The Living Clock

Book Review

The Living Clock, The Orchestrator of Biological Rhythms, by John D. Palmer, published by Oxford University 2002.

Gardeners and nature enthusiasts will find lots of interesting and entertaining reading in the initial chapters. The author is a scientist who knows how to write and has a sense of humor. I especially enjoyed chapter 1, which discussed rhythms found in several pretty amazing single celled creatures. This discussion is picked back up again in chapter 5. Chapter 8 will fascinate gardeners with very interesting findings about plant movement. Day and night length triggers for plant growth and flowering is also discussed. You may actually be surprised about what has been found.

There are chapters devoted to human concerns, such as jet lag. Medications and lab tests that work better at different times of day are also discussed, as well as basic human rhythms. Some of the research results explored are not commonly reported and were definitely new information to me.

Palmer goes on, in a few more chapters, to talk about rhythms in animals and in shore dwellers. It is all quite fascinating and his sense of humor is refreshing. But the honeymoon is over at the end of chapter 8.

Chapter 9 made me think of young bullies I knew as a child. You know the ones I am talking about. Those deranged children that torture small animals for their own pleasure and to intimidate and traumatize those around them. “Hey, let’s shove a firecracker down this snake’s throat and then light the fuse, so we can see what will happen.” When children torture animals it is a red flag. Many serial murders, kidnapers, and abusers started out as children who tortured animals.

I guess the better adjusted animal tormenters grow up to be scientists. Palmer in the same articulate and humorous manner, goes on to describe the all grown up and degreed version of “Hey, let’s shove a firecracker down this snakes throat and then light the fuse, so we can see what will happen.” Except it plays out more like, “Hey, lets cut through some brain tissue of this living creature and see what happens.” I was rather horrified at his description of some animals he kept alive in the lab for what was probably a few months, and after they had been mutilated and left in a condition that would make it very difficult to survive the oceans tide and surf, he released them to those very conditions. And he joked about it. Don’t read chapter 9 before bed. Better yet, don’t read chapter 9 at all. And don’t buy this book. This guy doesn’t deserve royalties, and you certainly don’t need it lying around where young children can find it. (I checked it out at the library – if you want to read it you can too.)

Lately I have been feeling pretty ambivalent about my Native Heritage. In fact I could be quoted as saying “I don’t want to be Indian anymore.” (My friends just laughed at me, but I am not sure I was joking.) But this book put a different focus on my thoughts. I was raised with the idea of the Great Mystery. The idea that some things are just not meant to be understood. Creation is sacred, all around us are our relatives, and all living things deserve respect. I was taught as a very young child to learn from nature by observation, that deep patient observation brought wisdom and connection. I am a work in progress. (Yes, even at 50.) But as I move towards belonging to an inter-racial community of thought, I am pretty dang sure I will carry these basic teachings with me.

Science has become the new main stream religion in many ways. Science tends to get what it wants, above and beyond what any other values may dictate. But what is science really? Maybe you ought to read chapter 9 after all. Just in case you haven’t realized how ugly science can be.

Now I need to go purge my soul by getting my hands in the soil.

Other Book Reviews:

The Literary Garden
http://harvestsgardeningsecrets.blogspot.com/2006/02/literary-garden-book-review.html

We Didn’t Have Much, But We Sure Had Plenty
http://harvestsgardeningsecrets.blogspot.com/2006/02/we-didnt-have-much-book-review.html

Gardens in the Dunes
http://harvestsgardeningsecrets.blogspot.com/2006/01/rainy-day-read-for-gardeners.html

Book Mentions:

The Principles of Gardening
http://harvestsgardeningsecrets.blogspot.com/2006/01/busy-in-garden-and-interesting-book.html

The Emergence of Agriculture
http://harvestsgardeningsecrets.blogspot.com/2006/08/harvests-dragon-vetch.html
http://harvestsgardeningsecrets.blogspot.com/2006/01/seedy-perspective.html

Save Your Own Seed
http://harvestsgardeningsecrets.blogspot.com/2006/09/saving-seed.html
http://harvestsgardeningsecrets.blogspot.com/2006/06/seed-secrets.html

Fabulous Favas

These Mediterranean natives are one of the most ancient old world beans. Dating back to the Bronze Age, archeologists found their remains in the ruins of the storied city of Troy. Now, over 6,000 years later they are still enjoyed in the Mediterranean and all over the world.

Cuisines of the world feature the versatility of these fabulous beans. In the Azores they like to shell the green beans, and then split and fry them. Burmese folks like the fresh shelled beans in salads. You often find parched dried favas in Chinese snack mixes. The Dutch and Danish use the dried boiled beans in soups. Egyptians like to drain the boiled beans and serve them with olive oil, garlic, and lemon – yum! And the French use the immature beans, pods and all, much like green beans are served in North America. You don’t have to go far to find ethnic recipes for fava beans. A simple search on the Internet with the country of your choice, a slash, the words “fava beans,” another slash, and the word “recipes,” ought to turn up plenty. (IE: Germany / fava beans / recipe) You can even find recipes for the edible leaves! ("Fava Leaves" / recipes) But you might not have to go as far as the Internet. If you have a collection of ethnic, gourmet, or garden related recipe books, you probably already have lots tips just waiting to try.

Fava beans are tasty and nutritious. The young pods are a good source of fiber, folate, phosphorus, and potassium. They also contain essential fatty acids, beta-carotene, protein, and vitamin C. For you dieters out there, they are also low in calories! The mature shelled beans are considered a good source of choline (necessary for proper brain function), as well as protein, fiber, and carbohydrates. They also contain substances called protease inhibitors, which are said to help block the absorption of carcinogens from the intestinal track. Either way you go young green pods or dry beans – favas are low in fat and contain no cholesterol.

Fabulous favas are also considered medicinal. They contain a substance called levodopa, which the body uses to manufacture dopamine. (Dopamine is necessary for proper brain function.) Because of this boost, some people find favas to be a very energizing food. There is some evidence that they may be helpful for people with Parkinson’s disease. However, if you have problems digesting or utilizing proteins or amines, if you are taking MAOI medication, are prone to food allergies, or suffer from chronic migraines - fava beans might not be for you. For more information ask your doctor and see: http://www.purifymind.com/FavaBeans.htm

While favas may not belong on everyone’s plate, these cool season favorites are still worth growing. They provide greenery and flowers at a time of year when the garden tends to be bleak. The flowers attract beneficial insects, and the plants produce both nitrogen and carbon to improve our soils.

Fava beans grow from 2 – 6 feet tall, depending on the variety. They don’t need staked, unless you live in high wind areas, and they are bothered by few pests. Gophers may help themselves to a few plants. So be sure to get yourself some cats, plant other things the gophers like to eat, or grow your prized favas in a raised bed. In the spring fava beans sometimes become infested with aphids. But by then it is usually to late for the aphids to harm your crop. Favas set their seed very early while the weather is cool. So you can just ignore the aphids if you like. (I do.)

If you are ready to get your own fava beans started, first you will have to track down some seeds. You can ask at your local nursery, farm, or feed store. If you purchase your seed from a farm or feed store, be sure to let them know you will be growing the seed for human consumption. Another likely source of Fava beans you can grow are the bulk bins at local grocery, health, or ethnic food stores. However, if you are patient, have a little more money to spend, and really want to know what you are getting – consider ordering seeds from Territorial Seed Company, or another seed catalog.

Territorial Seed offers 3 types of Fava Beans - Aquadulce, Sweet Lorane, and Broad Windsor. Aquadulce plants reach about 3 feet tall, and produce small clusters of cool gothic flowers in white and black. They performed well in my Hoopa garden last winter. Each plant produced at least a dozen long fat pods with 6 – 8 large beans each. Sweet Loranes only grow to about 3 feet high and are a small seeded type Fava. Their beans are a pretty glossy reddish brown. Broad Windsors (sometimes sold as Windsors) grow 4 – 5 feet tall, produce clusters of white flowers with rose or mauve colored veins, followed by fat pods filled with light colored seeds.

To get the most out of your Fava bean crop you might want to try using a rhizobia bacteria inoculant. This bacteria forms a symbiotic relationship with the Fava bean root system and increases nitrogen fixing. These bacteria are very efficient at absorbing nitrogen from the air and soil and they change it to a form that is more bio-available. Inoculated plants grow better and produce larger crops. At the end of the season when their remains become compost or mulch, they provide a nitrogen boost to your soils. While the inoculant doesn’t come free, it does pay dividends if you protect your soils nutrient cycle with mulch, worms, and cover crops.

Unless you are planting a whole field you will never use all the inoculant in the package in one season. (However, the inoculant will also boost productivity of your other beans and peas.) Keep your inoculant in a sealed container in the fridge. Make sure you mark the container so no one thinks it is food. I have a special compartment in the fridge set aside for gardening supplies and cold treated seeds. That way no one gets confused about what is food and what isn’t.

Fava beans can be planted anytime starting right now - through early spring. Keep in mind, that they like it best when the weather is cool. These guys are easy to grow. I like to presoak the beans for a few days. I usually soak 10 beans at a time, in about 1/3 cup of water to which I have added a couple of pinches of inoculant. After the beans begin to swell, I plant them out where they will grow, about ½ inch deep and 8 inches apart. Any of the soaking liquid that was not absorbed by the beans gets poured in the planting holes. Then I start over again with ten more seeds. If you’re in a hurry to plant lots you can simply moisten the seeds, stir in some inoculant (if you like), and broadcast over your prepared beds. No rototilling is required, simply mow or rake last years garden debris out of the way, use a digging fork to loosen the soil, and toss your seeds over the beds. It is really that simple, and now that the rains have started – you won’t even have to irrigate!

If you would like to order seeds or inoculant on line or by phone check out Territorial Seed Company: http://www.teritorialseed.com (800) 626-0866 For recipes and photos see: http://www.mariquita.com/recipes/fava%20beans.html

That’s all for this week, but stay tuned, next week we will be finding ways to cope with the dread of north west gardens – those slimy slugs. Meanwhile, you can probably find me out in the garden, Digging the Dirt.

For more cool season crops see:

Broccoli:
http://harvestsgardeningsecrets.blogspot.com/2006/09/bodacious-broccoli.html

Carrots:
http://harvestsgardeningsecrets.blogspot.com/2006/10/colorful-carrots.html

Fennel:
http://harvestsgardeningsecrets.blogspot.com/2006/01/florence-fennel-real-food.html

Greens:
http://harvestsgardeningsecrets.blogspot.com/2006/11/fall-greens.html

Kale:
http://harvestsgardeningsecrets.blogspot.com/2006/02/kindly-kale.html

Kohlrabi:
http://harvestsgardeningsecrets.blogspot.com/2006/09/knobby-kohlrabi.html

Parsnips:
http://harvestsgardeningsecrets.blogspot.com/2006/04/plentiful-parsnips.html

Red Japanese Mustard:
http://harvestsgardeningsecrets.blogspot.com/2006/03/giant-red-japanese-mustard.html

Rutabagas:
http://harvestsgardeningsecrets.blogspot.com/2006/10/rutabagas.html

Winter Cover Crops

Cover crops offer many benefits to soils and gardens. They protect soil from the compacting and dissolving force of the rain. They provide shelter for worms who might otherwise drown in our rain soaked soils. They supply home grown organic matter, which builds humus, improves soil tilth and texture, feeds worms and micro-organisms, and supports the soil nutrient cycle.

Cover crops also protect soil fertility levels by utilizing nutrients that could be leached into sub soils and aquifers and find their way, as pollutants, into our water ways. Soil nutrients bound in living plant material is not subject to leaching. In addition, by carefully selecting the cover crops, you can improve your soils carbon and nitrogen content.

Carbon is essential to the life of soil micro-organisms and the soil nutrient cycle. It is especially useful if you have noticed that plants in your garden tend to have weak stems and trail, sprawl, or lean when they should be upright. (Weak stems can be a sign of carbon impoverished soils.) Carbon is produced in abundance by the following easy to grow cover crops: agricultural mustard, flax, fodder radish, tyfon, winter oats, rice, rye, as well as winter triticale and wheat. As soon as your summer crops are through producing, you can cut them off at ground level and rake them into a compost pile (or turn them under) and broadcast your rows or beds with the carbon crops of your choice. (Cover crops should be sown thickly. You want the plants to inter-grow to protect the soil.) The carbon that these plants provide is extracted from the air, so you can congratulate yourself on doing something small to help with the greenhouse effect and global warming! Many of these plants will also produce edible greens or seeds, in addition to improving your soil.

Agricultural mustard, fodder radish, and tyfon can all be eaten in soups or sautéed with garlic and onions for an old fashioned dish known simply as “a mess of greens.” They are good sources of beta-carotene, folic acid, and calcium. (You can improve your own health while you improve the health of your soil!) Once these cover crops go to seed, if you let them grow that long, the seed can be threshed and used to grow spicy sprouts that will enliven your spring and summer salads. These same seeds can be used to flavor pickles, cracked to make a spicy seasoning for savory breads, and ground and mixed with vinegar to make dark flavorful mustards.

Flax, oats, rice, rye, triticale, and wheat seeds are also edible. They can be used whole, in mixed grain dishes, sprouted for salads or sandwiches, or ground and used in baked goods. If you want to try eating your grain, be sure to choose those that “resists lodging” if available, and definitely avoid those prone to lodging. (Lodging is a term used to refer to the plants dropping the grain.) Also look for varieties that are hull-less or easily threshed. Don’t expect to get a lot of grain from your garden, but it is a fun experiment to try which children, and it helps everyone understand how their food is produced. Dried grain seed heads are also fabulous for crafts. They don’t need to be hull-less or easily threshed for use in flower arrangements, wreathes, and so forth, so you can choose decorative colors or long awned grains if you like.

The other option in cover crops is to focus on nitrogen fixing plants. A variety of legumes are available that pull nitrogen right out of the air. If plants in this year’s garden grew slow, seemed smaller than normal, or if the green colors seemed faded out, nitrogen fixers might be just what you need to perk your soil back up. A number of types of clover, and vetch are available for cover crops. Low growing white and red clovers can be broadcast under summer crops now, or you can wait until the beds are cleared or turned and then broadcast the seeds. The Sweet Clovers are a nice option for cleared beds, as they also produce a lot of carbon and organic matter, and will reward you with sweet smelling flowers in late winter and early spring. As they are slow growing, it is a good idea to mix them with agricultural mustard or other clovers to best protect your soil from early rains.

If you want to grow a mix of carbon and nitrogen for your garden, add some Austrian field peas to your carbon crops when you sow the seed. Austrian field peas happily inter-grow with other plants. They produce small cheerful sweet pea type flowers and their seeds can be used in soups. Another choice, bell beans, are miniature fava beans that do well in winter. These beans do not need staking or trellising. They produce both nitrogen and carbon. And like other beans, the immature pods, as well as the mature beans are edible. To best protect your soil bell beans should be inter-grown with red or white clover.

Cover crops are pretty easy, you just choose your seeds, minimally prepare your ground, and broadcast the seed fairly thickly. You can cover the seed with a sifting of compost, leaf mould, or a purchased soil amendment. If this is not practical, and you have turned your summer crops under, you can rake the seed in. For a third option , you can simply cut or mow your summer rows, and wait for the next rain. Seed broadcast while it is raining are fairly safe from marauding birds. The action of the falling water settles the seed into crevices in the soils surface, and the moisture helps it germinate quickly. Then you just let nature take its course. (Cover crops can be cut or mown during the winter to keep their height down, if you choose. But it is not necessary.) Next spring you will have to decide if you are going to let your cover crops mature for their seed, or if you will cut or turn them under as soon as you are ready to plant your spring garden. That mostly depends on how much space you have. Either way, your winter cover crop will provide you with ample material for composting and mulching. Your soil and the creatures that live in it will thank you.

Check with your local farm supply or feed store for recommendations on the varieties best suited to your area. If you would like more information visit Bountiful Gardens On-Line: http://www.bountifulgardens.org or call (707) 59-6410 to request a catalog. They have seed for all the varieties mentioned in this article, and many other choices.

That’s all for now, but stay tuned, next time we will be getting ready to grow some of the yummy giant fava beans. Until them, you can probably find me out in the garden, Digging the Dirt.

Copyright 2006 Harvest McCampbell, from my column "Digging the Dirt," published in The Hoopa Valley People Newspaper, Oct 17, 2006. Posted here with permission. http://www.hoopa-nsn.gov/enterprises/newspaper.htm