GAC FRUIT VINE + ❍ SEEDS ❍ + Turtle from under the tree ( ,=,e )

Exotic fruit seeds

So We were stumbling around the internet and think We found a few new seed varieties that would be interesting to grow, some are cold hardy and ready for Canadian winters, while others are packed with nutritional /medicinal benefits and could range anywhere from subtropical to Native Canadian in climate. These are not your regular trees, and the fruit does not show up in your local grocer, Infact, you most likely will not even see these at your farmers market.

Our first newbie is the ■ Kaffir plum ■, while it tends to be more on the sour side, it carries many medicinal uses in dermatological ailments. Also, a unique wine cane be made from the berries.

Our second oddity is the » Raisin tree «
while this tree has more of an oriental background it has been proven to grow here in our Canadian climate, with recorded temps of down to -30c. The "raisins" range in taste from bitter to sweet, this all  depends on the lineage/ seed/ source budwood. It has been used as a hangover cure as well as way to reduce blood sugar levels.

Next.... ❚ Blue Sausgae fruit ❚!!, aka dead mans fingers, Another cold hardy fruit tree, this may be used as an ornamental considering the fruit is so vibrant in colour, but being it has deliciously sweet pulp its worth it for the view or the food.

✇Cassabanana✇ was just planted 2 days ago and its already sprouting!!, such a large interesting fruit we thought we would give it a shot, we will post picks of it growing, we're also thinking maybe a hydro bucket?.

Another new one is the ❍ purple apple berry vine ❍ A small Australian vine found in moist areas from south Wales to tasmania. All I can gather from from my research is the berries are edible, sweet, with a texture and shape like apples. I will update on the exact taste when it comes, for now, Im loving these Australian bush foods.

We have a few more we are starting from seed but I will save those for later, our last one of the day is the ▲ elephant apple ▲. While I have heard it can be an acquired taste, it has been said to be everything from sour and sweet to taste, and with the right amount of sugar, a very refreshing dish. As with most other bitter fruit, there tends to be health benefits, go figure right?.

Our new plant we just picked up is a  ☼ Gac fruit vine ☼. It is known as a superfruit in the health industry, well... maybe the tropical/Asian/ ayurvedic health industry. Im not sure its truly made the way over here other then in a few supplements. Gac fruit is so dense in nutrition it rivals most native fruits and vegetables, With over 70 times the lycopene content of tomatoes and beta carotene level's 10 times that of carrots, in fact, the highest levels of beta carotene in any fruit or vegetable, you can see why we should be consuming a little gac once and a while. While being nutritionally dense, they also carry many medicinal benefits. They have been used to boost the immune system, aid in coronary repair/strengthen eyesight, repair dermatological issues such as burns, psoriases and more, along with benefits to prostate and heart health. We are only listing the tip of the iceberg in what this wonder plant/fruit can do, and so we wish to pass this on to you, We will be taking cuttings once it grows out and will have them available as soon as possible

( we also need to nurse this one to health, as it did not arrive well 〈〈 spider mites, scale, and 1 mealy bug, its ok, there's nothing We cant handle organically ✔ 〉〉, but with a little care and good food We are starting to see it bounce back now).

Gac fruit vine

Turtle in Holland Landing

Colloidal Silver for agriculture

Take a sec to check out this mans blog, →very informative←,  He explains all about colloidal silver and its uses,
everything from washing your produce to killing blight on your tomatoes. very interesting read, I will be testing the idea this year. Thanks for all the info Steve!



Colloidal Silver Secrets: Using Colloidal Silver for Healthier Fruits and Ve...: Using Colloidal Silver for Healthier Fruits and Vegetables by Angela Kaelin Many grocery stores and chain supermarkets now sell organical...

Dragon fruits from seed ☐☐☐☐°°°°°°❚ ❚ ❚ ❚°°°°°°☐☐☐☐

Purple dragon fruit from seed

Here is a collection of our dragon fruits from seed, they seem to be growing at a reasonable pace, with the white dragon fruit under a fluorescent bulb growing the quickest. While I find the dragon fruit delicious, the white one is not my favorite, very little sweet taste, almost bland ( I'm sure fresh off the plant comes into play but only so far when in comparison to other dragon fruits )  and to be honest,
I haven't even tried the purple/pink ones yet, but I tell ya, it will be hard to beat the yellow dragon fruit.
The yellow pitaya is so sweet, I find the taste similar to a table grape but 10x the punch, the seeds are an interesting addition, they have a little more crunch then kiwi seeds do.

We had to make multiple orders online as only a few varieties sprouted ( there were no specific variety names, just white dragon fruit, purple dragon fruit and the yellow one I bought from the store ).
We went through one supplier in Hawaii and nothing sprouted at all, I found it to be very suspicious as all my other seed packs sprouted quite easily, so after some researching We came across a post where someone said they irradiate most products coming out of Hawaii, We cant confirm this yet but be advised, Hawaii is already known for there GMO invaded island,  most people We know avoid food from there as its the playground for genetically engineered crops,
not to say We here in Canada aren't screwing around with this as well.

With the way this world is headed on GMO's, We figure its just a mater of time before they go after dragon fruits, so we've been in a scramble to collect all the species we can, in the hopes of preserving some original genetic material for future generations.

Yellow dragon fruit from seed

Purple dragon fruit

White dragon fruit from seed

White dragon fruit

Citrus from seed ☔☔☔☔ + ☼☼☼☼ = ⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘

Indian sweet lime + palestine sweet lime + sweet citrus

Today We bring you our collection of citrus started from seed, We have recently decided to take the gamble as we could not find these varieties available in bud or tree form, 
( at least in canada that is ). 
While we dont expect fruit for many years, we are more interested in searching for something unique/odd, however much of a long shot that might be. 
We decided to search of all places... EBAY! The only issue was,  you never know if what your getting is the real thing, and heck, you never know if your getting that thing at all ( we were robbed 50 some odd dollars and this was through paypal of all things )
This could all be chalked up to some crazy mix up with paypal, of which we will never know, but alas, it ruined the trust we had and no longer felt safe ordering from this supplier, its a shame too as they had other citrus seeds we wanted to purchase. Besides this unfortunate event we found many interesting varieties that made it through shipping and propagation, everything from red fleshed mikan oranges to red finger limes and giant etrogs + Indian sweet limes,  which we will discuss below.

The palestine sweet lime or indian sweet lime ( pic above ) was another easy citrus from seed, along with its high tolerance of salinity, drought, and concentrated foliar blends, its seems to be able to take anything we through at it. It has been getting fair sun but currently resides under the canopy of our moro blood orange tree. We are presently on a mission to acquire as many of the sweet limes and lemons as we can, as we find there taste absolutely dynamic, the sambo lemon being one of our favorites.

Red Finger lime (australiasica sanguinea )

Our finger limes that grew from seed are really taking off, what really plays with our head is that We hear of people in the states who's plants grow an inch in a year, while ours grew 10+ inches in 1 growing season, in Canada!, keep in mind its in a greenhouse at 20c+ year-round. With growing these from seed in all honesty were hoping for mutation/variation, 
Like Maria Anne Smith, (original cultivator of the granny smith apple), we're rolling the dice  .....⚁⚄ 
come on sweetheart daddy needs a new pair of genetics! 

Giant etrog

Here we have our giant etrog's, while these will not grow true from seed, we wanted a traditional celebration etrog, no collection is complete with out it 
( and there are many to choose ).
While we are not jewish, we tried to stick within all the boundaries  involved, ( why not right, when in rome Israel! ) We ended up ordering again off ebay becuase we stumbled across the most perfect link, this seller had a good rep, good feedback, and to add authentic flavour, they came from Israel!, even claim to be kosher non transgenic seeds. Can we get more authentic then that?, other then picking a seed from a rabi's hand this is pretty good. These trees have been the fastest growers of all the ones started from seed, and the most adaptable ( not to mention the most viable from seed ) the salty fish water that caused an issue with the mikan oranges seemed to only spur on vegetation with the etrog, ( go figure, tilapia water working with an etrog, next you'll hear us say Egyptian sand boosts citron production, lol who knows... lets try! )  We have also noticed that during experimental foliar applications they did not burn when others did.

This seller can be found at the following link - http://myworld.ebay.ca/jerushop

Etrog + citron

I will provide progress reports on health, fertilizer applications, pests, disease ( if any ), growth and hiccups of each variety listed

Fixing our failing school system.

Im glad this is being brought to light, I have felt this way for years, the school system has been flawed and most teachers seem unwilling to admit anything should be done, I don't discredit the idea of school,
education is key, but Im fed up with publicly funded (prison like) institutions who are to scared to make a change, even if 50 percent of there business model is failing. ( on top of things they want raises, extended vacations, and paid personal expenses increased every year or so, lol. Now, I have no problem paying taxes for any of these things providing the teachers are worth it and the system works, but if your failing the same amount year after year and not doing anything about it IMO you dont deserve anything, well.... maybe a wake up call. )

Its like this man said, they wont even listen to basic science/statistics/math or analyze/solve a problem, just keep repeating it over and over, and we pay for this as taxpayers, I say we because we are a just as much like the states in these terms as they are like us, North american standards.

At least people are talking about this, change is in the air, and while it seems every government  organization is falling apart, corruption abound and greed infested, there is an awakening happening,
things will get better.

Guess who stopped by ??? Nicole Benson!!

Nicole benson + organic food + raw food + recipes 

We had the pleasure the other day to meet this intelligent young lady ( Nicole Benson ), she stopped by for a few citrus trees and we got to talking.
Not only did we find out she's a certified nutritionist ( CNP and BA ) but a foodie with a recipe blog packed with mouth watering ideas.
After browsing just the first page we were hit with meals and ideas that would never have come to mind other wise, for example, I never knew you could eat the pith of a lemon, but after reading her blog and doing some research, turns out this is super healthy, so guess who's on board with that!,
Today was our first day experimenting with this and let me tell you, were all ready hooked!,
the taste is like a zingy super lemonade! and on a day with 25˚c weather it certainly hits the spot.

Lemon drink recipe  + apple drink + Nicole benson 

Our next one to try is the breakfast dish ( apple walnut breakfast bowl ) and then for a dinner ( coconut curry lentil soup )

We had such a good time making this dish and meeting Nicole we highly recommend checking out here blog and services.


KEEP THE DISHES COMING NICOLE!!

HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON!!


Nicole's blog- http://nourishedbodyinspiredsoul.com/

Coconut curry lentil soup + exotic recipe  +  healthy food

Lemon dill rice pasta salad + pasta salad + gluten free + new fresh salad recipe 

Photos courtesy of Nicole Benson

http://nourishedbodyinspiredsoul.com/

Dandelion tea

Dandelion flowers + tea

This actually turned out better then I thought, not only is this easy but tasty to, at least in my opinion. The flavour was similar to something like green been water, not that I know what green been water taste like.... ok.. ok, you caught me, I drink green been water, my secret is out,  naaa!! im just kidding, but when you taste it you'll know what I mean.

This recipe was only an infusion, but next time I will go for the blended mixture and see how she goes.

What I can say so far is, there is almost a sense of calm or well being I notice after drinking this tea, Im not sure what it is or whether its some type of placebo effect but I will investigate this further. 

The recipe was posted on Dandeliontea.org ( http://www.dandeliontea.org ). This site has everything to do with dandelions, very helpful, so if you haven't had a dandelion tea, what are you waiting for!!

Dandelion root

Dandelion leaves

Dandelion tea making

NEW CITRUS!! Limequat ( lakeland ) + American oil beetle

Limequat - Lakeland 

Its been a great week for us here, new shipment of citrus came in, We managed to get our hands on the lakeland limequat which I've been wanting for some time now. Whenever the limequats come around its usually the eustis, our normal supplier does not carry the lakeland so we were very lucky to find this one available. The next mission will be to source the tarvaes,  part of our goal is to locate old/odd varieties that the industry has neglected, often at times for the oddest reasons, but I digress.

We just added a new berry bush to our collection!! ( cherry red current ) and a rhubarb ( crimson cherry  ). 

It will be interesting to compare the two rhubarbs we have ( Canada red + crimson cherry ) as when I was growing up I never knew there was more then one type.

I stumbled across this little guy the other day ( american oil beetle ), this is the first time I've seen one, very strange looking thing, almost seemed to stop and watch me as I brought the camera closer, his colour was the most vibrant blue with almost an iridescence as it stumbled quickly along the grass.

American oil beetle

Work has begun on the new greenhouse, pathways have been mulched, hydroponic tomato system is being setup, display racks are full, plants are potted up and most are ready for sale!!.

and to top it all off, we have a week/two of 20c+ weather!. Cant beat that in spring, especially for Canada.

This coming week we will be placing an order with our new sub-tropical fruit tree supplier, as well as sourcing an organic fertilizer we can start to sell + work on our rabbit/chicken shelter. 

Spring is never a boring time round here.

Lakeland Limequat

Oil beetle

American oil beetle + parasitoid