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WHAT ARE GRAFTED VEGETABLES?

About Grafting

What are Grafted Vegetables?

                  Pictured: Nongrafted ‘Big Beef’ vs grafted ‘Big Beef’

     Grafted vegetables are superhero vegetables: stronger, bigger, faster, more able to fend off foes than regular vegetable plants – and they deliver a more abundant harvest! Grafted vegetables are created by attaching the top part of one plant (the scion) to the root system of a separate plant (the rootstock). When their tissues heal, they fuse into one Super plant with the best qualities of each: the rootstock contributes vigor and disease resistance while the scion is chosen for exceptional fruit flavor or quality. The resulting plant is more vigorous and productive, going above and beyond the call of duty to bring big, beautiful, wholesome harvests to gardeners everywhere.

 

 

Grafting Method

After experimenting with several methods, we decided to use the Japanese top-grafting (or tube-grafting) method, a new technique that is fairly simple but must be performed in carefully controlled conditions to avoid stressing the vulnerable, freshly grafted plant. We use a number of different rootstocks from Holland, according to which is best suited to the scion variety’s growing habit and kind of fruit. When both rootstock and scion have reached the ideal size, we sever the seedlings, then use a special clip from Japan to attach the upper stem and leaves of the scion to the lower stem and roots of the rootstock. The stems must be the same diameter and shape so their vascular tissue can align, remap, and reorganize, allowing water and nutrients to flow up the stem.

Once the scion and rootstock have been clipped together, we place them in a healing chamber which regulates temperature, humidity, and light to create the best conditions for the vascular tissue to grow together and the scar heal over. Over the next week or two, we slowly reintroduce the seedlings to natural conditions. After another week or two in the greenhouse, they are ready to be transplanted into the garden.
The graft is strong as nails once it is completely healed, but the plants must be handled carefully throughout the grafting process to avoid disturbing the graft union and ensure optimal conditions for the new plant to heal.

History of Grafting Vegetables

For centuries, grafting has been used in agriculture to enhance the health, yield, and fruit quality of woody species like fruit trees and grape vines. Large scale production of grafted vegetables emerged in Asia, where land has been intensively cultivated for many years. In the 1920s, growers there found that grafting watermelon plants onto squash or gourd rootstock significantly reduced the incidence of fusarium wilt. Today, 81% of Korean vegetables and 54% of all Japanese vegetables (95% of Japan’s watermelons, oriental melons, greenhouse cucumbers, tomatoes and eggplants) are produced on grafted plants. Vegetable grafting is also popular throughout Europe, especially in Greece, Spain, France, Italy, and Morocco.

In the U.S., the technique’s potential for improving plant health and fruit yield without harmful pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or soil fumigation/steam sterilization is catching the attention of greenhouse produce growers and organic farmers, especially on the East Coast with its short growing season. Together, the environmental and economic benefits have made grafted vegetables a worldwide movement among commercial produce growers.

    Benefits of Grafted Vegetables

Advantages of grafted vegetables include enhanced plant vigor, better disease resistance, tolerance of environmental stresses, and heavier crops that are produced over an extended harvest period.

Disease resistance – This is probably the most important reason commercial growers initially turned to grafted vegetables. After Asian growers’ success with grafted melons in the 1920s, tomato grafting emerged in the 1960s as a strategy to avoid soil-borne diseases like bacterial wilt, which can be hard to eradicate in a tomato crop because of its wide range of hosts and ability to persist for years in the soil.

When a grower raises tomatoes and other solanums (potatoes, eggplant, peppers) in the same fields or in the ground in greenhouses year after year, a range of fungal, bacterial, viral, and nematode diseases can become established in the soil, leading to a poorer yield with each subsequent harvest. Grafting has been found effective against verticillium wilt (Verticillium albo-atrum, V. dahliae), fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum), Fusarium crown rot, corky root rot (Pyrenochaeta lycosersici), root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne), bacterial wilt (Ralstonia solanacearum), Tomato mosaic virus, and Tomato spotted wilt virus.
Grafting may also help plants ward off three other big tomato problems: early blight (Alternaria solani), late blight (Phytophthora infestans), and blossom end-rot (a physiological disorder caused by low calcium levels). Tomato plants that are less vigorous to start with or weakened by nematodes are more susceptible to early blight, so super-vigorous grafted tomatoes with enhanced resistance to pests and disease should fare better. Blossom end rot is exacerbated by fluctuations in soil moisture or when plants are stressed by drought. Grafted tomatoes, with their superior root structures, allow continued uptake of moisture and nutrients even in less-than-optimal conditions. It’s not clear whether grafted tomatoes are resistant to late blight (infamous for causing the Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s and still responsible for widespread losses of potato and tomato crops each year). The spores of the late blight fungus can’t survive in soil but are carried through the air, bypassing grafted tomatoes’ protective root system and landing directly on fruits or foliage. However, we expect that grafting would confer some level of protection because in general, the healthier and more vigorous the plant, the greater its ability to fight off a disease or pest. (See this article from Ohio State University for more research)

Tolerance of environmental stresses – Grafted plants are also more tolerant of environmental stresses like salinity or temperature extremes. Regular tomatoes often react to heat (temperatures over 86 degrees Fahrenheit) by dropping their blossoms, but we’re closely watching our grafted tomatoes to see if they can come through a heat wave with flowers intact. And with the ability to withstand hotter and cooler temperatures comes an added bonus – an extended growing season. Cool-season gardeners should be able to set out plants a little earlier in the spring and continue harvesting ripe fruits longer into the autumn, while warm-climate gardeners who sometimes get tomatoes to overwinter can increase their chances of winter and spring harvests with hardier grafted varieties.

Increased vigor and yield – Even for those growers and gardeners fortunate enough to have fresh soil and ideal growing conditions, grafting has its advantages. The vigorous rootstock increases the uptake of water and nutrients, for healthier and more beautiful plants and greater harvests without using chemical pesticides or fertilizers.

Overall, grafted vegetables lead to bigger harvests of better quality fruits over a longer period with fewer harmful inputs. All tomatoes can benefit from grafting, but heirlooms, which are generally less disease resistant, can increase yields dramatically when grafted on special rootstock. Organic farmers find that they can achieve better resistance to pests and disease without soil fumigation or chemical pesticides, as well as higher yields without chemical fertilizers. Greenhouse produce growers are turning to grafted vegetables because the plants thrive and produce even when crops can’t be rotated frequently to fresh soil.

THE EVOLUTION OF CORN

THE EVOLUTION OF CORN: Tracking the Ancestry of Corn Back 9,000 Years

By SEAN B. CARROLL

RELATIVES Corn, or maize, descended from a Mexican grass called teosinte. Credit John Doebley

It is now growing season across the Corn Belt of the United States. Seeds that have just been sown will, with the right mixture of sunshine and rain, be knee-high plants by the Fourth of July and tall stalks with ears ripe for picking by late August.

Corn is much more than great summer picnic food, however. Civilization owes much to this plant, and to the early people who first cultivated it.

For most of human history, our ancestors relied entirely on hunting animals and gathering seeds, fruits, nuts, tubers and other plant parts from the wild for food. It was only about 10,000 years ago that humans in many parts of the world began raising livestock and growing food through deliberate planting. These advances provided more reliable sources of food and allowed for larger, more permanent settlements. Native Americans alone domesticated nine of the most important food crops in the world, including corn, more properly called maize (Zea mays), which now provides about 21 percent of human nutrition across the globe.

But despite its abundance and importance, the biological origin of maize has been a long-running mystery. The bright yellow, mouth-watering treat we know so well does not grow in the wild anywhere on the planet, so its ancestry was not at all obvious. Recently, however, the combined detective work of botanists, geneticists and archeologists has been able to identify the wild ancestor of maize, to pinpoint where the plant originated, and to determine when early people were cultivating it and using it in their diets.

The greatest surprise, and the source of much past controversy in corn archeology, was the identification of the ancestor of maize. Many botanists did not see any connection between maize and other living plants. Some concluded that the crop plant arose through the domestication by early agriculturalists of a wild maize that was now extinct, or at least undiscovered.

However, a few scientists working during the first part of the 20th century uncovered evidence that they believed linked maize to what, at first glance, would seem to be a very unlikely parent, a Mexican grass called teosinte. Looking at the skinny ears of teosinte, with just a dozen kernels wrapped inside a stone-hard casing, it is hard to see how they could be the forerunners of corn cobs with their many rows of juicy, naked kernels. Indeed, teosinte was at first classified as a closer relative of rice than of maize.

But George W. Beadle, while a graduate student at Cornell University in the early 1930s, found that maize and teosinte had very similar chromosomes. Moreover, he made fertile hybrids between maize and teosinte that looked like intermediates between the two plants. He even reported that he could get teosinte kernels to pop. Dr. Beadle concluded that the two plants were members of the same species, with maize being the domesticated form of teosinte. Dr. Beadle went on to make other, more fundamental discoveries in genetics for which he shared the Nobel Prize in 1958. He later became chancellor and president of the University of Chicago.

Photo

Despite Dr. Beadle’s illustrious reputation, his theory still remained in doubt three decades after he proposed it. The differences between the two plants appeared to many scientists to be too great to have evolved in just a few thousand years of domestication. So, after he formally retired, Dr. Beadle returned to the issue and sought ways to gather more evidence. As a great geneticist, he knew that one way to examine the parentage of two individuals was to cross them and then to cross their offspring and see how often the parental forms appeared. He crossed maize and teosinte, then crossed the hybrids, and grew 50,000 plants. He obtained plants that resembled teosinte and maize at a frequency that indicated that just four or five genes controlled the major differences between the two plants.

Dr. Beadle’s results showed that maize and teosinte were without any doubt remarkably and closely related. But to pinpoint the geographic origins of maize, more definitive forensic techniques were needed. This was DNA typing, exactly the same technology used by the courts to determine paternity.

In order to trace maize’s paternity, botanists led by my colleague John Doebley of the University of Wisconsin rounded up more than 60 samples of teosinte from across its entire geographic range in the Western Hemisphere and compared their DNA profile with all varieties of maize. They discovered that all maize was genetically most similar to a teosinte type from the tropical Central Balsas River Valley of southern Mexico, suggesting that this region was the “cradle” of maize evolution. Furthermore, by calculating the genetic distance between modern maize and Balsas teosinte, they estimated that domestication occurred about 9,000 years ago.

These genetic discoveries inspired recent archeological excavations of the Balsas region that sought evidence of maize use and to better understand the lifestyles of the people who were planting and harvesting it. Researchers led by Anthony Ranere of Temple University and Dolores Piperno of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History excavated caves and rock shelters in the region, searching for tools used by their inhabitants, maize starch grains and other microscopic evidence of maize.

In the Xihuatoxtla shelter, they discovered an array of stone milling tools with maize residue on them. The oldest tools were found in a layer of deposits that were 8,700 years old. This is the earliest physical evidence of maize use obtained to date, and it coincides very nicely with the time frame of maize domestication estimated from DNA analysis.

The most impressive aspect of the maize story is what it tells us about the capabilities of agriculturalists 9,000 years ago. These people were living in small groups and shifting their settlements seasonally. Yet they were able to transform a grass with many inconvenient, unwanted features into a high-yielding, easily harvested food crop. The domestication process must have occurred in many stages over a considerable length of time as many different, independent characteristics of the plant were modified.

The most crucial step was freeing the teosinte kernels from their stony cases. Another step was developing plants where the kernels remained intact on the cobs, unlike the teosinte ears, which shatter into individual kernels. Early cultivators had to notice among their stands of plants variants in which the nutritious kernels were at least partially exposed, or whose ears held together better, or that had more rows of kernels, and they had to selectively breed them. It is estimated that the initial domestication process that produced the basic maize form required at least several hundred to perhaps a few thousand years.

Every August, I thank these pioneer geneticists for their skill and patience.

The Alkaline Diet Myth

The Alkaline Diet Myth

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The alkaline diet seems a bit too good to be true.
Proponents of this diet suggest that replacing acid-forming foods with alkaline foods can improve health.
They even claim that it can help fight serious diseases like cancer.
There are actually quite a few people who swear by this diet and claim miraculous results…
But is there any good evidence behind the alkaline diet? Let’s have a look.

What is the Alkaline Diet?

The alkaline diet is also known as the acid-alkaline diet or alkaline ash diet.
It is based around the idea that the foods you eat can alter the acidity or alkalinity (the pH value) of your body.
Let me explain how that works…
When you metabolise foods and extract the energy (calories) from them, you are actually burning the foods, except that it happens in a slow and controlled fashion.
When you burn foods, they actually leave an ash residue, just like when you burn wood in a furnace.
As it turns out, this ash can be acidic or alkaline (or neutral)… and proponents of this diet claim that this ash can directly affect the acidity of your body.
So if you eat foods with acidic ash, it makes your body acidic. If you eat foods with alkaline ash, it makes your body alkaline. Neutral ash has no effect. Simple.
Acid ash is thought to make you vulnerable to illness and disease, whereas alkaline ash is considered protective. By choosing more alkaline foods, you should be able to “alkalize” your diet and improve health.
Food components that leave an acidic ash include protein, phosphate and sulfur, while alkaline components include calcium, magnesium, and potassium (1, 2).
Certain food groups are considered acidic, alkaline or neutral:

• Acidic: Meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, grains and alcohol.
• Neutral: Natural fats, starches and sugars.
• Alkaline: Fruits, nuts, legumes and vegetables.

Bottom Line: According to proponents of the alkaline diet, the ash left from the burning of foods can directly affect the acidity or alkalinity of your body.

Regular pH Levels in the Body

When talking about the alkaline diet, it is important to understand the meaning of the pH value.
Put simply, the pH value is a measure of how acidic or alkaline something is.
The pH value ranges from 0 to 14:

• 0-7 is acidic.
• 7 is neutral.
• 7-14 is alkaline (alkaline is often called basic).

Many proponents of this diet suggest that people monitor the pH value of their urine using test strips, making sure that it is alkaline (pH over 7) and not acidic (below 7).
However… it’s important to note that the pH value varies greatly within the body. Some parts are acidic, others are alkaline. There is no set level.
The stomach is loaded with hydrochloric acid, giving it a pH value between 2 and 3.5 (highly acidic). This is necessary to break down food.
On the other hand, human blood is always slightly alkaline, with a pH between 7.35 and 7.45.
The blood pH value falling out of the normal range is very serious and can be fatal if untreated. However… this only happens during certain disease states, and has absolutely nothing to do with the foods you eat from day to day.

Bottom Line: The pH value is a measure of how acidic or alkaline something is. Stomach acid is highly acidic, while blood is slightly alkaline with a pH value between 7.35 and 7.45.

Food Affects the pH of Your Urine, But Not Your Blood

It is critical for health that the pH of your blood remains constant.
If it were to fall outside of the normal range, your cells would stop working and you would die very quickly if left untreated.
For this reason, the body has many effective mechanisms to closely regulate the pH balance in your body. This is known as Acid-Base Homeostasis.
Fortunately for us, these mechanisms make it near impossible for outside influences to change the pH value of the blood. If that wasn’t true, we would surely be in trouble.
The fact is… food simply can not change your blood pH. Period.
However, food can definitely change the pH value of the urine, although the effect is somewhat unreliable (3, 4).
This is actually one of the main ways your body regulates blood pH… by excreting acids in your urine.
Eat a large steak and several hours later your urine will be more acidic as the body removes it from your system.
That being said, urine pH is actually a very poor indicator of overall body pH and general health. It can be influenced by many factors other than diet.
Therefore, even if you’re using test strips and seeing that your urine has become alkaline, this has very little (if any) relevance to the alkalinity of your blood, or your overall health.

Bottom Line: The body tightly regulates blood pH levels and it is not possible to affect it via diet. However, diet can change the pH value of urine.

Acid-Forming Foods Do Not Cause Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a progressive bone disease characterized by a decrease in bone mineral content.
Osteoporosis is particularly common among postmenopausal women, and can drastically increase the risk of fractures.

Many alkaline diet enthusiasts believe that in order to maintain a constant blood pH, the body takes alkaline minerals (such as calcium) from your bones to buffer the acids from the acid-forming foods you eat.
According to this theory, acid-forming diets such as the standard Western diet will cause a loss in bone mineral density. This theory is known as the “acid-ash hypothesis of osteoporosis.”
The glaring problem with this theory, is that the function of the kidneys is completely ignored. Our kidneys are fundamental to removing acids and regulating body pH. It’s one of their main roles.
The kidneys produce bicarbonate ions that neutralize acids in the blood, a sustainable process which enables the body to tightly regulate blood pH (5).
Our respiratory system is also involved in controlling blood pH. When bicarbonate ions from the kidneys bind to acids in the blood, they form carbon dioxide (which we breathe out) and water (which we pee out).
The bones are actually not involved in this process at all.
Another problem with the acid-ash hypothesis, is that it ignores one of the main drivers of osteoporosis, a loss in the protein collagen from bone (6, 7).
Ironically, this loss of collagen is strongly linked with low levels of orthosilicic acid and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) in the diet (8).
Looking at the research, zero observational studies have found a relationship between dietary acid and bone density or fracture risk. In fact, there is not even a relationship between urine pH and bone health (9, 10, 11).
Contrary to popular belief, high protein diets (acid forming) are actually linked with healthier bones (12, 13, 14).
This area of research is not definite by any means, but it does suggest that animal protein, the most acid-forming food of all, is actually beneficial for bone health.
Looking at clinical trials (real science), many large reviews have concluded that acid-forming diets have no impact on calcium levels in the body (15, 16, 17).
If anything, they improve bone health by increasing calcium retention and activating the IGF-1 hormone, which stimulates repair of muscle and bone (18, 19).
This reinforces the studies that link a high protein (which happens to be acid forming) intake with better bone health, NOT worse.

Bottom Line: The research does not support the idea that acid-forming diets are harmful for bone health. Protein, an acidic nutrient, seems to be beneficial.

What About Acidity and Cancer?

The most comprehensive review available on the relationship between “diet-induced” acidosis and cancer concluded that there is no direct link (20).
Despite this evidence, many still argue that cancer only grows in an acidic environment and can be treated or even cured with an alkaline diet.
But this idea is flawed for several reasons.
First and most importantly, as mentioned earlier, food can not influence blood pH (4, 21).
Secondly, even if we assume that food could dramatically alter the pH value of blood or other tissues, cancer cells are not restricted to acidic environments.
In fact, cancer grows in normal body tissue which has a slightly alkaline pH of 7.4. Many experiments have confirmed this by successfully growing cancer cells in an alkaline environment (22).
And while tumors grow faster in acidic environments, the tumors actually create this acidity themselves. It is not the acidic environment that creates the cancer, it is the cancer that creates the acidic environment (23).

Bottom Line: Current research shows that there is absolutely no link between an acid forming diet and cancer. Cancer cells also grow in alkaline environments.

Can We Learn Anything From Ancestral Diets?

Looking at the acid-alkaline theory from both an evolutionary and scientific perspective reveals a lot.
One study estimated that 87% of pre-agricultural humans ate alkaline diets (24).
This was the basis for many of the arguments behind the alkaline diet.
However, Weston A Price’s studies of the Masai and Inuit people was among the first scientific clues that a net-acid diet had little to no impact on overall health.
These indigenous populations maintained superb health despite diets based heavily on animal foods.
More recent research estimated that half of pre-agricultural humans ate net alkaline forming diets, while the other half ate net acid forming diets (25).
This seems more realistic considering that our ancestors lived in vastly different climates with access to different foods. In fact, acid forming diets were more common as people moved further north of the equator, away from the tropics (26).
So despite the fact that around half of hunter-gatherers were eating a net acid forming diet, modern diseases of civilization were virtually non-existent (27).

Take Home Message

Unlike many other strange diets, the alkaline diet is actually quite healthy.
It encourages a high consumption of fruits, vegetables and healthy plant foods, while restricting processed junk foods.
However, the claims about the mechanism behind the diet are NOT supported by evolutionary evidence, human physiology or any reliable study in humans.
Acids are actually some of the most important building blocks of life… including amino acids, fatty acids and your DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).
The alkaline diet is healthy because it is based on real and unprocessed foods. It has absolutely nothing to do with being acidic or alkaline. Period.

STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF MTULE BASIL (OCIMUM SUAVE) ON DIABETES

STUDY ON THE EFFECTS  OF MTULE BASIL (OCIMUM SUAVE) ON DIABETES

INTRODUCTION

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder of the endocrine system. The disease is

characterized by hyperglycaemia caused by either insulin insufficiency or insensitivity of target cells to insulin;both leading to impaired metabolism of glucose, lipids and proteins as well as dysfunction and failure of various organs (Kim et al., 2006).

The disease occurs worldwide and its incidence is increasing rapidly in most parts of

   the world.

 

 

(Adebayo, 2009). Diabetes is commonly accompanied by other cardiovascular risk factors such as dyslipidemia,  hypertension, prothrombic factors and microvascular

problems involving eyes, kidney and peripheral nerves (Barnett and O’ Gara, 2003). Experimental evidence is mounting strongly associating oxidative stress and most of the complications seen in DM (Seth and Sharma, 0004; Devasagayam et al., 2007).

The oral hypogly-caemic agents currently used in clinical practice have

characteristic profiles of serious side effects such as weight gain, gastrointestinal discomfort and nausea, liver failure and diarrhea (Suba et al. , 2004; Stephen, 2006); 

in addition to being rather costly. However, DM is also treated traditionally 

in some placesusing anti-diabetic medicinal plants (Kim et al., 2011). Ocimum species

are culinary herb plants that belong to the family 

 

WHERE DO SEEDLESS WATERMELONS COME FROM?

 WHERE DO SEEDLESS WATERMELONS COME FROM?

 

How do seedless watermelons get that way?

My daughter loves watermelon and I was thinking she was getting big enough to have a seed spitting contest. But watermelon seeds seem to be vanishing. I'm used to seedless grapes but only recently became aware of this watermelon situation. Seedless watermelons have been growing in popularity since 1990. From the standpoint of a plant, the whole point of fruit is produce seeds, so I wondered what kind of hanky panky was going on to produce seedless watermelons. Turns out that they are like mules, self-sterile hybrids and involve a lot of work.
Diploid
Watermelon plants are usually diploid, like us, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes, the packages of DNA with instructions for life.
Triploid
Seedless watermelons are triploid. They have three sets of chromosomes. This odd number results in them being sterile and not producing seeds. The way they become triploid is by mating a diploid male with a tetraploid female. Tetraploids have four sets of chromosomes.
Tetraploid
The way you get tetraploids is by applying a chemical called colchicine which messes with cells as they are dividing. You add it to diploid seedlings and then some cells become tetraploid. You have to cultivate these over several generations to get enough that produce enough viable seeds with suitable traits.
Mixing It Up
Watermelon plants have male flowers and female flowers. The female flowers have a little pea-sized melon behind it. You remove the male flowers on the tetraploid plants because the female tetraploid flowers produce triploid fruit. It doesn't work with a male tetraploid and female diploid. Pollination can be done by hand or using bees.
Go Time
Seeds from the triploid fruit grow into triploid plants. They don't produce much pollen, so you plant some diploid plants. This pollen stimulates the triploid female flowers to produce fruit. Because the number of chromosomes is not compatible, they don't have seeds.
The seedless watermelons are smaller and rounder. They are supposed to be sweeter and last longer. But do you think it's really worth all the extra work?

GROWING SEEDLESS WATERMELONS

 Seed Production. The obvious question asked about growing seedless watermelons is: "How does one obtain seed of a seedless watermelon?" Obviously, you cannot save seed from a seedless watermelon. So, where do the seeds come from? Simply stated, the number of chromosomes (the threadlike bodies within cells that contain the inheritance units called genes) in a normal watermelon plant is doubled by the use of the chemical colchicine. Doubling a normal (diploid) watermelon results in a tetraploid plant (one having four sets of chromosomes). When the tetraploid plant is bred back, or pollinated, by a diploid or normal plant, the resulting seed produces a triploid plant that is basically a "mule" of the plant kingdom, and it produces seedless watermelons. Seed of seedless varieties are available from most major seed companies.

General Climatic Requirements. Seedless watermelons are a warm-season crop, preferring relatively high temperatures for optimum growth. Daytime temperatures of 80 to 95 degrees F. and night temperatures of 60 to 70 degrees F. are best. When temperatures are lower, plant growth is slowed considerably. With favorable weather, seeded fields can produce ripe fruit in 85 to 100 days.
Planting. Poor seed germination is the main problem with growing seedless watermelons. When direct seeding, the soil temperature should be minimum of 70 degrees F. at a depth of 4 inches. Soil temperatures below 70 degree F. will reduce germination and emergence. When growing transplants, use 12- to 2-inch seedling cells or peat pellets. Soak the planting medium thoroughly, and let drain 4 to 6 hours before sowing. Plant 1 or 2 seeds per cell or pellet. The greenhouse temperature should be 75 to 85 degrees F. during the germination period. Do not allow the growing medium to become dry, but do not over water during initial germination. Begin watering, as needed, after 10 to 15 percent of the seedlings have emerged. Plants should be ready for transplanting in 3 to 4 weeks. Transplants should have not more than 3 true leaves when set in the field. Use of older, larger transplants can cause slow, stunted growth and poor yields. In-row and between-row spacing is generally 48 X 80 inches.
Pollination. The male and female flowers are born separately on the watermelon plant. Female flowers must be pollinated for fruit to set. Also, cross pollination must occur between a seedless and a regular type watermelon for seedless fruit to be produced. This is best accomplished by planting a standard watermelon variety in the garden. Approximately one-third of the plants in the garden should be of the standard or 'pollinator' variety. Honey bees are the principal insects that pollinate watermelons. Pollination is a must, and poor or partial pollination may result in misshapen fruit and no seedless melons.
Harvesting. The lower side or 'ground spot' of the fruit should be cream-colored or yellowish. Thump fruit to check for ripeness. The result will vary. Generally, a solid sound indicates ripeness, while a sharp echoing sound indicates a greener fruit. The tendril or 'tail' which occurs in the axils of leaves (where the leaf attaches to the vine) along the stem can be used as an indicator of ripeness. Experienced harvesters say that if the 2 tendrils nearest the fruit are dry, the seedless watermelon is ripe. It is important to note that the first few mature melons in the garden may frequently contain small seeds. This condition is most prevalent under stressed conditions, such as low soil moisture, insufficient fertilizer, temperature extremes, or disease pressure, which affect normal plant development.

Each planting of seedless watermelons actually produces 3 different types of watermelons -- the regular seeded watermelons (from pollinator plants), the true seedless melons, and a light-green tetraploid melon that produces a very limited number of seeds, from which next year's planting can be made.

13 Common Ailments You Can Heal with Ashwagandha

 Do you suffer from stress, memory fog, fatigue, or an inability to lose weight? Chronic stress takes a ghastly toll on our bodies as well as our minds. Many degenerative diseases, as well as premature aging, are associated with chronic nervous tension.Discover what Ayurveda has known for hundreds of years and what scientists have confirmed.

Ashwagandha: A powerful adaptogen herb that enhances the body’s resilience to stress, enhances the function of the brain and nervous system, and improves memory. For more than 5000 years of Indian Ayurveda (traditional medicine) Ashwagandha has been used as a Rasayana.
Rasayana is described as an herbal or metallic preparation that promotes a youthful state of physical and mental health and expands happiness (Changhadi, 1938).
This herb is known as a rejuvenator tonic. Modern scientific studies have been carried out and proven Ashwagandha’s anti-stress activities among other strong benefits.Ashwagandha is used as a household remedy by AyurvedicIndians, who consider it as the best tonic for old people and children, and as an aphrodisiac by young people.

 

 

Parts of Ashwagandha Herb

Luckily the only negative part of this plant is its smell. Because the root smells like horse (“ashwa”), it is called Ashwagandha. Literally the name means: on consuming it gives the power of a horse. Yum.

• The root of Ashwagandha is regarded as tonic, aphrodisiac, narcotic, diuretic, anthelmintic, astringent, thermogenic and stimulant. Ashwagandha root is commonly found as a fine sieved powder which can be mixed with water.
• The leaves are bitter and are recommended in fever and painful swellings.
• The flowers are astringent, depurative, diuretic and aphrodisiac.
• The seeds are anthelmintic and combined with astringent and rock salt supposedly remove white spots from the cornea.

Benefits of Ashwagandha

1. Body Weight: Weight-gain or the inability to lose weight is often accompanied by high levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) within the body. Ashwagandha can help reduce cortisol levels, therefore encouraging weight-loss. It has also been effective in lowering fasting blood sugar levels and improving lipid profiles.
2. Mood: Investigations support the use of Ashwagandha as a mood stabilizer in clinical conditions of anxiety and depression. Its effects are comparable to those of powerful pharmaceutical drugs.
3. Stress Induced Diseases: Lowers stress markers, therefore lowering likelihood of arteriosclerosis, premature ageing, arthritis, diabetes, hypertension and malignancy.
4. Exercise: It significantly reduces the cortisol content of adrenals during exercise, therefore increasing endurance and time to fatigue.
5. Mind and Memory: Ashwagandha belongs to a sub-group of Rasayanas known as Medhya Rasayanas. Medhya Rasayanas promote intellect and memory.It has a Cognition Promoting Effect and is useful in children with memory deficit and in old age loss of memory(Singh, 1993).
6. Neurodegenerative Diseases: There are dozens of studies that show that Ashwagandha slows, stops, reverses or removes neuritic atrophy and synaptic loss. Therefore it has become a common treatment for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s diseases (Kuboyama, 2005).
7. Nerve Damage: MimickingGABA, Ashwagandha promotes formation of dendrites (the “fingers” at the end of nerves that communicate with other nerves).Its constituents and the metabolites of its constituents promote the growth of nerves after taking it for 7 days.
8. Energy– Known as “Indian Ginseng,”used as a general tonic, it promotes energy and improves health and longevity. It has anxiolytic effect and improves energy levels and mitochondrial health.
9. Reproductive Health: It improves the function of the reproductive system promoting a healthy sexual and reproductive balance. It also acts as a stimulant and increases the sperm count.
10. Immunity: Ashwagandha improves the body’s defense against disease by improving the cell-mediated immunity. It is also regarded as a promising anti-bacterial agent.
11. Anti-Ageing: Possessing potent antioxidant properties it helps protect against cellular damage caused by free radicals.
12. Anti-Inflammatory: Can be taken orally to fight internal inflammation or made into a paste of crushed roots mixed with water and applied to effectively reduce joint inflammation or other swelling.
13. Anti-Arthritic: Ashwagandha is used as ananalgesic that soothes nervous system from pain response giving it powerful anti-arthritic properties. It has been found useful in clinical cases of Rheumatoid and Osteoarthritis.

As a population we all suffer from stress, and therefore could all benefit from taking Ashwagandha. Plus, with so many other awesome benefits, why not?

This little known herb regulates diabetes and makes ulcers a thing of the past!!! Try this recipe at home

This little known herb regulates diabetes and makes ulcers a thing of the past!!! Try this recipe at home

Tulsi tea is made from the Ayurvedic herb tulsi or also called "holy basil."  It is native to India where it is valued as an energizing beverage and sacred plant.  Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) is a distant cousin to "culinary basil" but is an entirely unique species with different medicinal properties.

Revered for its remarkable healing qualities, holy basil has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years and is one of India's most cherished plants.
"The Hindu scriptures instruct us to look upon tulsi not as a mere plant, but as the divine representative of the God Vishnu or of Lord Krishna."  Yash Rai
More frequently consumed in India than coffee, holy basil or tulsi tea is an energizing drink that is used in Ayurveda to treat lung and heart problems, digestive disorders, mental fog, colds, headaches and inflammation.
Tulsi benefits to health are comparable to some of the Chinese tonics, like gynostemma, or other herbs like gotu kola and ginkgo.

What Does Tulsi Tea Taste Like?

The flavor of tulsi is uniquely spiced, resembling a blend of mint, licorice and clove. The leaves of holy basil contain essential oils that contribute to the fragrance and refreshing flavor.

Tulsi tea is made from the leaves of the plant. The most traditional way to prepare it is to infuse the fresh leaf, dried leaf or powder in hot water much the same way you would the previously mentioned herbs.
It can be served as an iced tea or as a hot tea by itself or with other herbs and spices.  In India it is also used in ghee or clarified butter.  Further below we will share our tulsi tea recipe, but first let's discuss the health promoting elements of this renowned leafy herb.

Holy Basil Benefits

The properties of holy basil or Ocimum sanctum are antiviral, adaptogenic, immune modulating and antibacterial, specifically working with the digestive, respiratory and nervous systems.

Tulsi Benefits as an Adaptogen

Tulsi is known as an adaptogen and contains many phyto-chemicals that act synergistically to promote the bodies natural defense mechanisms toward disease and stress.
Adaptogens help to counteract the negative effects of stress, support the body's natural immune response and help to normalize organ functions.  Tulsi does this by nourishing the nervous system in much the same way that other triterpenoid containing adaptogens do, like ginseng, eleuthero and reishi.

Tulsi has a natural energizing effect on the body, although it contains no caffeine and is considered an herbal stimulant.  Interestingly, when you brew the tea some varieties actually turn a dark brown color similar to that of coffee.  Some say it is actually a good substitute for coffee or caffeinated teas for those trying to reduce their consumption. 

"Tulsi can be combined with other cerebral stimulants such as rosemary, bacopa, and ginkgo to help people with menopausal cloudy thinking, poor memory, attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and to speed up recovery from head trauma."   David Winston and Steven Maimes from the book Adaptogens

Immune Modulator and Respiratory Tonic

"It contains hundreds of beneficial compounds known as phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are non-nutritive plant compounds containing protective and health promoting properties."  Dr. Mercola

Holy basil benefits as an adaptogen make it a powerful immune modulator, balancing and strengthening the immune response of the body in fighting antigens such as bacteria, viruses, microbes and allergens. 
It can be taken to both assist and prevent upper respiratory viruses like colds or flus.  It is an expectorant herb with a special affinity for the lungs and has been long used for bronchitis as well as pulmonary weakness.
Taken over a period of time it can have a beneficial effect on asthma and has also been shown to be helpful in relieving allergies and seasonal hay fever symptoms.
Tulsi tea contains a rich amount of bio-available antioxidants that help to boost the immune system and protect the cells from the damaging effects of free radicals, shielding the cell structure from "germs" and other foreign invaders that threaten our health.

Anti-Inflammatory Benefits

"Holy basil is classified as a rasayana, an herb that nourishes a person’s growth to perfect health and promotes long life."   David Winston and Steve Maimes from the book Adaptogens

Holy basil has shown significant results as an anti-inflammatory in lab animal research.  "Several experimental studies have confirmed its anti-inflammatory properties and its role in modulation of both cellular and humeral immunity.  Recently its efficacy against inflammatory response, hepatic injury and gastric ulcer has been elucidated in animal studies."  PubMed study
In the book "Beyond Aspirin, Nature's Answer to Arthritis, Cancer and Alzheimer's Disease", it states that holy basil contains the phytonutrient ursolic acid which has been shown to have potential anti-inflammatory activity due to its "significant COX-2 inhibitory effect."
Tulsi benefits also include many other antioxidant, anti-inflammatory compounds, such as eugenol, rosmarinic acid and apigenin, according to "Natural Cancer Cures: The Definitive Guide to Using Dietary Supplements to Fight and Prevent Cancer."

Sacred Holy Basil Benefits

Ayurvedic physician Dr. Vasant Lad speaks of the plants effects on one's "energy field" and its traditionally viewed benefits as a "sattvic herb", helping to balance the chakra centers of the body.  It is known in India to be very useful for achieving mental clarity and meditative states, working energetically with both the heart and the mind to bestow bhakti or "love and devotion."  According to David Winston, author of "Adaptogens", it strengthens compassion, faith and clarity.
For this reason tulsi is similar to other tonics like reishi, shatavari and asparagus root for its ability to help bridge the heart-mind connection and is known to open one to greater feelings of love.

A Sacred Plant of the Hindu Religion

In the Hindu religion holy basil is revered as a sacred herb used in meditation, ritual and worship.  It is often symbolically planted outside each Hindu household or courtyard and the seeds are worn to honor the Hindu god Vishnu or Krishna. 
First documented in the Charak Samhita, an ancient Ayurvedic text written two thousand years ago, holy basil is classified as a "rasayana" and is known as an herb that expands happiness by promoting a youthful physical and mental state.  Rasayana herbs are adaptogens and are most effective when used on a regular basis.

Three Types of Tulsi Tea

1) Rama Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) or the Indian name:  Lakshmi tulasi - is the original version, widely cultivated around the world and is usually a short growing plant compared to other varieties.
2) Krishna Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) or the Indian name:  Krishna tulasi - this kind of tulsi often has a purple-tinged leaf, stem and flower.  It is stronger in flavor and is quite high in triterpene constituents.
3) Vana Tulsi (Ocimum gratissimum) - this is the native wild variety of tulsi that grows throughout India as well as parts of Asia and Africa.  It is known to be particularly high in eugenol.

When choosing high quality dried leaves for tulsi tea it is good to try to use all three varieties as they each have different health enhancing components.  There are some tulsi tea companies that use all three in their prepackaged tea bag blends.

Tulsi Benefits Help To:

• Enhance energy and physical stamina
• Stimulate the mind
• Balance cholesterol levels
• Support eye health
• Promote healthy metabolism
• Normalize blood sugar levels
• Relieve and protect from everyday stress
• Boost the immune system
• Heighten awareness and increase mental clarity

Other Tulsi Nutrients:

eugenol triterpenoids B-caryophyllene sesquiterpenes monoterpenes ascorbic acid carotene (vitamin A) rosmarinic acid

ursolic acid apigenin calcium iron selenium zinc manganese trace elements

Tulsi Tea Recipe

This tulsi tea recipe is particularly refreshing in the heat of summer as an iced cold beverage.  It has a lovely fragrance and blends particularly well with the other herbs used.
Dried tulsi leaf or powder is widely available in bulk quantities or sold as prepackaged teas.  We always use and support organic tulsi products for our own personal consumption.  There are some companies, like Herb Pharm, that also offer holy basil as a tinctured concentrate for ease and therapeutic use. 

Ingredients:

• 1 quart pure water
• 4T tulsi leaf or 2T powder
• 2T lemon grass
• 1T coriander seeds
• 1t anise seeds
• 1/4t vanilla powder or vanilla stevia
• 1/2t dried ginger root pieces or 1t fresh
• 1T coconut sugar or raw honey

Directions:

1. Infuse the above ingredients in boiling hot water for 20 minutes in a 1 quart jar with a lid.
2. Strain, then add sweeteners and vanilla. 
3. Drink as a hot cup of tea or serve iced. 
4. You can store in the refrigerator for several days.

You can add almond milk or other natural sweeteners.  Yacon syrup is particularly tasty in this tea.

Customize Your Own Holy Basil Tea Recipe

The more you use and drink tulsi tea the more you will become familiar with what herbs blend well with it.  We personally like to balance our herbal tea formulas with a spice of some kind to help drive in the medicinal qualities of the main herbs.   In this case we used ginger, but other herbs like cinnamon, long pepper, or cayenne, for example, also work. 
Tulsi also makes a great herbal addition to homemade kombucha.  Simply add 4 herbal tea bags of tulsi to your next kombucha recipe. 

 

16 moringa recipes you will absolutly love!!!

16 moringa recipes you will absolutly love!!!

 

Moringa Oleifera Recipes

Moringa Tea

There are a number of ways you can enjoy moringa tea.  You can use ½ to 1 teaspoon of dried Moringa leaves to a cup of water. If making the tea with fresh leaves, you can add 2 to 3 compound leaves to boiling water, cook the leaves briefly for a minute, then cover and let steep for 5 – 10 minutes.  Or you can put ½ tsp moringa powder into hot water, cover and let steep. .Add some lemon peel and a little sweetener of your choice, or play around with other combos. I really enjoy moringa/peppermint tea.

Superfood Moringa Smoothie

1 cup coconut milk (can use almond milk, rice milk, etc.)
1 tsp moringa powder or dried leaf  
½ tsp cinnamon
dash nutmeg     
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp cardamom (or two cardamom seeds pods)  ½ banana (fresh or frozen)
(can modify with other herbs, spices and superfoods like coriander, ginger, astragalus, etc.)
Blend and drink.

Moringa Leaf Sauce 

5 Tablespoons of Moringa leaf powder      
¼ cup of peanut butter
5 Tablespoons of oil, (vegetable, olive, or palm oil)             
1 Medium onion - chopped
1 quart of water        
Salt and pepper to taste
Red pepper or pepper flakes to taste

Add peanut butter and water and bring to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes on medium heat.  Add oil, Moringa leaf powder and chopped onion. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  (or you can wait to add Moringa powder until the last few minutes of cooking)  Add salt and pepper and red pepper to taste. Serve over rice or couscous and with vegetables.


Cooking The Leaves:

Moringa leaves can be cooked any way you would prepare spinach or collards or kale. One easy way to cook them is to steam 2 cups freshly picked leaves for just a few minutes in one cup water, seasoned with onion, vegan butter and sea salt. Vary or add other seasons according to your taste.  You can also parboil them for just a few minutes, then take them out and cool them down with cold water, squeeze the water out with your hands and toss them with some fresh cut tomatoes  and soy sauce for a salad.  Then pour a cup of moringa tea using the water you parboiled them in.


Cooking the Pods:

Young moringa oleifera tree pods are edible whole, with a delicate flavor like asparagus.

They can be used from the time they emerge from the flower cluster until they become too pulpy/woody to snap easily.  The largest ones usable will probably be 12 to 15 inches long and 1/4 inch in diameter.  At this stage of growth they can be prepared in many ways.  Here are a few:

1.  Cut the pods into one-inch lengths.  Add onion, vegan butter and salt.  Boil for ten minutes or until tender.

2. Steam the pods without seasonings, then marinade in a mixture of oil, vinegar, sea salt,pepper, garlic and parsley.

3. An acceptable "mock asparagus" soup can be made by boiling the cut pods until tender, seasoned with onion. Add vegan milk (soy, rice, almond), thicken and season to taste.

Even if the pods pass the stage where they snap easily they can still be used.  You can cut them into three-inch lengths, boil until tender (about 15 minutes), and eat as you would artichokes.  Or you can scrape the pods to remove the woody outer fibers before cooking.


Cooking the Peas:

Seeds, or "peas," can be used from the time they begin to form until they begin to turn yellow and their shells begin to harden. Only experience can tell you at what stage to harvest the pods for their peas.

To open the pod, take it in both hands and twist. With your thumbnail slit open the pod along the line that appears. Remove the peas with their soft winged shells intact and as much soft white flesh as you can by scraping the inside of the pod with the side of a spoon. Place the peas and flesh in a strainer and wash well to remove the sticky, bitter film that coats them. (Or better still, blanch them for a few minutes, then pour off the water before boiling again in fresh water). Now they are ready to use in any recipe you would use for green peas. They can be boiled as they are, seasoned with onion, vegan butter and sea salt, much the same as the leaves and young pods. They can be cooked with rice as you would any bean.  The more mature the seeds, the more potent they are so you wouldn't want to eat too many at a time at their more mature stages.

In India the peas are prepared similar to this:

12-15 moringa tree pods    1 medium onion, diced
4 cups grated coconut        2 vegan bouillon cubes
2 inches ginger root           4 Tblsp. oil
1 clove garlic                  
salt, pepper to taste

Blanch both peas and pods flesh, drain.  Remove milk from 2 1/2 cups grated coconut by squeezing water through it two or three times.  Crush ginger root and garlic, save half for later. Mix peas, flesh, coconut milk, ginger and garlic together with onion, bouillon cubes (or 1 tsp miso paste), oil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until the peas are soft, about 20 minutes. Fry remaining coconut until brown. Fry remaining half of crushed ginger root and garlic in 2 Tblsp. oil. Add coconut, ginger, garlic to first mixture, heat through. Serves six.

The Flowers

Caution: Moringa flowers can act as an abortifacient so do not use in pregnancy.  The flower buds and blossoms should be cooked before consuming. They can be made into a tea, as well as fried by themselves or battered and fried. To make a tea, boil water, then place a cluster of flowers to steep in it for about 5 minutes.  Add a little sugar or stevia as desired.  The flowers can be used as a natural pesticide, as insects and other pests are repelled by the flower essence.


Moringa Soup (my favorite moringa recipe - Thanks Mom!)

Here is a basic recipe, which can be modified according to taste and availability:

Piece of Ginger root, sliced
Garlic, 1 or 2 cloves or to taste
Moringa, fresh, four cups (or more or less according to taste and availability).
NOTE:  Frozen Moringa can be substituted.  I’ve seen it available at an Asian Market. 
Because I’m vegan . . . vegan chicken, pork, or tofu, 8 oz – 16 oz, depending on the number of people you are serving   (figure adding 4 oz per person)
Tomato, 1 or 2 large, diced
Pure water, enough to cover ingredients. or more for extra broth
Pinch salt and pepper, or to taste

Preparation: Put all ingredients but the Moringa in a pot and let simmer for 20 minutes.  Add the Moringa after 20 minutes, and let simmer for another couple minutes, until Moringa is bright green.  Soup is now ready to serve.  The soup can be eaten as is or served over brown or white rice, with the soup juice poured over the top of the rice for flavor.
Once you try the basic soup, you can experiment with adding other ingredients for variety, like onions, other vegetables, vegan soup broth or other spices, different vegan meats, etc.

The following alternative recipe was shared by Monalina who grew up in the Philippines and moringa is one vegetable that she always had once or twice a week. Here is one of her favorite recipes. Thanks Monalina!

2-3 cups fresh moringa leaves
I cup cubed butter squash
1 cup cubed sweet potato
2 tbsp canola or olive oil or  virgin coconut oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
I medium chopped onion
Garlic salt or salt to taste

Preparation: Saute  onion, garlic and ginger all together until  golden brown, Add the butter squash and sweet potato,stir it for 1 min, Add 2 cups of water, cover  and simmer for at least 15 minutes.. Season with garlic salt or salt.  Stir in the moringa and let it cook for 2 minutes.  Serve on top of cooked rice and enjoy!!

Fresh Moringa Leaf and Beans 

Use this as a tasty side dish with any compatible entrée. 
1 cup of beans, mongo beans are used in the Philippines but you may substitute, baby limas, red beans or pintos.

2-3 cups of water                                  2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 small onion                                        1 medium tomato
1 cup fresh Moringa leaves                    Salt and pepper to taste.

Boil the beans until tender. While the beans are boiling, sauté the onions, garlic and tomato. When beans are tender add the tomato, onion, garlic to the beans. Strip the Moringa leaves from the stems, remove any excess stems from the leaves. Add fresh Moringa leaves. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Moringa Soufflé

This is an excellent side dish for most any entrée.  Quick and easy.

16 oz of fresh Moringa                          1 cup of vegan or soy Sour Cream       
1 Package of Lipton’s Dried Onion Soup Mix (or portion thereof, to taste)

Wash the moringa and squeeze out excess water. Remove any excess stems. Mix with sour cream and the soup mix. Add more sour cream if you like a creamier consistency. Lightly oil a baking dish and use spatula to put mixture in the dish. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Serves four.   

Moringa Leaves Gulay

1 cup coconut milk diluted with 1 cup water
1 cup tofu
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
1/8 tsp. sea salt
6 cup moringa leaves, washed
4 pieces chili peppers, crushed

Preparation:  Boil coconut milk, tofu, garlic and onion for 10 minutes.  Season with salt, stirring the mixture continuously.  Add moringa leaves and crushed chili peppers.  Cook 5 minutes longer.  Serve hot.  Serves 6.

Tofu Suam

2 Tblsp. vegetable oil                  1-1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. minced garlic                      5 cup water
2 Tblsp. sliced onion                    1 lb. tofu cubed
1 Tblsp. ginger, cut into strips      2 cup moringa leaves, washed

Preparation: Sautee garlic, onion and ginger in shortening, in large fry pan. Add sea salt and water. Bring to a boil, and add tofu. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer. Serve at once, Serves 6.

Mung Bean Stew

4 Tblsp. vegetable oil                1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup miso broth                    4-1/4 tsp. sea salt
2 T sliced onion                        3 cups water   
1/2 cup sliced tomatoes              dash of pepper
3 cup moringa leaves, washed
1 cup dried mung bean, boiled

Preparation: Sautee garlic, onion and tomatoes in large fry pan. Cover and cook 3 minutes. Add mung bean, miso broth and water. Cover and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, then add moringa leaves and cook 5 minutes longer. Serves 6.

Sautéed Moringa Pods

Ingredients:

2 cup fresh moringa pods                    2 Tblsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. minced garlic                             1 tsp. sea salt
2 T. sliced onion                                 1 cup fresh lima or butter bean seeds, peeled
1/2 cup sliced tomatoes                        1 cup green cowpea or yard-long bean pods cut into 1-1/2" lengths and sliced                                                             lengthwise


Preparation: Cut moringa pods lengthwise into 4 pieces. Slice white pulp including tender seeds. Discard outer covering. Cut pulp into 1-1/2 inch lengths. Sautee garlic, onion, and tomatoes.
Cover, and cook 2 minutes. Season with sea salt. Add lima or butter beans, and cook 3 minutes. Add moringa pulp and cowpea or yard-long bean. Cover, and cook 10 minutes.  Serves 6.

Vegetarian Moringa Jambalaya 

1 cup rice                                                    
1 onion, chopped                                         1 carrot, sliced thinly
3 Tblsp. oil 1 green pepper, sliced thinly         1/2 cup moringa leaves
1 cup peas or  green beans                           1 Tblsp. finely chopped celery
3/4 cup tomatoes, chopped                          3 cup water

Preparation: Wash rice and soak in small bowl for 1 hour, then drain. Fry onion in cooking oil until tender, but not brown. Set aside. Add tomatoes. When boiling, stir in rice slowly on low fire. When rice is half cooked add the other ingredients. Cover tightly and cook slowly. Serve hot with sliced papaya.  Seves 6.


Corn with Moringa Leaves

2 cup grated young corn                 1 small sponge gourd (luffa) or zucchini
2 cloves garlic                                 1 cup moringa leaves
1 head onion                                   1-1/2 tsp all purpose seasoning
3 cup water salt to taste

Preparation: Sautee garlic and onion in medium fry pan. Add water and let it boil. Then add the corn, stirring often to avoid burning. When cooked, add the gourd and moringa.

Vegetable Delight

1 cup pure coconut milk                              1 small pc ginger
1/3 cup pure coconut milk reserve                3 pcs bell pepper, green & red, quartered
1/2 cup moringa leaves                               1-2 Tblsp. cooking oil
1 onion bulb, sliced                                     1 head garlic, crushed                    
1 tsp. crushed black pepper                          3 tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup peas                                              8-10 string beans beans, quartered or 1 cup cubed yellow sweet potato

Preparation: Sautee garlic in oil until brown. Add onion. Transfer to unglazed cooking pot, then add 1 cup pure coconut milk, peas, yellow sweet potato and ginger. Boil until half done. Add bell peppers and tomatoes. Season with salt and crushed pepper. Add the rest of the coconut milk and moringa. Boil for 5 minutes, and serve.