Hey all,
A Brief, Effective History of Organic Agriculture Part I: Foundations of Modern Organic and Sustainable Agriculture
http://www.organicandurban.com/foundations-of-modern-organic-and-sustainable-agriculture/
Look for Part II tomorrow or Friday; Biodynamics and Rudolf Steiner. As well as tons of post this weekend as I will be attending the North American Biodynamic Conference.
spencer's boy
master composter, worm translator, urban advocate, organic pioneer ...
“Soil rich in humus and organic matter is a critical part of the solution to water shortage problems.”
— malcolm beck
Mysterious Honey Discovered That Kills All Bacteria Scientists Throw At It ➔
Bees feeding off tea trees native to New Zealand, produce a type of honey that’s known as “Jelly Bush Honey” in Australia and “Manuka Honey” in New Zealand. Now, scientists at the University of Sydney’s School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences have found this particular type of honey has some amazing curative properties.
Until now, Manuka Honey has been sold in health food stores as a natural medicine. That is probably about to change. New research has shown the honey kills every type of bacteria scientists have thrown at it, including the antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs’ plaguing hospitals and killing patients around the world.
Professor Dee Carter is one of the research team that made the discovery. She said a compound in the honey called methylglyoxal is the key ingredient to the effectiveness of the honey. However, methylglyoxal on its own is toxic but when it combines with what are, as yet, unknown compounds it causes “multi-system failure” in bacteria.
Manuka Honey Unique to New Zealand
Honey bees collect nectar from Manuka bushes (also known as Tea Trees) which grow in remote areas of New Zealand. According to Manuka Health the discovery of the anti-bacterial properties of methylglyoxal was made by Professor Thomas Henle at the University of Dresden, Germany.
The curative properties of various types of honey have been known to indigenous cultures for thousands of years, and dressing wounds with honey was common before the advent of antibiotics.
Oh, my. I’ve noticed this on the shelves at various natural foods shops. Will be buying some tomorrow.
(via yarrowandyew)
Video Clips on Organic Weed Management
Organic weed management: videos.
Also, take your time to browse through extension.org - it is quite the find for all things agriculture/farming.
In 2001, Nova Scotian Rick Simpson discovered that a cancerous spot on his skin disappeared within a few days of applying an essential oil made from marijuana. Since then, Simpson and others have treated thousands of cancer patients with incredible success. Researchers in Spain have confirmed that THC, an active compound in marijuana, kills brain-tumor cells in human subjects and shows promise with breast, pancreatic and liver tumors. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, however, classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug, meaning that it has no accepted medical use, unlike Schedule II drugs, like cocaine and methamphetamine, which may provide medical benefits.
(Source: satans-advocate, via blackgirlphresh)
Kombucha for kids?
If my math is correct I’m pleased to know my kids are getting less than 1 tsp of sugar per 4 oz. (half cup) kombucha serving. A half cup is all I want them to drink on a typical day. That’s not bad at all, less than a tsp. Compare that to fruit juice or any other sweetened beverage on the market. Kombucha rules for kids.
“outside is the new black. natural rhythms flow like the breeze across the water.”
— maurice small
Felicia “Snoop” Pearson, an actress from The Wire, was arrested yesterday in a bust that detained more than 60 people from across Baltimore in connection with a large-scale marijuana and heroin operation. The press conference from the DEA eerily feels like it’s ripped directly from a Wire episode.
The creator of The Wire, David Simon, released a statement and it is a must read for anyone following our nation’s failed war on drugs.
check out the statement by david simon about “the other america”. sb
(via knucklecluck)
This is what organic farming looks like. Can you tell what’s missing from the photo?
Answer:
Petroleum (if you want to get nit-picky, yes, the plastic bins are made with petroleum but I’m talking about fuel, ok?) and all of the risks of ecological destruction during harvest, transportation and refinement, as well as fumes and air pollution from usage.
Chemical fertilizer which kills the microbes in the soil and creates an excess of certain nutrients and over time renders the soil useless for growing anything.
Pesticides and herbicides, which are toxic poisons to any living thing, including humans, killing of the beneficial living things as well as the pests. This includes the vital soil microbes which makes growing plants possible.
Large vehicles which compact the soil and tear up the ground. Tractors consume a toxic fuel which has to be brought in at great expense, hopefully unlike the humans.
(via nicolefaires)
(Source: disney.go.com, via katslima-deactivated20110409)
