Lactuca serriola, commonly known as prickly lettuce, is a plant that often goes unnoticed, dismissed as a mere weed. However, hidden beneath its spiky exterior lies a rich history of medicinal use and nutritional value. This article aims to shed light on the myriad properties of prickly lettuce, its applications, and even some recipes to help you harness its benefits.
1. Overview of Lactuca Serriola (Prickly Lettuce)
Origins and Identification:
Native to Europe and Asia, prickly lettuce has now spread across many parts of the world. It is easily identified by its tall, slender stature, bluish-green leaves adorned with prickly edges, and small yellow flowers.
Historical Context:
Historically, prickly lettuce was esteemed by the ancient Egyptians and Greeks for its sedative properties and was often used in traditional medicines.
To achieve an exceptional cleaning remedy, all you need is to combine potatoes and salt. This method, popular among our elders, proves to be very effective for cleaning various household items. Here’s how these two common kitchen ingredients can transform into a natural and effective cleaning solution.
Potatoes and Salt: A Partnership for Cleanliness
In every kitchen, you can find potatoes and salt. These two elements can transform into excellent cleaners thanks to their abrasive and disinfectant properties, ideal for removing stains and incrustations.
The potato, rich in starch, is an excellent ally for eliminating stains. Its abrasive texture also makes it an effective tool for eradicating rust.
On the other hand, salt is known for its cleaning power, especially on carpets and textiles. Acting as an abrasive, it helps to remove stains while disinfecting and killing bacteria on the surface.
Thus, the combination of potatoes and salt constitutes a natural, economical, and eco-friendly cleaning method, offering an interesting alternative to chemical products.
Practical Applications
Kitchen hygiene is crucial to ensure a clean and orderly environment. However, removing deposits under pots and pans, especially older ones, can be challenging. Thanks to a raw potato and salt, this task becomes much simpler.
The raw potato, with its abrasive properties, is excellent for removing scale. Moreover, the salt enhances its degreasing efficiency, helping to dissolve accumulated grease and dirt deposits.
Polystyrene gets a bad rap and probably deservedly: it’s polluting to produce, bulky, virtually impossible to recycle without certain solvents and, incredibly, is predicted to take up to A MILLION YEARS to break down if it ends up in landfill or floating in our seas. So, let’s reuse polystyrene instead!
You may have noticed that here at Greenredeem we like to look on the bright side! Despite all polystyrene’s shortcomings (we recommend avoiding it whenever you can), waste polystyrene can also be remarkably useful around the house…
1. Use as drainage in the base of plant pots
While we wouldn’t use it if we were growing edibles, just to be on the safe side, polystyrene is fine to use instead of pebbles, gravel or ceramic shards as drainage in plant pots. Line the base with a layer of smallish chunks and plant as usual.
This is great if you’re going to be moving the plant regularly as it’s a lot lighter than alternative drainage, but conversely take care that your plant doesn’t end up top heavy. Some need a little ballast!
2. Create your own presentation mounts
Crafters are often on the hunt for cheap ways to display homemade goods. If you make badges, brooches, hat pins or anything with a sharp pointy end opposite the pretty end, polystyrene could be your newest find.
Look for good sized pieces from big box packaging. Turn one half downwards, so the intricate, concave moulded piece is underneath and the featureless ‘boxward’ side is uppermost. Glue a cheap fabric offcut over the top (try felt or velvet), tucking the cut edges neatly beneath and you’ve got a presentation mount.
3. Make your own superglue
Did you know that you can recycle polystyrene at home into a pretty serviceable household glue?
Mix a large amount of packing peanuts with orange rind oil, a.k.a. d-Limonene, and the solvent in the oil will slowly break down the polystyrene. Eventually you’ll end up with a sticky substance that reportedly works well as a permanent glue.
Obviously, take as much care when handling your homemade superglue as you would when working with the bought stuff. Old clothes, gloves and facemask recommended! ***
