Steve I'm sorry...you are so far north and my favas have already been bit once in TN!!
I am still collecting the tops I use for tincture. Had to throw one whole pickiing away after the cold spell hit while we were iin Ohio visiting my brother with PD, who, by the way is currently in the hospital with double pnuemonia and pretty weak from it all. If you have flowers/ you have tincture tops....dry them ,except anything that is black on the part and put them in brandy and shake for a month...you have l- dopa!
We are busy cllearing out the neighbors 80 foot greenhouse to get it ready to move....still don't know how to do the moving as yet...maybe "house movers"????
made my first cold frame of the year this morning, mulching asparagus, staying busy!!
Hope you all are staying warm and not letting the business of the holidays get to you....
too many things are pilling up on our calendar for my taste....it all comes flying at you at once.....sometimes I wonder....Where is Peace in the holiday season....seems the garden is the only place where it is quiet and a person can just breathe for a while!
Blessings to all Aunt Bean PS ....Take time to just breathe!

HI Aunt Bean,

Do you use the flowers for tincture? The flowers I have seen are black and white at their peak..... I thought the "hidden tops" were the balled up leaves.can you just put them directly in the brandy without drying them first? thx so much for sharing! agree on the breathing..

kind regards,
md

The part I use to tincture is like a ball..it is undeveloped flowers and leaves. It only forms one time on each stem. I dry it completely before putting them in a jar and adding brandy to cover and then shake every day for a month/then strain/ then wait a day and decant off trying to leave the sediment in the jar (I go ahead and use this first and bottle the other liquid in clean dark bottles and LABEL!) I have never tried not drying the plant parts I use to tincture. Aunt Bean

We've been hit about 3 times..The plants are still standing, and alive, but are not growing anymore

Steve...mine , last year were completely bit and came back up from the roots one time...then after it went below 26 degrees again..they were completely killed.

OH, P.S. I don't use anything that is black in the tops...or any tops infested with worms or aphids ( I grow organically / don't spray pesticides.....so I do get other things (critters) on some of my plants! Plant one for the bugs or maybe three and one for yourself??? Happy Thanksgiving to you all Aunt Bean

Just made my second batch of papaya (fermented & dryed) This batch is nicer and more potent I think. Three cups of mashed ripe papaya fruit (without skin & seeds) added a generous amount of cinnamon and turmeric *next time I will measure, I promise. Put into a glass container with plastic wrap tightly over the surface of mix and another over the top of the container to keep out air. Let it sit for 6 days this time. Mixture was more thickened than first batch. Then added 3 teaspoons of finely ground flax seed and stirred in well. Let stand about 5 minutes. Stir again. Flax made the mix more thickened. Then dropped in small blobs on unbleached parchment on dehydrator sheets. This dryed nicely and was more like fruit leather (rubery consistancy..beautiful/ storable) The main thing I have noticed is an improvement in my eyes..things not as blurry without glasses, better night time vision. I am going to try taking alittle more at a time and see what happens.....will report back......Hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving Aunt Bean

Well, you all...my hopes are up. The person that has a relative who is in research is taking my fava research & info about my "non-clinical trial" with the tincture next week to show her. Pray with me that she will be the one to take on the research so that maybe someday it will be available to everybody out there who might benefit from the tincture like I have. It was really cold this morning and the beans have keeled over finally, but if is like last year....and we have a couple warm weeks, they will emerge from the roots again. Still haven't gotten the greenhouse moved....lots of work to be done to be able to do it (cutting apart welding on pipes, etc) Papaya working well and I am looking more into the fermenting processes to maybe add other foods to try.
Hope you are surviving the holiday rush and taking time to just breathe and rest some
Blessings from Aunt Bean

Dearest Aunt Bean,

You have my prayers and blessings for sharing all you have learned with us!

Hi there,

So I am buying a dehydrator so that I can make fava chips/fermented papaya for my Dad?

Could you guide me as to where I can find the instructions for how to make the chips/papaya?

I have no idea how to make them.

Thanks in advance!

Shar