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What you need to know about Moringa
What is Moringa?
The Moringa tree originated in India but is now grown in tropical and subtropical regions in five different continents. Moringa has so many health benefits it is referred to as the “miracle tree.” Almost every part of the moringa tree is edible, including the roots, trunk, seeds, pods, and leaves. It is a fast growing, drought resistant tree that can reach 40 feet in height. In our climate 6a, the moringa can be grown in a pot and kept inside during winter. Pruning will produce more leaves and flowers and keep the tree at a manageable height. The variety of moringa I have available is oleifera.
What can you do with Moringa?
Moringa leaves can be eaten fresh, cooked, or dried. Fresh leaves can be added to pasta, salad, sandwiches, and more. The leaves can be cooked, stir fried or added to baked goods. Moringa powder can be added to any meal, sprinkled on salad or in soup, added to your morning smoothie, or prepared as a tea. Moringa pods can be cooked like green beans or asparagus and are best when picked young when they are still tender. Seeds can be popped like popcorn or eaten as is. The options are endless so feel free to use your imagination.
Why is Moringa so good for you?
Moringa is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, calcium, iron and protein. It also contains eight essential amino acids and other powerful antioxidants. Moringa contains more than 90 nutrients and 46 different antioxidants which make it an excellent source of nutritive ingredients.
Image Source: miracletrees.org
Information in table below is provided per 100 grams
| Vitamins and Minerals | Fresh Leaves | Dried Leaves |
| Vitamin A | 6.78 mg | 18.9 mg |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.06 mg | 2.64 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.05 mg | 20.5 mg |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.8 mg | 8.2 mg |
| Vitamin C | 220 mg | 17.3 mg |
| Calcium | 440 mg | 2,003 mg |
| Calories | 92 cal | 205 cal |
| Carbohydrates | 12.5 g | 38.2 g |
| Copper | 0.07 mg | 0.57 mg |
| Fat | 1.70 g | 2.3 g |
| Fiber | 0.90 g | 19.2 g |
| Iron | 0.85 mg | 28.2 mg |
| Magnesium | 42 mg | 368 mg |
| Phosphorus | 70 mg | 204 mg |
| Potassium | 259 mg | 1,324 mg |
| Protein | 6.70 g | 27.1g |
| Zinc | 0.16 mg | 3.29 mg |
Image Source: http://moringafacts.net/vitamin-and-mineral-content-of-moringa/
Moringa can:
Significantly increase antioxidants levels due to it’s high polyphenols
Lower blood sugar levels
Reduce inflammation
Maintain healthy cholesterol levels
Protect the cardiovascular system
Support brain health
Protect the liver
Help fight infections due to it’s antimicrobial and antibacterial properties
And much more!
Plant Care and Maintenance
Moringa trees do not like clay or compacted soil. Potting soil will work or you can add sand to your soil if it does not drain well. Moringa trees do not like vermiculite either.
When transplanting moringa be careful not to damage roots. Transplant moringa into a deep pot so you can grow it inside when the weather is cold. Moringa has a tap root, similar to a carrot so it needs room to grow down.
Once the moringa reaches 2 feet high cut off the top half and cut the branches back by half to encourage the plant to become bushy.
Water your moringa every other day until it reaches 18 inches tall, at that point watering once a week should be sufficient. Some say that spraying the leaves with water is a good idea as well.
If the leaves turn yellow add some magnesium such as epson salts mixed with water, you can also use oyster shell flour, egg shells, or dolomite.
I will be selling moringa plants and at some point I will be making moringa powder from the dried leaves as well.
I will update this blog post with any new info I can find and as my moringa plants grow I will share my experiences on this blog as well.
Happy growing! 🙂
New Haskap Varieties Available!
We have some exciting news! We have more haskap varieties available than ever before, including new varieties! The plants are propagated at Floramaxx Technologies Ltd. who work in close collaboration with the University of Saskatchewan fruit program and Dr. Bob Bors.
The new varieties were created through controlled cross pollination of haskap varieties from Russia, Kuril Islands, and Japan. The new varieties are the Boreal series which include Boreal Beast, Boreal Beauty, and Boreal Blizzard. They should be planted as a set.
We believe that these new varieties will perform very well in our grow zone, as they bloom later than previous U of S varieties. We will be planting some of each in our nursery in the Spring of 2017. We will be paying close attention to them to monitor their performance, growth and productivity.
Also available are the more well known varieties such as Aurora, Borealis, Honeybee, Indigo Gem, Indigo Treat, Indigo Yum, and Tundra. Our first orchard was planted with Indigo Gem, Tundra, and Berry Blue and they have done very well to date. We want to experiment with different varieties to determine the best varieties for our climate.
The plant plugs come in trays of 32, one variety per tray. The plug size is 2.5″ X 2.5″ X 3.5″. The orders need to be based on 32 plants per variety. It is preferred that orders are placed 6-8 months in advance for shipping in early Spring or Fall. Plants are well rooted and disease free.
We also have larger haskap plants available direct from our nursery.
There are also a number of new varieties from the U of S fruit program that are currently undergoing trials. We expect to see more additions to the Boreal series at a later date.
For more detailed information please visit our Haskap Plant Shop or contact us by email or phone.
Growing Plants from Seed
I have been busy preparing for Spring already! I have planted magnolia seeds, haskap seeds, hosta seeds and more! They are all growing steady under a grow light until it’s warm enough to put them in the greenhouse. It’s so much fun planting a seed and then watching it come alive as it sprouts and grows!
The seeds in a haskap berry are so small they are barely noticeable, so I cut berries in half and in quarters and planted them in a peat moss and perlite mixture. As you can see from the pictures more than one seed has started growing in most of the pots. All those plants from half a berry or less! Some pots have up to five plants.
I have also planted a few different varieties of magnolia seeds, some white, some pink, some a little of both. This is my second time growing magnolia seeds and I have found that it can take months for some of the seeds to sprout. Last year I was ready to give up on the seeds that didn’t sprout so I put the tray in the barn to deal with later. About a week went by and when I looked at the tray most of the seeds had sprouted. I’m not sure why they took so long but I think it might have something to do with the fact that magnolia seeds do not require light to sprout so when I put them in the barn where it was darker than in the house the rest of the seeds sprouted. I now keep the trays in a dark spot until the seeds start sprouting.
The hosta seeds I planted are doing great! From what I’ve read only about one in five seeds actually sprouts and this seems to be true based on what I’ve planted. I grew hosta seeds last year as well. This year, however, I have seeds from the really big hosta’s which I’m excited to see grow and need to find a spot for one or two in my gardens. It is not fun trying to get hosta seeds out of their pods but it is worth it in the end!
I am growing these plants and many more that will be available this Spring, Summer, and Fall. We will also have lilies, daylilies, hanging baskets, annuals, perennials, and more! I wanna know what are your favorite plants to grow from seed and what are you looking for to plant in your garden this year?
Haskap Berries & Their Role In Reducing Cancer Risk
Dr. Vasantha Rupasinghe, associate professor with the Department of Environmental Sciences at Dalhousie Agricultural Campus, and his team are researching the haskap berry to develop a food therapy that would reduce the risk of cancer. Students who joined the team to look at the effects of the berry on high blood pressure and inflammation found that the berry suppressed inflammation.
Dr. Rupasinghe says “the most recent research shows that flavonoids present fruits are known to prevent and suppress cancer development and metastasis, but there are also economic benefits to using the haskap”. Nova Scotia has the perfect climate for growing haskaps and the opportunity is there to take advantage of this. When farmers move out west looking for better jobs and pay, they leave behind thousands of acres of land, land that could be planted with haskaps.
Madumani (Madu) Amararathna, a student at DAL, has been awarded a grant to study the chemo preventative properties of haskap. “Madu is going to study cancer preventative properties of haskap by using experimental models of lung cancer,” he said, adding Amararathna will do some cell-based assays as well as tests on mice”. Dr. Rupasinghe wants to create a haskap drink for use in food therapy.
To read the full article click here.
Source: http://www.trurodaily.com/