That's my opinion, and it's very true.
#21 ©June, 2001 ••••••• Don Harthcock, Editor
That's my opinion, and it's very true.
#21 ©June, 2001 ••••••• Don Harthcock, Editor
OpinionSoup may contain language and topics unsuitable for children.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Birthdays and Remembrances - Personal from Donny
Adaptogens - But how do it know?
Agave - Arriba!
Chaste Tree - Not what it seems
Dahoon - Not a shirt, not a zither
Garden - What's that?
Lysine - What's it good for?
Osha - You think you know what this is.
Pasta - Yes, we gotta.
Sugar Cane - Another kind of grass
The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated any of the statements made in this publication, nor is that likely ever to happen. This publication is not meant to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Since this publication is not intended to be diagnostic or prescriptive, the authors assume no responsibility for any adverse reactions resulting from the use of any information contained in it.
Personal from Donny
Don't forget your friends' and relatives' birthdays! Birthdays are important to everyone, whether they admit it or not. Make a birthday list of everyone you know, and call them or send them a card on their day. It's very uplifting to be remembered; send a card, because they might not be home when you call. By the way, this book would make a lovely gift, if I could find a good agent and a publisher. Can you help?
May 31 is my birthday; I am now 59 years old and have been working on this book for more than three years. Jonnie gave me a beautiful gold-and-silver Elgin watch that is very clunky. The gold-and-silver colors match the two wedding bands I wear, the silver one that she gave me when we married in 1988, and the gold one that I found, that same year. Here's the story:
My father died in September, 1987, when Jonnie and I were still in the country music business in Nashville. Before his death, he had lost a lot of weight. One day while he was putzing around in a storage shed behind the house, his wedding band slipped off his finger, unnoticed, and was lost. He was very upset about it, and my mother gave him a new one.
Jonnie and I made our final exit from the Nashville music business in early 1988, and we decided to go and spend some time with my mother, who was still despondent over my father's death. One day while I was putzing around in a storage shed behind her house, I found a gold wedding band.
I went into the house and said to my mother, "Daisy, close your eyes and hold out your hand."
"I will not," she replied. "You might have a mouse."
"It's not a mouse," I said. "Hold out your hand."
She held out her hand, and I dropped the ring into it. She opened her eyes, saw what it was, and choked out, "Oh, Daddy!"
Then she cried and cried while Jonnie and I patted her, laughing and crying at the same time. It was a wonderful catharsis, and she was then able to stop sleeping with Daddy's shirt cuddled to her. Soon after, she even allowed me to dispose of my father's old clothes (I kept a few things).
Jonnie and I got married a few months later, in September, at The Wedding Chapel, Inc. in Springhill, Tennessee. I put it on my Visa card. My sister Jan was there; also, her husband Mills Jr. and son Mills III. And, of course, my mother. You know what she gave me.
Daisy died of acute leukemia three years later, in December, 1990. Jan wears her wedding band.
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"...tend to right whatever is wrong with the body." ~Dr. I. I. Brekhman
Here and there in this work, I use a certain phrase, just to be funny, that I want to explain. One of my favorite old jokes goes like this:
When Thermos® Jugs first came out, a construction worker who had just bought one was raving about it to his co-workers one day at lunch.
"It's great!" he said. "You put iced tea in it, and it stays cold! You put hot soup in it, and the soup stays hot!"
"Yeah, that's great, alright," said Old Bill. "But how do it know?"
That punch line has been part of my private language for many years. As I use it sprinkled here and there throughout this work, I am referring to a little-understood quality of certain medicinal botanicals, and some vitamins and minerals, to treat both high and low blood pressure, to relieve both diarrhea and constipation, and so on. Far out of the mainstream of common Western knowledge, adaptogenic qualities of some plant medicines or compounds are real, though seemingly paradoxical.
Until I understood that it was not the plant substance itself doing all the work, but rather your own body being ASSISTED by the plant substance to do this work, I understood nothing at all.
I first learned of this concept from Jean Carper. In
The Food Pharmacy (Barnes/Noble paperback, $14.35) she relates that Dr. Norman Farnsworth had been studying the research on Siberian Ginseng which was done by Dr. I. I. Brekhman, a Russian. An Adaptogen, Dr. Brekhman theorized, "tends to right whatever is wrong with the body. If your blood pressure is too high, it brings it down; if too low, it brings it up."
She goes on to say, "U. S. Department of Agriculture scientists recently discovered the trace mineral chromium works both ways in regulating blood sugar in humans - by raising or lowering it to correct the appropriate abnormality." See Chromium.
I am very impressed; astonished, you might say, that a plant or a mineral can stimulate diagnostic abilities upon merging with another life-form. All I can say is, "But how do it know?"
My first draft of the above paragraph said "...merging with an alien life-form." Florida friend and First Reader Barbara Hill pointed out that theosophically speaking, plants, minerals and humans are not alien to each other. She is correct, of course; any hippy or astrophysicist could tell you that we are all...stardust.
Adaptogens do not actually diagnose; rather, they strongly SUPPORT THE BODY SYSTEMS with which their constituents are compatible, so that those systems can do their diagnostic and prescriptive jobs, encouraging the body then to heal itself.
Adaptogens enhance your ability to deal with stress by strengthening the immune and endocrine systems, thereby encouraging synergistic health maintenance by those systems. Two of the more famous Adaptogens are Ginseng and Astragalus.
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AGAVE (Century Plant)
- Does George W. Bush know about this?
Agave americana photo courtesy University of Minnesota, Morris
Agave americana is similar to Aloe vera, only MUCH BIGGER. The sap can be drunk to coat and soothe an upset stomach. Applied directly to the skin, Agave treats burns. As Maguey, it is also the source of a food called Mescal, and, of course, the fermented liquor of the same name.
A. sisalana, native to Mexico and Central America, is used to make a tough rope called Sisal.
Near the town of Tequila, Mexico, an Agave known as A. tequilana became the source of what is now a very famous liquor. Although it was once considered a "low-class" drink, Tequila in recent years has acquired a soaring, worldwide popularity.
However, up to 40% of the firms making Mexico's fiery Tequila may halt production because of a chronic shortage of the plants.
"We all know the reasons, there is no Agave left," said Alberto Cardenas, governor of the western state of Jalisco, heartland of Mexico's Tequila industry.
Supply is unlikely to recover quickly, as the Agave plant needs up to 10 years to mature.
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CHASTE TREE (Hemp Tree, Monk's Pepper, Vitex)
- What's good for the goose is good for the gander.
Years ago in Europe, the small, peppery berries of Vitex agnus-castus were believed to be anaphrodisiac for men, negating sexual appetite or at least lowering libido. Monks, therefore, used it frequently as a cooking spice, and it became known as Monk's Pepper. It didn't work for that purpose, but the monks did have very clear complexions.
Modern herbalists, however, believe that for menstrual or menopausal problems Chasteberry, a hormone stimulant, is a Superstar. It is more effective than Vitamin B6 for PMS, especially for bloating, insomnia and irritability. It is the best thing you can take for establishing proper balance of estrogen and progesterone. Your health food store will have capsules, tea and tinctures. Basis of standardization is Aucubin.
NOTE: Best results from taking Chasteberry, or Vitex, are CUMULATIVE. This compound is no magic bullet; you may have to take it for months. Be patient; remember that doctors have spoiled all of us with quick-action pills that may cause greater problems down the road.
German researcher Rued Schellenberg from the Institute of Care and Science in Frankfurt, found that women taking Chasteberry over three months suffered less from mood swings, anger, headaches and sore breasts than those who didn't take it.
Vitex is commonly prescribed to German women who have recently stopped taking birth-control pills. It is believed that Vitex helps re-establish normal menstruation and ovulation. Chasteberry regulates menstrual cycles by preventing menorrhagia (heavy menstrual flow), a common problem after going off The Pill.
In addition to its help with PMS and menopausal hormone imbalance, Chasteberry is an excellent remedy for acne, both that which is associated with menstruation, and the ordinary teenage variety. Up to three cups of Chasteberry Tea per day is recommended, and it will benefit boys as well as girls. You can also take a dropperful of the liquid extract in a half-cup of hot water, or two capsules three times a day.
Chaste Trees grow to ten or twenty feet, blooming profusely and sweetly in summer and attracting many bees. The lilac or white blossoms are very fragrant. Flowers are replaced by small fruits, which are edible and may be used as a slightly peppery spice (dry them and use a mortar and pestle). The leaves bear a slight resemblance to hemp; hence, the common name Hemp Tree. These trees will tolerate almost anything except very cold weather, and over-watering. Prune your Chaste Tree only in winter, as it blooms from new wood.
CAUTION: CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE USING VITEX. SOME HERBALS WARN THAT PREGNANT WOMEN SHOULD NOT USE IT. LARGE DOSES OF VITEX MAY CAUSE ITCHING.
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- not a Canadian hunting dog
Although the name makes it sound rather like a Middle Eastern shirt or perhaps a small, stringed musical instrument, Dahoon (Ilex cassine) is actually a small Holly tree of the Southeastern United States, with red, orange or yellow fruit and dark green leaves. Dahoon ranges from Virginia to Florida to Texas and prefers boggy or coastal areas.
An infusion of dried Dahoon leaves is good for catarrh, colds, coughs, fever, flu and rheumatic pain. See English Holly. See Yaupon.
Say, wasn't Peter Lorre wearing a Dahoon in Casablanca? No? Well, I'm sure I once knew a girl named English Holly, and she played the Dahoon.
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- What, exactly, IS a Garden?
Francis Bacon said, "A Garden is the purest of human pleasures. It is the greatest refreshment to the spirits of Man, without which buildings and palaces are but gross handiworks."
Thank you, Frank; that's beautiful.
Now...what, exactly, is a Garden?
Donny says a Garden is a protected place, a set-aside place.
Thanks, Donny. We're getting there; I can feel it.
In the less-crowded, less-technological, less-nomadic, slower-paced and more civilized world of yesteryear, when a house and grounds might pass through many generations of the same family, gardening and Gardens got more respect and consideratiion. In the side yard of the house in which my mother was born, for instance, is a Cape Jessamine bush which she planted there, more than sixty years ago. Her sister still lives in that house and still tends that bush. The vegetable garden is located exactly where it was when my grandfather tilled it. We celebrated his 119th birthday last year, at that house that he built. Of course, he was present only in the stories that were told.
Today's landscaping/gardening attitudes are hugely different, naturally and understandably so (we don't have as much space and we don't have as much time; our children are a thousand miles away; and this time next year we might be in Omaha), but I believe that a rewarding, culturally-enriching attitude bridge can be stretched from the solid Then to the disposable Now. Send me an email and let me know if there are gaping holes in my logic.
Originally, Gardens were strictly distinguished. An Orchard, or Falling Garden, was for fruiting trees. A Pleasure Garden was for ornamentals. Evolving from the Pleasure Garden came the Parlor Garden, of more formal design. A Kitchen Garden or Woman's Garden or Cottage Garden, was for medicinal herbs, potherbs and strewing herbs; it would have been designed for easy access from the kitchen.
Today, we have Cactus Gardens, Children's Gardens, Chinese Gardens, Container Gardens, Cottage Gardens, Culinary Herb Gardens, Cutting Gardens, Desert Gardens, "Flower" Gardens, Formal Gardens, Fragrance Gardens, Historic Gardens, Japanese Gardens, Knot Gardens, Meadow Gardens, Medicinal Herb Gardens, Moonlight Gardens, Orchards, Paradise Gardens, Patio Gardens, Rock Gardens, Rose Gardens, Shakespeare Gardens, Theme Gardens, Topiary Gardens, Vegetable Gardens, Wild Gardens, Witch Gardens, Woodland Gardens, and Who-Knows-What Gardens. I think that's about it, said Bubba Gump.
My preference is the What-Have-You or Entire Backyard Garden (here comes the "building-a-bridge" part), which is a combination Herb, Flower and Vegetable Garden with a couple of fruiting trees (more for the Spring blossoms and bees than for the fruit). This I do for the pleasure of the work, with a Japanese eye for Place, and a European desire for color, fragrance, restfulness and rejuvenation of the spirit, which brings us back to Bacon's original definition.
Mind you, I have no children at home who need a place to romp, and I am a firm believer that lawns and formality are front-yard things. I believe that back yards, if you do not have young children, should be enclosed and private. Every bit of back yard space should be for your own pleasure, with any combination of chairs, tables, benches, walkways, pools, patios, decks, grills, sculptures, statues, sundials, gazing globes, birdbaths, feeders, rocks, swings, nooks, crannies, any plant that strikes your fancy, and no lawn mowers (or any need for them). That's my opinion, and it's very true.
Your Garden, to reach its highest potential, should be YOUR Garden. You should work it yourself and enjoy it privately. Of course, show it off if it's beautiful, but be involved in it, yourself. You need not have a plan. In fact, too much planning will defeat the purpose, for this kind of Garden. Our back yard is forever evolving, a perennial work-in-progress. That's the point. My grandfather dropped dead at 89 years of age, working in his Garden. Please, God, me too.
However, if your goal is fresh vegetables and you have limited gardening space, then you definitely DO need a plan. I distilled the following information from the Mississippi Farm Bureau, the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service, and Mississippi State University. In other states, you will have similar farming bureaus; get to know them. They will help you with soil analyses and information particular to your locale.
DONNY'S VEGETABLE GARDEN PLOT PLAN "One to rot and one to grow; One for the pigeon, one for the crow."
~Old English Planting Rhyme
SEPARATE PLOTS:
1. Radishes - separate plot; broadcast - the easiest - 28 days
2. Melons - all melons in separate hills, here and there - 1" deep, 36" apart - melons need lots of room - 90 days
3. Cucumbers - separate (round) plot with trellis - 1" deep, 12" apart - 75 days
MAJOR GARDEN PLOT:
Rows should run East-West; Row 1 should be on the south side of your Garden.
Row 1. ONIONS (plants) - green onions 2" apart - 35 days - bulb onions 6" apart, 110 days - Crystal Wax, Granex 429, Granex 33, Texas Grano 1015-Y - when onions are gone, plant BUSH LIMA BEANS - 1" deep, 3-6" apart - 65 days - Henderson Bush, Dixie Butterpea, Nemagreen, Jackson Wonder - when limas are gone, plant MUSTARD/TURNIPS (mix in radish seed) - 1/4-1/2" deep, 2-3" apart - 45/50 days for greens, 60 days for roots
Row 2. LEAF LETTUCE - 1/4" deep, 8-12" apart - 50 days - Grand Rapids, Salad Bowl, Butter Crunch - when lettuce is gone, plant SUMMER SQUASH - 1" deep, 36" btwn hills of 1-3 plants - 55 days - Early Yellow Crookneck, Early Prolific Straightneck, Gold Bar, Dixie, Lemon Drop, Patty Pan, Aristocrat, Senator (Zucchini) - when squash is gone, plant CAULIFLOWER (plants) - 18-24" apart - 65 days - Snow Crown, Snow King
Row 3. MUSTARD/TURNIPS - see above, Row 1., third planting - when mustard/turnips are gone, plant PEAS - 1" deep, 4-6" apart - 65 days - Mississippi Silver, Mississippi Purple, Mississippi Cream, Mississippi Pinkeye - when peas are gone, plant CARROTS - 1/4-1/2" deep, 2" apart - 75 days - Red Core Chantenay, Danvers 126
Row 4. BROCCOLI (plants) - 18-24" apart - 75 days - when broccoli is gone, plant PEAS - see above, Row 3., second planting - when peas are gone, plant LETTUCE - see above, Row 2., first planting
Row 5. BELL & BANANA PEPPERS (plants) - 24" apart - 75 days - Bell Boy, Emerald Giant, Keystone Resistant Giant, Jupiter, Sweet Banana, California Wonder - bell peppers should keep making right up to frost, but to be sure, plant again in mid-summer for Fall harvest
Row 6. EGGPLANT (plants) - 24" apart - 85 days - Black Beauty, Florida Market, Dusky, Tycoon - plant again in mid-summer for Fall harvest
Row 7. TOMATOES (plants) - 18-36" apart - 70 days - Marion, Floradel, Better Boy, Sunny, Big Seven, Celebrity, Mountain Pride, President, Fantastic, Arkansas Traveler, Rutgers - plant again in mid-summer for Fall harvest
Row 8. OKRA - 1" deep, 12-18" apart - 65 days - Clemson Spineless, Emerald - cut plants back to 3-4' in late summer for new growth, Fall harvest
May Good Things Emerge!
Having touched on Flower, Vegetable and Herb Gardens and my favorite, the Back Yard Personality Explosion Garden, I'll make one last recommendation: The Wild Garden. Sometime last year, The Clarion Ledger, a Jackson MS daily newspaper, ran a story (which I have lost) about an African-American fellow who had converted his entire yard into a wild landscape of various African plants. His small house could hardly be seen, some of the plants were so tall.
I was intrigued first with the idea, and then with the theatre that ensued. This poor man (surely an artist) had to fight not only with neighbors but also with city officials, who couldn't comprehend his vision and wanted him to cut everything down, or at least mow it. It was just too different for that neighborhood to accept, but the man went to court and for the first time that I ever heard of, defended an intentionally unkempt yard.
This offbeat idea is not recommended, but I very much like a Wild Garden of LOCAL plants if you have large spaces which are just covered in turf. You are urged to do SOME mowing and edging and to create sitting areas and pathways, so that your "natural" Wild Garden looks planned. You want an INTENTIONAL wild look, not a NEGLECTED wild look. Add statues, sculptures and what-have-you. I don't want you to suffer the fate of the Jackson MS fellow above and be accused of turning your property into a "vacant lot." Suddenly I am thinking of the Senate Majority Leader. If your Wild Garden borders actual wild spaces, be sure to let some of the Native Plants escape cultivation (you may help re-establish a disrupted local ecosystem; birds and wildlife will love you for it).
The July-August '99 issue of Audubon magazine features a story called "Going Native," written by Janet Marinelli, which I suggest that you read. To order reprints or to subscribe, call Audubon at 800.274.4201; their website is <http://www.magazine.audubon.org/>.
Included in this article is a valuable list of gardening organizations (some with seed and plant exchanges, and offering field trips); also many Native Plant & Seed sources. The list was compiled by Gretel H. Schueller, whom Donny credits and warmly thanks for the following information.
Abundant Life Seed Foundation, non-profit org providing seeds and publishing a newsletter, POB 772, Port Townsend WA 98368, 360.385.5660
Arizona Native Plant Society, POB 41206, Tucson AZ 85717, anps@azstarnet.com
Blue Meadow Farm, 184 Meadow Rd, Montague Center MA 01351, 413.367.2394
California Native Plant Society, 1722 J St, Suite 17, Sacramento CA 95814, 916.447.2677
Florida Native Plant Society, POB 6116, Spring Hill FL 34606, 813.856.8202
Forest Floor Recovery, POB 89, Lummi Island WA 98262, 360.758.2778
Georgia Native Plant Society, POB 422085, Atlanta GA 30342, 770.343.6000
Green Landscaping with Native Plants, an EPA website
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, research and conferences, 4801 La Crosse Ave, Austin TX 78739, 512.292.4100
Ladyslipper Rare Plant Nursery, 7418 Hickory Flat Hwy 140, Woodstock GA 30188, 770.345.2998
Maryland Native Plant Society, POB 4877, Silver Spring MD 20914, mnps@geocities.com
Minnesota Native Plant Society, 220 Biological Science Center, 1445 Gortner, St Paul MN 55108, ceumb@stolaf.edu
Monrovia, a company partnered with National Audubon Society, created Audubon Habitat Collection of Plants, 888.PLANT.IT
Morning Sky Greenery, Rt 1 Box 137, Hancock MN 56244, 320.392.5282
Native Gardens, 5737 Fisher Ln, Greenback TN 37742, 423.856.0220
The Native Plant Center, Westchester Community College, Hartford Hall, 75 Grasslands Rd, Valhalla NY 10595, 914.785.6143
New England Wild Flower Society, Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Rd, North Framingham MA 01701, 508.877.7630
North Carolina Botanic Garden, CB 3375 Totten Center, Chapel Hill NC 27599, 919.962.0522
North Coast Native Seed Bank, 5851 Myrtle Ave, Eureka CA 95503, 800.200.8969
Oklahoma Native Plant Society, Tulsa Garden Center, 2435 S Peoria, Tulsa OK 74114, 405.872.8361, onps@aol.com
Plants of the Southwest, Agua Fria, Rt 6 Box 11A, Santa Fe NM 87501, 800.788.7333
Prairie Restorations, POB 327, Princeton MN 55371, 612.389.4342
Vermont Wildflower Farm, 4750 Shelburne Rd, Shelburne VT 05482, 802.425.3500
Virginia Native Plant Society, Blandy Experimental Farm, 400 Blandy Farm Lane, Unit 2, Boyce VA 22620, wildfood@infi.net
Washington Native Plant Society, POB 28690, Seattle WA 98118, 206.323.3336
Wild Earth Native Plant Nursery, 49 Mead Ave, Freehold NJ 07728, 732.308.9777
Wild Ones, non-profit org, 500.FOR.WILD
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- It's NOT "heart-friendly."
An essential amino acid, Lysine treats and prevents herpes simplex 1 viruses. Lysine assists the body in Iron absorption; it may be obtained naturally from beans, brewer's yeast, dairy products and potatoes.
CAUTION: LYSINE SUPPLEMENTS MAY INCREASE SERUM CHOLESTEROL.
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OSHA (Ligusticum, Wild Parsley)
- Cough, please.
The root of this American plant, Ligusticum porteri, has been used by Native Americans to treat sore throats and congestion, for centuries.
The icky mucous that you get when you have a cold is a playground for germs. Osha keeps the mucous from getting so thick, and by doing so actually encourages expulsion (your delicate cilia cannot transport the really tough stuff up and out). Use Osha as a tincture or in capsule form.
CAUTION: DO NOT USE OSHA IF YOU ARE PREGNANT.
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- "What IS Pasta?" ~a Jitney Jungle stock boy
PASTA IS NOT FATTENING! Pasta is Good Food, not "just starch," as some folks erroneously believe. It contains Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus and Zinc, which are not significantly depleted by cooking this nutritious food. Your heart loves Pasta just as it is, so don't go crazy adding massive amounts of Salt and fatty sauces. SMALL amounts of either one, to make it more delicious, will kill you soon enough.
A clerk at the Jitney Jungle in Yazoo City, when I asked where the Pasta was located, told me he didn't know what it was.
"Help me out," he said, smiling. "My mind just drew a blank. What IS Pasta?"
He also had never heard of Perrier. When I switched from Standard English to Yazooan, I was successfully directed to Spaghetti and Bottled Water.
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- It's revolutionary.
Sugar Cane stalks are so big and thick that it's difficult to think of this plant as a grass, BUT...Saccharum officinarum is a tall, tropical Southeast Asian grass plant (now worldwide where it's warm) with thick, solid, tough stems that are a chief commercial source of Sugar.
In Miami, the little corner shops that sell medianoches ("midnight" sandwiches), batidos (shakes) and café cubano (Cuban coffee) also extract the pure Sugar Cane Juice and sell it as Guarapo. It's interesting (and noisy) to watch them do it.
If you are a resident of Florida, perhaps you already know of the frequent charges made against the Sugar Cane Industry that they are serious, big-time polluters of Florida waters and uncaring exploiters of migrant and foreign farm workers.
It is also said that the price of Sugar in the United States is artificially inflated by our government; cheaper, imported Sugar is not allowed to enter our country. It comes as no great surprise that, coincidentally, Sugar Industry families are big contributors to certain incumbent politicians. So we are told.
I don't know if any of this is true; I heard it down at the Post Office one day. You know how you can hear things, down at the Post Office.
OpinionSoup is published by Don Harthcock. OS#21 ©June, 2001, Don Harthcock & Brian McLeod. Reproduction of any part of this copyrighted publication for commercial purposes is prohibited. Taping to refrigerators, posting on bulletin boards & emailing to friends is cool.
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