Tuesdays with a Twist #236

Good Morning and welcome to another No Rules Party!

Mary's 2017 Planting Guide for the US is now LIVE!

My OCTOBER PLANTING GUIDE is also available

I've been busy learning and sharing about SOIL.  Find out more below!

About Healthy Soil

Are you ready for the party?   We're your hosts 

Mary @ Back to the Basics

Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Angie @ God's Growing Garden

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The party starts every Tuesday at 7am EST and will continue until Saturday at 11:59am.  Feel free to stop back any time and "like" your favorites.  Please visit other blogs if you have a moment. 

Share older posts as well as new ones.  No limit on links!

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 (with proper link backs) in our features.   And now for the party!

Make Your Own Herbal Remedies

Mary's Heirloom Seeds Quick Links Seed Combo Packs BACK TO BASICS HOMESTEAD PACK FALL GARDEN COMBO PACK FALL GARDEN SUPER PACK FREE SEEDS with purchase of Coconut Coir pellets Coconut Coir Pellets   Seed Starting SUPPLIES Organic Plant Food Organic Pest Control Heirloom BEANS   Heirloom BEETS Heirloom CABBAGE Heirloom CARROTS   Heirloom CORN    Heirloom CUCUMBERS Heirloom EGGPLANT Heirloom GREENS Heirloom ONIONS   Heirloom PEAS   Heirloom PEPPERS  Heirloom RADISH  Heirloom SEEDS Heirloom SQUASH & PUMPKIN Heirloom TOMATOES HERB Seeds Organic Wildflowers Seed Pack Combos FRUIT: Berry Seeds Melon Seeds Watermelon Seeds  SPROUTS DIY Tincture Kits MARY'S GARDEN NECKLACES Order Online and we SHIP! All of the seeds listed are open-pollinated, non-gmo & non-hybrid, non-patented,  untreated, heirloom garden seeds. Mary has signed the Safe Seed pledge.  $10 Order Minimum on all seed orders Join Our List October 29, 2017 We've been busy in the gardens and creating in the kitchen.  We had a special request made on our faceook page to bring back a few of our DIY Tincture Kits starters.  These make fantastic gifts. After sharing about the new kits we had a few questions about how to make tinctures. Below you'll find the basic info as well as links to articles and tutorials we've shared on our website over the years.  Enjoy!!! Getting Started with Herbal Remedies  There are many ways to use herbs for medicinal purposes and one of the is in a tincture. Other uses include consuming in food, salves, herbal vinegar and herbal oils, teas and even syrup. I thought I would start with Tinctures because it is quite simple and easy to use. There are 2 important components to your herbal tincture: Herbal material and menstruum Our DIY Organic Tincture Kits include everything but the liquid! What is Menstruum? Definition: a substance that dissolves a solid or holds it in suspension : solvent Types of Menstruum is general vodka, when making a true herbal tincture. Vinegar can be used, it can be safer than alcohol, but is less effective at leaching out the medicinal components of the plant. When tincturing dried herbs, water is sometimes mixed with the vodka or alcohol. When tincturing fresh herbs, I always use high-proof alcohol. An herbal tincture is simply an herbal extract. Herbal remedies have been used throughout history to treat illnesses and ailments without "modern medicine" and pharmacueticals. Tinctures are easy to make, home remedies. If properly prepared and stored, your tincture will last indefinitely.     How long will an Herbal Tincture last? First, if you choose to use Vinegar, Apple Cider vinegar or Vegetable glycerin, your tincture will have a shelf life of approximately 6-8 months. All tinctures should be stored in a cool, dry, dark place. A kitchen cabinet away from the oven or stove works perfect. According to my research, properly made tinctures with high-proof alcohol do not go bad. Again, if prepared and stored properly. A few of my favorites: Cayenne, Feverfew, Chamomile and Thai Holy Basil CONTINUE READING     Did you enjoy our tutorial on how to make your own Calendula Infused Oil?   At Mary's Heirloom Seeds we offer 3 different options to get your Calendula adventure started! Calendula Seeds Organic dried Calendula Flowers DIY Organic Calendula Infusion Kit   HERBAL STARTER KITS  HERBAL REMEDY KIT-2       HERBAL REMEDY KIT-3     HERBAL REMEDY KIT 4   Make Your Own herbal Remedies & SAVE      Why DIY Tinctures? If you look at your local "health food store" you will find tinctures.  Most are $10-$40 per ounce.  Online it is the same story plus shipping.       Pictured is a special "kit" I put together to get started on your tincture. Our DIY Tincture Kits include  1-32 ounce glass jar with lid, 1- 2 ounce Amber bottle with dropper top, 2 customizeable labels, 1 ounce of Organic Herb of your choice (additional herbs available) and Details Instructions Let's do the math Tincture Kit from Mary's Shop $15.75 Priority mail shipping $7.99 24 ounces (3 cups) of 100 proof vodka (approx)  $6.91 Total spent for 24 ounces of Tincture  $30.65 Homemade: Total spent for 2 ounces $2.55 Online store selling 1 ounce of Chamomile Tincture  $11.00 Shipping $4 Store-Bought: Total for 2 ounces: $26 HUGE savings!!!  Plus, with the Tincture Kit you have the Jar, Strainer top and detailed Instructions to make more! CONTINUE READING DIY HERBAL TINCTURE TINCTURE RECIPES ELDERBERRY SYRUP RECIPE     THAI HOLY BASIL RECIPE    FEVERFEW RECIPE   "ALLERGY" HERB MIX TINCTURE     GINGER TINCTURE RECIPE    ECHINACEA TINCTURE RECIPE   CLICK HERE for more recipes and tutorials    If you have additional questions please feel free to ask.  Happy Planting, Mary Mary's Heirloom Seeds

Mary's Heirloom Seeds, P. O. Box 3763, Ramona, CA 92065

15 Survival Seeds You Need to Stockpile

TIP: Stocking up on seeds for SHTF only works if you're actively growing and rotating seeds!

Please don't fall for the "lasts indefinitely" claim from most survival seed companies. Seeds most definitely have a shelf life (even in mylar bags). No one grows a perfect garden every year so if you're planning on growing, PRACTICE is essential.

We have been asked many time if we plan on offering a "survival seed pack" but it's just not something we want to encourage.  We do however offer several Seed Combo packs as well as a Back to Basics Homestead pack.

There are many reason to be prepared and not all of them are a complete collapse of our system.  Sickness, loss of a job or a reduction in wages are just a few very personal reasons to prepare for the unexpected.  

Being prepared doesn't necessarily need to be for TEOTWAWKI (the end of the world as we know it).

As we mentioned in Food Security & Insecurities in the US

Reasons for Food Insecurities include

Job Loss

Sickness

Rising food costs

Crop failure due to Weather or Water Shortage

Farm labor shortage

Interruptions in transportation of food

Civil unrest

Natural Disasters, as we've seen in recent months, are another VERY important reasons to be prepared.  Due to our aging infrastructure and roadways, emergencies can stall the delivery of goods, leaving a community without food for a given period of time.  While the recent hurricanes and wildfires have wiped out many people's gardens, their gardening experience cannot be taken away.

Getting Started

-Find out what grows best in your area and when to plant for your region.

Our Planting Guide for the US is a great resource

-How much space do you have for growing and is it adequate for feeding your group

*I'm working on a plant spacing article so we'll update this article soon*

-How many plants and varieties do you need to sustain yourself and/or your group

Read Feeding A Family from the Garden

-If you're newer to Growing, it might be a good idea to start with easier varieties.  Stock up on all of the food varieties that you eat but start planting the easy ones.

Read 9 Easiest Vegetables to Grow from Seed to Harvest

-Timing is everything!  If you're in a very HOT climate, usually summer is not the time to plant.  If you're in a cool or cold climate, it is best to plant indoors to get a jump on planting season and/or provide a greenhouse to extend your growing season.

Our Planting Guide for the US is a great resource

-Learn to Save Seeds! 
FIRST and most important: Seed Saving from your own harvest is preferred. Store bought produce can be GMO or even hybrid. Even organic store bought can be hybrid.  Hybrid seeds can be sterile and will not produce true offspring from saved seeds.
Open-pollinated, heirloom seeds will grow seeds that can be saved and re-planted year after year.
Read Seed Saving Part 1 

Don't Wait until it's Too Late

As we mentioned above, 

"No one grows a perfect garden every year so if you're planning on growing, PRACTICE is essential."

Learn to grow the foods that you eat regularly.  Canning and preserving those foods would be the next step in being more self-reliant.  You'll find that growing food takes a bit of patience and knowledge of soil, sun and water.  If you have clay soil you mid need to amend with compost.  If you have rocky soil you may need to grow in raised beds.  These are things you'll learn as you grow. 

We offer 3 new videos about using Compost and Manure to amend your soil and these resources are FREE!

Getting Started with Manure in the Garden

How to Use Manure in the Garden

Composting Basics with Mary

SEEDS!  

Beans - Easy to grow and preserve. Beans are very high in fiber, calcium, Vitamins A, C, and K

Spinach -  Cold hardy and prolific. Many call this a superfood based upon its large array of vitamins such as Vitamin A, C, iron, thiamine, thiamine, and folic acid.
Potassium

Carrots - Another hardy crop that requires very little space. This root crop is a good source of carbohydrates, vitamin A, vitamin C

Squash - Both squash and pumpkin are prolific producers.  Both store well, especially winter squash. Seeds can be saved and/or roasted and consumed. Squash has lots of carbohydrates and a great nutrient list, including Vitamins A and C, as well as magnesium and potassium.

Allium varieties - This includes Onions, shallots, Leeks and garlic.  A good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, folate and potassium.

Beets - Easy to grow and multi-functional.  Both roots and greens are edible making beets a dual purpose crop.

Tomatoes - If you can keep your pest issues to a minimum, tomatoes can produce an abundance of food from a relatively small space. Tomatoes are a good source of Vitamin A, C, K, E, Potassium, thiamine, and Niacin

Broccoli - Another cool weather crop. Broccoli is a good source of protein, Vitamins A and K, and carbohydrates

Peppers - From a medicinal view, peppers such as cayenne are essential for natural remedies. Peppers are high in vitamin A and C

Eggplant - Not something most people would think to grow but still an important one.  Eggplant is relatively easy to grow and can grow for 3 or more years.  Bonus, it's pretty easy to save seeds from Eggplant

Asparagus - An essential perennial. Depending on your region, established Asparagus plants can continue to produce for 30 years (some report for longer)

Amaranth - Another dual purpose plant.  Amaranth is naturally drought tolerant.  Seeds from the amaranth can be used as a grain (cook just as you would quinoa).  Leaves can be picked while young and tender and eaten raw or suateed as you would spinach. 

Radish - If you need a FAST maturing crop, radish is one of the best.  From seed to harvest, radish is mature in as few as 25 days.  Seeds are easy to save from crops and just as easy to stockpile.

Corn - I know I mention grain below but Corn deserves a specific mention.  While corn might not be the easiest crop to grow, it has many uses.  Most people automatically think of Sweet Corn.  However, Dent Corn & Field Corn are important.  Both can be dried and fed to livestock.  It can also be dried and ground into cornmeal. 

Grains - If you have livestock on your homestead, grains can help feed them.  Grains are a good source of carbohydrates, are high in dietary fiber and manganese

EXTRAS

HERBS: Natural pest control can be obtained thru companion planting with herbs. If you're planning on making your own herbal remedies, medicinal herbs are a must.

Read COMPANION PLANTING

See our Flower Power Combo, Homesteaders Herb Combo & Homesteaders Herbal SUPER Combo

FLOWERS: Do not underestimate flower power!  We use many flowers planted throughout our garden for companion planting and to attract bees for pollination.  Most common flowers we use are Borage, PurpleConeflower, Marigolds, Nasturtium, Plains Coreopsis, Cornflower, Yarrow, SUNFLOWERS and Calendula

Potatoes - *Keep in mind, seed potatoes do not keep.* You must continually replentish your stock from your own crops (or Mary's Heirloom Seeds as long as we have internet). Potatoes are a staple diet of many of the world’s peoples, especially those in the west. The contain potassium, copper and B6 and are really good to ‘fill you up’ at mealtime. They are also usually pretty easy to grow, although some varieties are very disease prone. 

I hope you have enjoyed another educational article.  If you have additional questions, please leave a comment below or send an email to mary@marysheirloomseeds.com

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