Palma

- Yes, I do water, but I want to share my water among more plants, so I need to be water wise. - Yes, we all have to try, but it is better to try desert plant than marsh plants in my place! And I believe in other people experience, and it is important with slow growing plants, and reduce the mistakes. - And this topic is also for fun, I want to find all the part of the world with similarities with mine! And notice the differences. So thanks, so far I know that Perth has some similarities and is considered as Mediterranean. I investigated and found out that it can be freezing sometimes there, so yes, definitively colder. There might be some places in the (big) state that are frost free? A lot of tropical plants do not like winter rain because they do not like it when it is colder. I can add water in summer but cannot remove it in winter. Thanks for sharing some more experience from your climates!

I would be curious to know which parts of Australia have the closest climate as mine... I think we will not find a similar one, but it can be a challenge to see how close we can get, and what are the differences... It will help me to find which plants I can try here, as I do not want to abuse of the plants capacity to adapt... I prefer to see them thrive happily!! And some of you might want to have some canarian endemic plants, so you need to know where they can thrive. But my small island does not have only one climate, as the north is a wet cloudy foggy forest! No way that I can offer them alkaline soil, nor frost, nor summer rain... My climate, dry sub-tropical, is close to the Mediterranean climate... Hot summer and winter rain. 1st, where in Australia is the climate more or less Mediterraanean? Am I right if I guess about south-west? My climate in the west of LA PALMA is very particular. We normally have winter rain (almost none last winter, terrible...), and I live at 500m high (sorry, how many feet...?) ;) I am not far from the sea but nor close, I need to walk down 1 1/2 hour. I never experiment frost, 10°C is a minimum (50°F). But the climate, though dry, is not so hot! 16-18°C (60°F) at night now, and 30°C (88°F) during the day. So, will desert plants be happy here?? They might be chilling sometimes, haha! Now I tell you about the most peculiar thing... Some mornings, I go out of bed and it is so warm! Over 20°C... 70°F and over.... A calima! Calima is a sand wind coming from the Sahara. Here I have almost no sand and it is mild, but enough to make the temperatures go up over 100°F.... and it can last 1 day, or 3.... It is great in winter of course! And in summer, then I have desert conditions I think... So, it has some caracteristics of Mediterranean, atlantic and desertic climates at the same time. The soil is acidic but close to neutral, quite good. Pines are naturally growing, and almond trees. and nopal, a lot! I really hope you will enjoy the topic, if only as a mental game... thanks Xisca

I also try it.... You worry about proteins, but there are a lot in an easy way in beans. I also planted moringa and pigeon peas. I would care about fat!! Do you have olive trees........ ? Well, grow sunflower, giant type, and grow your vine beans on it. Right about missing water, so I look for what can stand draught. But everything depends on the area where you live. But really, fat can hardly be found in nature, so think about a source, well, more than one... we absolutely need 10%, and because fat is thought unhealthy, it is forgotten, though it is very important (for the brain, for A E D vitamins...). Then I look for an easy grain, just try to unhusk some! I cannot grow buckwheat here, too warm, but I would... love it sprouted. A must. Then I have corn, easy to eat, but millet, quinoa and sorgho are I think a better solution. And I look for the right roots, not only potatoes... Good luck!

YES! And I love it since I know it! I am in a more or less 500mm area... I want to reveg! Australian santalwood is spicatum, acuminatum, or both?

This santalum acuminatum is just sooo great! Little water, fruits, nuts, smelling wood... And he loves the acacias!!!! Up for this plant! Anyone has seeds? Or know where to buy, I just found nothing on the net.

Tom, I will send you my address. I think the acuminata subps acuminata is the best for me... I checked a few, and some wattles just need too much water, others have hairs that can cause allergies for some persons. Acuminata favors winter rain and acidic soils, which matches my zone. And yes shortly, I think about the possible invasion, but here, out of the zone we water.... only drago tree and canarian pine! By the way, I have become interested by the host of acuminata, santalum acuminatum! If anyone has seeds...

I do not know primal therapy, and for me, the best therapy is somatic experiencing. He makes a mistake by saying "Integration is the sine qua non". The key is not integration, but a come back to neutral emotions about a trauma. You do not forget, it is neutral when you think about it. And this is not integration, this is a cleaning of the autonomous nervous system, it is a "cleaning of pipes", so that energy / neurotransmitters circulates fluently in the nerves. A trauma is as atherosclerosis or phlebitis in the veins! Then, he is right when he talks about going slowly in the process. When I practice some simple exercises from somatic experiencing, then I also experience to "be one". The difference with a drug is that I have to make an effort, it does not come by itself! Then he is right about the "gate". Our body has gates on the road to the brain, so that one/few pain be felt. That is why you ease mosquito bites for a moment by scratching ! Since I know this, I just scratch around and leave the spot alone, it works equally...

I am interested in the choice of an acacia... Apart from any magic, I might need more than one specy, and I wander which ones are deciduous or evergreen for example. Are some of them spiny? I also would like to know which ones stand best a dry climate, as I have 500mm, I guess. Only figs and almonds grow with only rainfall here! I want acacia or any legume to give nitrogen to the garden, and to slightly shade the veggies. If the seed is edible, then better! Thanks in advance for any help to list the species according to those different criterii...

I would be curious of seeds of some Australian varieties from a dry zone... Any edible or medicinal is great for me: - if they can grow in a dry sunny rocky area, - or also under the trees of my orchard, so I can also find room for plants and bushes that grow in shade and with some water, as long as they can stand dry air and winter rain (but my minimals are over 9°C/48°F) . Gracias!

Hola I can tell you a little more about what can be found here.... I will have to look for seeds, so I will do this by local trade whenever possible, and also by harvesting myself when I find the plants. The island is small, but plants are very local, so I might not have them around my place. I suppose I can send only seeds... Yes we have some pistacia : atlantica and lentiscus. Another mastic shrub is euphorbia balsamifera. It can be chewed and reinforce gums. I was also used to stop leeks between wood planks (wine barrels). I have this plant a few hundred meters from my place. It is specific of very dry places and low altitude. Maytenus canariensis, called peralilla, small pear, after the shape of the fruit. Tthe leaves can me masticated as coca leaves, not to feel hunger or fatigue. It can only be used as fresh leaves. It is medicinal, for rheumatism, and also scientifically investigated for cancer. Its zone is USDA 11, and it needs some water but not so much, and semi shade area. It will grow 5m. I can find it here only in the North of the island, so not far from me, because it has disappeared from many places, as it grew in the best zones for agriculture. It has been flowering yet and I can get seeds around March. I can very easily get drago seeds, as I have the tree myself. This can grow in containers, so is known as an ornamental. Fruits are edible (but the tree must be over 10 years...), and it is a medicinal plant (dragon's blood). And it is beautiful and very special.

They are common in Peru and yes they are called cuy, "coo - ee", and just hear them you will know how the quetchua chose the name! As they are small, the skin is not taken off, just the hair, and the pieces are fried. They are bred in high altitude where they also call them rabbit, and I think that they have them because they grow better than rabbit. They need more than 6 to 9 months to be eaten. They are not so big, so the big ones could be a modern selection, may be not as strong, who knows... The stress comes from not being used to men as pets are!

Anyone knows about the fermentation way of separating the bean from the cherry? Is it true that it requires too much water for cleaning? I did it by hand for just a hand-full, but I might get more....

I also harvested some coffee beans, so I am happy to know how I can roast them! Thanks! And my fire cooker will be ready soon in the new kitchen...

Hello guys! I did not find any place to introduce oneself, so I tell you there that I am a woman in my late forties living in La Palma in a big garden and orchard, and trying to live from plants I can grow here, and also medicinal plants. I would like to gather as many plants as possible, and try what can be adapted, especially what can grow with little rain. I water my garden, I even have avocados, but it is better to plan any possible shortage from the pipes... I am fond of permaculture (but not of names, so I just say that I cultivate and grow!) and I am blessed with a very varied environment, from the shady bottom of a little valley to some rocky and sunny slopes, and even a cliff. Any help for edibles is welcome! And any inquiry for my local plants is also welcome. The Canarian endemics are many.

Hello I would like to help with my experience. I also had to go abroad and in a dry warm place for living better. At the moment, I just suffer from tendons, like a tennis elbow, and this is great: it means I was able to do more than before! Well, I have never been very much affected, but I reacted very early as I did not want to get worse. I will keep for last but not least what was the best, because here is the origins of the fatigue that cannot be explained... But anyway, I can still notice how important is the diet, and it took me a while to change it, though I have always eaten a pretty natural diet. First, eliminate gluten, dairies and then sugar. if you feel addicted to sugar, then know you are not, may be your worms are begging it! 80% of the population is affected. I used Dr Clark treatment, and I could feel the result: no more taste for sweet things, and I could no more finish my ordinary plate of food. I have always been into herbs, but now I turn to a mainly raw diet, and especially nettles. The change was incredible in 1 week. I also use a lot of sprouts, and I love the gluten-free buckwheat! I also grind a lot of sunflower or sesame seeds, and chia. I am not completely vegetarian, but I just do not need meat any more. I usually cook what cannot be eaten raw, as potatoes, beans or sweet potatoes called boniatos here. (tonigh, I have eaten some, with my now usual "GREEN SAUCE"! It is in fact a full bowl of processed green leaves, mainly nettles and parsley, with garlic, olive oil, ground sunflower seeds and spices such as curry. My conclusion is that what we can usually call a health food diet may not be so healthy. I have always been surprised each time I discovered I was not accurate enough... I am here mainly to increase my knowledge about plants, and maybe find new ones to introduce here... If you have one meet to reject, I would say pork, especially for people with immunity problems, just because pork is genetically to close to us! I learned if from a shaman in Peru. Then, you can do whatever you want to recover after viral diseases, clear off injections, I also had an homeopathic treatment for Lyme disease... this will not tell you what you are more sensitive than other persons who stay strong as a rock whatever happen ! Just inquire about the ANS (autonomous nervous system), and the second branch of the parasympathetic... and you will know what blocks your nervous system at the root. I learned it all in a somatic experiencing course. We are ALL concerned about this, but some more than others. I remember a girl who was still forced to work part time and get a nap every afternoon 5 month after a mere fall from her bike. But she was still in shock, and not only for her still painful shoulder. Her emotional reaction was typical, but sometimes you can forget about it. BUT! When you have a strong reaction, this has to do with the orthosympathetic system, the one that boosts you to act! And it has been discovered quite lately that what is know as a freeze response (after the failure of flight or fight) is a second type of para reaction, and it acts as a powerful hand brake while the accelerator is still at its maximum. Imagine the strength and so the energy that is used for this! And some people do not go out of this stage as they should (for many reasons that would lengthen my post... and I am not English) Then, a double energy is still like burning inside, forever and for nothing , and this takes all the energy from the person, who will feel tired, and week, and who will be less able to defend oneself from diseases, virus and mainly stress of the modern life. The SE technique is made to stop this loss of energy by finishing the cycle that was not finished when some shocks (physical, emotional) happened. The girls were from Australia at this course, so I know this is not very well known. I have tested its effect, and this has nothing to do with psychotherapy. This is quick also, and acts on the nervous system, not on your story, that you do not have to tell completely. As the ANS is cleaned, this is as removing some sand in a pipe of water: you just clean a little, whatever comes, lets say the biggest parts, and then, the water will be strong enough to clean what is left. Well, same here, your system will do the rest of the job and the energy comes back. Well, it was still there, but now you can use it all. There can still be other things to do, and the diet is part of it, because your system has been tired and may be damage over time, but your body will have more strength to spend for repairing and enjoying life. Sorry for being long, but this is my real experience and nothing of a mere theory. There are many more things, as knowing how the nervous system works now allows me to create a sense of joy and happiness that is not related to what happens to me. It is possible to generate it inward.