Thanks a lot for this simple excellent explanation. I will get a refractometer and use it on my plants and see what extractions (from your book) make them 'happy'.

@nigelpalmer3439

3 жыл бұрын

You are welcome!

Nigel, I'm very excited about the material you're presenting, thank you! I've been studying John Kempf and Elaine Ingham while looking for simpler, less expensive, local strategies to build my soil life and achieve resilience on my permaculture project. This bridges the contradictions and closes the loop in my search. Can't wait to make these preparations and test the results. Kudos!

@nigelpalmer3439

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I look forward to hearing of your successes.

Thank you good info

Thank you so much for your video, and I love your book. I am wondering, if you plants have the leaves 12 or more brix?

@nigelpalmer3439

3 жыл бұрын

Some do and other don't. The crops that I rely on for food do.

@feltingme

3 жыл бұрын

@@nigelpalmer3439 Sounds great. I am working towards it. So far got 10 in tomato and pepino melon leaves.

Hi Nigel Thanks for your great video I live in Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom What is the best way to purchase your book Amazon? I would rather purchase directly from you to cut out the middleman so to speak. I can’t wait to read your book. Yours faithfully Kevin

@nigelpalmer3439

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Kevin, Thank you for your interest. You could get the book from my publisher Chelsea Green. www.chelseagreen.com

Do you only use plants with a high brix reading before making your fpj? For example if my tomatoes have a lower brix quality would it not be ideal to use that plant for making fpj? Maybe your book answers that question. I'm anxiously waiting for it to arrive.

@nigelpalmer3439

Жыл бұрын

Use what you have.

How does refractive index determine quality of a plant ? The amount of sucrose appears to be proportional to quality ? Where can I read more about where this science comes from ? Thanks for the video

@nigelpalmer3439

2 жыл бұрын

Originated in the late 1800's for wine grape selection. Used in many industries today. I do not have a single source of information in mind, but there is a lot of information out there.

More info about the + and - on the measurement... ? It's in the fuzzy area of measurement?

@nigelpalmer3439

2 жыл бұрын

A "fuzzy" area is indicative of larger compounds which are generally considered an indicator or goodness/health.

Hi Nigel! of manual refractometers there are with various measurement ranges, which range do you need to take for a correct measurement? thank you for your availability

@nigelpalmer3439

4 ай бұрын

Most of the fruits and vegetables you will test will be in the 0-30 range.

@jongermani

4 ай бұрын

@@nigelpalmer3439 Thank you!

garlic squeezer works as well

@nigelpalmer3439

3 жыл бұрын

A garlic squeezer works well for some things. It will become frustrating if this device is used regularly, especially for leafy produce.

Since the refractometer measures sucrose, it is measuring sugar carbohydrate. There is no known need for carbohydrate in the human body. So why is it implied that higher sugar plants are more nutritious? Is there any way to measure vitamin or mineral density in food?

@plutusiek

3 жыл бұрын

Maybe it's somehow connected. The more sucrose the more nutrients? Hopefully Nigel can clarify this.

@nigelpalmer3439

3 жыл бұрын

The refractometer is the cheapest, easiest tool to date for these purposes, originated for the wine industry over a hundred years ago and used in many other industries today. There is much info on line to support this discussion.Yes, there are tools on the market to measure nutrient density of produce that take the concept of the refractometer to a higher level. They are relatively new and not cheap yet, but costs ae coming down.

@feltingme

3 жыл бұрын

If you measure the leaves instead of the fruit, you will get more accurate reading in terms of minerals. you will see, that leaf reading will go up as plant health improves, which you can tell just by looking. It is disolved solids, not sugar, that brix measures. It includes sugar, but also minerals and proteins, not sure about fats.

@Jerseyhighlander

Жыл бұрын

DIY Life has a good answer, but in regards to sucrose, we don't use it directly but the beneficial bacteria in our guts do and in turn secrete many of the vitamins we need. Most of our B-vitamins don't come directly from our food, they come from the bacteria that break down the things we eat. Other things are broken loose from more complex molecules by the bacteria and made more bioavailable to us.

can the sugar content into fpj arise the reading of the refractometer cheating a bit the results?

@nigelpalmer3439

3 жыл бұрын

The plant uses all the fpj constituents and distributes the products through the phloem sap flow throughout the plant. See mineral analysis of fpj and other recipes in appendix E of book. This is not cheating, but feeding the plant.

@arlok7445

3 жыл бұрын

@@nigelpalmer3439 i absolutely ha no doubt in fact i do use fpj and I love your scientific approach in fact I ordered your book :)

@feltingme

3 жыл бұрын

I had that thought too, because whetever plant uptakes it or not, it will still likely to be squeezed in together with leaf juice.

so, sugary FPJ is taken in by the plants and their leaves, buds and fruit will be sweeter/richer. Because we're not eating the sugar directly, the sugars in the plant parts we eat are complex carbs...yes? Is this a true statement? thanks

@nigelpalmer3439

2 жыл бұрын

During fermentation the sugar is consumed by the biology on the plant surfaces. This is evident by the smell of the final product which may smell like miso or alcohol or something along these lines depending on ratios, time for fermentation and other factors. The final fpj product has many constituents, building blocks, which plants use to increase the % sucrose of their sap as measured by the refractometer. I have focused analysis on the mineral content of these products as this is relatively easy to measure and revealing. You can see this mineral analysis on my web site or in the appendix of my book.

@jonathonslootweg9104

Жыл бұрын

​@nigelpalmer3439 Nigel thanks for this explanation, it's excellent. Do you have an opinion on adding a small amount of kombucha scoby to the fpj? Or is it just better to let the natural microbiota do the work without population interference?

Can i use a digital refractometer?

@nigelpalmer3439

Жыл бұрын

Yes you can, but that requires batteries.

Still trying to decide if this is woo-woo or not. It's about as logical as using a pendulum. i'm very organic and into your plant-based ameliorants, but this is starting to fall into Steiner's rather bizzare theorums.

@shanzee100

3 жыл бұрын

My experience is that it is NOT at all woo-woo. Give it a try. Your taste buds can absolutely taste the difference in quality of food and the numbers on the refractometer corroborates what you taste! Truly. Try it before you knock it ;)

@nigelpalmer3439

3 жыл бұрын

Life is woo-woo if you are paying attention. In this case it is just plain old science at work. You can easily taste the difference of 2 Brix of any vegetable. This tool has been used in many industries for over one hundred years.