where I situated these small cups I only saw 6-8 ants, now there are well over 100+ and they keep coming back. I hope I find none in the morning.
Hopefully some is getting back to the nest before the ants die.

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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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Reluctant Watchman wrote: May 10th, 2023, 5:21 pm Ok, experiment time. When you go to all that work to develop the soil, choose the right seed, watch the temperature, baby that little sprout, and then watch it get eaten or cut to the group by bugs is VERY frustrating. I think I've narrowed down the culprit to little tiny ants. I see them here and there all over my greenhouse.

I decided to query the all-wise YouTube and found that Borax and sugar/honey may do the trick. I hope I'm not just feeding these little buggers.

In the place where I situated these small cups I only saw 6-8 ants, now there are well over 100+ and they keep coming back. I hope I find none in the morning.
I've found diatomaceous earth effective. Just don't breathe it in

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Reluctant Watchman
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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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JuneBug12000 wrote: May 10th, 2023, 10:25 pm
Reluctant Watchman wrote: May 10th, 2023, 5:21 pm Ok, experiment time. When you go to all that work to develop the soil, choose the right seed, watch the temperature, baby that little sprout, and then watch it get eaten or cut to the group by bugs is VERY frustrating. I think I've narrowed down the culprit to little tiny ants. I see them here and there all over my greenhouse.

I decided to query the all-wise YouTube and found that Borax and sugar/honey may do the trick. I hope I'm not just feeding these little buggers.

In the place where I situated these small cups I only saw 6-8 ants, now there are well over 100+ and they keep coming back. I hope I find none in the morning.
I've found diatomaceous earth effective. Just don't breathe it in
I sprinkled that stuff all over my greenhouse… nothing. You must have special dust. :)

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Reluctant Watchman
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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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Reluctant Watchman wrote: May 10th, 2023, 5:21 pm Ok, experiment time. When you go to all that work to develop the soil, choose the right seed, watch the temperature, baby that little sprout, and then watch it get eaten or cut to the group by bugs is VERY frustrating. I think I've narrowed down the culprit to little tiny ants. I see them here and there all over my greenhouse.

I decided to query the all-wise YouTube and found that Borax and sugar/honey may do the trick. I hope I'm not just feeding these little buggers.

In the place where I situated these small cups I only saw 6-8 ants, now there are well over 100+ and they keep coming back. I hope I find none in the morning.
Update: That concoction worked incredibly well. I've only seen a few ants here and there in the entire greenhouse. At the place where I took those photos, only 2-3 younger ants were seen. I think every single one that sipped from the forbidden drink died.

Lesson: Be weary about who is handing out the Kool-Aid. :D

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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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Reluctant Watchman wrote: May 11th, 2023, 1:44 pm
Reluctant Watchman wrote: May 10th, 2023, 5:21 pm Ok, experiment time. When you go to all that work to develop the soil, choose the right seed, watch the temperature, baby that little sprout, and then watch it get eaten or cut to the group by bugs is VERY frustrating. I think I've narrowed down the culprit to little tiny ants. I see them here and there all over my greenhouse.

I decided to query the all-wise YouTube and found that Borax and sugar/honey may do the trick. I hope I'm not just feeding these little buggers.

In the place where I situated these small cups I only saw 6-8 ants, now there are well over 100+ and they keep coming back. I hope I find none in the morning.
Update: That concoction worked incredibly well. I've only seen a few ants here and there in the entire greenhouse. At the place where I took those photos, only 2-3 younger ants were seen. I think every single one that sipped from the forbidden drink died.

Lesson: Be weary about who is handing out the Kool-Aid. :D
But everyone was drinking it so I figured it was safe :lol: :lol:

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Reluctant Watchman
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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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Have you ever considered “Intercropping”? In my greenhouse I’m growing radishes, chijimisai, beets, and carrots in between my tomato plants.

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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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Some good info on which plants to pick regularly for greater harvests:

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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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I just bought a 25 lb bag of black/beluga lentils. I plan on adding them to my salads as well as hummus (red lentils for hummus btw, but I'll try the black as well). Really interesting health benefits, and dollar-for-dollar, a pretty stellar food staple:

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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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Reluctant Watchman wrote: May 13th, 2023, 7:15 pm I just bought a 25 lb bag of black/beluga lentils. I plan on adding them to my salads as well as hummus (red lentils for hummus btw, but I'll try the black as well). Really interesting health benefits, and dollar-for-dollar, a pretty stellar food staple:
I'm a big fan of lentils/lentil soups👍👍

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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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Cruiserdude wrote: May 14th, 2023, 8:03 am I'm a big fan of lentils/lentil soups👍👍
Lentil soup was a staple food for many Spaniards (where I served my mission). We ended up making lentil soups frequently. I miss it actually. We would add sausage and chorizo…

*sigh* I miss so much food from Spain. I’m literally salivating just thinking about some of the food we ate. Bocadillos from Cadiz and a variant from Cueta/Morocco were incredible. Oh, and the cheese!!! Americans are so novice when it comes to cheese.

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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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Reluctant Watchman wrote: May 14th, 2023, 8:28 am
Cruiserdude wrote: May 14th, 2023, 8:03 am I'm a big fan of lentils/lentil soups👍👍
Lentil soup was a staple food for many Spaniards (where I served my mission). We ended up making lentil soups frequently. I miss it actually. We would add sausage and chorizo…

*sigh* I miss so much food from Spain. I’m literally salivating just thinking about some of the food we ate. Bocadillos from Cadiz and a variant from Cueta/Morocco were incredible. Oh, and the cheese!!! Americans are so novice when it comes to cheese.
That sounds goooooood, with the chorizo added in....
I ate great in Argentina on my mission too. Best food I've ever had. American are novice to most food...... except maybe besides BBQ and hamburgers. We do the BEST burgers here👍😁

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Reluctant Watchman
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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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If you are lucky to live in a place where asparagus grows naturally, now is the time to be checking things out. In fact, in many warmer climates, you may have already missed the harvest. I have several plants that grow on the ditch banks near me. With the copious amounts of moisture this year the asparagus is doing exceptionally well.

Asparagus steams up real quick, and the taste of fresh-from-the-ditch asparagus is worlds above what you buy in the store. I add a little butter after steaming and then like to use lemon pepper seasoning.

As a side note, if growing your own it takes about three years. So start now if you want a crop in your garden in the future.

7 Reasons you should add this to your diet: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/as ... ITLE_HDR_2

1. Many Nutrients But Few Calories
2. Good Source of Antioxidants
3. Can Improve Digestive Health
4. Helps Support a Healthy Pregnancy
5. Helps Lower Blood Pressure
6. Can Help You Lose Weight
7. Easy to Add to Your Diet
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Reluctant Watchman
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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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Cruiserdude wrote: May 14th, 2023, 8:33 am We do the BEST burgers here👍😁
I shot a whitetail deer w/ my bow two years ago. We ground the hamburger with bacon "bits 'n ends" to add fat. When we make hamburgers, we pinch off a small handful of meat and then add spices, diced onion, chives, and a dash of shredded cheese. The cheese infuses the inside with delicious goodness, but also makes a subtle cheese crust on the outside. Add a few home-grown tomato slices, lettuce, sautéed mushrooms, and BBQ sauce, and it's by far the best hamburger I've ever eaten.

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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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Reluctant Watchman wrote: May 18th, 2023, 8:45 am
Cruiserdude wrote: May 14th, 2023, 8:33 am We do the BEST burgers here👍😁
I shot a whitetail deer w/ my bow two years ago. We ground the hamburger with bacon "bits 'n ends" to add fat. When we make hamburgers, we pinch off a small handful of meat and then add spices, diced onion, chives, and a dash of shredded cheese. The cheese infuses the inside with delicious goodness, but also makes a subtle cheese crust on the outside. Add a few home-grown tomato slices, lettuce, sautéed mushrooms, and BBQ sauce, and it's by far the best hamburger I've ever eaten.
When we're in our little Zion community together, I'll swap/trade you some work for some of it😉😁

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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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I just realized that LDS Prepper's wife has a free download on her "15 Most Important Herbs in My Garden". You read that correctly, it's FREE:

https://ldsprepperstore.com/collections ... u-calendar

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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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Another video on lentils. I think they are a highly overlooked food. I just made hummus this morning with chickpeas, red lentils, and a smathering of other ingredients. It actually turned out pretty good. I'll be adding black lentils as an "add-in."
You'll have to excuse the heavy UN / Climate Change overtones.

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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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Reluctant Watchman wrote: May 19th, 2023, 9:56 am Another video on lentils. I think they are a highly overlooked food. I just made hummus this morning with chickpeas, red lentils, and a smathering of other ingredients. It actually turned out pretty good. I'll be adding black lentils as an "add-in."
You'll have to excuse the heavy UN / Climate Change overtones.
Lentils in the form of homemade Dahl have been a staple in our house for the past 40+ years. My children were brought up on it. Now, our grandchildren are.

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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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Goya black beans, an emergency food that i can eat cold.

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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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Reluctant Watchman wrote: May 13th, 2023, 7:15 pm I just bought a 25 lb bag of black/beluga lentils. I plan on adding them to my salads as well as hummus (red lentils for hummus btw, but I'll try the black as well). Really interesting health benefits, and dollar-for-dollar, a pretty stellar food staple:
I used to get made to eat lentils as a child, I just can't get past the flavour of them or the wind thing. Maybe in with some meat.

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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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First herb harvest of the year: Mint/Spearmint, Lemon Balm, Oregano.

We're definitely gonna have to transplant the mint into a pot or something. I can see how it could easily get away from you in growth. But, it's not as bad as I've heard. All you have to do is manage it and cut it back when it spreads.

I powdered some of the mint and added it to my Hibiscus tea and it added a nice secondary flavor. Hibiscus can be a little bitter.

If you downloaded the PDF from LDS Prepper's wife on herbs, you'll see a whole list of benefits to these herbs:

———
Lemon Balm: Good for cold sores, insomnia, anxiety or nervousness, depression, sharpens memory & problem solving, protects brain cells, supports the liver and normal blood sugar levels, digestive issues, menstrual cramps, chronic fatigue syndrome, grave’s disease, migraine headaches, flu and fevers, shingles, and skin issues.

Peppermint: Good for digestive issues, backaches, bad breath, earaches, lung issues, colds and flu, kidney stones and gallstones, gingivitis, headaches, pain relief, diarrhea, hives, morning sickness, nausea, vomiting, scabies, sinusitis.

Oregan also has a good list of health benefits: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-oregano-benefits
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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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Kohlrabi is another awesome food to add to your diet. I've been adding these to my salads as well as cutting them into strips to dip into my hummus. (The first video is a bit more informative)

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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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Growing Kohlrabi:

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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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Reluctant Watchman wrote: May 18th, 2023, 8:38 am If you are lucky to live in a place where asparagus grows naturally, now is the time to be checking things out. In fact, in many warmer climates, you may have already missed the harvest. I have several plants that grow on the ditch banks near me. With the copious amounts of moisture this year the asparagus is doing exceptionally well.

Asparagus steams up real quick, and the taste of fresh-from-the-ditch asparagus is worlds above what you buy in the store. I add a little butter after steaming and then like to use lemon pepper seasoning.

As a side note, if growing your own it takes about three years. So start now if you want a crop in your garden in the future.

7 Reasons you should add this to your diet: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/as ... ITLE_HDR_2

1. Many Nutrients But Few Calories
2. Good Source of Antioxidants
3. Can Improve Digestive Health
4. Helps Support a Healthy Pregnancy
5. Helps Lower Blood Pressure
6. Can Help You Lose Weight
7. Easy to Add to Your Diet
"the taste of fresh-from-the-ditch asparagus is worlds above what you buy in the store."
That's not an exaggeration at all ;) I ate a lot of mine fresh. I'd never do that with store asparagus.

We stopped harvesting several weeks ago (Utah County). My bed is 3 years old from seed. Next year we should be able to harvest for 8 weeks instead of 4 but we'll see how reality goes. Here is my asparagus bed today. It's well over 5 feet. We tie a string around it to keep the bunch from blowing over in strong wind. I'll cut it back in early winter when it turns brown. Right now it's sending energy into the crowns for the 2024 harvest.

Image

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Reluctant Watchman
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Re: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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You literally are what you eat. We are created from the "dust" of the earth. Want to become healthier? Start with food in its most basic form.

For the past few weeks, I've been eating a salad for lunch. Here's a quick breakdown of what I include. This varies slightly w/ the seasons, but generally includes the following:

• Spinach (Long-standing and Egyptian)
• Chijimisai
• Siberian Kale
• Wild Lamb's Quarters
• Kohlrabi
• Cucumber
• Onion greens
• Tomato
• Radishes
• Hard-boiled egg
• Roasted sunflower seeds
• Beluga Lentils (cooked)
• Pickled Beets
• Dilly (pickled) Beans

Dressings:
• Olive Oil
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Salt/Pepper
• Spoonful of homemade hummus
• Ranch dressing

I've also found it easiest to combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Everything gets diced up into small pieces, allowing for a better combination of flavors in each bite.
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