Good morning folks! I've been playing around with some different FPE recipes that I found from Theunconventionalfarmer.com. My extract has been sitting for a month, equal parts molasses and fruit. I'm having a hard time straining the "liquid" however. It's so thick it really just clogs up my cheese cloth. Does this mean I need to let the mixture sit a little while longer? This is my first time doing this so any help will be very appreciated.
Fermented plant extracts
- Thread starter MrKnotty
- Start date
DonTesla
Well-Known Member
Are you making a (fruiting) bloom booster with rotting fruits?
Molasses is so thick its kinda tough to run through a cheesecloth imo you may want to use a bigger strainer or start another if it was just waste and you're not in a rush
On Unc.-Farmer.com they say a brown sugar is best.. then molasses.
There are brands of dehydrated molasses-rich juice crystals which I find a lot better than working with molasses, you can just mix with water without those stringy sticky messes molasses is famous for.
But think about it:
raw organic coconut sugar
guava
organic evaporated sugar cane juice
etc etc
They all have their own vitamins minerals, some with molasses content inherent, and all have advantages... I really don't see a massive need for molasses in organics with everything else mother nature has to offer but thats just me I guess. I like a clean set up though.
hope it works out for you, if there's anything I can do to help, lmk
Molasses is so thick its kinda tough to run through a cheesecloth imo you may want to use a bigger strainer or start another if it was just waste and you're not in a rush
On Unc.-Farmer.com they say a brown sugar is best.. then molasses.
There are brands of dehydrated molasses-rich juice crystals which I find a lot better than working with molasses, you can just mix with water without those stringy sticky messes molasses is famous for.
But think about it:
raw organic coconut sugar
guava
organic evaporated sugar cane juice
etc etc
They all have their own vitamins minerals, some with molasses content inherent, and all have advantages... I really don't see a massive need for molasses in organics with everything else mother nature has to offer but thats just me I guess. I like a clean set up though.
hope it works out for you, if there's anything I can do to help, lmk
Thanks so very much for your tips! I found this steel strainer and it worked out way better. Still messy though, but that doesn't bother me too much. I am definitely going to try a different sugar source next time though. Do you have a source that you use more than others?
Don I really appreciate your wisdom, I've been reading alot of your posts and man your badass! I have another quick question about comfrey. I just got myself a few of these magical plants. I know your a big fan of top dressing with it. Can I also make a tea with the fresh leaves? I feel like my ladies would love an alfalfa, kelp, and comfrey tea.
DonTesla
Well-Known Member
Respect my friend!
stay resourceful and play fool to catch wise anyone can do it
I'm not even half way to where I gotta be but its a great journey for sure, thanks to my amigos and wiser bredrens mostlyBut yes been loving the Borage and waiting on my comfrey before harvesting thanks to my brethren @DonBrennon who may have a better recipe then this!
Comfrey tea is packed with phosphorus, nitrogen, (even potassium, manganese) and calcium so it would be good for bokashi, tea, compost, topdress, you name it, pretty much, amazing plant that melts fast with a wicked carbon to N ratio ideal for the herbalists
repost from tenth acre farm, quote:
*Compost tea is an excellent way to provide an immediate nutrient boost to established plants. It is made by steeping fresh plant matter in water for a certain amount of time, straining the liquid, and using it to water stressed plants for a mid-season boost.
The extra nitrogen in comfrey compost tea will help overall growth, while the potassium will encourage better flowering and more vigorous growth in perennials and mature fruiting vegetable plants such as tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, cucumbers, etc. Comfrey compost tea is not recommended for young plants.
To make a strong comfrey compost tea: Fill any size container halfway with fresh comfrey cuttings. Fill with water, cover, and steep for 3-6 weeks. Warning: This will smell really bad! Strain off the liquid and dilute by half. Or if using a hose end sprayer, no need to pre-dilute.
To make a weaker (less smelly) comfrey compost tea: Add one gallon of water for every quart of fresh comfrey cuttings. Let sit for three days, stirring daily, then strain and use full strength.
For a quicker comfrey compost tea: Measure one quart of water for every ounce of dried comfrey. Boil the water and pour over the dried comfrey. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then cover and steep for 4 hours. Strain, then dilute with 1 gallon of water unless using the hose end sprayer.
Be sure to compost the leftover plant solids."
Endquote
Goodluck and congrats!
DonBrennon
Well-Known Member
I haven't got any other tried and tested comfrey teas, but after re-reading 'TWM', I think @calliandra's 'chlorophyll water' tea (fresh leaves blitzed in a blender with water) made with comfrey would be a fantastic way of feeding the bacteria in your soil and giving your plants an 'all round' boost.Respect my friend!
stay resourceful and play fool to catch wise anyone can do it
But yes been loving the Borage and waiting on my comfrey before harvesting thanks to my brethren @DonBrennon who may have a better recipe then this!
Comfrey tea is packed with phosphorus, nitrogen, (even potassium, manganese) and calcium so it would be good for bokashi, tea, compost, topdress, you name it, pretty much, amazing plant that melts fast with a wicked carbon to N ratio ideal for the herbalists
repost from tenth acre farm, quote:
*Compost tea is an excellent way to provide an immediate nutrient boost to established plants. It is made by steeping fresh plant matter in water for a certain amount of time, straining the liquid, and using it to water stressed plants for a mid-season boost.
The extra nitrogen in comfrey compost tea will help overall growth, while the potassium will encourage better flowering and more vigorous growth in perennials and mature fruiting vegetable plants such as tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, cucumbers, etc. Comfrey compost tea is not recommended for young plants.
To make a strong comfrey compost tea: Fill any size container halfway with fresh comfrey cuttings. Fill with water, cover, and steep for 3-6 weeks. Warning: This will smell really bad! Strain off the liquid and dilute by half. Or if using a hose end sprayer, no need to pre-dilute.
To make a weaker (less smelly) comfrey compost tea: Add one gallon of water for every quart of fresh comfrey cuttings. Let sit for three days, stirring daily, then strain and use full strength.
For a quicker comfrey compost tea: Measure one quart of water for every ounce of dried comfrey. Boil the water and pour over the dried comfrey. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then cover and steep for 4 hours. Strain, then dilute with 1 gallon of water unless using the hose end sprayer.
Be sure to compost the leftover plant solids."
Endquote
Goodluck and congrats!
................another thought I've had, so that you've got comfrey to use all year round, would be to dry the leaves in the sun, make a 'meal' with them and brew the meal up into a 'nute tea'
All that said, I 'think' a proper FPE made with comfrey and used at the right times, sparingly, would be awesome. My experiments with other FPE's never showed any ill effects and although I couldn't prove they were a benefit, my plants always seemed to respond well after application.
DonBrennon
Well-Known Member
My first thought was 'add some water', but I think to be safe (not spoil your FFJ, which it is, sorry for being pedantic), it'd need to be sterilised water at this stage of the process.
.............hmmmnnn, I'm thinking while I'm typing though. The majority of what you put into the FFJ (ie. fruit) is composed of water, so (and this is only from my experience), 'IF' proper fermentation has taken place, the solids should have broken down slightly and separated from the water, you should have fluid at the bottom and semi-solids/mush floating at the top, the molasses should have all been consumed, so that shouldn't be the source of your 'thick' solution. I've tried different sugar sources and found that molasses is quicker than brown sugar for my circumstances.
What temperature is your FFJ at whilst fermenting? I don't have natural warm weather, so my ferments take longer if I don't add heat, but to be sure that my FPE or FFJ has fully fermented, I use a very basic air lock system, it ensures anaerobicity(if that's even a real word) and when the bubbles stop, I know that it's finished.
...........shit..........another thought...........what fruit did you use and how much molasses did you add?...........Too much sugar can cause some kind of osmotic pressure on your bacteria and they can go 'dormant', which means they wont be fermenting anything.
I used equal parts bananas, mangos, papayas, and different squash. I used a ton of fruit, filled like half a 5 gallon bucket after it was all ran through a food processor. Then I just poured a bunch of molasses over it. I tried to not over do the molasses because I did read that too much slows or stops the fermentation process. I got it all strained though, I found a metal strainer and just plopped everything in it and let gravity do its thing. Turned out really nice actually. And it definitely fermented, I know from making kombucha. I just let it sit a month. My ladies loved it though, I gave them "bloom" mix with a wheatgrass SST today. Happy girls!!!
DonBrennon
Well-Known Member
Nice, sounds like a damn good recipe and I can imagine they did love it, cos I know mine did whenever I used it. I'm currently brewing up a few different ingredients for both an FPE and a OHN/immunity boost
Hell yeah! I want to make an immunity boost next. I have an Indigenous microbe box that's fermenting at the moment. I am really excited for this to be done. When I dug up the box of rice, there was like an inch of white molds and such. This baby is going to be potent!
timcervantes57
Active Member
Hownoften should I use ffj ? I know it one to two teaspoons per gallon but how often ? Any input is appreciated
I follow knf_garden on IG and he uses FFJ with humic acid every feeding. He treats his plants as if they are grown in hydro to control every input.
lakesidegrower
Well-Known Member
He also tosses in his soy amino acids - I want to get my hands on some
For my fpj and ffj/ffe I also find it tough to strain.What works for me straining in steps - start with larger holes and end finer, you get rid of most of the larger stuff in the first strain so it gets easier/less messy this way.
Check out Down To Earth Agmino
BudHuntersGuild
Member
timcervantes57
Active Member
What should I do with left over brown sugar stuck to bottom of jar ?