does anyone have experience with eating bamboo shoots? we just dug some up and the only time ive eaten em before they left a wierd scratchy feeling in the back of my throat that i didnt like. maybe we could have cooked them more? what about pickling?
I eat them farily often. You have to get them while they are young and green. Cook them for a long long time, so they are soft soft soft. The “scratchy feeling in back o throat” I don’t know about.
Dedomesticator-
Thanks for caring. I only drink the comfrey leaf. It is the root that has the bad stuff in it. (The roots are good for external applications however.)
I’ve never enjoyed the taste of bamboo shoots and I’ve never experienced any scratchyness in my throat from it either. You might get allergic reactions from’em???
" So far it seems to have made a slight difference in my PMS symptoms and skin. "
hmmm…have you tried adding a lot more magnesium to your diet???.. and nothing works for the skin like zinc. Due to mineral deficient soils (unless everything you’ve been eating for the past decade is truly wild) many of us are on the edge of deficiency in some minerals, magnesium and zinc being 2 of the largest - along with selenium.
re: comfrey
i believe it is much safer than people are led to believe. root and leaf. i think there are some cautions that should go along with comfrey use (particularly internal). this is what i tend to follow clinically.
-is there a history of hepatic disease?
-have there been recent tests for liver enzymes?
-what is the health concern?
-is comfrey the best/only option?
-what percentage of comfrey is in your formula?
-are there herbs in the formula that would protect against hepatic failure/veno-occlusive disease?
-how long term would internal comfrey treatment be?
-what are the warning signs of VOD/hepatic problems?
-does the client know how to spot potential liver problems?
-can you do follow up with client?
-can you prescribe liver regenerating herbs for follow up if necessary?
these are precautionary questions regarding the internal use of comfrey. in traditional herbal medicine toxic plants are pretty commonly used. any plant can be toxic. overdose is related to dosage. it is how you handle the plants and the patient that is the issue. i generally think of comfrey as being pretty non-toxic and quite safe. i wouldn’t hesitate to use it internally for something i thought it was necessary for (like broken bones).
the science behind the whole comfrey thing is sketchy at best. considering the long term traditional use of comfrey and the FDA’s overzealousness when it comes to banning very useful and unpatentable herbs i choose to use it internally. i would bet that most household products and pharmaceuticals are significantly more toxic than my comfrey plant.
Well yesterday …I had a delicious lunch of red and green letuce ,tender red spinach shoots,tiny baby beetroots,a handful of the sweetest ever shelled peas, spearmint leaves, heavenly shredded fennel,baby broadbeans,red tomatoes and slithered yellow courgettes …all good RAW “alive” food …all from my foraging garden…and a chunk of crusty buttered bread…if you,d come ,I might have cut some globe artichokes…but as you didn,t…I,ll let them flower and enjoy their stately beauty,towering high above the purple sprouting broccolli …and all the more chocolate ice -cream for my dessert without you ,I say ! ;D Chickweed GROW MORE SPEARMINT AND EAT IT WITH EVERYTHING !
fennel.
i’ve been wondering about that stuff. i put some in my herb garden this year because i got a plant at the grocery store for 88 cents. but i have never used it before, and don’t recall ever hearing how people use it.
so, what do you do with fennel?
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i have some really nice purslane coming up in my garden that i’ve started eating with everything. any soup or salad or sandwich i make lately has a hunk of purslane thrown in. it has served as my “dandelion of the hot months”.
sigh
I have a very small patch that I’ve been trying to encourage. It’s definitely bigger this year, but I still have to go real easy on it. Good stuff tho’, one of my fav’s.
[quote=“WildeRix, post:28, topic:201”]fennel.
i’ve been wondering about that stuff. i put some in my herb garden this year because i got a plant at the grocery store for 88 cents. but i have never used it before, and don’t recall ever hearing how people use it.
so, what do you do with fennel?
[hr][/quote]
Fennel is super sweet yet subtle.
You can use it in teas,salads…all sorts of dishes
"What’s That Flavor?
That unusual flavor in your meal could be fennel. Originating in the Mediterranean, then carried north from Italy by monks, it’s used in nearly every cuisine, flavoring dishes from Indian curries to French stews.
The Raw and the Cooked
The flavor of the bulb is more pronounced when used raw, and is refreshing in salads with citrus. Thick slices grill or bake beautifully, with the heat creating a more subtle and complex flavor.
Take It from the Top
Fennel fronds can substitute for dill, and the seeds are used for meat and baked goods or in spice mixes including Herbes de Provence, Chinese five spice powder and Indian curry powder."
"Tips for Preparing Fennel:
The three different parts of fennelâ€â€the base, stalks and leavesâ€â€can all be used in cooking. Cut the stalks away from the bulb at the place where they meet. If you are not going to be using the intact bulb in a recipe, then first cut it in half, remove the base, and then rinse it with water before proceeding to cut it further. Fennel can be cut in a variety of sizes and shapes, depending upon the recipe and your personal preference. The best way to slice it is to do so vertically through the bulb. If your recipe requires chunked, diced or julienned fennel, it is best to first remove the harder core that resides in the center before cutting it. The stalks of the fennel can be used for soups, stocks and stews, while the leaves can be used as an herb seasoning."
As a medicinal plant, fennel seed has been used as an antispasmodic, carminative, diuretic, expectorant, laxative, stimulant, and stomachic. Fennel has also been used to stimulate lactation, as a remedy against colic, and to improve the taste of other medicines. Chinese herbal medicine includes the use of fennel for gastroenteritis, hernia, indigestion, abdominal pain, and to resolve phlegm and stimulate milk production . Fennel is known to provoke both photodermatitis and contact dermatitis in humans . The volatile oil may cause nausea, vomiting, seizures, and pulmonary edema . The essential oil has been reported to stimulate liver regeneration in rats
rock on. thanks, tsuchi.
since i only have the one plant, i think i’ll just experiment with the leaves this year, not molest it too much, and hope that it seeds the garden for more plants next year.
… maybe you should go easy on that fennel …wouldn,t want to start lactating 
!!!
Thankyou to tsuchi akurei for useful tips on using Fennel …I love it,s fresh aniseed like flavour. I have Sweet Cicely in my garden which also tastes of aniseed…do you by any chance know if this is o.k to eat in a salad and how much would be a safe quantity …since we must give herbs more respect . 
i just dug up a big mess of jerusalem artichokes from the backyard
now i gotta find a recipe…
yay! Jerusalem artichokes are great! what would you think about selling me some for planting in the spring? I would much rather find seeds and roots from people than from companies! let me know
-emily
i’d be happy to send some your way. i’m growing red fuseau in my backyard, and i’ve located another stand that i believe is (or is close to) stampede (but i haven’t dug up the tubers, so i could be wrong).
PM me w/ your info, and i can send you some of each (or, if you prefer, just one or the other) in the spring
That would be awesome! I could work on finding a trade for you too, I can let you know what I have available and we can work something out Thanks!
-emily