The ratios will apply to any type of measuring unit whether it be metric or american.
However, if you are looking for quick conversions into metric, like how much to add per liter, I have written a handy app for mobile that will do the calculations on the fly.
As I expand and develop the book more fully, there will be conversion tables as well.
- drake answered 6 years ago
When I am making banana vinegar following this recipe, often times material will float to the surface. The material will grow in to what is called a SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast), often also called the ‘mother’ of vinegar. These SCOBY take the form of thick, impenetrable, slimy disks that typically float on the surface.
Even though this material ‘rots’ a little bit, mostly what is happening is fermentation rather than putrefaction which can be detected by observing the (perhaps) pleasant smell versus a repulsive putrid smell. The microbes will slowly be digesting the material into alcohol and then vinegar over a 2-3 month process. The microbes associate with fermentation are often compatible with human health, while the microbes of putrefaction often are pathogenic and disease oriented in nature.
Placing a breathable lid such as a cloth over the container opening will keep bugs out preventing further contamination.
- drake answered 6 years ago
I have not tried a fpj without a sugar cap yet.
From my understanding the sugar cap is in place to inhibit mold growth because it acts as a preservative.
- Jeff Merryman answered 6 years ago
Fermenting plant juice to make KNF Food is done with strictly one plant at a time. Other recipes for making KNF Food from fruits use 3 or more.
The reason for only using one plant material at a time is in the stage of fermentation, to make it as clean and efficient as possible. The microbes colonizing the plant’s surface are designed to digest it and break that specific plant down as it naturally sloughs off cells, so when you mix them with sugar and cause the juice to come through the cell boundary, these microbes do really well. However, if you have multiple plants, the microbes from one plant are really good at digesting their own plant the are only okay at digesting a different plant. When the microbes mix with multiple plants and the resulting fermentation is only so-so.
The best way to combine KNF Food made by fermenting plant juice is to mix the different KNF Food solutions right before using them. So where a recipe calls for 1:500 of KNF Food, I can put in 1:1000 of one plant material and 1:1000 of another plant material. Both of these together will make 1:500 dilution.
The other thing to note is that different parts of the plant correspond with different phases of the plant growth. In the early vegetative stage, it is best to apply KNF Food made from plant tips, as the plant starts to enter puberty, it is best to use KNF Food from flowers, and as the fruit starts to ripen a KNF Food made from fruit will have added benefit.
- drake answered 6 years ago
- last active 6 years ago
The short answer is NO.
This is the safest answer because even Master Cho says not to eat KNF Microbes, he says “grow the plants with IMO, eat the plants”. Reasoning being that in IMO there is a LOT of stuff, especially if you go up to IMO4 where it is mixed with soil. The whole power of IMO is based on diversity, and that is what gives it it’s strength. However, when applied to the human body, that may be a diverse parasite or something that isn’t so friendly.
That being said, I live on the edge and eat it 😉
So far, so good. I usually do it for shock value to show that yeah, I’m not afraid to eat everything I’m using. I’ve also been known to eat the pig pen floor, and I’ve been drinking untreated water my entire life, so who knows maybe it’s like training before you compete?
Most of the white stuff you are seeing is bacillus subtilis, which is naturally found in your gut. The white fuzz is an indicator that if bacillus subtilis is there, most the other organisms around are non-pathogenic, so it IS a good indicator of “good” IMO.
The human body has evolved to detect and alert you of “bad” microbes, and the most indicator is smell. “Your nose knows” is a classic way to explain this. It is located right above your mouth to stop you from putting any stuff that is bad for you inside of your body. Smells that are adverse to us are probable indicators of nasty microbes in large quantities.
So instead of just looking for white, also smell it. If you’re not revolted, odds of it causing dis-ease are less. Though we all have gotten food poisoning from food that smelled great, so this is not foolproof. Hence why the initial answer is still NO.
If, however, one does wind up with food poisoning, KNF Police aka Lactic Acid Bacteria can soothe a stomach in 15 minutes or less. KNF Medicine can also mitigate the effects of poisoning, but the best way to go is to avoid it in the first place.
You may also be interested in using IMO externally for health.
- drake answered 6 years ago
- last active 6 years ago
Brassicas in general are typically pretty bacterially oriented on the spectrum of plants grown for consumption, as compared to something like a tomato, corn, or beans. This means that evolutionarily they are much simpler in terms of how they grow and interact with the ecosystem.
This simplicity also applies to the growth cycle. However, I am in the process of refining the vocabulary and my understanding of what is meant in the original language of the nutrient cycle theory. I am not sure the original attempts were any more clear, so here goes another attempt.
The “flower stage” as I have in my app is actually closer to something called puberty. Just cause a girl has menses does not mean she is ready to have a baby. Sure, she is now capable, but it’s not wise to reproduce at this point.
Take this concept and apply it to your broccoli, your plant is ready to put out a head, this represents puberty, but you don’t quite want it to bolt yet, this represents pregnancy. So, at the stage where it is putting out the head, it’s no longer really growing leaves, which is analgous to the vegetative or “leaf stage”, but now it instead beginning to have a menses, indicated by putting out a head.
Master Cho has specifically talked about broccoli and that 5 days before the heads start to form, one should treat with “flower solution” to ease this transition and to get even more heads than thought possible. This does not mean it will encourage it to bolt, but rather help the plant ease from accumulative growth to get ready for reproduction.
As a rule of thumb the time to apply flower solution is 1/3 through the life of the plant. So with 80 days for broccoli, that would be at day 26 or so, but you want to actually precede it by 5 days, so day 21 would be optimal. Of course this will vary widely in practice, but with your experience you should be able to anticipate and treat in the correct window.
- drake answered 6 years ago
Worm casting or worm tea from a worm bin are full of humic and fulvic acids.
- Tom Humphrey answered 6 years ago
Month by month practices will vary based on each individual farm. Drake’s KNF Recipe eBook helps plan your month to month practice based on your crop. It dives into the nutrient cycle and when you should apply what enhancement mixture and how often. It explains what each input offers.
IMO collection in the fall is often best but it can be done year round. Placing your box out with intention to retrieve your collection on a full moon can be ideal.
OHN I would make now. Its a long process and the sooner you start the sooner you have it.
FPJ is best made in the morning when the dew and microbes still cover the part of the plant you are collecting.
LAB is often best to do at the same time you a collecting IMO because you have rice you can use for the rice wash.
Check out the KNF Recipe eBook it is worth way more then $6.
- Tom Humphrey answered 6 years ago
Thank you very much for the info! I will try that out once i get all of that stuff made!
- seancav7 answered 6 years ago