Ready for just a little pinch
These seed pods of the pale touch me not, or jewel weed (the spotted orange ones work fine too) are more fun than the wrapping from a dozen packages. And they grow themselves out in the yard by the thousands.
I found a lovely plant yesterday, with at least fifty pods, fat, ripe, and pure green dynamite.
Greedy thing that I am, I popped them all. To achieve maximum results pinch the pointy little tip at the bottom and the seeds explode like quail out of a covey. I pinched maybe twenty or so, reveling in the crazy flight of the flinty little seeds, then shook the bush to make the rest of them detonate. (I was taking my life in my hands as this plant hung right over the electric fence...which may be why no one else had popped the seed pods before me.) You can't help but walk away smiling.....
The best ones are the fattest ones, with translucent skin showing the dark seeds within. (The thinner green-seeded ones will pop too, but no where near as wildly.) This video will give you an idea of what happens, but the individual has not been trained in touching-me-not and is pinching the top of unripe pods...it is important to pinch the bottom for best effect (true in many situations).
Anyhow, as you can see I am a cheap date and easily amused.
We know a lady who actually sells jewel weed seeds and touts it as a skin-soothing medicinal plant. Here we let Ma Nature decide where the stuff will grow and pop 'em where we find 'em.
Can you imagine how many folks would garden if everything we grew was this much fun to plant?
Love the delicate nature of jewel weed. And those seeds are a heck of a lot of fun. As for the skin conditioner, did you know it also helps with poison ivy? If you suspect you've come into contact with poison ivy just crush a handfull of jewel weed and rub the area where the contact may have occurred. It somehow neutralizes the oils in the poison ivy. Hunting buddies have done this while in the field and it works.(Wash with soap and water ASAP to finish the job of removing the oils completely.)
ReplyDeleteHa! Another jewelweed-popper! It's kind of addictive, just ask me. A couple more things about jewelweed seeds: they taste like walnuts, and if you peel off the green coating on the seeds, they are the prettiest robin's-egg blue.
ReplyDeleteAlright!!! You're my kind of cheap date!
ReplyDeleteDang! I'd love to amble along with you and share those the jewel weed fireworks.
The closest we get here is impatiens, but nuthn' like the effect you're getting.
I've got to drive miles from here to find a patch of jewel weed.
Lucky ducky!
Amazing what us country folk do to amuse ourselves;)))
ReplyDeleteJoated, I like them too. The lady who sells seeds said the same thing about poison ivy, but I wasn't sure if it was true. Thanks for the heads up. I have never been afflicted with PI so never had to look for a cure, but it is good to know.
ReplyDeleteWW, wow, you are right about the blue! I peeled one and checked it out. Are the seeds actually okay to eat? I had no idea!
Cathy, it is late in the season and there aren't too many left, but I wish I could share our bounty. lol
Linda, isn't it? lol