The Festival

[wildseed2u]

Hi all,it has been some time since I last posted, but I'v been quite busy trading seeds, starting plants and preparing the garden.
I just want to say how much I enjoyed the Spring Festival at Bakers Creek, I didn't get to talk to Jere like I wanted to, I did see Him moving about in his yellow Cowboy outfit. I had the great pleasure to finally meet a fellow seed saver and Heirloom veggie grower from Florida. Pattie is quite a person and we do many trades.
Well Back to the festival the speakers there great and I enjoyed hearing several of them speak about various subjects. Wow there was quite a few vendors there, with lots of veggies and herbs for sell, I went ahead and bought some plants and some seeds even though I had more than enough plants going already.
I was hoping that there might bea vendor that was selling some of the more rare herbs and little known food plants like Yucon, and Maca which are just to of the lost crops of the Andeas. I'm slowly building a small Andean Garden, and woud like toget a few more plants. I'm already growing plants like Amaranth, Quinoa, Tamarillos, Naranjilla, Various Passion fruits, and wild peppers, but I'm interested in growing some of the edible lupins and other roots and tubers.
Well its raining here in Missouri and I need to shut down.
Have Fun and Happy Gardening.
George W. Z6 Mo.

[bluelacedredhead]

I was looking at a map of MO last night and wondering why Norwood sounded familiar? Well now I know, LOL

George, Your post has brought up a question I was going to ask anyway.

What do you do with passion fruit. I saw a place in S. Central MO that had lots of it growing on the fence around the yard.
Is it just ornamental, or to feed birds? Or is it edible for people too?

[Brook]

If you're talking at P. incarnata (which I assume you are, if you saw it growing wild),Passionflower is used medicinally, Wen, as well as being eaten.

Essentially, it is a nervine, a bit stronger than either chamomille or jasmine. In fact, it approaches being a true sedative.

It's also antispasmodic and can lesson nerve pain, painful menses, and headache. But it's best used for treating nervous restlessness and insomnia.

For a strong relaxing tea, I combine chamomille, jasmine, and passionflower in equal portions and brew medicinally.

I often advise my patients to drink this tea after curling up in bed after a relaxing herbal salts bath. The two in conjunction are guaranteed to provide a restful sleep.

In cases where a true sedative is required, passionflower is often combined with valerian. This augments the sedative effects and banishes the so-called "valerian nightmares." But this application should only be used under the guidance of a trained herbal care provider.

Passionflower has no known contra-indications, and is considered safe for general use.

Passionflower fruits are often used in preserves, by the way.

[bluelacedredhead]

Thanks Brook. I was given a few pods at the site, and passed them on to the friends we were staying with. Never dreamt that they be so valuable.
Guess I'll be doing some further reading.

[wildseed2u]

Hi, Brook pretty much said it all, along with passiflora incarnata which I don't have growing yet I have others that will have edible fruit,one produces the plain purple passion fruit that you would see in the market, the others like C. feotida which has small edible fruit, but is mostly grown for its flowers and for hybridizing with other passifloras. By the way the leaves and vines smell mildly like a wet Goat when crushed, but the interesting and attractive flowers make up for that. I have some P. mollissima in the seddling stage now they are known as Banana Passion fruit, one note on this that only the seedy pulp is eaten although I have found out that the leaves of some varieties are cooked and eaten like spinach, this is not to say how ever that the leaves of all varieties can be cooked and eaten as most passiflora's produce a poisonous compound in the leaves to keep insects and mamals from eating them, I would avoid trying to eat the flowers of most of them also. One small note tofinish is that Welches is now selling a Passion Fruit drink it taste pretty good but is a mix of white grape juice and passion fruit juice, so you don't get the full flavor of the passion fruit it is how ever pretty good.
Oh yes finally if your wondering just about all the varieties of passiflora must be brought in during the winter as most will be killed by tempature lower than 40F. although some will come back from there roots if the vines are killed by frost.
P. incarnata will die back each winter but come back from its roots every spring in the colder States and in the far South grows pretty year around.
P.S. some varieties can be quite invasive and become a weedy problem in the warmer areas.
George W. Z5 Mo.
(Just Down the Road from Baker's Creek as the Crow flies)

[donsgal]

.
I was hoping that there might bea vendor that was selling some of the more rare herbs and little known food plants like Yucon, and Maca which are just to of the lost crops of the Andeas. I'm slowly building a small Andean Garden, and woud like toget a few more plants. I'm already growing plants like Amaranth, Quinoa, Tamarillos, Naranjilla, Various Passion fruits, and wild peppers, but I'm interested in growing some of the edible lupins and other roots and tubers.
Well its raining here in Missouri and I need to shut down.
Have Fun and Happy Gardening.
George W. Z6 Mo.

Too bad you can grow some coca leaves *wink*.

Anyway, I was so disappointed that I couldn't go to the festival, it sounds like everybody had a wonderful time from all accounts. I wish I didn't have to work. Anyway, there is always next year.

donsgal

[zebraman]

Hey Wildseed2U;Yacon is available at www.seedsofchange.com
Maca and Occa is avail. at SSE. Also www.seedman.com

Hey Donsgal;The Mesembryanthemum commonly known as Ice Plant that grows "wild" here on the Coast produces the same Alkyloid in its roots that are found in the leaves of the Coca bush.-