Those of you who have been following me on Twitter probably already know that I have recently been tweeting about seeds, germinating, soil, seedlings, etc. A few weeks ago I decided to attempt to grow a Moringa tree right here in northwest New Jersey. I know New Jersey wouldn't exactly be considered a tropical or subtropical climate, the climate in which moringa trees thrive, but why not give it a try? Wait a second, what on earth is Moringa?
I discovered Moringa by reading Jenney's blog, The Drays Today. She adds Moringa leaf powder to the Super Porridge she feeds Baby J, which has helped him gain weight.
Moringa has tremendous nutritional value and is often referred to as the miracle tree because it produces so many useful vitamins and has so many uses for people. The leaves, leaf powder, pods, seeds, flowers, roots, and bark are all edible.
Moringa leaves contain:
two times the amount of protein of yogurt (and all of the essential amino acids)
four times the amount of calcium of milk
four times the vitamin A of carrots
seven times the vitamin C of oranges
three times the potassium of bananas
Wow, sounds like a miracle tree to me! But in order to retain all of the above health benefits the leaf powders must be processed correctly. For this reason I have decided to grow the tree, dry the leaves, and make the powder myself, or try to at the very least. Another reason to grow the tree myself is the cost of processed leaf powder. Let me just say that I do not have the money to purchase leaf powder.
I ordered the seeds and soaked them in water for an entire day before planting them. The following picture is Day 2. The seeds are in the soil ready to germinate.
I have never grown anything from seed before so you can say I was pretty excited. I checked on my seeds every single day, several times a day. Alright I will admit I checked on them every time I walked by the kitchen counter which was often. I even gently pushed the soil aside with my finger to see if anything was happening. I never thought those poor little seeds would have survived all my harassment.
But here they are on Day 12. Happy 4th of July, my litttle Moringa seedlings!
UPDATED (7.5.09):
And on Day 13 you have opened your leaves. Each day you are looking more marvelous than the last. Time for a new home where you can spread your roots!
