Medical Edibles, High Nutritional Food & Heirloom Seed
Foods promoting health with high nutriional content and medicinal properties.
I have been pondering on which edibles to sell as I have had many requests for such, however, despite my need for guidance in this area I could not come up with an ideal arrangement as such to establish all that I'd wished to present. I needed to sell something a little different, what with these trying times and greater need for self-sufficiency in our lives, with so many challenges, disasters and uncertainties in the world, what could be beneficial? After pondering and painstakingly collecting I realized the obvious path to take, medical edibles, all types of carefully selected vegetable, fruits, flowers and herbs with profound and inspiring nutritional, medical and health giving properties and enough choice to completely sustain a small family in trying times. I hope that this will be an inspiring example in bringing unusual and common foodstuffs (often neglected) more to peoples attention, awareness will be increased and I hope a natural desire to accept a productive challenge will win through. The collection I offer will amaze you as each plant is quite unique in it's healing ability and very tasty too, I am sure the most exciting out come will be in the creation of new healthier dishes, balanced "immune boosting" salads, health restoring preserves, newly discovered storehouse bottling and of course the actual seed saving excitement that will inevitably follow.
I hope you enjoy this new exciting page from Amber's Organics, I personally, cannot wait to get started!
This heavy producing lettuce variety has triangular leaves with great texture, and agreeable sharp flavor! Variegated red and green color. Regrows after it's cut, slow to bolt and heat tolerant! About 50 days to harvest.
The seeds can be used for breads, pastries, or can be popped like corn. In addition to its high fiber, calcium and iron, amaranth also has two times more calcium than milk. When used in combination with wheat, corn or brown rice Amaranth offers a complete protein as high in food value as fish, red meat or poultry. Cooked amaranth has a total digestibility of about 90%. Amaranth’s unique nutty flavor makes it a welcome addition to many types of food products.
Amaranth grows vigorously in most climates and needs a minimum of water.
Brilliant red carrots are so healthy and unique-looking, they are sure to add color to your garden. The 8-inch roots are high in lycopene, which has been shown in studies to help prevent several types of cancer
Sea buckthorn has multiple uses due to its protein building amino acids, vitamins B1, B2, K, C, A, E, and folic acid, over 60 antioxidants, at least 20 minerals, and healthy fatty acids. The fruit is full of carotenoids, xanthophylls, phenolics, and flavanoids, too. Its an absolute power house of nutrients!
The burdock plant's long, slender taproot has a pleasant, crunchy texture and earthy flavor. Native to northern China and Siberia, burdock (Articum lappa) is cultivated mainly in Japan, where it has been an important vegetable since at least the 10th century. It also grows wild in North America. The plant can be recognized by its very large leaves and spiny burrs, which stick to your pants as you walk in the meadow. This " wild burdock" is very popular with macrobiotic students who feel it is one of nature's most powerful foods.
In India it is an important in ayurvedic medicine and is considered an aphrodisiac, especially in combination with tribulus terrestris. It is also said to relieve pain, calm nerves, kill parasites, reduce muscle spasms and reduce cholesterol and inflammation. Its chemical makeup consists of a wide range of compounds, the most plentiful of which is L-dopa, a precursor to dopamine that is useful in the treatment of Parkinsons disease.
This heirloom has unusual, dark-green pods streaked with purple. This vigorous grower often grows to 10 feet tall, and is filled with 7 inch, great tasting pods. Beautiful, buff seeds splashed with dark-brown markings.
Organic Scarlet Beans - Beneficial bug attraction and edible red flowers. These are pole beans that grow up to 6-8 ft producing green snap pods or runner beans that are best when 6 inches long. Delightful bright red flowers attract humming birds and beneficial insects to your garden fare.
Fresh beans are a moderate source of beta carotene, protein, dietary fiber, vitamin C, and carbohydrates. Some studies suggest that half a cup of beans per day has a cholesterol-lowering effect in many people. Beans also appear to have a blood sugar normalizing effect, and may be of benefit to diabetics. Lastly, beans make you feel full, and consumption of them may be of benefit in an individual weight loss program.
Fantastic Italian chard with intense glossy, dark green leaves and bright white stems. Extremely winter hardy. Our plants have grown in the garden for a couple of years with little or no effort. We harvest the leaves as needed and routinely cut them back, nearly to the ground, and the plants continue to thrive. Excellent variety and wonderful used as spinach substitute. Very reliable!
Cayenne has been utilized in traditional medicine for centuries in many different ways including as a circulatory system tonic, as a gargle for sore throat, as a digestive tonic for gastrointestinal problems, and as a counter irritant applied to the skin for rheumatic and arthritic pains.
Shunkiku, Garland Chrysanthemum, is an edible flower. The leaves and flower petals are edible. the plant will self seed in your garden and provide food through three seasons.
A food and medicine plant, going back to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, who used the roots and the young shoots in spring like dandelion. Has diuretic, tonic and laxative properties, and is said to protect the liver from effects of excessive coffee drinking. Leaves yield a dye of clear blue colour, much like the colour of its lovely daisy flowers. A wild flower in much of North America.
“Discover for Yourself the Ancient Seed that Increases Energy Levels, Improves Cardiovascular Health, Stabilizes Blood Sugar, Boosts Brain Power, Supports Immune Function, Assists Elimination and Detoxification ”
Chickweeds are Medicinal and edible, they are very nutritious, high in vitamins and minerals, can be added to salads or cooked as a pot herb, tasting somewhat like spinach. The major plant constituents in Chickweed are Ascorbic-acid, Beta-carotene, Calcium, Coumarins, Genistein, Gamma-linolenic-acid, Flavonoids, Hentriacontanol, Magnesium, Niacin, Oleic-acid, Potassium, Riboflavin, Rutin, Selenium, Triterpenoid saponins, Thiamin, and Zinc. The whole plant is used in alternative medicine as an astringent, carminative, demulcent, diuretic, expectorant, laxative, refrigerant, vulnerary
Hooker's Sweet Indian' is generally ready for harvest within 80 days. First obtained in Olympia, WA, these 4.5 foot stalks produce 2 or 3 5 to 7 inch ears. Kernels are blue-black upon maturity, good for cornmeal. Originally domesticated by Mesoamericans, it is a staple food with many other traditional uses.
Blue Corn: Found primarily in the Southwest, blue corn has been a staple food of Native Americans - including the Hopi, Pueblo, Navajo & Zuni tribes - for hundreds of years. Coronado found blue corn & other flour corns during his 1540 expedition into the Southwest.
Blue flour corn, made of primarily soft starches, is used for blue corn flour & cornmeal, and for making blue corn tortillas and blue corn chips. It’s a bit coarser than yellow or white meal, but is somewhat sweeter & nuttier in flavor. It also contains about 20% more protein & up to 50% more iron than other varieties of corn.
Cherry vanilla quinoa ( chenopium quinoa) 90-120 days. Pink and white seed heads, deliciously edible, beautiful greens and grain. Selected for its vivid display of colorful seed heads, this ancient plant is a delicious and nutritious edible green and grain.
Edamame is an excellent source of low-calorie protein which makes it a popular snack among vegetarian athletes. A half-cup of these young beans has eleven grams of protein and is one of the few vegetarian protein sources that have all nine of the essential amino acids the body can’t make. The fat in edamame is the heart-healthy kind, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats that help to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. Plus, they’re a caloric bargain at only 125 calories.
Flax seed is a major benefit to vegetarians who cannot consume fish but require omega 3 in their healthy diet. Flax seed is made from flax which is a plant that’s been among us for thousands of year. Records exist of the Roman Empire enjoyed the benefits of flax seed. It is also often called linseed. Many scientists have discovered powerful health benefits from the tiny seeds from flax. Flaxseed oil can be used to help treat skin diseases like eczema and psoriasis like fish oil does.
Population studies have shown that a higher intake of allium vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of several types of cancers. The organosulfur compounds they contain inhibit tumor growth and cell proliferation, and arrest the cell cycle in tumor cells. Allium vegetables, including chives, especially have a protective effect against both esophageal and stomach cancer as well as prostate cancer. The highest antioxidant activity in chives is observed in the leaves, which are also rich in flavonoids.
Native to the Andes--a cultivated crop since Incan times. Nutritious golden fruit occurs in a decorative (purple streaked) inflated calyx. Fruit is loaded with vitamin A, C and B. Contains unusually high levels of pectin and phosphorous.
Medicinal Uses: A poultice of the leaves has been used to cleanse and heal chronic sores, boils and abscesses. The seed is a gentle laxative that is suitable for children. The plant can be used for indigestion and as a diuretic. Used in a veterinary cough remedy for sheep. The leaf is a source of iron, vitamins and minerals. Rich in iron and as vitamin C.
Large, golden onions are oblong-globe shaped. This late onion makes an excellent keeper; a rare and hard-to-find Italian variety. These onions are very hard to find and are just absolutely deliciously tasty, a real treat from the garden.
90 days — Petroselinum crispum) This heirloom dates to the pre-1600's and is grown for its large roots that make superb soups and stews. Leaves are also delicious. It is also known as Hamburg Turnip or Parsnip, Hamburg Rooted Parsley. It is grown for its eight to ten inch long and up to two inches in diameter, fleshy white, parsnip-like roots. The deeply cut leaves can also be used, like standard parsley, as a seasoning and garnish.
Easily translated as "Green Pearl". A very nice selection of parsley from our German friends and the most popular of parsley for cooking in Eastern Europe. Fine Curled leaves are heavily aromatic and with an unsurpassable flavorful. Also great as a garnish.
The lamb's quarters plant, Chenopodium album, grows 2-feet high with tiny green or brown flowers and thin coarse leaves. It was once used as flour for baking or harvested for meals. It can be used to treat vitamin C deficiencies or brewed for a diarrhea tonic. Topically it can be used for inflammation and bug bites.
Researchers are finding amazing healing and health properties of Paprika. They have found that the capsicum peppers used for paprika contain six to nine times as much vitamin C as tomatoes by weight.
It's also been learned that Paprika is an antibacterial agent and stimulant and can be used to help normalize blood pressure, improve circulation, and increase the production of saliva and stomach acids to aid digestion
Medical Uses: Purslane contains more Omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy vegetable plant we know of. The most common dietary source of Omega-3s are cold water fish like Salmon. Omega-3s aid the body in the production of compounds that effect blood pressure, clotting, the immune system, prevent inflammation, lower cholesterol (LDL), prevent certain cancers and control coronary spasms.
Salad greens are leafy greens which are used to make salads. Many cultures have along history of the cultivation and collection of greens for use in salads, since leafy greens are beneficial to human health and digestion. Some people also greatly enjoy their flavor, especially when paired with other ingredients.
One of the most succulent and delicious corn salads around
You don't have to have a large garden or farm to grow beets. Anyone with a little space can grow beets in a container. All you need are beet seeds, soil such as pro mix or metro mix, lots of sun, fertilizer and water. Beets are sweet, nutritious, beautiful and easy to grow in almost any condition.
New Zealand spinach is not really a spinach at all, but when it's cooked, the two are virtually indistinguishable. See for yourself and include New Zealand spinach in a delicious vegetable recipe. New Zealand spinach is an annual with weak, spreading stems 2 to 4 feet long that are covered with dark green leaves 2 to 4 inches long. The leaves are smaller and fuzzier than those of regular spinach.New Zealand spinach is not really a spinach at all, but when it's cooked, the two are virtually indistinguishable. See for yourself and include New Zealand spinach in a delicious vegetable recipe. New Zealand spinach is an annual with weak, spreading stems 2 to 4 feet long that are covered with dark green leaves 2 to 4 inches long. The leaves are smaller and fuzzier than those of regular spinach.
Strawberry Spinach is one of the best-kept secrets of the herb world. A native American plant, this annual sets tiny, deliciously tender leaves that can be cooked like spinach or used fresh in salads. It also sets small red fruits in late summer and fall that taste a bit like mulberries and are lovely fresh or canned. A delectable and useful plant, you'll want it front and center of the herb garden!
John Gerard, a French herbalist, touted the value of boiled strawberry leaves as a poultice. Of the fruit, itself he says, "the ripe Strawberries quench thirst, and take away, if they be often used, the redness and heate of the face." Patients enjoyed the medicinal fruit treatment so much they began eating them as a food, accompanied with cream or wine.
A flavoursome and highly nutritious Berry used to treat patients recovering from serious illness in their convalescence
This edible herb truly seems to be abundant in properties which could possibly help in a variety of health concerns. Along with that, unproven theories are that it possesses some antiangiogenesis properties.
These wonderfully tasty tomatoes have about 3 times as much carotene as usual tomatoes, making it a favorite source of Vitamin A, an important anti-oxidant. Juicy two to three inch globes, very meaty and flavorful, high acidity makes it a perfect canning tomato
All lettuce is a good source of chlorophyll and vitamin K, a good source of choline and is an excellent source of vitamins A, B1, B2, and C, folic acid, manganese and chromium.
From $2.99
Let's Save Seeds.
Seed saving has been an agricultural practice for thousands of years and has created millions of varieties of food plants. However, during the 20th century a rapid decline in the number of varieties occurred as monopolies took over the world seed supply market.
Why save seed?
There is a need to preserve genetic diversity for food security - we need varieties that will cope with changing climates and new pests and diseases.
By saving the seed from your healthiest plants season after season you will be rewarded with plants that have adapted to your particular growing conditions.
To reduce our ecological footprint, we should aim to produce plants locally.
It’s fun and educational for children to understand where food comes from.
Seed saving hints
Commercial vegetable varieties are often hybrids. Don’t save seed from hybrids, as the seeds will be sterile or produce inferior plants.
Enhance the process of natural selection by only choosing healthy, strong, vigorous plants to save seed from.
To select for desired qualities, either mark the plants to be left to mature for seed, or if you have planted a crop specifically for seed, take out the undesirable plants. Maintain genetic diversity by saving from as large a number of plants as possible.
It is important for seed viability to keep plants minimally stressed at flowering and seed formation time. Provide sufficient water at flowering for pollen development. Keep the crop weeded. At seeding, dry conditions are favourable for seed maturation.
Biodynamic growing methods strengthen the formative force in plants which governs life, growth and reproduction, reflected in the vitality, structure and uprightness of the plants and viability of their seed.
Additional improvements in quality of seed can be achieved by spraying horn silica 501 two weeks before harvesting seed.
If you haven’t saved seed before, some plants that are good to get started with are lettuce, tomatoes and beans.
Join a local seed exchange to swap for varieties.
And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth."
Growing a vegetable garden as an integral part of frugal living.
There are so many today who for various reasons are incorporating more frugal living tips into their everyday routine. How quaint. Most folks practice “frugal living” for survival purposes—in other words they have to in order to stretch the paycheck and home budget from week to week.
But even people with plenty of money have good reason to embrace frugal living techniques. You might want to avoid waste, reduce your carbon footprint, or simply to put more money away for a rainy day.
Whatever the reason for your desire for more frugal living, you are in excellent company and a multitude of resources are available to you. Having your own vegetable garden can seriously reduce your food bill if you plan things properly. Buying plants, seed, garden implements, compost and other items thought to be necessary for proper gardening can become quite expensive if you don’t watch it!
