Good one Straw.

Above is Nov. 21 bouquet, with a frozen stiff branch of Excellenz von Schubert .. I should had picked it before it dipped down to 20 F, or -6 C on Sat & Sunday. At least 5 Radio Times are frozen on the bush, I didn't pick that either. Big pink is Louise Este, peachy-pink is Evelyn, light pink is Cloudert Soupert, and pink on right is Radio Times. Louise Este gets the most sun, so it's biggest.

Despite my getting so sick last year from the flu-shot, husband got a flu-shot a week ago, and he's coming down with the MOST MISERABLE COLD right now. He got that shot since his work offered for free.

Neither I nor my kid get a flu-shot this year, and we are doing well ... zero colds. When I was sick for 2 months last year (from the flu-shot), I lost 8 lbs. and totally lost my sweet tooth. Later on I did some research and it shows that white-blood cells & immune system is suppressed with sugar .. so my body's dislike for sugar during that illness was the body's natural response to infection.

Khalid: I'm praying for your success in quitting smoking for good. We can't quit a bad habit, until we find something more enjoyable.

I used those zipper-plastic pouches which blankets & bed-sheets were sold in. I put a cardboard inside the bag, fill that with soil, stick cuttings in, zip-up to retain moisture. I put that next to a window on the edge of my bath-tube. It gets morning sun. After 10 days, leaves are still green & healthy.

The bag which the soil was barely damp: very healthy. But the bag which the soil was wet to the touch: a few yellow leaves, so I opened it to air out the moisture.

I let sun shined on the bags ON PURPOSE to kill molds & bacteria inside. The sun here is weak in the winter, but enough ultraviolet light to kill germs. One hour of sun is enough to zap out the molds. The World Health Organization issued a recommendation to 3rd world countries: if they cannot boil their water, then put water in a CLEAR plastic bottle and leave in the sun for a few hours .. that will kill all germs, and safe to drink.

I had to redo the soil in the bands, it was too dry with 1/2 perlite and 1/4 peat & 1/4 sand. Too dry even with a pop-bottle as green-house.

Perlite is EVEN DRIER than sand. Perlite provides air to the roots, but it's very drying. That's why Cheryl Netter had to put 1/4 cup of water down the stem for baggie with 1/2 potting soil & 1/2 perlite.

In the baggie, it doesn't matter if I use Cactus-soil-mix, sand/soil mix, or perlite/soil mix. What really matter is if the soil is damp, rather than wet to the touch. So mixing in perlite after soil is wet makes sense. It's impossible to squeeze out excess water once the peaty-soil is wet, unless one mix in something dry to make it less soaking wet.

Sunshine does a good job in killing germs. In my college microbiology class, we used ultraviolet light to test its effectiveness in variety of bacteria and mold. Take my rain-water in a barrel, full of bird-poop, dust, pretty gross. But I get that dirty rain-water , put in a CLEAR plastic bottle, and leave in sun to squirt my rootings. No algae, nor mold in that water, and it smells OK.

Roots root best when the pH is slightly acidic, as in rain water ... my tap water pH is too high at near 9.

Take a bag of potato I bought a week ago. It's sprayed with fungicides, but I left in my dark & cold basement. It's in a plastic bag with holes poked, except I laid it down on the cement floor, which blocked the ventilation. In 7 days, that bag of potato got moldy & rotten and stank so bad, that I had to throw the entire bag away.

I'm a firm believer in rooting and growing wimpy own-roots in sun. One site stated that: more sun the faster roses take root, plus less icky molds. The sun in my zone 5a winter is weak, thus safe to shine on baggies.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamental/a-reference-guide-to-plant-care-handling-and-merchandising/propagating-foliage-flowering-plants/

The propagation medium should be thoroughly moistened before use. Many organic materials, like peat moss, have a waxy outer coating that resists wetting. Be sure to apply water slowly to obtain uniform distribution. This may require 2-3 applications. It is not uncommon for a medium to look wet on the surface but to be powdery dry in the middle.

Light:

Low light levels cause plants to root slowly. However, high light intensities can stress cuttings, causing them to burn or drop leaves. Diffused sunlight generally provides enough light for optimum rooting without causing injury to the cuttings.

Humidity:

Since cuttings do not have roots, they cannot replace the water lost through transpiration. Therefore it is important to maintain high humidity around the cuttings to cut down on the amount of moisture lost to the atmosphere.

These conditions can be provided by placing a clear piece of plastic over the propagation area. This causes condensation to form on the underside of the plastic that provides the necessary humidity.

Adequate ventilation is also required to avoid disease problems. The plastic covering should be placed such that air can flow freely around the cuttings as they root.

Temperature:

For best results, maintain day temperatures at 70 degrees F. During winter months, soil can be as much as 10-20 degrees less than air temperature, so provide bottom heat when possible. Ideal rootzone temperatures for most plants are approximately 70-75 degrees F.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamental/a-reference-guide-to-plant-care-handling-and-merchandising/propagating-foliage-flowering-plants/

*** I have at least 10 baggies with different soil-mix, different level of moisture to see which one works best.

Very good rooting info. from Dave's garden, see below excerpt. The below guidelines is to root geraniums, but geraniums are similar to roses: they like well-drained soil and sun.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/597232/

"If you're using a rooting medium, there are many options. A rooting medium should be loose enough for good aeration & to allow cuttings to be inserted easily. A pH around 6.5 will usually produce the most roots. Tom favors a mixture of one part perlite and one part Pro Mix, a commercial soilless growing medium that contains peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite.

Space cuttings far enough apart that their leaves don't quite touch. Permitting some air circulation lessens the likelihood of disease in the super-humid propagation atmosphere. Pots that are at least 2 inches deep are useful for rooting just a few cuttings, but those deeper than 3 inches may keep the rooting medium too wet for good aeration.

It may be easier to produce a high humidity environment by using a plastic humidity dome over your flat of cuttings, or by placing a pot of cuttings inside a plastic bag.

If you use a plastic bag, stick 2 wire coat hanger arches in the pot to support the top of the bag so it won't touch the stem or leaves. Place the pot in bright light but out of direct sun or the temperatures inside the bag will become lethal. Spritz the cuttings each day and close the bag with a clothespin or twist-tie; leave the bag open each night.

If you use a seedling heat mat with a thermostat, the ideal root zone temperature for cuttings is between 75 and 80 degrees F. Whenever the rooting medium becomes dry, dampen with water, but do not soak the medium."

I love this "baggie method" to germinate seeds, posted by Taryn from Seed forum. This would be useful to grow roses from seeds (need cold-strat).

"Taryn writes of her method: I presprout nearly all my seeds using coffee filters and baggies, then transplant sprouts to soilless mix in cellpacks. I use round basket-type coffee filters because the paper is denser than paper towels, so the roots don't get enmeshed in it as easily.

1) With masking tape and a Sharpie waterproof marker, mark a ziplock baggie with seed type, date, and any pertinent info about germ temps/stratifying/light required.

2) Wet a coffee filter, then squeeze out excess moisture so it is just damp, not wet.

3) Imagining it as a pie, sow your seeds on 1/4 of the pie, then fold filter in half, then in half again. Your seeds should have one layer of filter on one side, three layers on the other.

4) Place the folded filter into the ziplock back, puff a little air in the baggie, then seal, leaving it just slightly puffed, not completely flat.

5) Place in warm place to germinate or in a tupperware container in the fridge (so they don't get squished by the cucumbers!) for cold strat, and wait....

Voila, little mini-greenhouse!

Check baggies every few days, and remoisten as needed. Even if one doesn't appear to need remoistening, don't let them go over a week without opening them up for some fresh air. I use a mister bottle with 1:20 hydrogen peroxide:water to help prevent mold and mildew from forming. For seeds that need light, keep them with the single layer of filter up, and in bright light, though not direct sunlight. If they need dark, put in a drawer or cupboard. " Taryn.

Khalid: Agree with you. It's peer-pressure .. everyone at work took the FREE flu-shot, so husband did that too. And FOUR OTHER GUYS, besides my husband came down with a cold right after the flu-shot !!

My sister, an internal medicine physician, told me that the immune system is temporary suppressed after the flu-shot, so one is more prone to colds. Flu-shot only protects against a few flu-strains that international team decided on, but DOES NOT PROTECT AGAINST THE COMMON COLD, NOR PNEUMONIA . I got the worst pneumonia in my 54 years of earth, a week after the flu-shot last year, Dec. of 2015.

The billions $$$ profit that vaccine companies make annually enable them to lobby the medical establishment to push for flu-shot. Sure the CDC recommends flu-shot, but just look at the long-list of vaccine-companies that fund the CDC !!

https://centerforvaccineethicsandpolicy.net/2010/01/17/global-vaccines-revenues-projected-to-more-than-double-by-2016/

Research and Markets: By 2016, the Global Vaccines Market is Expected to Generate More Than Twice the Annual Revenue of 2009

“The global vaccines industry was valued at $24 billion in 2009 and is expected to reach $52 billion in 2016 at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11.5%."

And the good news: Thanks to Khalid's fantastic thread on breakfast shake, the kale shake before bed-time really helped with my sleep & then I finish the left-over for breakfast .. really helped with energy & curbed my appetite & more active & eat less.

The only way I could get a good night sleep is through RAW kale shake, that beat Melatonin and Benadryl for good sleep. Plus it's cheap, only 10 cents worth of fresh kale leaves.

Plain Kale shake is pretty bland, the only way I could finish a cup was through munching on the walnut snack (recipe on top). Also I would use less sugar for 3 cups of walnut, like 1/3 cup of sugar, and 1/3 of honey, so the walnut don't stick together. Then mix in cranberries last. Best sleep ever last night with kale-shake, and munching on the "walnut-candy".

Fantastic tips on how the baggie works from the Plumeria forum:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2091084/for-those-with-bag-rooting-success?n=10

animalcraker(So Cal, zone 9)

I use moist coir in the baggies. No matter what rooting medium you use be sure to squeeze out the excess water. With bag rooting the heat will cause the water to want to escape, which leads to condensation on the baggie. This process draws water towards the outside of the baggie away from the center where your cutting is. In turn this helps decrease the chances of rot, while keeping the cutting hydrated, and forcing the roots to grow toward the outside of the bag.-Jennifer

*** From Straw: Rooting is easy if one can find pine-bark-fines potting soil, which is impossible to find, but co-coir is a good sub. Both don't hold much water like peaty-soil, thus less chance of rot. Cheryl Netter's method of watering the stem with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water is way too much, unless one uses 1/2 perlite and 1/2 dry granite sand-potting soil like cactus mix. My baggie with 1/8 cup of water down the stem gave yellow leaves from too wet, that's a 1/2 sand & 1/2 peaty soil which holds too much moisture.

Below is also from plumeria forum, but that helps with rose rooting too:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2097616/bag-rooting-success?n=17

" Minderella(9 Lake County FL)

That is the whole cutting. It is a Kaneohe Sunburst.
All I did was soak my coir in water with Superthrive in it. Place the coir in little baggies and put rubber band on it. I had it on a heating pad for a couple days then put it in a black bucket on the concrete patio. Morning sun only. Minderella(9 Lake County FL)

I get so sick of pots with soaking wet soil at the bottom, so I already put pine-park chunks mixed with soil at the bottom. With heavy rain in my chicagoland, there's water floating on top of pots, even if they are elevated on bricks & tons of holes drilled !!

The below diagram is clever for rooting in a high-rain climate, many thanks to binbin9 - Seattle

http://seattlegardenfruit.blogspot.com/2015/06/how-i-root-fig-cuttings-with-80-success1.html

binbin9 - SeattleJune 25, 2015 I found that I've had about 80% success with this method and I want to share it to help others that are struggling with rooting figs. Fungus Gnats are also a huge issue.

The link below shows my "Artistically" drawn diagram. =) Hope it helps!

http://seattlegardenfruit.blogspot.com/2015/06/how-i-root-fig-cuttings-with-80-success1.html

Just checked my 10 baggies rooting indoor: The zipped-bag with the most perlite have green & healthy leaves, thanks to the air provides by perlite to cutting, to prevent rot.

The bag with dense & packed sand & peat have the most yellow leaves, the cutting can't breath under such dense soil & plus water retention which rots cutting. So I bought a big bag of perlite, only $3.40 from Menards to fix the bags.

QUESTIONS FOR KHALID: Your roses never have blackspots, and with your new house, your roses are very healthy: not a trace of mildew, blackspots nor yellow leaves. How loamy & airy & and fluffy is your soil at root level? Does it run through one's fingers when dry, or does it stick together slightly when wet? I have a hunch that the amount of air/oxygen BELOW for roots help with vigorous roots & uptake of nutrients.

Also any difference in the health of your roses grafted on Centifolia versus the own-roots? I think the vigorous roots are most healthy, thanks to efficiency in breaking down minerals & fast uptake of anti-fungal minerals.

After killing 2 Centifolia this year, I notice that Centifolia roots have the most access to air, either through suckering or producing acid to make the soil loamy & airy. That's better than one-thick-cane Dr. Huey-rootstock which rots easily in heavy rain. That's better than cluster-Multiflora-rootstock, which doesn't produce enough acid to dissolve hard minerals in soil, and have to fed with soluble fertilizer.

Khalid: How's quitting smoking for you? I pray for you everyday. Being educated & aware of the harmful effects help. The below news TODAY, Nov. 25, really helps me to kick my chewing gum habit (has aspartame). Yes, I do notice that I become more hungry & thirstier after chewing gum (despite a heavy meal an hour ago !!)

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161122193100.htm

" They also showed that mice receiving aspartame in their drinking water gained more weight and developed other symptoms of metabolic syndrome than animals fed similar diets lacking aspartame."

Really like the RAW kale-smoothie, pretty bland, unless fruits are added. I always have dry mouth (allergies), but I notice my saliva flow is much better with the kale smoothie. RAW fruits & veggies have enzymes for our glands to work. By cooking fruits & veggies, we destroy those enzymes.

Another good news: I'm losing weight slowly, but steadily by consuming high-fiber & low sugar food, plus eating RAW veggies or making RAW kale-smoothie daily. Years ago I lost weight below 100 lbs. or 45 kg, through eating Fiber-One cereal mixed with Grape-Nuts-Flake cereal & cranberries & sliced almonds & no-sugar soymilk, plus RAW salads. I'm going back to that regime again and really like it: less hungry.

Husband doesn't eat much with his taking Fiber-pills (Metamucil) to lower his cholesterol. He's always skinny. I prefer eating fiber-cereal, than taking pills. I have been watching "Chopped-cooking-show", and all the vegetarian & RAW food cooks are skinny & healthy, compared to other chefs.

An excerpt from below link:

http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/enzymes.htm

"While all raw foods contain enzymes, the most powerful enzyme-rich food is sprouted seeds, grains, and legumes. Sprouting increases the enzyme content in these foods enormously. Lack of digestive enzymes can be a factor in food allergies.

Once enzymes are exposed to heat, they are no longer able to provide the function for which they were designed. Cooked foods contribute to chronic illness, because their enzyme content is damaged. Raw food is so much more easily digested that it passes through the digestive tract in 1/2 to 1/3 of the time it takes for cooked food.

In 1930, under the direction of Dr. Paul Kouchakoff, research was conducted at the Institute of Clinical Chemistry in Lausanne, Switzerland. The effect of food (cooked and processed versus raw and natural) on the immune system was tested and documented.

Dr. Kouchakoff's discovery concerned the leukocytes, the white blood cells. It was found that after a person eats cooked food, his/her blood responds immediately by increasing the number of white blood cells.

The researchers renamed this reaction 'pathological leukocytosis', since the body was reacting to highly altered food. They tested many different types of foods and found that if the foods were not refined or overheated, they caused no reaction. The body saw them as 'friendly foods'. However, these same foods, if heated at too high a temperature, caused a negative reaction in the blood, a reaction found only when the body is invaded by a dangerous pathogen or trauma.

The worst offenders of all, whether heated or not, were processed foods which had been refined (such as white flour and white rice), or pasteurized (a process in which milk is flash-heated to high temperatures to kill bacteria), or preserved (chemicals are added to food to delay spoilage).

In other words, foods which were changed from their original God-given state.

Lack of digestive enzymes can be a factor in food allergies. Symptoms of digestive enzymes depletion are bloating, belching, gas, bowel disorders, abdominal cramping, heartburn and food allergies.

All of us loose our ability to produce concentrated digestive enzymes as we grow older. If you do cook your food, the best way to cook food is to lightly steam, stew, or use a slow crock cooker. Eat as few over-processed and over-cooked foods as possible. The body has a difficult time digesting fried, pasteurized and over-processed foods.

http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/enzymes.htm

**** From Straw: Agree with the above !! My best night of sleep were with soups & slow cooking or RAW veggies. My worst night of sleep was with fried food .. like I made fried-turkey-eggroll (day before Thanksgiving) .. and both I and my kid had lousy sleep: fried meat at high-temp & burnt grease. When oil is heated at high temperature, that damage its fatty acids and create carcinogenic compounds.

The next day I made turkey (roasted in low-heat-oven) & lightly steamed green beans & potatoes .. and we both had a great night sleep & woke up happy.

Personally I was least hungry & most happy with RAW food. Still remember I lost 5 lbs. in one week just by eating lots of apples (freshly picked from Michigan) .. same with the time we went to Michigan to pick fresh peaches. Raw food is ranked #3 in weight loss according to US news, but I would rank it as #1 in good sleep & long-term health:

http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/raw-food-diet

"32 people adopted a diet that got at least 62 percent of daily calories from raw food . After nearly 7 months, the participants had lost an average of 8.3 pounds, according to findings published in the Southern Medical Journal.

In a three month study reported in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 43 people following a raw food diet lost 9 percent of their initial body weight.

In another study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2005, researchers compared 18 people on a strict raw food diet with 18 on a typical American diet. After 4 years, body mass index – a measure of body fat – and mid-section fat were lower among those in the raw food group than those in the other group.

In a study of more than 500 people who followed a raw food diet for nearly 4 years, researchers found that body weight decreased as percentage of daily calories from raw food increased ... according to findings published in the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism."

http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/raw-food-diet

Once I see the logic of doing certain things, I will more likely stick to it. This is from Forbes magazine on the research that show calories are absorbed MORE in cooked foods, versus LESS in raw food. With 8 older sisters, I had seen my skinny sisters eat lots of RAW foods, like munching on the entire cucumber & many apples. And these sisters stay slender in their old age (60's & 70's).

I often watch folks and what's in their shopping carts at grocery store. The skinny shoppers often have the most RAW produce in their cart: fruits & veggies.

RAW foods are high in enzymes. Below link lists foods high in enzymes: Kimchi, apricot, pineapple, papaya, banana, and avocado:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/26805-list-high-enzyme-foods/

Incorporate Kimchi

Fermented chilli peppers, cabbage, radishes and seasonings give kimchi its spicy and sour flavor. Bacteria in kimchi produce beneficial enzymes, according to a review published in the May 2014 issue of the journal Biotechnology International. For example, the dextransucrase enzyme kimchi bacteria produce helps break down starches and the sugar sucrose. In addition, kimchi contains beta-carotene, vitamin C, fiber and chlorophyll.

Avocados are a good source of various enzymes, including lipase, according to Cichoke. The lipase enzyme is needed to break down dietary fat.

Pineapples contain bromelain, which consists of various enzymes that digest proteins. According to a review published in the journal Cancer Letters, research indicates bromelain may have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects. When a bromelain supplement was tested on human platelets in the lab, it prevented them from sticking together.

http://www.oprah.com/health/Raw-Food-Probiotic-and-Macrobiotic-Diets

"In March 2008, Beth Berry was very sick. Her body was wracked with pain so severe she spent most days in bed. She suffered from a herniated disc, but more troubling, Berry's doctor diagnosed her with fibromyalgia, an autoimmune disorder characterized by widespread joint and muscle pain.

"I was given a 90-count bottle of Vicodin," Berry says. "I got mad. I was pissed, and kept saying: 'That's it? Just take narcotics for the rest of my life? I'm only 38 years old!'"

Instead of filling the prescription, Berry pored over the latest research on the benefits of diet and nutrition on autoimmune disorders and learned about the successes people suffering from symptoms similar to hers were having with raw food diets. "That's when the real journey began," she says. "Within three days of being on raw food, almost all of my symptoms had gone away."

According to Berry, a raw food diet consists of removing all processed foods from the diet; eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, avocado and young coconuts; and avoiding any foods that have been cooked at higher than 105 degrees.

Typical grocery lists include greens such as spinach and kale, apples, bananas, sea vegetables. Grains that have been sprouted are allowed, and many sprouted-grain breads are available in mainstream grocery stores. Crackers and chips made from flaxseed, corn and nut flours that are then dehydrated at a low temperature until crisp are allowed on the diet."

http://www.oprah.com/health/Raw-Food-Probiotic-and-Macrobiotic-Diets

Agree with the below list. When I had my flu-shot reaction (2 months of pneumonia), the RAW cherries I picked and froze was a God-sent ... I squeezed juice out of those tart cherries and that helped with my sleep. Agree on Kelp .. a friend gave me dried seaweed, which I put in ramen-noodle soup ... I could nap easily with that !!

http://www.terawarner.com/blog/2011/10/8-raw-foods-to-improve-insomnia-help-you-sleep/

8 Raw Foods to Improve Your Sleep

• Cherries: Increase the production of melatonin.
• Guava: Packed full of the amino acid tryptophan (a precursor to melatonin) which aids in sleepiness.
• Almonds, Sesame Seeds & Sunflower Seeds: These are also high in tryptophan.
• Pumpkin Seeds: contain magnesium, helping to relax your mind and muscles so you drift off into a deep sleep.
• Green Leafy Vegetables: Contain key cofactors for the synthesis of sleep hormones.
• Kelp: This seaweed is one of natures’ highest sources of calcium, which has been shown to promote sleep.

Here's a recipe for breakfast smoothies, I'm allergic to RAW almond so I used ground-flax-seeds in my smoothie for Omega-3.

http://thenatpath.com/food/raw-food/sleeping-better-using-raw-food-diet/1 cup- coconut milk ½ banana 1 tbs almond butter ½ cup of your favorite greens (kale, spinach)1 tsp maca powder1-2 tbs chia1 tbs raw cacao nibs1-2 dash pure vanilla extract4 shakes cinnamon powder

Once we cook foods, we destroy enzymes which are important for one's health. My kid is a very picky eater, and she hates salmon. I agree with her, every time we have farmed salmon for dinner, we have lousy sleep. Plus farmed salmon has a fraction of Omega-3 compared to $$ wild salmon.

Omega-3 fatty acid is easily destroyed by heat, so a cooked salmon can't compare with COLD-PRESSED flax oil, which my kid consumes daily. My neighbor gave her toddlers flax-oil when they were constipated. What I like the most about RAW food is the fast-transit time in the body, it's pretty gross to have decayed food stuck in the body for a long time.

http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/raw-food-diet-reverses-diabetes.php

"Enzymes are the power of life. They are living forces that conduct and direct every activity in your body. Enzymes "digest" or break down raw foods. More and more research suggests eating high-enzyme food helps digestion. Eating an enzyme-rich diet is thought to increase vitality and slow the aging process. According to Dr. Gabriel Cousens, M.D., "Enzymes can even help repair our DNA and RNA."

One of the keys for easy weight loss is through the action of enzymes. For example, lipase, a fat splitting enzyme, is found in Raw foods. Lipase helps your body in digestion and fat burning for energy. Protease is another enzyme for keeping a healthy body. Proteases split up proteins into their component amino acid building blocks and help eliminate toxins.

Enzymes are heat sensitive and destroyed at temperatures above 118 degrees. Again, the bottom line here is that when you cook your food, you're destroying the nutrients and enzymes. It's like eating empty foods that just fill you up temporarily.

The good, natural fats (think of avocados and olives, for example) are very sensitive to heat and are easily damaged by it. Heated fats lose their antioxidant qualities and are classified as carcinogenic.

The interesting thing is that when you process or cook fats, they lose their nutritional value, so when people think they're getting omegas from cooked salmon, they need to think again, because omegas are among the most heat sensitive.

When you eat a cooked meal, depending on the food, it can take anywhere from 1-4 days to digest completely and be eliminated. Conversely, when you eat Raw food, your digestion can be anywhere from 20 minutes to 4 hours.

Another great thing to help digestion is to blend or puree some of your foods. Instead of eating apples for breakfast, put them in a blender with a little water." http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/raw-food-diet-reverses-diabetes.php

http://www.thebestofrawfood.com/alkaline-foods.html

Acid Foods List - Junk & Processed foods;

• Sugar & All animal food
• Grains: (white) wheat, rice, pasta, flour, bread etc.;
• Dairy products (milk, cheese, butter);
• Bad fats & Peanuts, cashews.

Alkaline Foods List - Vegetables - especially raw green leafy vegetables.

• Fresh Herbs & Spice - parsley, basil, cilantro, cayenne, ginger;
• Fruits - watermelon, avocado, cucumber, young coconuts;
• Wheat grass , sprouts: i.e. alfalfa, mung bean, broccoli etc.

http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/29/bowel-movements-the-scoop-on-poop/

by Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

"This summer, a team of scientists at Oxford released the results of a study (PDF here) in which 15,000 vegetarians and vegans were followed for nearly a dozen years. Compared to meat eaters, vegetarians had 35% less risk of being hospitalized or dying from diverticulitis, and those eating vegan appeared to eliminate 78% of the risk.

What’s most surprising is that even after controlling for fiber intake, those on plant-based diets still had significantly lower risk, leading the researchers to suggest that meat itself may increase the risk of diverticular disease “by altering the metabolism of bacteria in the colon, which could lead to a weakening of the colon wall….” Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

I always wash my meat & cook them well:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/90-of-meat-samples-contained-fecal-bacteria.html

The most recent NARMS retail meat report stated 90 percent of pork chops, ground beef and ground turkey, and 95 percent of chicken breasts, were contaminated with fecal bacteria. Their results are based on tests of 5,280 samples. Eleven states bought about 40 samples each month.

Enterococcus isolates (both susceptible and resistant) were found on 95.4 percent of chicken breasts, 90.7 percent of ground turkey, 90.2 percent of ground beef, and 88.3 percent of pork chops. Nearly 78 percent of chicken breasts had E. coli, as did 80 percent of ground turkey, 58 percent of ground beef and 39 percent of pork chops.

There are 17 Enterococcus species but only a few cause clinical infections in humans.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/90-of-meat-samples-contained-fecal-bacteria.html

This is such a wonderful thread with so much of brilliant information. Thanks Straw. I needs to read it again to full grasp the contents.

QUESTIONS FOR KHALID: Your roses never have blackspots, and with your new house, your roses are very healthy: not a trace of mildew, blackspots nor yellow leaves. How loamy & airy & and fluffy is your soil at root level? Does it run through one's fingers when dry, or does it stick together slightly when wet? I have a hunch that the amount of air/oxygen BELOW for roots help with vigorous roots & uptake of nutrients.

Straw: My soil is a loamy clay, a bit fluffy but it sticks a bit too when wet. I think it is quite a balance of clay and loamy soil. The overall texture of the soil is "soft".

Straw wrote: Also any difference in the health of your roses grafted on Centifolia versus the own-roots? I think the vigorous roots are most healthy, thanks to efficiency in breaking down minerals & fast uptake of anti-fungal minerals. After killing 2 Centifolia this year, I notice that Centifolia roots have the most access to air, either through suckering or producing acid to make the soil loamy & airy.

Performance of own root roses differs from cultivar to cultivar. On the whole, roses grafted on centifolia are far more vigorous and stable in my area.

Khalid: How's quitting smoking for you? I pray for you everyday. Being educated & aware of the harmful effects help. The below news TODAY, Nov. 25, really helps me to kick my chewing gum habit (has aspartame). Yes, I do notice that I become more hungry & thirstier after chewing gum (despite a heavy meal an hour ago !!)

Thanks a lot for your concern Straw. Today is the 46th day without smoking. I still feel ok and I am determined that I will not smoke again. I am enjoying my morning walk / jog much more (coughing has reduced a great deal). I hope I stay determined. I have seen people restart smoking even after many years and I don't want to do that. That is why I have purchased an E-cigarette which is sometimes use when I feel too much craving for a cigarette. Its better to take a puff or two of e-cigarette once in a while instead of restarting smoking again. But I am fully aware that e-cigarettes too have ill effects and I should only use them sparingly, ie, one odd puff when the craving is too high. After sometime, there should be no e-cigarettes too.

best regards.

Below is from Science News on how high-fiber diet increases the diversity of gut-microbes:

https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/scicurious/low-fiber-diets-make-gut-microbes-poop-out

"The mice were originally raised on a high-fiber diet. Then, half of them were switched to a low-fiber diet, and their gut bugs were tested. When on the low-fiber diet, animals showed a decrease in the diversity of their microbiome, with 60 percent of the bacteria species plummeting in numbers compared with their high-fiber friends. Going back to a high-fiber diet recovered some of the diversity. But mice that had experienced the low-fiber lifestyle still had 33 percent less microbial diversity than before.

By the fourth generation, the mice bred on low-fiber diets had lost 72 percent of the microbial diversity. The diversity was restored with another dose of the original human gut bacteria, delivered by fecal transplant.

Of the bacteria lost across generations, 67 percent were Bacteroidales, an order of bacteria that usually dines on fiber in the gut. There was also a drop in a family of proteins called glycoside hydrolases. These bacterial proteins help to degrade carbohydrates, including those from fiber."

https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/scicurious/low-fiber-diets-make-gut-microbes-poop-out

*** From Straw: All these probiotics pills that people consume are useless, unless there's prebiotics (natural fiber) to feed the gut-bacteria. Top pre-biotics are RAW chicory root, RAW Jerusalem artichokes, RAW dandelion greens, RAW garlic & leeks & onion, RAW asparagus, RAW banana.

I ate RAW Jerusalem artichokes before, very crunchy & more delicious than jicamas. Eating whole-grains is one way to nourish the good bacteria.

From Wikipedia on pre-biotics (foods that feed the beneficial bacteria): Gum Arabic85%Raw, Dry Chicory Root64.6%Raw, Dry Jerusalem Artichoke31.5%Raw, Dry Dandelion Greens24.3%Raw, Dry Garlic17.5%Raw, Dry Leek11.7%Raw, Dry Onion8.6%Raw Asparagus5%Raw Wheat bran5%Whole Wheat flour, Cooked4.8%Raw Banana1%

http://www.ibtimes.com/

Why Are You Fat? Fecal Bacteria And Obesity Are Linked, Study Finds

By Janice Williams@manhattanjan On 09/26/16 AT 10:41 AM

" In a recent study conducted by researchers at King’s College London, scientists discovered that some forms of bacteria are inherited after investigating fecal matter samples from more than 3,600 twins, BBC reported Monday. The stool samples were measured against six factors of obesity including body mass index (BMI) and different types of body fat.

Twins who had more diversity of bacteria in their poop had lower levels of visceral fat, which is the leading harmful fat that resides in areas of the stomach that are close to critical organs like liver, pancreas and intestines. Research has linked high levels of visceral fat to cardiovascular disease and diabetes."

http://www.ibtimes.com/

Very interesting article on how bacteria in our gut can determine hour health & immune system, as well as our mental health and mood.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/magazine/can-the-bacteria-in-your-gut-explain-your-mood.html

"Bacteria in the gut produce vitamins and break down our food; their presence or absence has been linked to obesity, inflammatory bowel disease and the toxic side effects of prescription drugs.

Last year, for example, a group in Norway examined feces from 55 people and found certain bacteria were more likely to be associated with depressive patients. Anxiety, depression and several pediatric disorders, including autism and hyperactivity, have been linked with gastrointestinal abnormalities

Last September, the National Institute of Mental Health awarded four grants worth up to $1 million each to spur new research on the gut microbiome’s role in mental disorders.

For several weeks, the team, led by John Cryan, the neuroscientist who designed the study, fed a small group of healthy rodents a broth infused with Lactobacillus rhamnosus, a common bacterium that is found in humans and also used to ferment milk into probiotic yogurt.

Lactobacilli are one of the dominant organisms babies ingest as they pass through the birth canal. This type of bacteria is known to release immense quantities of GABA; as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA calms nervous activity.

Cryan found that the mice that had been fed the bacteria-laden broth .... ‘‘They behaved as if they were on Prozac,’’ he said. ‘‘They were more chilled out and more relaxed.’’ The results suggested that the bacteria were somehow altering the neural chemistry of mice.

Their research found that mice exhibiting abnormal communication and repetitive behaviors, like obsessively burying marbles, were mollified when they were given one of two strains of the bacterium Bacteroides fragilis.

Another team in Arizona recently finished an open trial on fecal transplants in children with autism. (Simultaneously, at least two offshore clinics, in Australia and England, began offering fecal microbiota treatments to treat neurological disorders, like multiple sclerosis.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/magazine/can-the-bacteria-in-your-gut-explain-your-mood.html

Khalid: Thank you for answering my questions on your soil & rootstock performance.

I'm very happy with what you wrote: "Today is the 46th day without smoking. I still feel ok and I am determined that I will not smoke again. I am enjoying my morning walk / jog much more (coughing has reduced a great deal). I hope I stay determined. I have seen people restart smoking even after many years and I don't want to do that. That is why I have purchased an E-cigarette which is sometimes use when I feel too much craving for a cigarette. Its better to take a puff or two of e-cigarette once in a while instead of restarting smoking again ... After sometime, there should be no e-cigarettes too."

I really admire your going without cigarettes for 46th day, very happy for you. God is a loving Father. If only we know how much our Creator & our Guardian Angels love us, we wouldn't harm ourselves with stupid habits. I can't believe that I chewed gum until my jaw and teeth hurt !! What a stupid habit. So glad that I kicked my chewing gum habit for good. I cut gum down gradually, from one stick few years ago, down to a tiny sliver a day, but that still hurt my teeth, so I cut it out COMPLETELY, and I'm so much happier.

There are many enzymes in RAW fruits and veggies, but once we cook it, we destroy these enzymes that regulate healthy body functions.

There's serious enzymes in the kale-smoothie I drink. My saliva flow is fantastic after a kale-smoothie. It's like a miracle with kale-enzymes solving my dry-mouth problem. I started chewing gum 2 decades ago due to dry mouth, but chewing gum made me thirstier & hungrier. If I had known that kale-smoothie would solve my dry-mouth problem, I would not be dependent on gum.

MANY THANKS, KHALID, for starting me on drinking smoothie. I once consulted a doctor on my dry mouth, zero luck. There are many enzymes in RAW fruits and vegetables that regulate many metabolic processes in our body: from mood-regulators, to salivary glands and digestive enzymes.

Last Dec. flu-shot reaction was bad, I was coughing constantly with 2-months pneumonia. Medications didn't help, but what helped was the RAW cherry juice from my tree for sleeping better, fresh lemon juice for my inflamed throat, and a friend brought meals over. I was so sick that I could not cook, and she even brought desert: fresh pineapple. Oh, how wonderful that was for my inflamed nose & ear & throat. I completely lost my sweet tooth, lost 8 lbs., but craved for pineapple during my flu-shot reaction.

Sucking on a piece of ginger after a meal helps me to kick my chewing gum habit. It takes at least 6 months of daily re-inforcement, before something becomes a habit, and sucking on a piece of ginger has become a good habit. I started that in Jan, so that's 11 months.

That walnut /cran snack looks mighty tasty.

Hi Aztcqn: Yes, it's really yummy as bed-time snack, or I put that on my kid's cereal/milk for breakfast. Re-post the walnut/cran recipe, but I reduce the amount of sugar, too much can make it too sticky:

Use either walnut or pecans, buckwheat honey gives the best flavor: Spread 3 cups of raw walnut, sprinkle 1/3 cup brown sugar, then drizzle 1/3 cup honey. Bake in toaster oven at 275 F or 135 C for 15 minutes, stir, then reduce oven to 250 F or 121 C and bake for 15 min. more. Stir again, then remove walnuts while hot, to prevent sticking to tray. Walnuts become crunchy once cooled down on wax-paper (to prevent sticking)

Mix in dry cranberries while it's warm to prevent walnuts from sticking together. Walnut is high in Omega-3 and melatonin ... helps with deep sleep. Pecans lower cholesterol