All green tea, white tea, black tea, oolong tea, pu-erh tea are extracted from the Camellia Sinensis plant. So why couldn't one drink the Camellia Sinensis's close relative the Camellia Japonica as a tea? ------- Well, you can.
You can clip the leaves of your Camellia Japonica to make tea and you can make cooking oil from the seeds.
For making the tea you simply select the young light green leaves. You can use the darker green, older leaves as well; however, the leaf age changes the taste of the tea. You want to tip tip prune the plants. Now you can make fresh green tea or process the leaves to make one of the many other teas. Here is a blog I found describing how they made black tea from their Camellia Japonica: Taurus Rising.
Camellia Japonica is also a great source of cooking oil. The oil is also used in beauty products. To make oil you simply shell the seeds and then use a press to extract the oil. I haven't tried the oil out yet for the obvious reason of not having a suitable press readily available. But, I plan to try my Camellia leaves out for tasty (hopefully) cup of tea in the very near future.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Corn Plant (Dracaena) - Trimming -- Update
Here is an update to the status of the corn plants that I trimmed last fall.
First, I'll start with the mother plant which grew too tall last fall and I had to cut her down to size. Here's her progression through September of this year.
When I trimmed the plant I actually cut a section out of the plant; the top cutting died (see below) but the midsection is doing great.
Now for the very top part of the plant that I cutoff. The top part actually died, leaving just a section of root which a new shoot branched out of. Here's the rebirth of the top section of the plant.
Then, there was a top section of the plant that actually fell off of the plant a week or so before I trimmed the plant. Here's how it is doing. Oddly enough the part that fell off flowered last fall.
First, I'll start with the mother plant which grew too tall last fall and I had to cut her down to size. Here's her progression through September of this year.
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) - shortly after trimming last fall |
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) - winter 2010 |
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) - late winter early spring 2011 |
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) - mid spring 2011 |
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) - late spring 2011 |
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) - Fall 2011 |
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) - Fall 2011 |
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) - Fall 2011 - top view |
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) - mid spring 2011 |
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) - Fall 2011 |
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) - Fall 2011 |
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) - Early spring 2011 |
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) - Early spring 2011 |
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) - Fall 2011 |
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) - Fall 2011 |
Then, there was a top section of the plant that actually fell off of the plant a week or so before I trimmed the plant. Here's how it is doing. Oddly enough the part that fell off flowered last fall.
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) Flowering - Late fall 2010 |
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) Flowering - Late fall 2010 |
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) - Early spring 2011 |
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) - Mid spring 2011 |
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) - Fall 2011 |
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| Corn Plant (Dracaena) - Fall 2011 |
Friday, September 16, 2011
Organic Apple and Pear Seed Planting - Day 6
Organic apple seedlings and pear seedlings day 6 after planting:
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| Pear Seedlings - Day 6 after planting |
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| Pear Seedlings - Day 6 after planting |
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| Pear Seedlings - Day 6 after planting |
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| Organic Apple Seedlings - Day 6 after planting |
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| Organic Apple Seedlings - Day 6 after planting |
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| Organic Apple Seedlings - Day 6 after planting |
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| Organic Apple Seedlings - Day 6 after planting |
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| Organic Apple Seedlings - Day 6 after planting |
Monday, September 12, 2011
Organic Apple and Pear Seed Planting - Day 2
Day 2 after planting the organic apple seeds and pear seeds:
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| Organic Apple Seedlings - Day 2 |
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| Organic Apple Seedlings - Day 2 |
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| Organic Apple Seedlings - Day 2 |
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| Pear Seedlings - Day 2 |
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| Pear Seedlings - Day 2 |
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Organic Apple and Pear Seed Planting - Day 1
The day after planting the organic apple seeds and the pear seeds.
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| Organic Apple Seeds - Day 1 after planting |
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| Organic Apple Seeds - Day 1 after planting |
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| Organic Apple Seeds - Day 1 after planting |
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| Organic Apple Seeds - Day 1 after planting |
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| Organic Apple Seeds - Day 1 after planting |
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Organic Apple and Pear Seed Planting
We placed some organic apple seeds folded into a moist paper towel in a plastic bag back in July and they have sprouted. Along with some pear seeds that we planted; unfortunately, the pear seeds weren't organic. We are hoping to be able to get some fruit from the trees (never know with all the genetic modification out there). Guess we'll have to wait 7 or so years and find out.
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| Organic Apple Seed Sprouts |
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| Organic Apple Seed Sprouts After Planting |
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