Growing Cannabis Legally

Finally in the state of Maryland we are able to grow cannabis herb legally at home, for personal use.

For the first time I was able to grow cannabis from seed I had saved years ago. Cannabis is a plant that has been illegal for too long, and is still illegal Federally (needs to be changed), that is not deadly or poisonous but has powerful medicinal effects mentally, and is better for the body than tobacco. While cannabis smoke is more toxic or powerful than peppermint smoke, it is still better on the lungs than tobacco and better psychologically than alcohol. Cannabis is edible too, with many recipes.

In Spring 2023 I planted seeds in a large bowl with potting soil, and one of them took. The seedling grew quickly, so I should have clipped its top branches sooner to make it grow horizontally, because it grew vertically to the underside of the shelf above it and the lower leaves gradually died off. Only the top branches grew well with bright and lush leaves, as the lower leaves got brown spots and turned yellow and crumbled.

The herbal plant had a good seasonal life. It’s pot sat on a shelf by a South-facing window. On special days I moved the pot to the balcony or a better spot of Sun. I did not use a heat-lamp at all, the Sun-light levels affected its life-span more than the air-conditioned (70sF) room.

I harvested the cannabis plant in Fall 2023, in October. The rooted stems (a few inches after clipping) did not grow new leaves or branches, so I assume they died after the tops were clipped. I hung the clippings to dry, and will use the dried leaves and hairy sticky buds for smelling medicine in jars.

[more later]

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Pokeberry Plant

Pokeberry plant leaves are edible when young, but most toxic when mature (like rhubarb). Many people are allergic to the toxins so all parts of the plant are poisonous to them. The roots are the most toxic. The leaves are edible when young after being boiled 3x in water changes, or for those of us not allergic to poke frying in oil or butter is fine. Documented cases are common for people allergic to poke, but there are people like me who have been around poke their whole lives, handled the plants often, and squished the berries for stain and ink without any problems beyond our skin getting stained crimson for a day or two. I have heard of someone getting a skin rash from poke (like poison ivy), as they are allergic to touching it; but I am not. My mother had us paint and print with poke berry ink on water-color paper as children, with no problems.

Poke berries are not edible, but when used with vinegar and salt (and other blends) can make ink for writing pens and printing on paper. Pokeberry ink is not archival because it fades over time on paper, even when not exposed to sunlight everyday. However pokeberry ink is a interesting local organic native alternative to industrial toxic inks, but modern use is still experimental although the chemicals in it are known. In gardens they are beautiful in full maturity, with their ornate ‘goblin’ fruits.

“Indians and early settlers used the root in poultices and certain drugs for skin diseases and rheumatism.” – Michael Owen, ISU

The late 19th century herbal, the ‘King’s American Dispensatory’, describes various folk medical uses that led individuals to ingest pokeberry products. Modern commercial medical companies (big pharma) snubs remedies that are found commonly, for obvious pharmaceutical sales reasons, and so serious testing might be hard to study at length with funding for the purposes of common good, for free but cautious home use.

CAUTION:  Many people are allergic to poke toxins, so limit your exposure to the plant to reduce possible effects. There are many medical claims that eating poke roots, berries, or anything from the adult plant can kill in sufficient quantities.

Other articles: ‘Making Pokeweed Ink‘; ‘Pokeberry Ink‘;

For safer printing for all people, perhaps black-berries or mul-berries or huckle-berries are better? For long-term organic industrial printing, using a weed like poke which is not used for human food would make more sense for sustainability though. [Link Process for making any type of berry ink]

[photo from Wikipedia]

Herbal Teas

Drogo’s favorite Herbal Teas:

Peppermint (or Spearmint)

Catmint (Catnip)

Beebalm

Lemonbalm

Tension Tamer (Celestial Seasonings) – Blend: Eleuthero, Mint, Cinnamon, Ginger, Chamomile, Lemongrass, Licorice, Catnip, Tilia, Hops, Vitamin B

 

 

Smoothies

Smoothies are awesome!

Use fruits and vegetables in a blender to make a smooth healthy drink.

Any fruits or veggies with milk, yogurt, or ice-cream all not over 3/4 full in a blender.

Blend. Put in pitcher container and refrigerate.

Drogo’s Chili Soup

Drogo’s Chili for a Large Pot:

3 cans of beans, 1 can tomato sauce or diced tomatoes, 1 soup spoon of Garlic, 1 soup spoon of Chili powder, 1 soup spoon of veggie oil, 1 soup spoon of Oregano or other herb, and a bit of beer.

No straining, no worries. All organic of course. Simple because it is mostly beans, tomatoes, and spices.  Cook to boil, then simmer 20 minutes.

Skullcap Herb

Scutellaria lateriflora, blue skullcap, mad dog, blue dog – a hardy perennial herb of the mint family (Lamiaceae) native to North America

After taking skullcap for 3 weeks, I have much praise for its magic mental powers of tranquility. I bought a small bottle of ‘Oregon’s Wild Harvest’ Skullcap organic pills. Rather than swallow the pills whole and letting the thin capsule dissolve in my stomach, I open them and pour the dried powder of ‘100% skullcap tops’ onto my tongue and then swallow. It takes like tea flavored flour.

The psychoactive chemicals in skullcap cause a mild euphoric high, much like tea or coffee without the negative withdrawal effects of caffeine; and instead of the heart-racing diuretic stimulation, Skullcap has an opposite calming effect. Skullcap may be more like eating a similar small portion of cannabis, for the reasons described. I believe Skullcap is not strong enough to cause accidents, as when I was driving my traffic and weather anxiety seemed to over-ride any calming effects while driving. When I am sitting or walking, I do feel a bit buzzed, but the effect may have something to do with my desire to chill out and relax as well.

The Skullcap bottle cost about $10, and after taking an average 3 pills daily and giving some away I still have half a bottle left. It seems to give me a bit of help in training my mind to be more meditative, and create a peaceful state of being. This is not a paid advertisement for this product, but I can honestly say that I desire to take the pill when I go hours without it. If it is addictive, I feel it is in the same way that Cannabis is, in that I can go without it safely, but it feels nice when I use it.

Skullcap bio-active compounds:  flavonoids, baicalein, wogonin, wogonoside (anti-histamine, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-cardiac stress)

Blackberry Cove Herbal Book

BLACKBERRY COVE HERBAL by Linda Rago

West Virginia Wise-woman healing with wild herbs in the Appalachian Mountains; according to organic, rural folk-traditions.

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2nd Edition (Full Color):  Paperback book

2nd Edition (Full Color Illustrated):  Kindle ebook

2nd Edition (Greytone Illustrated):  Paperback book

3rd Edition (Text Only):  Kindle ebook

Interview with the Author Linda Rago 

Audio Recording of Monthly Chapters

Audio Recording of ‘Spiral Gift‘ Chapter

Audio Recording of ‘Grandmother’s Methods‘

Audio Recording of ‘Herbal Healing‘

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Plant Strong Summary

I have reviewed evidence about one’s nutrition and dietary choices and have come this conclusion: The best diet is a whole food, plant based, diet without meat, dairy or eggs. It also must be as free as possible from processing and artificiality and without any added oils.

In my view this applies in all cases, however it is limited by certain factors (such as climate, location, culture, governmental restrictions, etc) which can make it difficult to apply these dietary principles.

The reasons for making a change to this way of eating to me come down to four broad reasons with growing scientific data to support each one. They are:

1. Better for the environment.

2. It is more humane.

3. It is healthier for your body and helps fight off disease.

4. Improves and refines your sense of taste.

Each of these reasons is packed with a multitude of different sub-issues, good reasons, and evidence to support it. Evidence to the contrary I have found to have roots in propaganda supported by big business who have more interest in making profit by promoting their products and squashing any real data that will make a difference in helping humanity.

     –    Sir Jeffy of SCOD

Wok Cooking (Stir-Fry)

Stir-frying in a large Wok or Frying Pan

This shows the variety of colors, before all the large green leaves are added.

Here is how I divided the amounts of veggies before adding them to the tofu I first cooked on olive oil at the bottom of the pan.

I filled the Wok entirely with these items, and they mostly steamed without burning, due to their internal juices. I cooked them with olive oil, butter, and seasonings.

Then served this on plates of Rice.