#Chinese Lovegrass

[rattyexplores]

Photos 1-2 - Eragrostis unioloides

Photos 3-4 - Eragrostis elongata

Photos 5-6 - Eragrostis lacunaria

Photos 7-8 - Eragrostis brownii

Photos 9-10 - Eragrostis tenuifolia

I've gained a new hobby recently: photographing grass species.

Here are some love grasses ❤

28/10/23 - Eragrostis spp.

QLD:WET - El Arish, farmland

[herbwicc]

Heyo!!! Firstly, I wish you a fantastic summer Solstice. Secondly, I have a question I'd like to ask since Google isn't of help on this. Some time ago I saw a small wilted branch of sorts and somethinf told me to adopt it. I had no idea what kind of a plant it was but today I discovered that it's called Chinese lovegrass. I'm trying to find out more about it and its history and usage but nothing really comes up other than it being cattle food. Do you maybe know where I could get more info on it?

happy summer solstice to you as well! I don’t have any more info on it myself, nor where to go for more info. However, when you say you’re having trouble finding it’s history and usage and that nothing comes up “other than being cattle food,” I want to point out that the grasses used for cattle throughout history are so important, like...that’s a really awesome and really important use! I don’t want you to think it’s not as cool as, idk, something used medicinally or spiritually. 

These grasses maintain agriculture (which essentially maintains all that we are as people/communities, everything else we are able to do depends on agriculture) and protect land against erosion, we NEED them and have needed them throughout our existence. Some lovegrass types are used as food for millions of people directly (though not this type), but I want you to see how awesome it is to hold something that has played such a passively important role in the cycle of agriculture. Even if some prefer to feed their cattle other things, in times of need this was calmly existing in order for us to thrive. In rice fields it grows in ABUNDANCE for us, for our cattle, for our crops, for the cycle. 

That’s a hefty responsibility for a plant, don’t you think? That’s a lot of power and energy for a grass, no? 

Also, ornamentally, chinese lovegrass is just...lovely to see and touch! That plus it’s agricultural use makes it so awesome to me, that’s more than enough! 

[call-me-alex-maybe]

05/23/2017

The Six Food Groups

Grains

                                The most important grains

Rice 

Wheat 

Oat

Commeal

Barley

The different grains can be cooked and eaten whole, ground into flour to make a variety of cereal foods like bread, pasta and noodles, or made into ready-to-eat breakfast cereals.

Ancient grains

Sorghum 

Teff

Millet

Quinoa

Buckwheat

Chia 

Ancient grains are often marketed as being healthier than modern grains, though their health benefits have been disputed by some nutritionists.

Teff 

Also known as Williams' lovegrass or annual bunch grass, is an annual grass, a species of lovegrass native to Eritrea and Ethiopia.

Vegetables

Legumes 

Legumes are plants that bear their fruit in pods, which are casings with two halves, or hinges. Legumes are a very healthy food because it is low in fat and high in protein.  Legumes are also very high in fiber and other nutrients. 

List of the most important legumes

Beans 

Lentils 

Peas

Peanuts

Rhizome

Is a modified subterranean stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes. 

Plant stem

A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant, the other being the root. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes: The nodes hold one or more leaves, as well as buds which can grow into branches (with leaves, conifer cones, or inflorescences (flowers)). Adventitious roots may also be produced from the nodes. The internodes distance one node from another.

Important Rhizome 

Bamboo 

Ginger

hops

 asparagus 

 ginger 

 irises

 Lily of the Valley 

List of Root Vegetables 

Carrots

Parship

Turnip

Rutabaga

Herb

Radish

Celery

Root vegetables are plant roots eaten as vegetables.

Tuber 

Yuca 

Potatoe

Sweet Potatoe

Yam

Fruits

The 6 Favorite Fruits around the world

Strawberries 

Mango 

Bananas 

Pineapples 

Oranges 

Cherries 

Vines Fruits 

Tomato 

Dragon fruit 

Grape

Watermelon

Berryfruits

Kiwi 

Pitaya

Milk

Lactose 

Lactose is the sugar that’s in milk.

Our bodies use an enzyme called lactase to break down that sugar so we can absorb it into our bodies. But people with lactose intolerance don’t have enough lactase. It’s produced in the small intestine.

Even with low levels of lactase, some people can digest milk products just fine. For people who are lactose intolerant, their low lactase levels gives them symptoms after they eat dairy.

Types of milks

Cow

Camels

Sheep

Goat

Meats

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, pork is the most consumed in the world (36%), followed by poultry meat (33%), beef (24% ) And goat / sheep meat (5%).

Lean meats

Poultry: chiken, hen, turkey, cornish

Beef

Pork: canadian bacon 

Oil

Oils considered good for the body

Sunflower oil.

Peanut oil.

Oil of canola or rapeseed.

Sesame oil.

Coconut oil.

Grape seed oil.

Linseed oil.

Rapeseed oil.

Oils that should be avoided

Palm oil.

Soybean oil.

Margarines.

Corn oil.

Lard.

Glossary

Rapeseed

Is a bright yellow flowering member of the Brassicacea family (mustard or cabbage family). It is a mustard crop grown primarily for its seed which yields about forty percent oil and a high-protein animal feed.

What's the Difference Between Canola and Rapeseed Oils?

In the 1970s canola was created through traditional plant cross-breeding by removing two things found in the rapeseed plant: glucosinolates and erucic acid. Erucic acid was removed because it was believed to be inedible or toxic in high doses. The newly developed plant was renamed "canola" – a combination of "Canadian" and "Oil" (or ola) to make this difference apparent.

By definition, if a seed is labeled "canola" it has to have less than 30 micromoles of glucosinolates and less than 2% of erucic acid.

Cheese Fruit - Noni Fruit 

Is a tree or shrub of the rubiaceae family; Originating in Southeast Asia, has been introduced to India, Polynesia and Panama.

5 Amazing Health Benefits of Noni

Analgesic 

Immune system booster 

Antidepressant/sedative 

Skincare/hair 

Anti-tumor/anti-cancer 

Pitaya

These fruits are commonly known in English as "dragon fruit", reflecting its vernacular Asian names. The names pitahaya and pitaya derives from Mexico, and pitaya roja in Central America and northern South America, possibly relating to pitahaya for names of tall cacti species with flowering fruit .

3 Food Pyramids From Around The World

China's Food Pagoda

There’s a very big difference in the Chinese diet between meat and vegetable protein sources. They’ve also skipped the “servings” in favor of showing how much to eat from each group. There’s also more sweet potato, soybean, and lentils which is more culturally specific to the Chinese diet than more general food pyramids.

Spinning Top — Japan

Japan decided to have a little fun with its nutritional guidelines: they’ve flipped the food pyramid upside down and spun it around, giving new meaning to playing with your food! From bottom to the top, in super small amounts, are fruits and dairy products, fish and meat dishes, vegetable dishes, then the top (the bulk of your diet) should be grains and breads. And the spinning part? Well, there’s a little guy standing on the top Well, there’s a little guy standing on the top running around to keep it spinning, emphasizing the role of exercise in any healthy diet.

Sweden food pyramid

Sweden uses a simple and clear graph with three key messages in a traffic light colours. Green: eat more vegetables, fruit, berries, fish, shellfish, nuts, seeds, exercise. Amber: switch to whole grains, healthy fats and low-fat dairy products. Red: eat less red and processed meat, salt, sugar and alcohol.

Netherlands food pyramid

The circle is divided into four food groups and one beverage group. Fruits and vegetables and breads, cereals and potatoes cover more than half of the circle. Animal source foods, spreads and cooking fats comprise a much smaller part. Water and other beverages such as tea, and coffee complete the circle.

Key learning point 

In class on Tuesday I learned what the word teff means.

I was surprised to learn that netherland eats more grains and vegetables than meats and dairy.

I learned what the word pitaya means