What a great way to start my day.
I loved the part about saving seeds. I have my sempervivum seeds harvested from the crosses I made this summer. Each in a paper bag until some time in Oct, when they will be put into glassine bags and stored in the crisper until late winter/early spring.
Loved hearing about Manihot esculenta.
There are two varieties of cassava – sweet and bitter. Both contain Prussic acid (hydrocyanic acid), which can cause cyanide poisoning. Cooking or pressing the root thoroughly removes the poison. Cassava can never be eaten raw. Bitter, or wild, cassava contains enough acid so that it can be fatally poisonous if eaten raw or undercooked. To escape the Conquistadors, the oppressed natives were known to commit suicide by eating raw cassava.
Think I will pass on learning to cook this plant.
However I did love poke weed (Phytolacca americana). It was a tradition in the south to prepare it in the spring. Makes my mouth water just thinking of it. You do need to bring it to a boil and drain the water off three times, to remove the toxins. Using young leaves only.
It was wonderful hearing about the children saving seed.
Thank you for another great Podcast.
