permaculture

[Robyn Williamson <rz.williamson@optusnet.com.au>]

On Monday, September 20, 2004, at 03:38 am, Steve Diver wrote:

> I don't have a copy of Mollison's book on fermentation, maybe
> it has some of this stuff in their already.

Hi Steve, I have it here:

MILLET, SORGHUM, MAIZE & RICE (all grass seeds)
Chapter Three, The Grains of Mollison's "The Permaculture Book of 
Ferment & Human Nutrition" [pp 43-59] includes the minor grains 
(+millet but it's a different  species, Eragrostis tef).  It contains 
extensive information and recipes for processing grains (you can make 
beer with all of them), also Chapter 4 The Legumes (eg. BEANS - 
bean/pea/wattle seeds) esp 4.6 The Sprouting of Grains and Grain 
Legumes (Page 80) contains detail of methods and recipe for a 
nutritious high-protein flour made from a combination of sprouted 
grains and grain legumes.

> Another item in my archives, somewhere, is an ethnological
> study of Korean villagers and how they make kimchee in
> crock pots that you bury in the earth and dig up months
> and months later.

p 117 has recipes and method for Kim Chee, another version on p 157 
uses Gracilaria seaweed instead of cabbage leaf and is "ripened" a few 
days in the refrigerator.

> A related grain topic on my mind is the production and use
> of edible sorghum.   It is a staple cereal grain in many African
> countries.  Sorghum is used in the kunu recipe.

On p 57-58 are some uses for sorghum incl.  porridge.  "Sorghum lacks 
gluten and is not suited to yeast breads.  Use soda for breads made 
from sorghum flour."

DIGITALIS

Yes Lawrence, D. exilis is related to foxglove D. purpurea, same family 
and genus.  Theoretically, they could be cross-pollinated to produce 
another variety or a "new" hybrid or species, that is over time, if 
they are not made sterile in the process and if they don't revert in 
the next generation(s).

Digitalis is a bisexual flowering plant (pollinated by bees) and all 
the other ingredients above are grass seeds (pollinated by wind).  Are 
the seeds of Digitalis used in the recipe for Kunu?  or the leaves?

There is nothing in Bill Mollison's book about Digitalis.  There's 
undoubtedly more recent advances, but my reference here (William A.R. 
Thomson's "Healing Plants" 1974) says that Digitalis is the only 
medicinal molecule that can't be synthesised and it is still widely 
grown in industrialised countries for its leaves which are used in 
heart medicines.  Different species such as woolly foxglove, Digitalis 
lanata are grown in the Mediterranean for climatic reasons.  I don't 
have any information on  D. exilis but I am guessing it is the Nigerian 
(?) equivalent of the foxglove.  The active principles of Digitalis are 
found in the leaves, not the flowers or seeds.

Hope this helps, Robyn

CONTACT DETAILS:

Robyn Williamson
PDC, Urban Horticulturist
Hon Sec, Fagan Park Community Eco Garden Committee
Local Seed Network Coordinator
NORTH WESTERN SYDNEY COMMUNITY SEED SAVERS
ph/fx:  (612) 9629 3560
email:  rz.williamson@optusnet.com.au
http://www.communityfoods.com.au
http://www.au.gardenweb.com/directory/fpceg
http://www.seedsavers.net