Four Acres for Favas to Grow On
 

:)* Just acquired 4 acres in the country to continue fava research.
(An answer to prayer) Spring will come soon ,I hope. I have the seeds to plant and hopefully energy to get the job done. There will even be room for guests to come and learn about the favas: how to grow , harvest , and use them.. I hope to be able to meet some of you in person and take you thru a new fava patch and share what we have learned over the past year.:)

Things are moving slowly...one van load at a time. Our old place is up for sale. Pray for a buyer soon. Much to do...bought an old tractor & attachments (hopefully dad can get it started & point me in the right direction so I can "put-put" around and get it plowed and disked and ready to plant.) Any farmers out there that need a retreat for a few days to help get land ready? I am a mattock person....not crazy about equipment. All of my gardens for the past 10 years were hand -dug! Anyway, most of the seeds have been delivered and are anxious to get in the soil during March (if the land dries out so it can be worked) I've started gathering "stick-fencing "...people are pruning trees right now. I do a very old-timey fence ! It is hard to be in 2 places and with so much that needs accomplished soon...for the favas like cool weather. Will keep you posted.

Update on our progress. My dad is amazing at 84 years old...he has never worked with tractors ( only slowly rode around a field at my brother's place in Ohio pulling a hay wagon a couple of times) Well, he figured out how to hook up the plow (after taking off a boom and then putting it back on again...we waisted a bit of time and muscle getting it all together properly. Then he was off to plow for the first time in his life. And he did a great job , too! The ground was perfect on Monday (not too wet or dry) and the soil is wonderful for planting the beans...Aunt Bean is really excited now! We made 4 foot beds (long rows) with about 3 to 4 foot grass walking areas in between. Disking, I am afraid , will not be as easy and a rough ride and I hope to find someone with experience to do that. I have sprouted 3 favas and one mucuna so far and will try a little hydophonic experiment with them this week. Time to make cold frames / hot beds to start some plants ...like mucuna / some herbs/ and vegies. Favas can be planted in March,(directly into the garden) much to do & time racing on...will keep you posted.

Today we used the champion juicer and juiced the last of 2009 fava pods that were frozen and made l-dopa bean chips. I have purchased an excaliber dehydrator, which we are trying out for the first time. Hoping it does as good a job as they advertize. Next week, hope to sprout 2 cups of favas --Goya brand.(..none of my seeds that will be planted)I want to try dehydrating half, and juicing the other half to make l-dopa cookies. We made cookies with pod juice before and they were wonderful. If the spout cookies work out well, and supply a boost...I will include a recipee in the next fava report. Goya dried favas are sold in packages at alot of grocery stores...nice to have something that will sprout that is readily available. If any of you have taken the g6pd blood test and have normal enzyme levels to utilize them...try sprouting a few and just start out with one sprout when you have symptoms. No reaction, try two the next day....that is what this little guinee pig does. As with any meds, start low and build up slowly to the desired result is attained. It's snowing, but the sun is shining brightly....keep your spirits up...spring will come again and new life will emerge. It is a great time to sprout something indoors and watch it grow! GO GREEN !

Well, the moving is going slow, but we are getting small things out to the farm a little at a time. A physics professor at a nearby college (that has PD) is also a farmer familiar with tractors..was kind enough to come out Monday and help put the disk on the tractor and help dad learn more about it's operation. He got some of it disked up and almost ready to plant. I was hoping to have some bean seeds planted by this time, but we are getting closer at least. We may have our first PD Suport Group meeting at the farm in June.
I am hoping we can have an easy square dance and live music. Also, a bon-fire ...with singing and perhaps kosher hot dogs and marshmellows etc. Everytime we go out I get more excited about the place and what we can learn there.

did you need to innoculate them with rhizobia bacteria?
legumes need the rhizobia for nitrogen fixation otherwise you need to add nitrogen if not enough in the soil.

You have my attention now!
 

Aunt Bean
Thanks for keeping us informed.
I like t he support group idea - because I live close enough to attend! You are really into this fava bean thing, aren't you? Don't let me forget to tell you about a local researcher that we need to pay a visit. I believe he might be interested in your prooject.
Peggy

No, I do not inoculate my seeds...the favas have been extreemely hardy. The Windsors that I ordered from Fedco Seeds last year had about 99% germination! Are you going to try to grow some?

Yes, Peg ..enjoy being near you & hope to see you at the meeting Tuesday.Anyone you can put me in contact with that will advance the research will be extremely appreciated.

no, i have no plans, no interest even though i do plant a large veg. garden. rhizobia innoculation is quite common, has nothing to do with germination.

Hope you will try planting some favas (even the goya ones at the store will sprout (soak them overnight and then rinse & drain three times a day til you see their little "noses " start to peak out.

Had a good support group meeting this week. One of the husbands of a PD'r volunteered to come ride the tractor and disk more of dad's plowed ground. Lots to do

Well, moving day for furniture has been set now for tommorrow (Saturday) It will be so good to finally move to the farm. We may even have help to get more disking done (if the soil is dryed out enough.) Got to get those bean seeds in the ground!

WE are now moved....thank goodness. What a job. Don't want to do that again!
Farmers Almanac says that today and tommoorrow are the best times to plant peas & beans. So , althought the ground is not ready....some beans will go in tommorrow anyway with the help of my trusty little mattock. Anyone want to help? I am going to soak favas here at work to plant Thursday also...at least here , the ground was worked last fall and I am going to poke them in beside last years and hope for the best and mulch. Much to do!

Farmers Almanac said that yeasterday & today were the times to plant peas & beans...so last night I went to work with my mattock and got three rows planted before dark.
Then up before daybreak impatiently waiting on God to turn the light back on so I could see to get back to work. Got three more rows dug and planted with favas
(The Sutton, Polar, Bunyard, Three Fold White,Aquadulse and Windsor)....so even though there was no way for a tractor to be on the soft wonderful soil....my mattock & me didn't compact it and most of the beans that I ordered are now in. My work was not done (though my back is ready for a break).. for I came to work and planted my friend's fava patch also...we only have four rows left to plant here at work now. She has good soil in her patch, it used to be an enclosure for a buck goat years ago...last years beans were beautiful....we hope for a good crop this year

I was out in the garden late last nite again and two deer appeared, snorted , stomped and then ran off... I must get a fence up and purchase cayotte urine to put around it very quickly. I was surprised that I could stand up this morning after such vigorous work making rows with my mattock and all the fava bean seeds that were put in, but, after my usual stretches ...was able to get up and come to work as usual. God is Good!

Got a section of my old-timey stick fence (made from long tree prunings) up this week. Planted snow peas this morning. It feels great to wake up in the country & get out at daybreak and get my hands into the soil. Smashed my thumb with a hammer this week while putting a nail into the crosspeice of my fence, won't be playing dulcimer for a few days, but I am still wraping it up/gloving and digging & planting. Also planted the small cold frame( made from old windows ) with brocoli , brussel sprouts, tomatoes , peppers, huckleberries, and MUCUNA seeds...need to experiment with the other l-dopa producing vegetation...it is of the Hairy Vetch line & I've been told you have to wear gloves to work in it...sounds interesting , and it can get very tall. We'll see...
A Blessed Reserection Day to you all .... Aunt Bean

Well, just wanted to report that the fava beans have emerged! Last Friday, the first of them started peaking thru the ground & looking for the sunshine. I was so excited. Now I am starting to weed between the rows and mulch them. When we got back from our trip to Indiana (to be with my kids for Easter ) pulling in the driveway was a real treat...we had pink trees/ purple trees/ and tulips a-bloomin" , the farm was even more beautiful than when we had left. There are beds of bulbs coming up and I can't wait to see what colors they will be. Hope many of you can come visit someday.

The planting is going well. Have about 8 pounds planted. Just finished planting the last of our seeds and hope it is not too late for the last one. Some are up and doing well (about 550 good sized plants, others just coming up) Our support group is coming out the 3rd Tues of June...wish some of you all could come visit. The tincture is still working very well for me and my friend. God is good!

Had a wonderful discovery last nite working in the garden......with bone dry ground and seeing hardly any honey bees, I had been concerned that we would not have any beans this year. The plants are still growing and beautiful and covered with flowers...only because the soil is so good. But, last nite , low and behold I saw a bean. Upon closer inspection, another here and there and one plant that had several 3 inch beans already!!!
Tonight, instead of going to the dance..I will be harvesting for the first time this year. This year's experiments with the crop are about to begin. I have a dehydrator & my own champion juicer now to work with.
My friend came over to have the honor of "picking the first bean " . We took pictures. Someday perhaps there will be someone who can put pictures on neurotalk for me.
For now, we are rejoicing. "Happy Bean Day to You" ! Perhaps it will be an annual event at the farm. Wish you all could visit sometime.

Aunt Bean
 

That bean your frieind picked was about 5" long! I was there - remember? lol I am telling you reading this, Aunt Bean has a green thumb (two of them!). It has been dry as a bone here. and is she organized ? She has her various vegetables plotted out on a map and the view is absolutely stunning at her farm. She will most likely have a huge harvest of fava beans - you should see all of the blossoms. (I think she must be sneaking fertilizer on that garden - lol I'm kidding, but it is good soil. Most soil here is more like a mix of Georgia clay, but where she lives is rich looking. (It was probably a former cow pasture - that helps.

At any rate, I hope to help you, Aunt Bean, to get someone to seriously look at the research you have been doing (living research). But first, let's get those beans!

Peg

Picked the first harvest this morning and some of them were already as big around as my thumb with a pretty good bean in them. Have about a quart and a half of young ones steamed and in Pat's freezer. The larger ones are about to be juiced raw.(.like the man sells now from international gourmet co. ) We'll see how that goes. Will keep you all posted on the results from this year's experiments with the favas. My friend is already ten times better today than yesterday...very noticeable improvement in movement and mood. I think it meant alot for her to pick the very first bean of the season...like throwing out the first ball at a game! It has been difficult for her since we ran out of fresh beans...she learned to depend on them last year (like I depend on the tincture now)
Thanks for sharing the moment yesterday Peg!

favas
 

Busy couple of days...picked young favas for an hour and a half last nite again...now there are about 2 1/2 gallon of them in the freezer. Dug a camp fire pit this morning and landscaped an area around it for our PD Support Group picnic coming up on the 15th.

Just an Update on the farm. We have had horribly dry, hot weather,,, and I am amazed that anything is still growing. I catch rain water from the barn and have only watered those plants that have wilted leaves. I harvested more fava tops last nite (though there were not near as many as on previous pickings) Found a few beans this morning, also. Just ordered 5 pounds of Windsor Favas from Fedco Seed Company to plant the end of July or first of August...pray that we will have cooler temperatures (90's are just not good for favas,) and pray for rain here in east TN.
The fava tincture is still working well for me and is all I use for PD.....though an occasional meal of favas/ onions/garlic/squash stirfried is mighty tastey. I still consider the beans a treat, although they do give me extra support and I really feel better after eating a meal of them. Now the project at hand is to get more ground worked up and have a load of compost brought it, with the drought conditions we have been having...I want to put a handful of compost with every seed to give them a better chance of survival in Aug & September and hopefully up into December or January, Lord willing.
Blessings to you all Aunt Bean

Quick update. We are still having hot/ dry weather , but things are still growing. I only water a plant if it wilts over. I have started planting favas, a few seeds at a time in places that have been worked up. Received 4 lbs Wiindsor Favas (the last of Fedco Seed Company's stock a couple of days ago. This morning, was blessed to find a health food store who will try to order me a 25 lb bag of fava seed. They are to call back if it is available. God has blessed this venture so much and every day seems to bring more surprises. I will start making plantings in long rows again the last week of JUly. Pray for rain...we sure could use some. I have the ground prepared to transplant about 80 asparagus that were started from seed this year. We are enjoying zuchini, yellow squash, greeen beans, cabbage, onions and new potatoes right now, besides the delicious fava beans. It has been alot of hard work, but "oh it's so good" as Mr FOOD would say.
Blessings to you all.

fava plants
 

had an idea of where I could plant some and have them inside in winter so would have a supply..

How tall are the plants and how far apart to they have to be. My son raised lizards and they are all gone now sooo I have (2) reptile that are 4foot x 2 foot x 2foot and (1) 4'x2'x1.5' ..though maybe I could grow the plants indoors in the tanks. We have all the "sunlight" bulbs to use as "grow lights" since the lizards had to have them...

What do you think... will it work or not???

Hi The plants can be anywhere from 3 foot to five foot tall depending on the variety. Most of the ones I have grown needed to be staked and tied(like a tomatoe) I think they would be a bit large for aquariums, but I guess you could try planting 2 plants in an aquarium. It would be an interesting experiment. I am hoping to maybe "borrow" the greenhouses near us that are not being used to grow some this winter. THere was nothing planted in them this winter ...just full of very tall, dried up grasses. That would be an experiment just to be able to harvest tops for tincture.(..without bees or some sort of polinator, there will be no beans). That would be a consideration for you also...growing indoors could produce plants (and tops to harvest & dry for tincture) but no beans. It depends what you wish to produce wether it is worth trying it.
We are still in drought conditions here, but, I have transplanted 100 asparagus plants in a very long row, and still have baby plants left from starting them from seed around Easter outside in old window cold frames. Just started a seed bed with alot of echinacea, also brocoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflour, and herb seeds. This weekend , I hope to plant a couple pounds of fava seeds in the garden area my 85 yr old dad just plowed up a couple of weeks ago...he's amazing! I have just strained off my first batch of fava tincture (what I am using for my symptoms) It makes me feel better to know that there is a 6 month or more supply of it on hand now. The supply was getting pretty low.
The long row of Sunflowers are amazing & full of bees. Wish you all could see them.
God is good and supplys our needs.....Blessings to you all

Planted approx 425 fava seeds that I'd soaked and were starting to sprout on Monday. (It was the last Farmers Almanac day to plant above ground crops til up into August. ) Weather forecasters were calling for rain Monday & Tues for our area....and it did rain all around us, not on the farm. I tried to carry water out and "row water" by watering can..but that is hard when it is long rows with no plants up yet...so it could have been an effort in futility, the ground was so dry. We finally received some rain on Wed nite, which refilled my rain barrels around the barn. Thursday morning I hurried and refilled my gallon jugs back up (my rain stash). I also am trying to transplant some of the old spring fava plants that are resprouting new life from the bottom at this time...taking out a few short rows so we can plow up that area...I had an initial plan in my head where to plant what when we started the plowing in April , but things got planted wherever the ground was half ready because the seeds were going in so late (Favas like cool weather!)Now I am trying to redo the garden area according to the original plan,,,One-third of the area in perrenials/herbs/strawberries/blueberries/asparagus/raspberries/blackberries,etc. The other two-thirds in crop rotation.
I have been on the fava tincture since the end of October, which makes it a full nine months now. Still doing well. I plan to go get a blood draw at "Any Blood Test Now"
It is a place where you don't have to have a doctor's request and they will send the results to you....pretty cool! Anyway, I want a CBC to see if the fava tincture has changed anything in comparison to the one I have from 2003. My daughter is a nurse practitioner and we can discuss any out of range findings over the phone (if there are any). I feel we should take responsibility for our own health and not depend so much on doctors. All of us are different and you know yourself better than the doctor....I'd rather be my own guinee pig/do my own research and find what works for me...for free!
Our grape viines are starting ripen out, and I'd like to find out how to make grape seed extract. Also, the chicory plants are blooming profusely every morning and I want to try making flower essence with them...lots to do Blessings to all Aunt Bean

Aunt Bean, I love reading your posts.:hug: Thank you so much - and continued good luck to you and your bean crops!

Jean

I have been eating about a 1/4 cup of fava beans (canned ones from Progresso) as they are the only ones I can find. But the tremors and jerking of my leg have calmed some. Dr. poo pooed it as I started on the beans about same time as the Keppra I was on would have been cleaned out of my system. I had went 11 days without a major cramping spell from the myoclonus... so to see if it was just being off the keppra or if the favas had a part I quit the favas and my leg started going again like before...so I am back on fava beans and I dont care how silly my doctor thinks I am.

Congratulations....welcome to the bean enthusiast's club! My legs don't jerk if I have enough in me and it sure makes for a better night's sleep. Didn't know Progreso had fava beans. A local health food store has just gotten me in 25 lb of sproutable organic favas...will let you know how they are. The Lord provides all of our needs.
Blessings to all Aunt Bean

Well, we had our first actual rain in weeks.I received a call from dad that it rained for two hours gently & then came a "belly washer" for an hour that made a brown river run down in front our our house. I am at work and have not seen the damage yet. I hope that the new beans (425 seeds that were just showing their little leaves above the surface )were not washed down into the yard. I did just purchase 25 lb of organic favas...and am able to replace them if need be, but the fall crop will be a couple of weeks behind schedule..which means we will have only tincture material, but no beans to harvest if it turns cold in December(below 26 degrees ) like it did last year. I won't get home to see the garden until Friday night....it will be a long wait for me to view the land. The Lord knows best what we need and it will all turn out according to His perfect plan's. I must just rest in the fact that He knows best.
I have a hopeful heart that a research person (with her own lab)will take on the favas to study......pray hard that she will find it a worthwhile project that will help alot of people...worthy of her time and efforts. Blessings to all . Aunt Bean

Hope the garden is okay after the gulley washer. Saw my movement disorder neuro this past friday. he is stopping the mirapex that PCP has had me on since Jan. He said he can see changes in my brain mri from it. Not sure what that meant and since he was very hapy I had stopped the Keppra after PCP had suggested she may take me off it. I told him about the fava beans and he did not "poo poo" it, also a RNP thinks that they are great idea and agrees that they can help.
to those who have not tried them... go for it...

Still haven't gotten home to survey the damage, still praying my first of the fall plantings are still there. If you have not yet tried favas for medication purposes, please do get a G6pd test to check for favism, a genetic enzyme deficiency...just a reminder to those who are new to this site. Also, there is a problem of possible blood pressure spike if you take an MAOI medication....please talk to your physician about these things. Always start out very slow.... small doses of anything new that you are adding to your regimine. Some people feel that "if a little is good, alot is better" . Not so! Please be gentle with your body...it's the only one you've got. We have to do our research thoroughly and proceed with caution. Carefully monitor your symptoms and record what you take and how you feel every hour of the day....this can be a great help to you and your doctor as far as regulating medication. Dopamine is hard to regulate and stress/ pain/ illness can make it fluctuate dramatically with no change in meds. Blessings....Aunt Bean

My 2 cents
 

I've been following along on the fava bean discussion. Finally located some fresh favas and also obtained the fava juice from International Gourmet. Early results are saying that this is helping. I took the beans out of the pods, steamed them and have been eating approximately 16 a day for the past week. Added to that is a tsp of the juice three times a day. Yesterday was the best day I've had in months. My husband commented several times how lively I was. I was able to go on a short trip and sustain my energy for roughly 8 hours. My normal lately has been 1 good hour when the meds kick in exactly right. I start each day with good intentions and wonderful plans and slowly but surely, eliminate almost all of it due to exhaustion, pain, foot cramps, etc.
Most days I feel so badly that I would probably sign up for a clinical trial that involved dog poop on a stick if I thought it would help for a second.
The favas, as you of course know, but just as a side comment to those who may not have eaten them, are delicious. I would eat them if they had no PD benefit.
I'm trying to diary the effects and amounts of the favas. My other meds are 1.5 carbi/levo 25-100 and 1 200 Comtan every 4 hours. My ongoing symptoms are shaking in the left hand, limping, hip pain, nausea, constipation, irritability, foggy brain, poor vision, extreme back pain, slow movement, stooped posture, exhaustion, etc. The effects so far of the favas seemed to help all of these to one degree or another. I have not altered my regular meds.
By the way, I am noting that favas are seasonal so, is there any place to get fresh favas year round?

What??!
 

I am very intrigued by your MDS saying he can see brain changes on the mri from the mirapex-if you can find out what changes he sees by asking him, please let us all know! I would be curious as to how the MDS can tell the brain changes he sees are attributable to the mirapex as opposed to PD progression or something else.

We have tried stopping mirapex several times and the pain is unbearable, even trying to reduce the amount we took was a mistake and we had to go back. We would love to get off of it, because of the brain fog, sleepiness, and other side effects, but just cannot seem to do it. Let us know how it goes for you, and if there is anything you do during the weaning off phase that helped get you through it. Thanks!

I am confused - you say 'we' - do you and your partner both have PD and take the same meds?

Trixiedee

fava revelations...what about winter?
 

Madamlash,

Like you I am new to the fava revelations! My plan is to order sproutable seeds and eat sprouts this winter. I've been making my own juice with fava pods and pouring it into ice cube trays. Also built a planter box so next spring will hopefully grow some! Also, juiced some vegetable juice and added the favajuice to that and froze in pint jars.

do you skin the beans before eating them? seems like they are much better that way!

regards,
md :)

Will freezing hurt the dopamine content?
 

Good morning.
By the way, I love your Bucky Fuller quote. I had the rare opportunity to meet him and his wife several years ago. Quite lovely people!
I have tried the favas as the juice, the bean itself, the bean with the covering, and the bean with covering and pod. All are pretty tasty just out of my steamer. The only parts I really didn't care for were the two strings that run down each side of the pod. Take those off and everything else is good. I'm also hoping that the pod and skin will add much needed roughage to my diet.
I'm about to begin looking into the sprouting. I did read somewhere that the favas lose quite a bit of dopamine when you cook them and cool them. I'm not sure about that and if so, I wonder if freezing them hurts the dopamine content?
Regards
Madam Lash

Lurking, I actually do not have PD, I have segmental spinal myoclonus, they put me on the mirapex and kept upping the dose to where I have been on the max dose 1.5mg q 8hrs. I was having "blinking out spells" short periods of time where I knew I was missing parts of time but didnt realize it until a few minutes after I came back. this usually happened about 1-2 hours after taking the mirapex.
Not sure what he was seeing but at age 55 he stated "you are to young to have these kind of changes" He doesnt feel the mirapex is actually doing any thing to stop my leg as my leg is still going but that it is hampering getting the epidural drugs out of my system. he had seen a mri of my brain which he thought he had requested the recent one but it was actually one from 2003 when I was in car wreck. I had brought with me my copies of the new ones he had wondered why werent done(long story) but with seeing the new ones he just said "it was changes from the meds" and he wanted me off them asap. My first 24 hours dropping from 1.5mg tid to 1mg tid went fairly well until hit hour 28 I was walking down hall at work and it suddenly went like a finger painting and swirlled in color. it felt like someone drove a spike through my head. I could look down in front of me but if I looked out the world became a bad finger painting. I called PCP and nurse said to take 1/2 mg and see what happened after about 3 hours I could see at a distance again. As the week went on it became less of a headache literally. Last thursday my leg did cramp up and ended up taking valium and tramadol to pass out as I couldnt take the pain.
I am now on week 2 of the step down as of today and only taking 1mg bid. Had a headache but just took tylenol extra strength and it eased enough to tolerate. So today hasnt been to bad. Leg is clenching harder so think probably there will be a cramping spell to come. head is doing better, part of the problem i have been having is that my right eye from time to time will get double vision and it is cockeyed across not side by side but at angle across my straight vision. this has been going on since the "fly vision" when they tried to put me on lyrica.
I am eating my fava beans and until I get a reason that I shouldnt then I will continue but MDS did not say I shouldnt be eating them. Not sure if it is related or not but since started the beans I have not had a bout of my liver dumping a ton of bile into my stomach so that alone is a blessing.
Hope this helps if I can get an answer as to what the changes are I will post them.
Good luck and God Bless.