Great Escape Podcast is an audio version of the blog posts from Great Escape Farms, Specializing in Unique Edible Plants, Permaculture Gardens, and Homesteading. The blog posts can be viewed at GreatEscapeFarms.com.
Great Escape Podcast
This week we cover; Sweet Scarlet Goumi Plant Information, Unique Plants for Sale at Great Escape Nursery, Muscadine Plant Information, Asparagus Plant Information, and Great Escape Nursery Grand Opening
Sweet Scarlet Goumi Plants at Great Escape Nursery
Black Molly Muscadine Plants at Great Escape Nursery
Bronze Murphy Muscadine Plants at Great Escape Nursery
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Great Escape Nursery is now OPEN!
Go to GreatEscapeNursery.com to purchase your plants online!
The Great Escape Nursery Grand Opening of our Online Plant Nursery will be Saturday at 10AM!
Great Escape Nursery Grand Opening
Unique Plants for Sale at Great Escape Nursery!
We are opening the online nursery for our first sale tomorrow (Saturday Feb 27, 2016) at 10AM. Just go to Great Escape Nursery and click on Plants for Sale. That link will change when we open at 10AM and each plant will have its own rap sheet and purchase button for that plant. You will be able to put them in your cart and pay online.
The people that have supported us by signing up for our email list will receive a discount coupon for 40% off later as a thank you for you support. Those that follow us on Facebook will get a 20% discount code. Plants can be purchased at Great Escape Nursery after 10AM on Saturday February 27th. This is your last chance to sign up for our email list to get a 40% discount or to like our FaceBook page and get a 20% discount.
If you sign up for the email list, we will send you the discount code as soon as possible after we are notified about you signing up.
The plants that we will be offering are listed below along with the anticipated pricing. We will have limited quantities of all plants and I expect that some will be sold out on the 27th.
Adams Elderberry $10
Aronia Viking $10
Autumn Olive $8
Goji Berry $10
Muscadine – Bronze Murphy $8
Muscadine – Black Molly $8
Nova Elderberry $10
Rose of Sharon – Double Purple $8
Please give us your thoughts on the Great Escape Nursery Grand Opening post by commenting below.
Asparagus Plant Information provides you with information on this herbaceous edible and medicinal plant and includes a special family recipe from my wife. This article was in response to a request by Gina. I didn’t think about it at the time, but this is the first request I’ve had for a specific article. Gina, I hope you enjoy it!
Asparagus Plant Information
Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) is an herbaceous perennial that grows 40 to 60 inches tall and dies back to the ground each winter. They are the first green vegetables to emerge in the spring.
The harvest comes from the spring shoots every year and the harvest season is usually only two to four weeks long.
Asparagus needs lots of space to grow and prefers full sun and well-drained soil. Although I found a couple of references that say it does not do well in heavy clay soil, mine are planted in heavy clay soil at the farm and are doing fine. They are hardy in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 9.
If you are familiar with store bought asparagus, but have never seen a mature plant, you wouldn’t recognize it. It actually looks like a large fern plant. You can see what the spears look like in the picture title “Asparagus Plant Information.” You probably recognize these as asparagus spears. The picture below titles asparagus fern shows what they look like a few weeks after they spear comes out of the ground. As you can see, the two pictures look quite different.
Edible
![Asparagus Fern [D]](https://i2.wp.com/greatescapefarms.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Starr_070906-8679_Asparagus_densiflorus.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
Asparagus Fern [D]
According to eatingwell.com: “Asparagus is a very good source of fiber, folate, vitamins A, C, E and K, as well as chromium, a trace mineral that enhances the ability of insulin to transport glucose from the bloodstream into cells.” *
DANGER: The fruit is a small red berry 6–10 mm diameter, which is poisonous to humans. DANGER
Propagation
Asparagus can be propagated by seed or by crown division.
For crown division, do the following. Dig up the root in late fall after the last ferns have died back. Cut them into several pieces, each with some good roots, and re-plant them. If you can’t plant them right away for whatever reason, put them in some dry Pete moss or saw dust and put them in the refrigerator and plant them after the last frost in the spring.
It may take 2 to 3 years to get started and produce,
Pruning
Asparagus roots will spread over time but diminish in production. Divide them every three years or so for a non-stop harvest year after year. This may not be the case for colder climates where the plants go dormant during winter and have a chance to rejuvenate.
Medicinal
According to WebMD: “Asparagus is a plant. The newly formed shoots (spears), root, and “underground stems” (rhizomes) are used to make medicine. >>>> Asparagus is used along with lots of fluids as “irrigation therapy” to increase urine output. It is also used to treat urinary tract infections and other conditions of the urinary tract that cause pain and swelling. >>>> Other uses include treatment of joint pain (rheumatism), hormone imbalances in women, dryness in the lungs and throat, constipation, nerve pain (neuritis), AIDS, cancer, and diseases caused by parasites. >>>> Asparagus is also used for preventing stones in the kidney and bladder and anemia due to folic acid deficiency. >>>> Some people apply asparagus directly to the skin for cleaning the face, drying sores, and treating acne.” [A] *
According to eatingwell.com: “This herbaceous plant—along with avocado, kale and Brussels sprouts—is a particularly rich source of glutathione, a detoxifying compound that helps break down carcinogens and other harmful compounds like free radicals. This is why eating asparagus may help protect against and fight certain forms of cancer, such as bone, breast, colon, larynx and lung cancers.” [B] *
Oh that Smell
“Certain compounds in asparagus are metabolized to yield ammonia and various sulfur-containing degradation products, including various thiols and thioesters, which give urine a characteristic smell.” [C]
There are several studies cited on the Wikipedia website that cover the smell caused by eating asparagus and asparagus plant information.
Recipe
I was never a fan of asparagus before because it was always mushy, either because it came out of a can, because it was overcooked or both. My wife got me to try her recipe and I learned to love this vegetable. She is so wonderful that she agreed to share her recipe with all of our readers.
Tricia’s Terrific Asparagus
Cut the bottoms off, and use a potato peeler to trim the bottoms if they are thick (this will illuminate bitterness). Heat 2 tbsp olive oil on medium/high heat in a frying pan and put the asparagus in. While cooking, sprinkle with ¼ tsp lemon pepper, 1 tsp lemon juice. Cook for only a couple of minutes, 3 or 4 max. Seve immediately. They will be crunchy and tasty.
[A] http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-286-asparagus.aspx?activeingredientid=286& [B] http://www.eatingwell.com/blogs/health_blog/5_powerful_health_benefits_of_asparagus_you_probably_didn_t_know [C] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagus [D] The Asparagus Fern photo is from http://www.starrenvironmental.com/ by Forest and Kim Starr. [email protected]* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Give us your thoughts on the Asparagus Plant Information | Great Escape Farms post by commenting below.
This page, titled Muscadine Plant Information | Great Escape Farms, goes over this unique edible plant and how to care for it as well as medicinal benefits.
Muscadine Plant Information | Great Escape Farms
The Muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia) is a grapevine species native to the southeastern and south-central US from Florida to Delaware, west to eastern Texas and Oklahoma. Muscadine fruit range from bronze to dark purple to black in color when ripe with a few varieties staying green when ripe. There are over 300 varieites grown in the US. Many need a pollinizer, but some are self pollinating. A black self-fertile muscadine vine can pollinate a bronze female muscadine vine and vice versa. Female Muscadine vines average 50-60 lbs of fruit per plant and 60-80 lbs per self-fertile muscadine vine. See the picture titled “Muscadine Plant Information | Great Escape Farms” for what the fruit looks like.
They grow well in sandy loam and like full sun. Muscadine are hardy in zones 7-9 and should not be grown in regions where temperatures frequently go below 10° F. They will be more cold hardy if planted against a south facing wall. They are very pest resistant and require little or no spraying.
Muscadines have a tight, non-shedding bark, warty shoots and unbranched tendrils. The leaves are slightly lobed, 2-1/2 to 5 inch with coarsely serrate edges and an acuminate point. The round, 1 to 1-1/2 inch fruits have a thick, tough skin and contain up to 5 hard, oblong seeds. Muscadine grapes start ripening mid September to late October.
Patented Varieties
There are several patented varieties out there. Below I have listed two varieties that use to be patented, the ISON and Late Fry. They were patented, but a plant patent runs only 20 years so the patent has expired on each of these varieties. While you can now legally propagate them, you can not market them with the name ISON and Late Fry, because the names are trade marked.
ISON
The Ison muscadine vine is a beautiful black variety that is the best self-fertile available. The Ison muscadine contains 19% sugar and has excellent size and production. The Ison muscadine skin is edible and the most nutritious part of the grape. The fruit ripens uniformly early to mid-season. They like full sun, moist, well drained soil and are deciduous. The mature height is10-15 ft. and they are hardy in USDA zones 7-10.
Latefry
The Late Fry muscadine variety is another late season grape that is bronze and self-fertile. It produces delicious fruit that contains 20% sugar. The fruit is large and has high yields.
It is very cold hardy with delicious edible skin. They like full sun, moist, well drained soil and are deciduous. The mature height is 10-15 ft. and they are hardy to USDA zones 7-10.
Pruning
The vines consist of the trunk, permanent arms, and the fruiting spurs. Pruning must be done each year to get a good yield of large fruit. Pruning should be done in winter or earliest spring, before the buds swell.
Propagation
Propagation can be done by layering, softwood cuttings, and possibly hardwood cuttings. It is possible to grow seeds, but you don’t really know what variety you will end up with.
Edible
Muscadine can be eaten fresh, but are also used in making wine, juice, jelly, preserves, syrup, and sauce.
Medicinal
“Muscadine grapes contain substantial amounts of antioxidants, the beneficial phytochemicals that help protect cells from free-radical damage. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, eating a diet based on whole, antioxidant-rich foods has been shown to help reduce the risk of developing heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s and other chronic diseases. A study published in the “Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry” found that muscadines are a particularly good source of ellagic acid. Ellagic acid appears to inhibit cancer cell reproduction, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. Muscadine grapes also contain twice as much vitamin C as seedless grapes. You’ll get about 14 milligrams of this antioxidant, or 23 percent of the recommended daily value based on a 2,000-calorie diet, from a serving of 35 grapes.” *
Purchase Black Molly Muscadine at Great Escape Nursery
Purchase Bronze Molly Muscadine at Great Escape Nursery
(Source:www.livestrong.com/article/238659-health-benefits-of-muscadine-grapes/)
Recipe
Muscadine Syrup
“Place about 2 cups of muscadine juice, white or red, in a tall-sided bowl. Set in microwave and cook at one minute intervals, stirring occasionally. Cook approximately a total of 7 minute-segments, until desired consistency. Do not overcook. Juice will have become more dense and can be used as a flavoring or sweetner for teas, lemonade, hot cereal, as an ingredient for other recipes.”
(Source:faymuscadinevineyards.com/muscadine-recipes/)
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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If you like this blog post, Muscadine Plant Information, and want to find out more about Great Escape Farms please go to https://greatescapefarms.com/ Also, sign up for our email list at the bottom of the page.
Please let us know what you think about Muscadine Plant Information | Great Escape Farms by commenting below.
Purchase Black Molly Muscadine at Great Escape Nursery
Purchase Bronze Molly Muscadine at Great Escape Nursery
We will have Unique Plants for Sale at Great Escape Nursery!
Our GRAND OPENING will be February 27th at 10AM Eastern Time!
Unique Plants for Sale at Great Escape Nursery!
This weekend I received my MD Department of Agriculture permit. That was the last legal and licensing hurdle to work out. I spent the weekend working on the online cash register, plant pages, and online shopping carts. I also synced everything up with PayPal, so all finances are done securely by PayPal, even if you do not have a PayPal account.
The people that have supported us by signing up for our email list will receive a discount coupon for a LARGE percentage off later this week as a thank you for you support. Those that follow us on Facebook will get a 20% discount code. Plants can be purchased at Great Escape Nursery after 10AM on Saturday February 27th. This is your last chance to sign up for our email list to get a huge discount or to like our FaceBook page and get a 20% discount.
The plants that we will be offering are listed below along with the anticipated pricing. We will have limited quantities of all plants and I expect that some will be sold out on the 27th.
Adams Elderberry $10
Aronia Viking $10
Autumn Olive $8
Goji Berry $10
Muscadine (2 varieties) $8
Nova Elderberry $10
Rose Hedge (link with details coming soon) $10
Rose of Sharon – Double Purple $8
We would love your feedback. Please give us your thoughts on the Unique Plants for Sale at Great Escape Nursery post by commenting below.
Great Escape Podcast is an audio version of the blog posts from Great Escape Farms, Specializing in Unique Edible Plants, Permaculture Gardens, and Homesteading. The blog posts can be viewed at GreatEscapeFarms.com. This week we cover; Butterfly Bush Plant Information, Rose of Sharon Plant Information, Weigela florida Variegata Plant Information, Tropical Plant Propagation at Whitehouse Jamaica, Crape Myrtle Plant Information
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This post, titled Sweet Scarlet Goumi Plant Information, covers this nitrogen fixing, edible and medicinal plant and provides you with a recipe for them.
Sweet Scarlet Goumi (Elaeagnus multiflora) is a Ukrainian variety hardy down in USDA hardiness zones 4-8. This perennial, deciduous small shrub likes a well-drained site with at least a half-day of sun. It is suitable for light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil.
Sweet Scarlet Goumi Plant Information
The sweet scarlet goumi grows 4-6ft. tall and wide. It is self-fertile and produces fragrant creamy white flowers in May followed by tasty (and nutritious) little red berries the size of small pie cherries in late June. It has olive shaped leaves and silvery under tones. The wood of the plant is a rich red brown.
It is not bothered by pests or diseases and begins bearing 2 to 3 years after planting. They are very drought and wind resistant. But look out, the birds love the fruits.
Nitrogen Fixer
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria. These bacteria fix atmospheric nitrogen, making it available in usable form for the host plant, and indirectly for other nearby plants. An excellent companion plant, when grown in orchards it can increase yields from the fruit trees by up to 10%.
Propagation
Goumi can be propagated by seed, softwood and hardwood cuttings. A warm stratification for 4 weeks followed by 12-weeks cold stratification can help the seeds germinate. Softwood cuttings of 2 ½ – 4 inches with a heel can be taken in July/August in a frame. Hardwood cuttings of the current year’s growth, 4 – 5 inches with a heel, can be taken in November in a frame. Leave for 12 months.
Goumi can not be shipped to AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID
Edible
Goumis’ are filled with vitamins A and E and contain more of the heart-healthy nutrient lycopene than even the tomato. They have a sweet-tart flavor and are eaten fresh with other fruit or green salads, and juiced or made into jellies and jams. They are also used for making of wine and fruit leather.
The seed is also edible, and contains a high amount of protein. A couple of authors claim the seed tastes like a peanut.
Sweet Scarlet Goumi Plant Information
Medicinal
The fruit of many members of this genus is a very rich source of vitamins and minerals, especially in vitamins A, C and E, flavanoids and other bio-active compounds. It is also a fairly good source of essential fatty acids, which is fairly unusual for a fruit. It is being investigated as a food that is capable of reducing the incidence of cancer and also as a means of halting or reversing the growth of cancers. *
The leaves are used in the treatment of coughs. The fruit is prescribed in the treatment of watery diarrhea. *
The root is astringent, a decoction is used to treat itch and foul sores *
(Source:practicalplants.org/wiki/Elaeagnus_multiflora)
Purchase Sweet Scarlet Goumi plants at Great Escape Nursery
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Sweet Scarlet Goumi Plant Information
Recipes
Goumi Berry Martini
Ingredients
For the fresh goumi berry syrup:
- ⅓ cup water
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1⅓ cups fresh goumi berries
For the martini:
- 1½ ounces vodka
- 1½ ounces goumi berry syrup
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
For the fresh goumi berry syrup:
- In a small saucepan, heat the water and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add the goumi berries and cook over medium heat until the skins begin to pop, about 3 minutes. Pour through a fine mesh sieve or strainer and press the berries to get out all the juice. Discard the seeds and skins. Chill syrup until ready to use.
For the martini:
- Place all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with lemon slices if desired.
(Source:magnoliadays.com/2013/goji-berry-martini/#duoKAwl4pJmpClED.99)
Purchase Sweet Scarlet Goumi plants at Great Escape Nursery
Please give us your thoughts on Sweet Scarlet Goumi Plant Information | Great Escape Farms by commenting below.
Crape Myrtle Plant Information: Uses and How to Grow
This post, titled Crape Myrtle Plant Information: Uses and How to Grow, provides you with information on this beautiful ornamental and medicinal plant. The Crape Myrtle (Lythraceae), also known as Crepe Myrtle, have strong, well defined, fluted stems and branches with a spotty or smeared appearance that arises from having bark that sheds throughout the year. The leaves are opposite and simple, with entire margins, and vary from 2–8 in. They are small to medium multiple-trunked deciduous trees and shrubs that like full sun.
Crape Myrtle Plant Information
The Crape Myrtle is hardy in Zones 7–10 with some hybrids hardy down to zone 6. They have a height of 15–25′ and a spread of 6–15′ at maturity and grow in a vase shape. They have foliage that is dark green, changing to shades of yellow, orange and red in the fall. This shrub attracts bees and provides bird habitat. The best part is crepe myrtles are not usually browsed by deer.
Flower and Seeds
Crape Myrtle have crinkled flowers with a crepe-like texture with colors that vary from deep purple to red to white, with almost every shade in between. During the growing season, clip off spent flowers to promote a second, lighter bloom. When the flowers go to seed they release numerous, small, winged seeds.
Pruning
Crepe Myrtle bloom on new wood and should be pruned in winter or early spring. On large shrubs and trees, remove basal suckers, twiggy growth, crossing branches, and branches growing toward the center of the plant. Also gradually remove side branches up to a height of 4–5 ft. exposing the pretty bark of the trunks.
Propagation
Crepe Myrtles propagate via seed, hardwood and softwood cuttings.
Medicinal
“The stem bark is febrifuge, stimulant and styptic. The bark, flowers and leaves are considered to be hydrogogue and a drastic purgative. A paste of the flowers is applied externally to cuts and wounds. The root is astringent, detoxicant and diuretic. A decoction of the flowers is used in the treatment of colds.” *
(Source:www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lagerstroemia+indica)
Purchase Crape Myrtle at Great Escape Nursery
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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Tropical Plant Propagation in Whitehouse Jamaica
This article, titled Tropical Plant Propagation in Whitehouse Jamaica, is about operations at a nursery I found while visiting a Sandals Resort. I received a tour of nursery operations and how how they go about propagating plants in the tropics.
My Tour Guide
I have included a picture of my tour guide. I was using pictures and video to take notes and figured I’d use her name tag to remember her name. Unfortunately the sun was hitting the name tag and made her name unreadable. She was a great tour guide and I’m sorry I can not give her credit by name.
My tour guide told me that they have five full time employees working in the nursery. She said that four of them went to an agriculture school and studied the trade they are working in.
Tropical Plant Propagation – Softwood Cuttings
The nursery does both softwood and hardwood propagation at this location. The hardwood cuttings are done via air budding and will be the subject of tomorrows post. The softwood cuttings are done via cuttings similar to the way I do them in the temperate climate.
They take the softwood cuttings and trim them three to eight inches long and put them in trays of rooting medium, as shown in the picture titled Tropical Plant Propagation – Softwood Cuttings. The rooting medium looks like a Pete moss and potting soil mix. They do not use any rooting hormone.
Tropical Plant Propagation – Rooted Cuttings
The trays are then put in the hot house for three to six weeks and watered enough to keep the plants moist. I didn’t really catch how often they did water in the hot house. They are removed from the hot house once they have roots coming out of the bottom of the trays. This is shown in the picture titled Rooted Cuttings.
After the cuttings have rooted sufficiently, they are moved to larger pots and moved to their respective climate. This is either out to full sun or in a shade house depending on the type of plant that is being rooted.
The Sun Plants
The really neat part about this operation is that they ran the nursery as a business. What I mean by that is they are run by Sandals Resort, but they sold their plants to other Sandals Resorts on the Jamaican Island. They had to make a profit, so they had to watch their expenses and market their products to the other resorts.
I’d estimate that the nursery covered about 4 acres of land. The majority of the plants are in pots and ready to be sold. They did have some palms and other plants that were in the ground and would take quite a bit of effort to dig up and move to another location.
Below is a YouTube video showing the nursery. You can see other videos at the Great Escape YouTube Channel.
Please provide us your feedback to Tropical Plant Propagation in Whitehouse Jamaica by commenting below.
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