Yesterday we took our first ever comfrey harvest, and I'd like to chronicle the regrowth and other information day by day for posterity. For science.
What was 14.6 ounces fresh turned into 1.9 dry ounces. @goldenoakfarm recommends removing the main vein prior to drying, and that's a good idea. After seven hours in the dehydrator, I still had a couple veins damp. I'll be removing veins on the next batch.
The regrowth has already started. I was surprised to find a little shoot already an inch or two tall coming up from the cutting.
The stalks and damaged leaves were used for mulch on the peach trees.
Definitely not a heavy mulch, but that's from one plant. And it mulched two trees like that. Once we have a bunch of harvestable plants, that'll be some pretty serious chop and drop. Doing some quick math, for a comfrey infusion every week, I'd need 26 more harvests like this. Not sure how much the chickens will need, but I am starting to think 50-75 plants will be realistic between me, the cickens, the trees, the rabbits we want to get, and other various comfrey-type uses. I think I saw somewhere that you can get three full harvests per plant per year after they're established.
If we're all lucky, maybe I'll be offering some comfrey on the Co-op soon :)
All action for the good of all.
Nate.
P.S. thanks @painting.peonies for the inspiration to do the daily comfrey report!!! 5 SBI shares inbound, unless you'd prefer 5 steem liquid. Lmk which you prefer :)
Purchase sustainably produced seeds, textiles, medicines, and more for SBD from @homesteaderscoop at The Homesteader's Co-op Online Marketplace!
Follow @naturalmedicine and join the Natural Medicine discord channel today and come grow and learn with us!
If you'd like to support my projects beyond the upvote, please consider a crypto donation to the cause!
BTC:
1HXGAAddYNZz4YivHGDxgsN5YsvzXVHtaY
LTC:
M8sogv2rZVVeFyT96UgheGKZNqau9o4yCT
ETH:
0x8B3b8Ed907CfB63ddA941e42534969Cad022d67d
ZEC:
t1ZjMEF6qUTiYDf5a8RvN9U93bQ31SbPMeM
BCH:
qzuvwvfweqxge58475aqra65efj2yzad056vhzr3cz
ETC:
0xfA9851AeaC9D4f319b7679212389E3DdED9BC305
BAT
0xB70a3B8c2f8288E926fD1D03721f03D9128a726B
ETN
etnkMMQGh32cdcrWpMpjipNXxVMyxg9dx3CvSB6epQjNALcfUhVrMqyDTnmcVHcprPBkFZPj7xeCxdsrtU5mRn699G5y7hqpY5
Some of these are exchange addresses so that I'll get notifications of deposits. From there, the funds will either be moved to wallets that I control, exchanged for steem to boost my influence here, or to USD to fund a project.
Buying crypto with fiat? Consider using my coinbase referral link and we'll both get $10 in Bitcoin for free when you buy it sell $100 worth of crypto! An automatic 10% return is a good hedge in bear markets.
Posted using Partiko Android
We love our comfrey. In fact, my 8 year old right now has a poultice of it on her arm, then wrapped a fresh leave around it so as not to get messy. She sprained her wrist when she fell. Comfrey is a go to for so many things here on our homestead. Compost tea, topical medicine, pollinators love the flowers, etc. :) Thanks for sharing!
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Ooh, ouch! Haven't had a chance to use it on a sprain or break thankfully, but I've had awesome results when my hands got cut up at work. I'd grab a leaf when I got home in the morning and just mash it up in my hands, getting the juice all over.
Posted using Partiko Android
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
It works wonders for sprains. I even used a poultice made with comfrey, spilanthes, white yarrow, and a few other herbs for a wicked bad wasp sting attack. I got stung 22 times. It was really bad. I was in a TON of pain. Itching, swelling, etc. It was awful. I keep a jar of poultice in the fridge for a quick go to but we always have fresh herbs in the garden when needed. We have a bit of an apothecary garden here. We use so many different herbs for so many things. :) I can't be without herbs. :)
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Ooh, I want an apothecary garden so bad! You should make a post about yours and use the #naturalmedicine tag :)
Posted using Partiko Android
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Yes, how exciting it is to see that little baby shoot!!! Plants are so amazing, it seems like your comfrey is happy to get a fresh start. Will you allow it to flower again before harvesting?
Wow, thank you! SBI sounds fine.
Looking forward to seeing growth this summer:))
Also, best wishes for those 75 plants. You can do it!
Posted using Partiko Android
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
SBI tx sent :)
I could probably divide some plants right now and be at 75, but I want to see how well we fare at 46. It may be more than that by now, they keep popping up in places that I forgot...
Growth is coming! It's actually about time for summer pruning, as @bobydimitrov reminded me today.
Posted using Partiko Android
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Oh, and I planted a small pile of beans today too... And look at all the little feathery shoots ready to pop out of the crown there. I bet tomorrow there'll be a half dozen shoots coming up.
Posted using Partiko Android
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
What are you doing with your comfrey? I have some save I use with it, and totally blanked on planting any this year.
Posted using Partiko Android
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
I'll be using it for salves, infusions, fertilizer, mulch, and animal fodder. It's super useful!
Posted using Partiko Android
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
And it's never ever too late to plant it. If the soil can be worked, comfrey can be planted. This was planted last August, and grew (slowly) all winter here. Idk about y'all weirdos with your 3 feet of snow in July though 🤣
It's like goji. It can be planted literally almost anywhere.
Posted using Partiko Android
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit