Sorry no postings for a while. Papaya is still helping. I have finally heard from the California PD Support Group and they are getting me in touch with Dr. Lin....thank you for your prayers. I have also written to Michael J Fox to see if his organization would be interested in my research with favas. As for the farm, we are having a very cold winter.
I have started 2 fava plants in my kitchen...I cannot bare the thought of waiting until about two months until the first ones will start to come up in the garden...I want to look at them now. I am wondering, if they are grown in a tall , skinny container...if I can document the time it takes for them to make the first tops and how many tops can be collected from one plant & how much tincture that will make, etc...maybe an ounce??
There has to be a way for people to make it within the confines of a home, too many people do not have space to garden. I will keep you informed on my experiment..perhaps all you need is a sunny window. The tops do not need bees, unlike the beans. God Bless

Dear Aunt Bean,


Last time I saw MJF interviewed he said something about having to change the whole system. So maybe , just maybe......altho it seems that rather than trying to change existing system better to just make it obsolete.

I juiced my favas (bean pods only) and ppoured the juice into icecube trays...a couple of those ice cubes a day REALLY helps.

I am SO very grateful for all the info you've posted....I did make tincture too but seem to have better luck with the juice.

DO keep us posted on the indoor growing project

md

We live about 20-30 minutes apart and I can't even get over for a visit! Tsk, tsk (she says clucking her tongue), too busy to talk to friends. That's why we have this forum - right?

I knew you would be planting indoors - not able to wait until good weather. Have youo coonsidered writing to the Earthfare people? They are a chain of organic grocery storess. I have a friend in Knoxville who has her salad dressings for sale there and throughout Tennessee.

We may have to change your name, however, to an upgrade - SISTER Bean! lol
Peggy

Happy to see you posting again and pray that all goes well with your indoor beans........God Bless You and your Family.

Thanks you all for thoughts & prayers. Still haven't found anyone who feels able to move the greenhouse for us...someone will turn up if it is meant to be. My two indoor fava plants have emerged thru the soil..so I will be able to see leaves maybe tommorrow.
Winter seems hard this year, lacking being in the sunshiine and working is making me weaker....spring must come soon though. Meanwhile, I am going to have to set up an indoor exercize program for myself and stick to it / or I won't be strong enough to work the garden when spring gets here!. We must exercize!!! Eat well and avoid stress!!
Love to all. God Bless you......Aunt Bean

I have decided to chart the two beans growing in the window. People who cannot have a garden could feasibly grow several beans at a time and dry tincture tops and make their own l-dopa without having a garden. Wether the beans would produce the same consistant chemicals with partial sun ,and artificial "rain" , man made potting soils, etc will be the question. But I will chart how many tops (each stem makes one, and each plant can produce several stems) that these two will produce. Then try to have the l-dopa made from them tested to see if the content is close to what the outdoor plants have made. Will let you know how the experiment goes.

Well, so far the 2 beans are growing ok in my kitchen window, with hardly enough hours of sunlight a day. I have made another batch of fermented papaya , which went into the dehydrator this morning. This time I added some agave syrup and some salt to the preparation (which had cinnamon and turmeric in it and not quite ripe papaya that didn't mash up very well) It looks very pretty, but with some small chunks...who knows...might be the best batch yet. It will be enough to take to support group this month to let people try it (if it is good enough) Dad is having surgery on Wednesday, (Urinary problem) Please pray for him. At 85 years of age, any surgery is a concern...at least the VA has agreed to do a spinal anesthetic (which leaves the brain & heart iin tact & functioning normally) Many friends have been "put out" for surgery and have never mentally been the same again. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks for prayers.
Blessings to you all Aunt Bean

Hi This was the best batch of fermented, dried papaya that I have made.. Before drying, I added some agave syrup and ground flax seed meal and a little salt this time....delicious......hard to believe that it is so good for you, too.
A strong wind took the row cover off my 50' raised bed on Saturday and it rapped around a stake & tore a plate size hole in the cover. Suunday afternoon, I managed to get it all untwisted and back onto the hoops again . The 2 rows of bean plants are still alive but only a few inches tall and sittiing there dormant..waiting for the right moment to start growing again. Reminds me of the corn crop in the book by Laura Iingles Wilder...it was almost July 4th and it was staying tiny and refused to grow. Then the night before July 4 came a heavy frost and they had to rush out into the predawn with their wagon loads of water and pour just alittle water on each plant befor the sun's rays touched them. They saved almost all of the crop. Then it warmed up and the corn began to grow normally. Plants Know more than we do sometimes. Well, dad's surgery is Wed. My brother with PD in Ohio is having a heart catherization today sometime...we are all getting old & falling apart it seems. Perhaps next week will be better....spring will be here soon. I have had my head in a seed catalogue (wish book) today thinking about garden plans...for spriing shall surely come again! Blessings to all Aunt Bean

Just thought I would let you know that the indoor fava beans are still growing...not as green as the ones outside, but they do not get nearly as much sunlight (maybe 6 hrs a day) We are enjoying strawberries and rhubarb stewed together...seems to add energy and better sleeping if eaten at night. Use as little sweetner as you can * stevia ,or truvia packets or agave syrup works for me. I still have fava beans alive in my 50 ft raised bed with hoops and a row cover over it. It blew off in a big wind storm monday nite & I crawled down the middle and dug weeds that were florishing in there with the beans.
A neighbor plowed up the remainder of the garden space that is to be made into raised beds this year...we have wonderful neighbors! Dad has had surgery and cannot do much for a couple of months but take it easy and read. So it was quite a blessing to get the plowing done. God is good. I am still seeing well to drive at night and still attribute it to the fermented papaya that I dry. Blessings to you ....... Aunt Bean

Well, I looked thru the row cover on the 50' raised bed and the fava beans outside are looking beautiful and growing now. We have had some hard rains and flooding in our area, another muddy river formed between the house and the barn ((needed a "foot-bridge Sunday morning to crossover to the car to go to church. Coming out of church there was a snowstorm and when we got home the "River was gone" and we could get to the house easily again. Dad is doing ok, still having occassional bleeding from the surgery and still mostly just watching TV and working a puzzel.
The 2 favas growing in the house are looking more pale....seem to need more sunlight than what they are getting from the little window, but they are still growing and one is a good 2 feet tall. Now tops have formed as yet on the plant. It's about time to plat some outside again, but we are having so much rain , it might be a week before I can get some put in. Hopefully soon though. Blesssings....Aunt Bean