Wednesday, December 22, 2010

quase natal


o jardim está a ficar selvagem
a vida tem-se metido à frente de tudo
ja apanhámos mais de um moinho de azeitona
vamos mudar para uma casa nossa e deixar de pagar renda (hoje)
ja temos caminho feito para aceder ao terreno e ao monte das ruínas de carro
os trabalhos de limpeza da ruina ja estão avançados e o início da reconstrução está para breve

para ja e até ao final do ano as energias devem dirigir-se para a pintura da casa nova, apanhar o resto da azeitona.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Capsella bursa-pastoris




Capsella bursa-pastoris
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Shepherd's Purse is an annual plant growing up to 50cm tall in rich soils but much smaller in poor ones. A very common garden weed, it can flower and produce seeds all year round and will often spread freely in cultivated ground. This species is a prime example of how a plant can be viewed as an annoying weed in some areas of the world whilst in others it is actually cultivated for its wide range of uses. It is extensively cultivated in some areas of the world as a cabbage-flavoured spring greens, whilst in Japan it is one of the essential ingredients of a ceremonial rice and barley gruel that is eaten on January 7th. The leaves grow rather larger under cultivation, they can be harvested about a month after sowing and can be treated as a cut and come again crop. The young leaves, used before the plant comes into flower, make a fine addition to salads, whilst older leaves are a cress and cabbage substitute, becoming peppery with age. The young flowering shoots can be eaten in the same way as broccoli. They are rather thin and fiddly but the taste is quite acceptable. The seed is rich in oil and, although small and very fiddly to harvest, can be eaten raw or cooked - it used to be ground into a meal and used in soups etc. The seedpods can be used as a peppery seasoning for soups and stews, whilst the fresh or dried root is used as a ginger substitute. The plant has long been used as a domestic herbal remedy, particularly in the treatment of both internal and external bleeding, diarrhoea etc. The seed, when placed in water, attracts mosquitoes. It has a gummy substance that binds the insects mouth to the seed. The seed also releases a substance toxic to the larvae - ' kilo of seed is said to be able to kill 10 million larvae.


Desde tempos imemoriais que estas plantas são utilizadas como verdura na alimentação humana. Por exemplo, em Çatal Huyuk, no estômago do homem de Tollund (que se pressupõe ter vivido em cerca de 5950 a.C.), foram encontradas algumas das suas sementes. É cultivada em alguns países orientais, enquanto que noutros países, como em Portugal, é considerada uma erva daninha.
http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolsa-de-pastor

O gênero Capsella consta de cinco espécies de ervas robustas, anuais ou bienais, encontradas ao longo de áreas temperadas e mornas. Capsella bursa-pastoris é uma planta herbácea, raramente apresentando uma altura maior que 50 cm. Supõem-se que a planta seja originária da Europa e disseminada a vários países durante a colonização, mas a literatura européia também a trata como adventícia. De qualquer forma, hoje está vastamente dispersa pelo mundo, em regiões de clima temperado e subtropical, ocorrendo principalmente em locais de maior altitude. No Brasil a ocorrência não é grande, sendo mais intensa na Região Sul. Na Argentina também ocorre a espécie Capsella rubella, bem como plantas de aspecto intermediário que podem ser híbridos. A origem do nome vem do latim, "Capsella", diminutivo de "capsa", cápsula e "bursa-pastoris" que é expressão latina significando bolsa-de-pastor e refere-se ao tipo de frutos.

É uma espécie bastante polimorfa, especialmente em relação ao tamanho e à forma das folhas e dos frutos. Na parte basal da planta encontra-se uma roseta de folhas, com as maiores atingindo até 15 cm de comprimento, sendo curto-pecioladas e apresentando margens com segmentos denteados que podem ser consumidas como verdura. Da base da planta elevam-se um ou mais caules pobremente enfolhados e na parte superior apresentam a inflorescência na forma de rácemos. O florescimento é continuado enquanto continua o desenvolvimento da planta, de modo que ocorrem flores na parte terminal enquanto frutos já se desenvolvem na parte inferior.

Capsella bursa-pastoris Colhe-se o caule com folhas no começo da floração (Herba bursae-pastoris), cortando-o à mão com a roseta de folhas terrestres. Após uma limpeza, procede-se à secagem em camadas finas e voltando freqüentemente as plantas, a uma temperatura inferior a 40°C. As plantas são depois conservadas em local seco dentro de invólucros fechados. Contêm colina, acetilcolina, um alcalóide, a bursina, ácidos orgânicos e taninos. Têm um efeito adstringente e vasoconstritor, sendo usadas para parar hemorragias estomacais, pulmonares e para diminuir sangramentos nas menstruações, na puberdade, na menopausa, bem como menstruações exageradas em geral e também para reduzir varizes e hemorróidas. É ainda usada para tratar catarros gastrintestinais. A bolsa-de-pastor tem efeito diurético e atua sobre os músculos uterinos lisos sendo por isso usada contra as hemorragias uterinas e as perturbações renais ou urinárias. Consome-se sob a forma de maceração a frio, na proporção de 6 colheres de chá de plantas para duas chávenas de água; deixar macerar durante 8 horas, filtrar e tomar dia sim, dia não. Em doses elevadas, a bolsa-de-pastor tem efeito tóxico. Em aplicações externas, a bolsa-de-pastor é usada para a limpeza de feridas, contra as erupções cutâneas e eczemas devidos ao calor excessivo.

Preparações com a planta (Herba bursae-pastoris) tem aceitação oficial pela Comissão E, do Ministério da Saúde da Alemanha (Bundesgesundheitsamt), com indicação para tratamento sintomático de menorragia e metrorragia leves, para uso tópico em sangramentos nasais e para uso externo em feridas que sangram.

http://www.ceunossasenhoradaconceicao.com.br/artigos/plantas-medicinais.html?plan=Bolsa-de-pastor

Plantago major - tanchagem

While plantain shows up just about anywhere (walk around your yard and you’re sure to find it somewhere), that wasn’t always the case. Plantain is said to have come to the New World with the European settlers. Native Americans began referring to the plant as “white man’s footprint” because it seemed wherever white man had been, plantain started appearing! Two most common plantains – broad-leafed, which is discussed here, and narrow-leafed- are interchangeable in usage.

Found: The common (or broad-leafed) plantain is found just about anywhere and thrives in areas with very compact soil – take a look around a heavily trafficked footpath or in waste areas.

Identifying: It is a perennial that grows to about 6 – 18 inches in height. The leaves are broad and oval-like, and are deeply ribbed with a grooved stalk.

Parts Used: Leaves, seeds

Medicinal Use: The plantain is a folk remedy for cancer throughout Latin America. Confirmed as an antimicrobial. Stimulates healing. Leaf tea is good for coughs, diarrhea, dysentery, and bloody urine. Good for bronchodilation; this has been confirmed scientifically and is used in Europe for bronchitis. As a treatment of upper respiratory catarrh and for inflamed mucous membranes of mouth and throat, it has been approved in Germany. Leaves can be crushed and directly applied to insect stings, snake bites, poisonous spider bites, skin irritations (even poison ivy), blisters, sores, swelling. Good for thrush in children. Mild antibiotic and anti-inflammatory – great for cleaning wounds. Has great ability to draw out and close up infection; in fact it’s one of the best drawing herbs in Western herbalism. Therefore, it’s also quite useful for boils and abscesses. Plantain seed mucilage sometimes used for lowering cholesterol levels. Native American remedy for Bell’s palsy. If you’re prone to bouts of the scurvy, plantain is loaded with Vitamin C and was a common European Renaissance herb used for this purpose.

Preparation: As a poultice, the crushed leaf can be applied directly to a wound, bite, or skin irritation. For abscesses around the teeth, inflamed tooth roots, or remaining infection after a root canal, Matthew Wood recommends the plantain leaf highly and says he’s even seen it save teeth that were otherwise doomed to be lost. For wounds, stings, bites etc., you can even chew the leaf first and apply the chewed leaf directly to affected area which makes it a good plant to know if you plan on a camping or hiking trip. As an infusion in milk, plantain can be used on hemorrhoids. Plantain can be dried and used as a tea for winter, or used fresh during the summer. (It is also often available fresh in the winter months, even beneath the snow!)


Plantain is very high in beta carotene (A) and calcium. It also provides ascorbic acid (C), and vitamin K. Among the more notable chemicals found in plantain are allantion, apigenin, aucubin, baicalein, linoleic acid, oleanolic acid, sorbitol, and tannin. Together these constituents are thought to give plantain mild anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antihemorrhagic, and expectorant actions. Acubin has been reported in the Journal Of Toxicology as a powerful anti-toxin. Allantoin has been proved to promote wound healing, speed up cell regeneration, and have skin-softening effects.

Modern medical research is proving to uphold many of the historical uses of plantain - especially as a wound healer, and as a treament for lung conditions such as bronchitis or asthma. Medicinally, plantain is astringent, demulcent, emollient, cooling, vulnerary, expectorant, antimicrobial, antiviral, antitoxin, and diuretic. Plantain is approved by the German Commission E (a sort of German "FDA" that studies and regulates herbs and herbal uses) for internal use to ease coughs and mucous membrane irritation associated with upper respiratory tract infections as well as topical use for skin inflammations. Two Bulgarian clinical trials have suggested that plantain may be effective in the treatment of chronic bronchitis.

http://www.prairielandherbs.com/plantain.htm

Chenopodium album


Use the shoots, leaves and tips in any way that you might use spinach. It tastes a lot like spinach, only milder, with sort of a hint of peapods.

Lamb's-quarters is very high in vitamin A, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus and is also a good source of protein, trace minerals, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, iron, and fiber.

http://www.kingdomplantae.net/lambsQuarters.php


nomes comuns em português

Ansarina-branca; Catassol; Erva-couvinha; Pedagoso; Quenopódio-branco; Sincho



Chickweed is generally used as food. I often nibble on it when I'm out in the yard. It has a mild, refreshing flavor. The leaves and stems can be added to salads, cooked as greens, or added to anything you might add greens to (which, to me, is just about everything). Just don't cook it for more than a few minutes. Chickweed is particularly high in ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and mucilage, and also provides rutin, para amino benzoic acid (PABA), gamma linolenic acid (GLA, an omega-6 fatty acid derivative), niacin, riboflavin (B2), thiamin (B1), beta carotene (A), magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, manganese, sodium, selenium, and silicon. The seeds are also edible. The plant can be dried for storage. Chickweed is a fairly safe food, however, as almost everything is somehow toxic if you use enough of it, over-consumption of this plant may give you diarrhea.

Medicinally, chickweed is tonic, diuretic, demulcent, expectorant, and mildly laxative. It's often recommended for asthma, bronchitis, or congestion. It's also said to help control obesity and is an ingredient in some herbal weight loss preparations. Externally, chickweed relieves itching and inflammation and is generally soothing and moisturizing. It can be used for any minor skin infections or irritations, and is an ingredient in a number of commercial skin care products. As far as I've been able to discover, this common plant has yet to be thoroughly scientifically studied.

However, the benefits ascribed to chickweed may simply be the result of its high nutritional value, especially the presence of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). The medicinal effects of this fatty acid read much like the values ascribed to chickweed. GLA is recommended for a variety of skin problems, for hormone imbalances as in PMS, and for arthritis. It clears congestion, controls obesity, reduces inflammation, reduces water retention, acts as tonic for the liver, and reduces the negative effects of alcohol abuse.

http://www.kingdomplantae.net/chickweed.php

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Friday, August 13, 2010

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Friday, March 12, 2010

Monday, March 01, 2010

estufa minguante

A nossa estufa foi encolhendo de tamanho.
Começou por ser uma coisa ao alto, confome post anterior, depois veio o vento e tombou a coisa. Decidimos então deixa-la ao baixo , mas veio a chuva e afundou o plástico.
É agora muito mais pequena, baixa e com duas águas.
Ontem instalei um pequeno deposito de água com mangueira incluida que permite regar sem grandes dores de costas :)

Saturday, February 06, 2010

ATELIER/ESTUFA


O pior do inverno passou; temperaturas aparte, o que mais me incomoda é ver os dias a encolher.
Esta estufa foi construida com os abundantes ferros de andaime que posuimos, alguns pláticos que já tinhamos e a experiencia anterior. Por saber que o quadrado inteiro requer um apoio sólido para a cobertura resolvi experimentar a construção rectângular (existem peças horizontais pequenas e ver no que dá).
Inicialmente apenas com um plástico, foi ontem conpletada com o outro bocado, dobrado e posto atravessado. Solidifiquei um pouco a coisa com algumas ripas que para ali andavam e utilizei as cordas disponíveis numa tentativa de protecção aint-vento.
O próximo passo será fazer suportes para sementeira de tomate, será que é boa altura para iniciar esta actividade?











Friday, November 06, 2009

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Monday, October 12, 2009

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Wednesday, September 09, 2009