Herb-N-Vision

Pumpkin Spice Horchata

2013-10-11T07:57:00.001-07:00

So my daughter is having a program at her school in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. They will be doing a presentation and parents were asked to bring in culture appropiate treats for a pot luck during the program. There was a check list for what you will bring. On the list were items such as chips/salsa, cheese dip, taquitos, plantain chips, guacamole, soda (!), juice boxes, cupcakes/brownies, plates, cups, plastic utensils, decorations, or food. There was also an option for making a monetary donation. Of course nothing on the list jumped out at me. Junk, junk, more junk. I started to do a monetary donation, but then I changed my mind. I wanted to take something in that would actually be culturally appropiate, and I thought about Horchata. I had made it once before, it was fairly easy, I don't care a whole lot for it honestly, but I know its something that most of the kids probably haven't tried before, and I wanted to take something different, because I get sheer joy out of exposing people to new things.

It had been probably 2+ years since the last time I made horchata. It was a recipe I had got from my boyfriends mom, and of course had no idea where it was. I vaguely remembered how to make it, but wanted to try to be as authentic as possible. I browsed the internet looking at several different versions of horchata, as the beverage varies according to region. Some places use rice, others use chufa, or several different types of nuts that it can come from. I was left dazzled and not sure what I wanted to make it with. So I took to facebook and polled all my Latino friends and asked their opinions. I was looking for an exact recipe. Not one that I can get online myself, but one from someone who actually makes it and drinks it. That task proved not as easy as it sounds. I ended having a conversations with a few people who explained to me how their culture would make it, and what they used. One person mentioned oats, and that idea immediately hit it off in my mind.

It's the begining of fall, we have two small pumpkins that need to be made into something, and I flirted in my mind with the idea of making pumpkin horchata. I would have soaked some of the raw pumpkin flesh in the mixture, let it soak up the flavor, and then strain the pulp out. I thought about this long and hard, but in all the pictures I've seen horchata is white, and this would surely make it a yellow-y orange color. Great idea for something of my own, but this is a public event and so I wanted to try to keep it as authentic as I could. One person I spoke with mentioned that it was the spices that are key to making the horchata and that no two horchatas are ever the same. He suggested I experiment, so I did. So after much debate in my mind, I decided I would NOT add the actual pumpkin, but in an attempt to be myself, I would use pumpkin pie spice, and make a Pumpkin Spice Horchata. I felt that didn't stray too far from the original idea.

Lastly, I had my boyfriend call his mom and try to get her recipe again, so I could use that as a base, but she, like my family when I try to get recipes from them, doesn't actually use a recipe. She just makes it by taste. So I took everything I read, and everything I heard, and I went to work on making the horchata. I, like my family, don't use or rely heavily on recipes in normal everyday cooking, so I decided to forgo using a step by step recipe, and just make it! How much more authentic can you get than that?

Here is an approximation of what I did:

My Pumpkin Spice Horchata Recipe

Long Grain White Rice

Steel Cut Oats

1 can condensed milk

1 can of evaporated milk

Water

Cinnamon stick

Cinnamon

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Vanilla

So, I took about a cup and a half of Rice and about 3/4 cup of steel cut oats, put it in a container. I then filled the container with water. I believe the container holds 4 cups of water, and I filled it to the tippy top. I let it sit, and then when walking by later decided to add in a cinnamon stick, so I did. And I let it sit overnight.

This morning, I stirred it up, it was a milky cream color by now. I poured all the liquid into another container so I could get the rice into the blender (about a tenth of it ended up in the sink. smh). Scooped the rice into the blender and blended it all together. I considered taking the cinnamon stick out, but it was soft enough that I thought it would blend well, so I left it in. Then I added the can of condensed milk. This was something I contemplated. I considered using almond milk to keep it dairy free. I don't drink milk, and since it was for the public, I though it would be better in case anyone has milk allergies or sensitivities. But in the end, I ended up going for the milk anyway. I used the sweetened condensed milk, and one can of evaporated milk. The reason I opted for the condensed was for the texture. So it wouldn't be super watery, but kind of thick and creamy. I added a tsp of pure vanilla extract (not imitation-please!). I blended all of this up, added a little powdered cinnamon, and the pumpkin spice. Then blended it again. I then took the blended milk and mixed with the water I had poured off in the begining.

Lastly, I took the whole thing through a nutmilk bag and strainer, because of course I already own that. If you don't have a nut milk bag, you can use cheese cloth, or a mesh strained then maybe a coffee filter if too much gets through. My nut bag worked perfectly, and I only had to strain it one time.

The consistancy was perfect. Creamy, not too thin, but after losing all I did in the container transfer process (cause I'm clumsy like that--sike no, really it just kept running down the side of the container as I was pouring it out. The sink got a nice drink!) it had only made about 1.5 quarts of milk. Since I was taking it for a large group of I don't know how many people. I knew this wasn't enough. So I added water until the container was at just under a gallon. Maybe 2 more quarts of water. Then I put on the top, shook it up, and let Naima taste it.

Before she could remove the cup from her lips she was enthusiastically nodding her head yes, and giving me the yes in sign language to let me know she approved. I then poured a taste for myself. Meh. I don't care much for the drink anyway. But it was decent. Sweet enough for me, but I don't like super sweet, so I contemplated adding sugar. The people-pleaser in me thought I should, but I was content with the level of sweetness it had. I opted for making a healthier beverage and did not add additional sugar, though you are more than welcome to sweeten it to your own taste if it is not sweet enough for you.

To me-the condensed milk had already sweetened it enough. I did a little math. 2 tbsp of the stuff is 17g of carbs. Thats like a medium apple. The whole can was about 10 servings. Thats 170g of sugar in the whole gallon (minus what I spilt out and all :-) ). The cups I brought to serve it in are the small dixie cups, because of course a gallon isnt enough to feed masses. They were 3oz dixie cups. So assuming each cup is filled to capacity, (b/c 1 gallon =128oz), 42.6 people will get to taste the horchata. Thats about 4g sugar per serving of 3 ounces. More than enough, right!?

I garnished with a little more pumpkin spice and cinnamon, of course, but the time it gets to the school, it'll be all mixed in with the rest. I was actually at the end of my pumpkin spice mix, but may pick up another one to garnish each cup. In hindsight, I think it would taste really good with the actual pumpkin, and since Naima loves the drink, and I had to buy a 3lb bag of rice cause thats all they had at the store I was at, and I don't eat rice, I may make some more and do that next round.

PS. You know I'm a DIY-er and hate to waste, so the pulp did not go into the trash. I squeezed it out, put it in a ziploc, and Naima is excited about being able to eat it for breakfast, I told her in the same way she would eat oatmeal. It'll probably be more like grits in consistency, but there are oats in there too. And b/c of the cinnamon and milk, all I have to do it heat it up, and voila! Desayuno!

How to use Pumpkin Butter

2013-09-26T20:33:00.003-07:00

So the other day I brought some pumpkin butter and posted the photo on Instagram. I got several questions about how to use pumpkin butter so thought I'd finally revisit this blog and post it here rather than directly responding to those inquiring. I'm sure others may wonder too. Here is a quick list I came up with.

Add to plain/vanilla Greek yogurt w/ granola and chia seeds.

On cinnamon raisin toast.

On French toast.

Top on grilled chicken.

Top on a pork chop.

Top on a glazed ham.

Spread on a turkey sandwich.

Add to pie mix.

Add to oatmeal.

Top on waffles or pancakes. Use instead of syrup.

Use as a filling for muffins.

Mix with cream cheese and eat on a bagel.

Add to a cake or bread mix recipe.

If it wasn't 11:30 at night, I could probably sit and think of some more. But this is just what came to me first. Maybe I'll test out a few ideas and post recipes for them over the course of the next couple days or weeks.

Feel free to add your own ideas in the comments

Avocado- Cream Cheese Dip

2011-11-16T18:31:00.000-08:00

Avocado- Cream Cheese Dip

I was sitting at the optometrists office with a torn cornea suffering from exteme light sensitivity, and in the magazine rack was a Diabetic Living Magazine. I couldn't resist but to pick it up and read it through my sun shades. I came across this recipe and my instincts told me that it would be a hit. So I took my handy-dandy eye phone and snapped a photo of the recipe, went home, and tried it! My instincts served me well.

Makes 1 cup:
Carbs per Serving: 4g
Prep: 20 minutes (really only takes like 5)
Chill 30 minutes to 24 hours (but you can eat it freshly made too...does taste better chilled!)
Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado, halved, seeded, and peeled
1/4 cup low fat butter milk (or just use almond milk like I did. Whatever milk type u have will do)
3 tbsp whipped reduced fat cream cheese (I used regular cream cheese. I guess I'm not good at following directions too well am I?)
1 tbsp lime juice (I had lemon, so I used lemon juice-lol)
2 cloves of garlic (I used 3)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (I didn't measure--just sprinkled!)

Directions:

1. Set aside one fourth of the avocado. In a blender or food processor combine the remaining 3/4 of the avocado, buttermilk, cream cheese, lime juice, garlic, adn cayenne and 1/2 tsp salt.
Cover and blend or process until smooth. Coursely chop the reserved avocado: stir into pureed mixture. Cover and chill in the refridgerator for 30 to 24 hours.

2. Spoon dip into a serving bowl; sprinkle with the dash of cayenne pepper. Serve with fresh veggies.

Per 2.5 tsbp dip:
59 calories. 5g total fat (1g saturated fat). 4mg chol. 224 mg sodium. 4g carbs (2g fiber, 1g sugars), 1 g protein

I choose to eat mine with sliced jicama (aka Mexican potato), which is a yummy healthy alrernative to eating it with chips (I hate tortilla chips!) But chips will do the trick as well if its your thing!

Bon Appetite.

PS. What's also great is that this is one of those recipes that after the first time, you don't have to follow the recipe. The second time I tried it, I added spinach. You can probably experiment with it a hundred different ways. And oh yeah--I always add more garlic than called for in any recipe ;-) Nice kick to it. Also, the salt is probably optional.

I ate the entire thing in about 36 hours! Whats great about it though is it keeps you full, which for me is a good thing cause I tend to be a carbohydrate addict and keep snacking all day long. This is a healithier alternative for sure, particularly because I dont care about counting calories! Its not my thing.

The Moment that changed EVERYTHING!

2011-09-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

What a week this one has been. I didn't think this blog would ever get this personal but I need to purge and I have so much to get out. You know those types of weeks or even those days...those moments that change your whole life...Well I had one of those. I'm going to back up to explain it all cause I just need to get it out of my system. I am about put on my writer's hat for just a few minutes.

Naima at the doctors office. iphone pic.

So: Lately Naima (my daughter) had been urinating frequently and being excessively thirsty. I mean, she would pee about 3 times in one hour. And she would ask for something to drink, then drink the entire cup, and then minutes later she would be insisting that she was thirsty. I knew something wasn't right but couldn't put my finger on it. The urination pattern started a week prior to the thirst pattern. It started slowly, but suddenly at the same time. She would have to go to the bathroom frequently. One day she had to go and we were in the car so I told her she had to hold it until we reached our destination. When we got there, we rushed her to the bathroom, only for her to get right in front of the toilet and pee on herself. I mean right in front of the toilet. Obviously I was upset (as the pattern hadn't quite set in and I didn't know yet that there was a reason for this). I made her sit in time out for like 10 minutes or so and looking back now I feel so bad because I realize that she couldn’t help herself. Fast forward a day or two and we are at the arboretum for a jazz fest and she had to go to the bathroom about three times. Once was right when we left and then we drove maybe 20 minutes to a restaurant to get something to eat and she had to pee again right when we got there. It was after 8 so I didn't let her have anything to drink (only a sip to wash down her food) because since she was going to the bathroom so many times in the night (once 3 times in 1 hour) and a couple times peeing on herself in her sleep, she couldn’t have anything after 8 thinking that would prevent the pattern. It didn't. All these things were odd, and I made note of it, but I thought that she was just drinking too much during the day and that is why she was urination so much. She had been potty trained since she was 2, so the peeing in the bed thing was highly unusual. She would even pee on the sofa if she fell asleep there. It started to become obvious that she simply couldn’t control her urine in her sleep and not that she was just having accidents. It wasn't until the thirst pattern began when I knew something was really wrong. I begin to suspect that maybe it could be a UTI. This was towards Friday and I had to work the weekend and so I decided to hold off and see if the pattern continued a few days and if so I would make her a doctor’s appointment. The pattern continued and the thirst pattern over the weekend grew intense. Monday morning I had two photo shoots scheduled so I was like I'll make the appointment for Tuesday. The early one got cancelled so I decided to go on and take her in and that I could drop her off home (my mom happened to be off that day and her daycare was closed this week) and then go to the second shoot. It turned out that when we got to the doctors and I explained what was going on, the nurse asked if anyone in my family had diabetes. I said yeah, several (type 2). I couldn't fathom that Naima would be at risk based on that, as theirs was all more lifestyle related--and Naima's lifestyle was at least slightly better than the average kid her age. She wasn't the healthiest child by any stretch. We both skimp on veggies sometimes, but we ate lots of fruit and I did my best to limit her junk food consumption-particularly at home (though that was often a battle with my mom always buying things I asked her not to and Naima wanting and often getting those things. Things like pop-tarts and fruit snacks. I had just stopped fighting it long ago. Also her daycare snacks were horrendous on most days-but that too was a battle I didn’t have the energy to fight-so I just let it be, and when I could I tried to get there early enough to get her before snack time).

Anyway, after checking her urine and a blood glucose reading, they sent us straight to the ER. I cancelled my shoot and scooped up my mom and we took her straight to the hospital. We were there for a while and they concluded that she had type 1 diabetes. I went numb. I couldn't believe it. At the doctors her blood glucose was 500 by the time we got to the ER and checked it was at 600. They admitted her and we were there from Monday until Thursday night.

In ER. Nurse drawing blood from her IV tube. iphone pic

I must say first that Naima was a soldier. She handled everything with so much class...it was really amazing. She lightened up everyone's day in the hospital. They couldn't stop raving about her. She was so still for the needles and didn't cry not once. Well not about the needles anyway. When she did cry, it was because she couldn’t have something she wanted to eat. That was the hardest part for me…and still is. Restricting food to a 3 yo who doesn’t understand why she can’t have XYZ is not an easy task.

She didn't really need this band-aid. But it made her feel better. It was Dora! ;-)

The hospital stay was stressful to say the least. They were not able to get in her a normal range. She kept jumping from high to low blood glucose levels. It was either the first or second night where she was very lethargic. I just assumed she was sleepy and was tired from such a long day. The doctor noticed that her lips were pale and it turned out that her glucose was low they had to give her juice, then next morning she was back high again. I just couldn’t make sense of it all.

Naima eating her breakfast and watching TV.

Smiling for the camera. She didn't let nothing steal her joy!

Over the three days, there was lots of education thrown at us. There was a diabetes specialist named Steph who came and taught us about diabetes, the do’s and don’ts, and how to use the glucagon pen if need be, and the signs of high and low BG (blood glucose) etc. etc. The nurses and staff were all nice, of course except for one lady. And we got her for two different nights. Go figure. She was there the first night and the last night. Her bedside manner was totally missing. The only other person whom I wasn’t feeling was the dietician. That’s because she sat there and lied to me in my face to try and tell me artificial sweeteners are safe for consumption like I was some dumb Joe off the street who didn’t know better. After that-everything she said to me went in one ear and out the other. I mean, I do realize that conventional medicine doesn’t accept these evident truths-but when I tell you why she can’t have anything with “sugar free” or “light” or another buzz words that may indicate artificial sweeteners—don’t try to tell me it’s in my head and that there is no evidence to support that, and that you use Splenda yourself, and that studies show it is safe and so on and so forth. I wasn’t feeling that-but I just clamped my lips once more. I did ask her to show me those studies. She said she would but the next day there was a different dietician who came in her place. I don’t know if that was intentional or not. Either way, I never got them.

Naima in the playroom. She spent most her day here.

There were some people however who were absolutely amazing to talk to and made the stay much more enjoyable (if I can use that word). That was Mrs. Annie, Mrs. Laura (Child Life Specialist), and our case manager Trish. All three of these ladies stood out to me and we each had deep conversations and their words were encouraging to me. Now I don’t know if all of these ladies are married or not, but I’m gonna just call them all “Mrs.” just because, but Mrs. Laura had an understanding of holistic health and the connection between body, mind, and spirit and we talked extensively about it. We also talked about snack ideas and she showed me a children’s book about diabetes and we discussed my concerns about why daycare will be a big hurdle in this new race and she was just a great resource and help. She copied some pages from that book for me that was written to be for the teacher of children with diabetes in school. That helped tremendously in just making me feel prepared to face the world once we stepped outside those four walls. Same with Trish. We sat and talked for probably more than an hour. And she listened so intently and all of my concerns and fears and her words were encouraging. Mrs. Annie just loved Naima. She came in to check on her and she is a type 2 diabetic. We just chatted here and there, but her spirit was nurturing. She was an older lady she talked of her grandkids and she was just so taken with Naima. We clicked almost instantly. I gave all the doctors and nurses whom I liked and interacted with a photo of Naima with a handwritten thank you on the back. They all adored it so. There were a few people who I wanted to get one to but I couldn’t find them and couldn’t remember all their names well, so that didn’t happen.

Naima in the play room with Mrs. Laura. She is practicing giving shots to the doll. Mrs. Laura did a lot of educational activities with Naima to try and help her understand what was going on with her.

Naima blessing her food.

In the hospital they kept asking if anyone in my family had diabetes and I was like for type 1 not that I know of, but yes for type two. After some digging, it came to light that on her father’s side there were some people who did, so it’s likely that is where the gene may have come from. I now worry about his other children and I hope that their other half of genes carry a protective one, however the truth is that they are susceptible to developing it as well. Hopefully God will have other plans for them.

Naima took many rides on her IV cart.

I was not ready to go home Thursday night, but they discharged us. I couldn’t understand why they would release when they still hadn’t figured out a proper carb: insulin ratio for her. I actually got upset with them and kind of lost my cool because for two meals during her stay they had to take all of her carbs away from her meal because she was high. So here is how they did this: they would say its meal time and have me order and meal and within about 45 minutes it would be brought upstairs from the cafeteria. They would then place the food in front of her. Then they would prick her finger to test her glucose and say “oh wait, its high let me go speak with the doctor”. Then they would come back and say “so we have to take all her carbs away but she can order some of XYZ.” The first time I wasn’t happy about it but I let it slide. The second time I was pissed. I mean, usually the carbs they were taking from my baby was her fruit, and once it was the bun from her cheeseburger. My thoughts: why not check her glucose BEFORE she orders her meal and you tell her that she can have something that she is looking forward to having instead of placing it in her face and taking it away. I don’t think anyone would be happy about that…but at least an adult could understand it. A 3yo—not quite. I mean it was hard enough trying to balance a meal with only 45 grams of carbs per meal (which are regulations she is still on at home) and NO carb snacks throughout the day. What that meant is that she had to try and “fill up” on protein (read: meat) so that she wouldn’t be hungry for a snack later. That too is not the best example of healthy eating in the world…but our options were limited. But I did fight for her as much as I could to make sure she got her extra food to make up for what she lacked in not being able to eat carbs. It wasn’t easy though. I was also a prick about making sure that each snack she got wasn’t full of artificial sweeteners. They put it in her file so that all the staff knew she was not to have any. Thursday when they said we’d be going home all the preparedness I thought I had went out the window. So did some of my tact. Her BG was at 403-far from normal or controlled, so I wasn’t happy with them releasing her like that. I snapped at one of the nurses because at dinner time they decided to take her carbs away again. She asked me what I she can have instead I was so irate I just snapped back “I don’t care what you bring, just bring my baby something” and walked away. She avoided me and the room the rest of the night. I felt bad afterwards, but truly they need to make the policy change. I was mad because Naima was crying when they told her she couldn’t have her carbs again and took away her fruit. Why would they put an innocent child through that? Particularly when a solution was so visible: check BG before ordering the food and telling her she can have something. Still I feel bad for snapping at her-she was just following the doctor’s orders. Her name was Brianne. SORRY BRIANNE!

I don’t want this blog to be a book, so I will end this one here and talk about life at home in another post. I will add though, that Thursday night, two members of the ministerial staff of my church came by the house to pray for Naima. Even though we are dealing with the diagnosis, we are also praying and believing in God that she can and will be healed—in his time, if it's his will. By faith, it is already done.

This is a photo I had took of Naima and I added a little poem. This was pre-diagnosis, but I found comfort in the poem during these days. My mom tacked it on the board that was next to her bed. I left it there--hoping that maybe (if the staff doesn't throw it away) it could be comfort to whomever is the next person to occupy that space. The poem reads: My Wish For You:
Comfort on difficult days. Smiles when sadness intrudes. Rainbows to follow the clouds. Laughter to kiss your lips. Sunsets to warm your heart. Gentle hugs when spirits sag. Friendships to brighten your being. Beauty for your eyes to see. Confidence for when you doubt. Faith so that you can believe. Courage to know yourself. Patience to accept the truth. And love to complete your life.

Hot Air Popped Popcorn

2011-08-21T19:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another edition of the Chronicles of a Budding Health Nut. Nut meaning crazy person. Well, the other day I was in Target and happened to walk by this popcorn popper. It uses hot air rather than oil which makes for a much healthier version of a treat my daughter happens to love.

My mom would always buy the microwaveable bag popcorn and I would try my best to convince her to stop because of the chemicals used in the lining of the bag which are toxic. Not to mention the chemicals in the artificial butter flavor which can cause lung issues over long periods of time (you'd have to pop a lot of popcorn) but I believe most companies have stopped using the particular chemical diacetyl which causes this. But still the chemicals in the bag some of which are to keep the oil from burning through the paper...still aren't ideal to be ingesting.

The best way to pop popcorn is over the stove...or as I have newly found- with a hot air popper! Naima had a ball watching it pop. Much safer than standing in front of the microwave like I used to do as a kid, and inhaling toxic fumes as well as being exposed to radiation emissions. ;-) So long to bagged popcorn!

Here are a few photos for you to enjoy of out process.

I'm not sure what is special about the Ruby Red. But it was pretty so I brought it. Marketing scam!

measure.

pour.

wait for popping to start. pose for the camera.

get excited when popping starts.

pose for the camera again. still waiting.

add melted butter and garlic.

season. blk pepper. fresh grated.

season. old bay ;-) it's a b-more luv thang.

Enjoy!

Homemade Deodorant

2011-08-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read that right. I found a recipe for homemade deodorant and I just had to give it a try. So I just whipped up a batch and will begin the real journey tomorrow...which is testing it out to see how well it actually works! ;-)

So how did I do it you ask? Or better yet why?

Well I will start with the why first.

I did it because I am on a journey of reinventing my life to be as chemical free as I possibly can. I also want to learn how to do/make everything myself so that I can leave the store brought-chemically laden artificial scented/flavored things of life alone. I want to return to nature. To the way things were and should be before corporations took over and told us how we should live our lives. Don't wanna get on my soapbox...this a post about deodorant after-all. So here is the why in terms of why I decided to pursue such a journey:

Deodorants, and most all cosmetics from things such as lotions, shampoos, make-up etc. are full of chemicals which are harmful to the body. They are present in such small amounts-but over time they build up and many have been linked to cancer. Most people don't think of their cosmetics as cancer-causing. You may think of the fact that you know X many people who have been using these things for X years and don't have cancer...but from an epidemiological standpoint-cancer rates are ever increasing as are the amount of chemicals being introduced to us through various means (the air we breathe, water we drink, food we eat and cosmetics that we use).

(There is no need for me to sit here and re-type information which is greatly summed up elsewhere. For more information you can view these links: Harmful chemicals in deodorants, Natural Cosmetic News, BBC News, Deodorant and breast cancer.)

Anyway, so onto the good stuff... how can you make your own deodorants? Well there are plenty recipes out there to try. I came across this one that I decided to try first. I read some reviews that some people have issues with the baking soda in the recipe causing irritation. There are various versions out there without it. I am going to try this one and if I should need to switch to another version I will.

So here is the info:

Ingredients:

6-8 Tbsp Coconut oil (solid state)
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder

(optional-essential oils) I used lavender. Just a few drops.

Directions:

Combine equal portions of baking soda & arrowroot powder.
Slowly add coconut oil and work it in with a spoon or hand blender until it maintains a firm but pliable texture. It should be about the same texture as commercial deodorant, solid but able to be applied easily. If it is too wet, add further arrowroot powder/cornstarch to thicken.
You can either scoop this recipe into your old deodorant dispensers or place in a small container with lid and apply with fingers with each use. Makes about 1 cup. This recipe lasts about 3 months for two people with regular daily use.

Give it a try and let me know how you like it:

Water in Japan...send your prayers!

2011-03-31T07:07:00.000-07:00

To All People Around the World

Please send your prayers of love and gratitude to water at the nuclear plants in Fukushima, Japan!

By the massive earthquakes of Magnitude 9 and surreal massive tsunamis, more than 10,000 people are still missing…even now… It has been 16 days already since the disaster happened. What makes it worse is that water at the reactors of Fukushima Nuclear Plants started to leak, and it’s contaminating the ocean, air and water molecule of surrounding areas.

Human wisdom has not been able to do much to solve the problem, but we are only trying to cool down the anger of radioactive materials in the reactors by discharging water to them.

Is there really nothing else to do?

I think there is.

During over twenty year research of hado measuring and water crystal photographic technology, I have been witnessing that water can turn positive when it receives pure vibration of human prayer no matter how far away it is.

Energy formula of Albert Einstein, E=MC2 really means that Energy = number of people and the square of people’s consciousness.

Now is the time to understand the true meaning. Let us all join the prayer ceremony as fellow citizens of the planet earth. I would like to ask all people, not just in Japan, but all around the world to please help us to find a way out the crisis of this planet!!

The prayer procedure is as follows.

Name of ceremony:

“Let’s send our thoughts of love and gratitude to all water in the nuclear plants in Fukushima”

Day and Time:

March 31^st, 2011 (Thursday)

12:00 noon in each time zone

This will mean that love will be sent to the water for a full 24 hours as the different time zones kick in.

Please say the following phrase:

“The water of Fukushima Nuclear Plant, we are sorry to make you suffer. Please forgive us. We thank you, and we love you.” Please say it aloud or in your mind. Repeat it three times as you put your hands together in a prayer position. Please offer your sincere prayer.

Thank you very much from my heart.

With love and gratitude,

Masaru Emoto

Messenger of Water

Herb Show Recap

2011-03-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

So the Herbal Medicine Show was a huge success...

I was so nervous in the beginning as I was watching other people set up their tables and I was thinking "oh, maybe I should have done more, I should have done this, I could have done that"...but by the time I finished my table set up I realized that what I had was sufficient. It wasn't as glamourous as some of the tables (my classmates did an awesome job!), but I put a lot of time and love into my creations, and they came out well-and they were all well received by the public.
What I loved was talking with the individuals. There were a lot of people who did not know exactly what it was we were there for (to introduce them to the student clinic and get clients) as well as introduce them to the world of herbal medicine and the variety of possibilities therein. I had some real heart to heart conversations with people, and got a decent sized list of people interested in coming into the student clinic as well as people who signed the email list.

The oatmeal bars and the Hibiscus Hi-C Tea was a big hit. Sooo many people were asking me for the recipe...so I promised to send it out in my 1st newsletter that will go out shortly (I'm still working on it!). If you would like to be added to the mailing list--to request an add you may email me at swinston@tai.edu. Leave your first and last name and email address in your request.

Here is what some of the faculty and staff at Tai had to say:

The Herbal Medicine Show yesterday was truly remarkable. I wandered from table to table in awe of your creativity, brilliance, and beauty. Each of you brought your best to the show and gave the community a view of the true potential and wonder of herbal medicines. I loved seeing your themes and the thought and heart which went into them, and the innovation you showed in what you made and how you presented it. Last night was a proud moment for Tai Sophia, and you were the shining jewels. Thank you each so much for the enormous time, energy, love, and skill you demonstrated.

In Awe and Gratitude,

Bevin

Bevin Clare MS, RH
Clinical Division Chair
Herbal Medicine Department
Tai Sophia Institute

I was so impressed with the knowledge of each of the students, their ability to explain their products as well as the beautiful displays that you created. Despite the weather, we had an overwhelming crowd. This certainly has become a signature community event for Tai Sophia and an opportunity for us to show off and beam about the quality of our students. Thank you all for the hard work you put into this. It definitely showed.

Judith K. Broida Ph.D

Provost/ Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Tai Sophia Institute

I would like to further heap praise on you all, and also to pass on Bob Duggan’s comment he asked me to convey – that this year’s show was a definite ‘step up’ for Tai Sophia.

Well done you!

Andrew Pengelly PhD, AHG, FNHAA
Director Herbal Dispensary
Lecturer in Herbal Pharmacology and Botany
Tai Sophia Institute

This program is gaining in quality and community response, which says that students are learning and faculty must be doing a fantastic job. To see what has been learned translated through creativity was absolutely amazing.

The entire event was nothing less than extraordinary. Congratulations to all.

Kind regards,

Frank Vitale

President and CEO

Tai Sophia Institute

PS. Major shout out to Stanley Jaworski, a fellow photographer for coming out and taking photos of the event for me!

Preparing for the Herbal Medicine Show...

2011-03-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

This is so much work. Much more than I anticipated.

A lot of what I was making I wanted to wait until as close as possible to make so that it would be fresh. I have (had) some elderberries around here, and two days before the show can't seem to find them. Now I can't make my elderberry syrup which is kind of disheartening, because its the one I use the most and can probably speak the most freely about.

Instead, I am forced to find something else to do...which is ok, because I tend to work well under pressure, though not without the cortisol surge however.

I keep having to change my game plans and in this moment it still isnt finalized, but I know that whatever I do its going to be great.

Anyway...for anyone interested in coming out, here is the info for the show.

Join Tai Sophia’s Herbal Medicine faculty and master’s degree students for Tai Sophia’s annual Herbal Medicine Show.

Treat your senses to the tastes, scents, and textures of a wide array of herbal cordials, elixirs, tinctures, salves, and foods.

The Herbal Medicine Show will feature:

•Free samples and helpful information on how herbs can support your wellness

•Over a dozen themed, interactive displays, including:

◦Self Care and the Seasons

◦Seasonal Immunity

◦Digestive Health and the Mind

◦Circadian Rhythms and Sleep

◦Elements in Nature

◦Seasonal Nutrition

◦Pain Management

◦Sexual Health and Vitality

◦The Wellness Imaginarium

Come experience the amazing world of herbs and meet student herbalists entering the clinical portion of their training and ready for new clients.

If you are not able to make it out to this event, and even if you are--here are the details for what I really want to get across:

So we will have clinic on Wednesday mornings and Friday nights. Just as med student needs to work in a hospital to get real world expeience, I need clients who are interested in seeing an herbalist for health or wellness. Some things you may come on for is:

Skin conditions
G.I. Conditions
Nutritional coaching
Chronic health conditions
Immune conditions
Or even if you don't have a "condition" you can come in to find out how you can maintain wellness and things you can do for optimal energy.
To graduate I need to conduct 50 different consultations with a handful of those being multiple visits (at least 3 per person preferably).
In the student clinic, there is a reduced fee that we are required to charge for using the space. The money is paid directly to the school none of it goes to us btw. For the initial consult the fee is $45 and all follow ups are $30.

I hope this information helps. Any questions, message or call me if you have my number. I hope to be able to be of service to someone as I want this to be something we can mutually benefit from.

PS. If it's not you, we all know someone suffering from something. Please feel free to pass the word on to a friend or family member if you don't feel as though these services would be of any service to you.

Oh-and this show is just like a coming out party for the public that we will be starting clinic and an opportunity to let the community at large know we are beginning clinic and to give us an opportunity to find clients. Basically it's gonna be lots of free products and food-all herb based. If you can come that's great but that's secondary to my needing of clients.

Peace & Wellness
Shannon.

Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree

2010-11-09T15:10:00.000-08:00

So you know that stuff you buy in the can...thats been sitting in there since last years harvest? Well yeah, you can do the same exact thing with your fresh pumpkins that you have had sitting around since Halloween. Its really simple, and the pies, breads, or whatever you make from it will taste so much fresher and better than anything you can get out of a box or can.

Here are the simple steps:

Slice the pumpkin into quarters.

Pull out the seeds and the inside flesh.

Using a spoon, scrape the stringy insides from the meat of the pumpkin. Leave the outside rind on.

You can either bake the whole slices, or a faster way is to use a double steamer and steam them until the inside is soft and you can stick a fork through it.

Let cool and then scoop the meat off of the rind. It should be fairly easy, the meat will almost slide off.

Puree in a blender, food processor, or using a hand mixer. Do not add water!

And then you are done! Same stuff from the can, minus the seasoning and preservatives.

PS. Keep the seeds! They are super nutritious. You can save and plant for next year OR you can season and roast them, or eat raw. If you're ambitious, you can even make Pumpkin Seed Butter!

October:Vegetarian Awareness Month

2010-10-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

Today is Oct 1st which is World Vegetarian Day.It marks the begining of Vegetarian Awareness Month which is celebrated every October.

I am not vegetarian, however I do understand that a vegetarian diet can be a healthy more viable option, particularly for those with existing health issues that occur due to dietary malnutrition or overnutrition.

Regardless of rather you eat meat or not, it is important that you are eating the proper amounts of fruits and vegetables daily, and getting non-meat sources of protein such as beans, legumes, sprouts, nuts, etc., can be a good way to add variety to your diet and improve your overall health, as well as the health of the environment.

I have personally decided to pledge to go Vegetarian for the month of October as a part of Vegetarian Awareness Month. The purpose for me is to challenge myself to eat a more diverse palette of food.

Visit this link for more information on Vegetarian Awareness Month. You can find a wide array of recipes on the Vegetarian Times website and download their Vegetarian Starter Kit guide for helpful tips for becoming vegetarian.

Please join with, if even just for a day, or a week. Use this as an opportunity to kick some of your routine habits, and try something new!

Chickpea Soup

2010-09-10T06:14:00.000-07:00

So for the first time in years, I actually came down with a little something like a cold. Naima got it from daycare and gave it to me; then I gave it to someone else, and they gave it back to Naima-or something like that. However it went for whatever combination of reasons, after I was recovered, I decided to make a soup for my friend. I had no idea what I wanted to make. Just a healing soup. So what I decided to do was combine a whole bunch of herbs and veggies into a chickpea soup. It came out so yummy too.

The herbs I came up with to include in the soup were: Garlic, Turmeric, Ginger, Onions, Nettles, Cayenne, Astralagus, Oregano, Horseradish, Cumin, and Dandelion root. The veggies were: Carrots, Celery, Kale, Nettles. Everything was organic, with the exception of the vegetable chicken broth. I also added yams, shitake mushrooms, Italian-style turkey sausage, soy protein chorizo style sausage (the meats were organic as well) and a bit of sea salt and a pinch or two of cinnamon. The idea was to add as many healthy compounds as I could.

So here is the process of what I did (because I wasn’t following any recipe nor did I use any measurements):

Soak Chickpeas overnight in water and baking soda (optional). Rinse thoroughly. Boil for about 2 hours or until done. Drain.

Prepare all veggies (wash and chop into edible size).

In pot-sauté all veggies in olive oil. Add chopped kale towards end.

Boil chopped yams (with skin) in little bit of water separately. Just enough to cover them. Add water and yams to veggie pot.

Add herbs and seasonings. (fresh and powdered Ginger, minced dried garlic, astralagus root, turmeric, cayenne, horseradish (I used tincture), Bragg Liquid aminos, nettles, powdered mustard, sea salt, crushed red pepper) etc.

Add Swanson (or other brand) Vegetarian broth. Add pinch of cinnamon. Let simmer.

Brown italian turkey sausage and soy (chizoro style) sausage in pan. Chop and stir into soup.

Voila.

Eat.

Let me know how you like it. Feel free to add comments, or questions as I did not use measurements, so any questions about it, free free to let me know.

Homemade Kale Chips

2010-08-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

These make for a nice healthy summer snack. Summer is definitely a time for eating light and snacking is one way to do so. But before you reach for that bag of potato chips, try making some fresh organic Kale chips right at home. It takes less that 15 minutes in all, and is a nice healthy snack for the whole family. And anyone can do it.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Sea salt (optional)
Caribbean Jerk Seasoning (optional)
1 bunch of fresh (organic-optional) Kale Greens

Instructions:

Thoroughly wash and dry your Kale greens.
Layer on a cookie sheet
Drizzle with the Olive Oil.
Season with salt, or any other seasonings of your choice. You can use just the salt, pepper, Old Bay, soy sauce, whatever you think your taste buds would prefer. My favorite is Caribbean Jerk Seasoning!

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Take out when or before edges begin to brown. Be careful not to burn!

YUM! You're done. Cools in seconds. ENJOY!

Smoothies in the Summertime...

2010-07-26T17:19:00.000-07:00

What's better than that? Its the perfect time of year for smoothies. And its also a great way to get your kids to eat fruits and veggies without complaint.

So Naima had been feeling a little ill. She was battling an ear infection and wasn't much for eating. So I wanted to make sure she was at least getting some nutrients.

So in addition to vitamins and probiotics (and the mullein-garlic ear oil), I decided a green smoothie was perfect. I used a strawberry yogurt (thats all we had in the house), organic frozen strawberries, mangoes, and blueberries, fresh organic kale, and some wildflower honey. I also added some almond milk to help smooth out the texture.

The key is to let her help make it, therefore she is more inclined to drink it. ;-)

I even put it in a nice big girl glass for her to make her think she was getting something fancy.

It was yummy, if I do say so myself.

Soothing Teething for a Toddler

2010-06-06T21:20:00.000-07:00

"I need to be more careful mommy, my mouth hurt!"

Poor baby! She has her back teeth coming and she is in pain. And what's worse is she think it is something she did to make it feel that way. But its just nature taking it's course.

It must shoot out in bursts because she will be playing fine in one moment, and in the next she is crying out for relief. Nobody likes to see their child in pain. So I decided to see what I could do about it.

For a more immediate effect, I made her a cup of Chamomile Bed Time Tea. It seemed to do enough, as she didn't have any outburst between that time and the time she went to bed. I froze the tea bag for her to chew on in the morning if it is bothering her.

After making her tea, I made some Chamomile ice cubes to crush and have her chew on to sooth the pain in her mouth.

I also decided to make an infused oil of Chamomile and Cloves to apply on the gum area and hopefully help with the pain as well.

Everything I read said Clove oil (essential oil), and I had none on hand, so I just infused some cloves into an almond oil and hope that is enough to do the trick. I wanted to add some willow bark to the oil, but I had to make due with what I had on hand.

Infusing the crushed herbs in oil over low heat.

Ohio Trip 5/23-5/28

2010-06-02T12:20:00.000-07:00

Ohio Trip
5/23/2010

So the journey to Ohio was very eventful, that’s for sure. Between stopping for car troubles and having Effie get pulled over for speeding only to realize she had forgotten her license at home, I wasn’t so sure we’d make it…but we did. We arrived to Rutland Ohio.

We get there and lugged our tons of luggage and bags to where we would be staying—in an open field. Then we met our host, Paul Strauss. He was a cool guy-I knew that immediately, as he introduced himself by giving hugs to everyone. He gave his orientation, which went something like this (and I paraphrase):

<--Outhouse . Sink-->

“There is poison ivy everywhere if you get it, run to the pond and smooth some mud over the area. The outhouse is a composting toilet—add some limestone and sawdust ½ a scoop each time you poop (or pee too). If you have incense you may want to burn it in there as it is gonna smell foul as time goes on with so many people using it. If you want, you can bathe in the pond. It is full of a variety of fish and yes snakes too. They wont bother you if you don’t bother them. Feel free to go swimming in the pond with or without your suit-choice is yours. We have mosquitoes, ticks (but not Lyme’s disease carrying ones), snakes, lizards, womp, womp, womp, copperheads, etc, etc… I‘m glad to have them as they are a part of the ecosystem and we ought to be thankful for the job that they do (ie snakes eating rodents etc). Don’t walk barefoot under the Chesnut tree because the spikes are very painful if you get one stuck in your foot.

We have a huge variety of medicinal herbs—many are endangered species. We have more variety here than North Carolina, Kentucky, etc-and that is why you are here. You’ll learn more about that tomorrow…”

Paul charged us with passing on all that we learn about herbs and natural medicines. He says he is just a voice for the earth, and the message needs to get to more people. It was a beautiful opening, and despite all the creepy crawly things surrounding me, I felt somewhat at ease—somewhat.

Dinner was great. (I didn't take photos this night-don't remember what we had either)

We have two chefs preparing our meals…Gabby and the other girls name slips my mind. All the food we have is either locally grown, or was locally grown in MD and brought over from there. We have well water to drink. I made the decision to dehydrate myself while I am here as I wish to see that outhouse the least amount of times as I have to.

After dinner, Effie and I went to put up our tent. Mind you-neither of us have ever been camping before, so you can imagine how that would have went were it not for Ayo and Cheryl helping us out. After we got it up, we realized that the “fits 6 people” claim on the box was assuming you are packing sardines and not humans. We both had queen size air mattresses and it just fit in the tent with about 12 inches or so left in the front to step in and out. There was little room for anything else, so I piled what I could in the corner and we left everything else outside the tent.

Cheryl the Diva brought end tables, an umbrella, lawn chairs, a burner, teapot, and the works. I called her area “Cherylville”. Most everyone stayed up to hang out, but I was not in that number. I decided to retire early…it was about 9pm. It was dark and I was still getting accustomed to the whole living outdoors thing-so I took it in. I spent like 20 minutes trying to find my allergy med I brought because my chest had tightened and I was wheezing and I wanted to take my med in the morning because we were hiking to a cave and I knew I would need it to be effective. Then after about an hour of tossing and turning in the tent, and hearing the laughter and talking outside Cherylville that I was tempted to join in on, but didn’t, I finally drifted off into a sleep that was mostly filled with more tossing and turning.

5/24/2010

It is now 7:24am. I’ve been up since about 5am, the birds and other critters out there are making a lot of noise. Then there is the light. Then there is the fact that I’ve been holding my bladder all night and still am. Breakfast is at 8, class starts at 9:30. I am about to get myself up and dressed and relieve my bladder…I’ve got to pee so bad. I didn’t bring anything for lunch as was instructed so I want to get my fair share at breakfast…

~~~~Later in the day~~~~

Breakfast was ok. There was pork bacon-though local and naturally fed-I still shied away. Also scrambled eggs with spinach. I chose to eat strawberries, mixed berry scones and a little yogurt with granola. We went down to the well. Paul talked about anger and how anger from his personal life led him to build this stream/well of water. He uses valves to control it and purifies it through a filter. He explained how he uses gravity instead of pumps in ways that went above my head. He is a very smart and environmentally conscious herbalist. He speaks from his heart and I just love listening to his stories. I try to get as much info from him as I can, as we are only here for a week. Paul talked about how he won’t work with people who are not willing to make lifestyle changes (ie. quit smoking etc)

A few notes random from his talk:

-All healing starts in the brain.

-As an herbalist, water intake is the first thing to look at. Most people don’t drink enough water. While tinctures are great, teas are vastly underused as they not only give you the medicine you need, but also gives the body fluid that it is usually in need of. USE more TEAS!

- Have positive energy-it’s muy importante for building a practice.

Then we climbed down a steep hill with a rope for support to get to the cave:

Its called Cave of the Fallen Cow and Paul relays the miraculous story of how it got its name. I was so intrigued hanging onto his every word. I’d retell that story now only I think he tells it so much better, so I’m gonna let well enough alone. He also tells us his bio and I am amazed. The whole time I am sitting there thinking I’d love to do a documentary on him. His life and his work is very inspiring to me, and I’m sure it would be to others as well. Listening to him made me want to embrace this trip even more. To conquer this unknown (to me) world of camping and make the most of it, and have fun. To take it as a learning experience and grow from it. While in the cave, Paul showed us some Native American tools he found on the property and them explained to us how they were used.

A few random notes from his talks at the cave:

-Have great respect for the trees and the medicine that comes from it. IF there were no trees there would be no understory… no fungus, and if no fungus, no trees. Everything is interconnected.

-Spoke about basswood: As with maples, you can eat and survive off the young leaves in the spring time. Native Americans used it to stitch wounds, cover houses (outer bark)…

-Random fact: If you cut down a Black locus, the tree will sprout back up.

Native American tools:

Axe Head- used for weapon and to cut down trees (started a fire at the base and cut away at it where it was ash).

Nutter stone: to crack/crush nuts

Lantern sphere: not for throwing on a stick

Fleshing Stone

After lunch we went wild crafting. Out assignment was teas and above ground harvesting. For myself I picked red clover, nettles, and apple mint. Then we took them to the drying room and laid them out on screens to dry. The drying process is very important in medicine making. Improperly dried plants will not make good medicine. It is important that there is quality airflow from both above and below the herbs. Also its important that there is not extreme humidity or else the herbs will reabsorb moisture and just mold.

Quick story: to harvest the red clover, we had to walk thru this bamboo patch. The walk up this hill combined with my allergies was beginning to get the best of me, and I was wheezing heavily. There was lots of pollen in the air. I picked some red clover, but not a lot. I instead had to head back down the hill and sit and rest to catch my breath. I was talking to James. Paul had some Nettles tincture in the apothecary. He gave me two tinctures. The other was a Respiratory Extract containing Elecampane root, Pleurisy root, Comfrey root, Ginger root, and Lobelia. I took them both. Within minutes I could breathe deeply again. The tightness in my chest had relaxed. It was wonderful! I was able to get back to harvesting.

This was also an important moment for me because I had my own personal story to tell. Not just something I read in a book, but an experience. Not that I wasn't a believer before...but this definitely built my confidence in the power of herbs.

Red Clover

Stinging Nettles

Apple mint

We came back up the hill and had some free time. Some people went skinny dipping in the pond, others bathing, others continued harvesting. I just sat under the shade and rested until dinner time.

Dinner was great (again). We had buckwheat soba noodles with nettles pesto-Nettles that had been picked earlier that day.

<--Gabby Grilling the Veggies

Then we sat around talking a bit. I took a last trip to the outhouse for the night then headed back to the tents. I sat outside of Cherylville for a while and chatted with my classmates. Originally I was gonna follow my routine from the night before and be Princess Fiona-that means when the sun went down I was to retire too, but I allowed Effie to talk me out of it (remember she is good-she talked her way out a speeding ticket with no license). Then I was off to bed and then to sleep-though I tossed and turned considerably more than I did the night before.

5/25/10

We got up and had breakfast. Then we went off for a hike through the woods. We saw all kinds of things. There were many endangered plants such as wild yam, ginseng, blue cohosh, black cohosh, goldenseal, etc.

Wild Yam:

Anti-spasmodic, good for spastic cramping of the lower G.I.

Can use as a tea and add Chamomile and Ginger tincture.

Sassafras:

Root bark is medicine. Reddish color. Lemony smell. Aromatic. Same family as cinnamon.

Dandelion, yellow dock, burdock, and sassafras- makes good cleansing tea.

Used in gumbo to thicken.

Don't use essential oil unless a trained aromatherapist. More toxic compounds.

Safrole- originally in root beer.

Good circulatory tea. Warming. Demulcent.

Sourwood tastes really good. The leaves have a sour flavor-very much like a crybaby or something, just not the sweetness to follow. I would love it on salads or something. Yum.

Stoneroot:

Roots and rhizomes used for venous congestion. Eclectics used aerial parts also.

Congested dysmenorrhea.

Sore throats due to overuse (good for teachers, singers, etc.)

Square stems. Alternate leaves.



<--Lobelia:

Respiratory relaxant. Use in low doses-can be emetic in high doses.

Gets paler closer to stalk.

SE: Burning in back of throat and tightening. Nausea.

<--Baneberry. Often mistaken for black cohosh. Looks very similar. Highly toxic.

Paul showing how invasive grapevines were used for fire starting (as they are very dry) and were crushed into dust to start fire. These vines destroy trees and will knocked down any trees in its path.

Then we broke for lunch and met back down at the Apothecary for a tincture making demo (refresher) course. We made a class Motherwort tincture:

Strip leaves from stem

Chop finely

Measure out

Add alcohol

Then it was off to harvest our own herbs and make our own tinctures.

I harvested Feverfew and Nettles. If you can’t tell, I love nettles!

Harvesting and processing is a long tedious process that I respect so much more now having done it. It takes time, care, love, and attention. Now I can understand why it cost what is costs, AND how much goes into that 1lb bag of what I buy or that 1 oz tincture.

I went to check and see how my dried herbs were doing. Not quite done yet.

Red Clover

Stinging Nettles

Apple mint

Nobody wanted to walk back up the hill for dinner, so a gang of us waited for Paul to drive the truck up and we hitched a ride in the back of the truck. It was time to eat…one of my favorite parts of the trip.

For dinner we had:

The Kale greens were running out by the time I got to them. I had to scrape what was left off the plate. Some people didn’t get any, that was a little disappointing being how everyone paid the same price for meals so I wasn’t thrilled about that, but otherwise, all was well. I attribute it to the fact that there was no portion control going on. But it’s a minor complaint. Other items were plentiful. I sucked it up.

After dinner, we played a game of Apples to Apples. It was myself, Effie, Cheryl, Olivia, Caroline, Bryan, Joan, Pearl, Jessica, and Joe. It was a fun game. I’m glad I stayed up to play, as with it getting dark, I really wanted to be under that tent, but I was getting used to getting devoured by the bugs and we had some moonlight to help up find out way back to the tent.

5/26/2010

Today was the day long hike. We had breakfast then trekked down the long steep hill to the vehicles and carpooled to the United Plant Savers (UpS) Sanctuary. During the hike, I learned many new plants and learned to identify some familiar ones. I also learned a bunch of stories about how these plants were used, as well as some trees. In Paul’s view, some of the best herbs are the ones that double as food and medicine.

First we tasted some Valerian root as James talked about its uses.

<--Valerian:

Nervous system herb. Rhizome, (roots ok). Fall of 2nd year, 1st year acceptable. Warming. For cerebral anemia (Eclectics).

For morning despondency: Valerian, Rosemary, and Siberian Ginseng tea.

Smells worse when dried--described as smelling like stinky socks. Aromatic.

Dry for sedative. Fresh for moving qualities.

We visited Hydrastis Heaven, which is [possibly] the biggest patch of Goldenseal (an endangered plant) that one will ever see. We also saw lots of Ginseng and this guy whose name slips my remembrance gave a talk on the history and economics surrounding the herb. -->

<--Black Haw: this plant had a very interesting history. The inner bark is a uterine sedative. It was used to prevent abortions. Some slave masters would force enslaved females to eat this every morning because of the common practice of them taking cotton root bark to abort their children (or their slave masters children). They had easy access too (right out there while they were on the field picking the cotton). I found that connection interesting at the very least.

The herb is good for pregnant women who have experienced trauma and/or is threatening to miscarry.

Jewelweed: used to treat poison ivy or stinging nettle stings. Usually found near water/moist areas. Interestingly enough, a classmate got poison ivy on the trip and went out and found and used this and she said it worked very well. -->

<--Slippery Elm is also an endangered plant. Disease is wiping these trees away. Slippery Elm is as nutritious as oatmeal. During war it was used to keep soldiers alive. The seeds may be used. Medicine is the inner bark.

We sat on some logs and had lunch, then we continued on to the reclaim area and saw lots more herbs. About 45 minutes past lunch I was ready to go. I was becoming slightly irritated by now mainly because I wanted a shower! I had been sweating and all week only washing with baby wipes cause I wasn’t quite down with the idea of pond bathing.

After we left UpS, we made a run to the Rutland Dept. Store. It was a small space that seemed to double as a hardware, and grocery store—nothing like what we would consider a department store. It was so nostalgic though. The rural-ness of the area reminded me much of my childhood summers that I spent in North Carolina. Inside the store, I had to take a picture when I saw they had candy cigarettes and Big League bubble gum-both of which I rarely see anymore, but I remembered growing up.

The air conditioning in the car spoiled me a bit. When I stepped back out into the blazing heat, then walked back up the hill, I was all of irritated again. I decided I would take up the offer of using the shower behind one of the buildings down the hill. Up until that time, I spent my free time writing parts of this up and moseying in the shade- hot and bothered.

~~~Later in the day~~~

So the shower was absolutely amazing I felt like an entirely different person and God Bless the person who invented showers. I showered behind the shed and I think only the donkeys and mules were watching. It was somewhat liberating, because at first I was nervous about doing it, but I went ahead and realized it wasn’t as bad as I was making it out to be in my head. In fact it was wonderful. I felt so clean! I was all smiles from then on out.



We caught a ride on the back of the truck to go up the hill for dinner. We had:

The other chef whose name I remember not.

It was good. Next we went over to the firewood area and sat around and listened as Joe sang and play his guitar. He sung a Madonna Medley, some Prince songs, and a few others I wasn’t familiar with.

Next was off to Cherylville. We sat and talked and laughed over wine and herbal tea. It was actually a very deep bonding time we had there I think. We shared info about life, exchanged stories, and ended up having a deep conversation about race. It started when I shared a story about an incident that had happened earlier in the day. (We were walking up the road to head back up the hill to the tent area. It was myself, Effie, and Yiwande. We passed by Bryan and Effie wanted to go over to see what he was doing. Yiwande and I were on the side of the road waiting for her return and talking when a vehicle pulled up and stopped beside us. It was a white guy in the drivers seat and he leaned over and asked (paraphrase) “Yall on the wrong side of town aren’t ya?” We just looked at each other I was thinking “is he serious?” We didn’t say anything and then he followed up saying ‘I was just joking’ then proceeded to tell us about some skate park on the other side of town. I slightly engaged him in conversation, Yiwande kept silent. Of course his comment was received as racial to us. What proved it was (joke or not) was the fact that he said he was just joking, and maybe he was, but it was still inappropriate in my eyes. Effie interpreted it slightly different: more as a way of saying why aren’t you guys on the other side of town at the skate park. I’m not convinced that is what he was trying to say, or there would have been no need for him to say he was only joking. But that is neither here nor there). The conversation we had that night explored both possibilities and then we went off on other topics regarding race relations. It was nice. Deep, but not draining. Its tone was hopeful one…that things can change as we get more and more comfortable talking with one another and keeping dialogue open, but also being part of the solution. It was a beautiful evening. Then we got some “shushes” from other camp members trying to sleep, and it was pretty late, so it was off to bed.

5/27/2010

Last night my phone died and I also got almost no sleep. Some cricket decided he wanted to propagate (sounded like a loud rattle snake) right by my ear, but it was coming from both sides of the tent. Effie was already sleep. The sound was so horrendous it kept me up for quite some time, however eventually I was able to drift off to sleep. When I woke up, I hadn’t a clue as to the time (my phone was dead). I layed there for a while. I heard Jillian coughing so I knew it wasn’t past breakfast time. I had heard Effie when she got up and left, that was about 20 minutes or so prior, so I knew it was nearing that time. I got up and dressed and headed over for breakfast. I had a turkey egg, toast, strawberries, and apple, and chocolate cake left over from the night before. We were told that the turkey eggs were fertilized and so we needed to make sure we cut it open before biting into it to make sure there wasn’t a baby chick inside. Yuck! I don’t eat boiled egg yolks anyway, so I just ate the white of the egg.

Today was basically a free day, but not quite. There were several activities scheduled to take place, and we had the freedom to choose which we wanted to do. I chose to spend the morning wildcrafting and making medicine. I gathered my dried herbs, but they still weren’t quite dry enough. I left the apple mint in the drying room and took the nettles and red clover over to the greenhouse to dry quicker.



Jillian and I wanted to transplant some plants home so she dug up some Comfrey root, lemon balm, and spearmint. Then we potted and soiled them. I personally decided to dig up some dandelion roots to take home, careful not to bruise its roots and therefore ruin its medicinal properties. I know it sounds silly being that dandelions are plentiful everywhere, but I don’t trust the ones in my own yard b/c my father sometimes allows these green lawn companies to come spray the grass, so I rarely eat grasses and weeds from my yard. I am gonna keep my dandelion in the pot and grow it that way…lol. It should be fun, but since roots are to be harvested in the fall, I want to grow some and use the roots for teas in the fall/winter.

We sat and chatted a bit then I decided to be productive, so I harvested some plantain to make a fresh plant tincture from. In my laziness, I didn’t chop it as fine as I should, so it may be a somewhat weak tincture, but probably great for kids. We shall see. I had to do a 1:2 @ 50%. I think I prefer making dry tinctures as you can powder the herb rather than chopping it, but its good to have the experience making them fresh, as some herbs are best made fresh.

Next I went to Athens with Cheryl, James, and Yiwande. I just wanted to see the town some. We split up-James went off record hunting, and we went looking for lunch. We are trying to find a good spot and the “locals” or people that we asked were of no help. We were right in the middle of a college town, not far from Ohio State. We stumbled upon an Indian restaurant but they were closing up for lunch and wouldn’t reopen until 5pm. The lady recommended a Mexican spot called Casa Nueva, so we went there to eat. It was a local food spot and all their produce was locally and organically grown and in season.

We stopped at an antique store. On the way back to the car I saw a sign advertising smoothies, and I wanted one. It was so hot outside; it was just what the doctor ordered. Upon entering the store though, I saw a sign that read strawberry shortcake custard. It was a wrap. That is exactly what I walked out with. Up until today, I had been doing good-as my herbalist have put me on a dairy free diet for 2 weeks. I made it 4 days. I only went ahead with the ice cream because I had already kinda messed up at lunch.

The waitress had brought out a wrong plate and couldn’t take it back to another customer so I ate a piece of the enchilada which was full of cheese, and that was when my slip up began. I had actually did good by ordering a salad with blueberry-vinaigrette dressing. Anyway, that ice cream was yummy. No regrets. I should be ashamed but I’m not, cause each bite was worth it. I was mad though, cause that meant at lunch I could have ordered what I really wanted.

When we got back to Rutland, after many twists and turns, Andrew had already begun his botany class that was optional, but I knew I needed to be in. I slid in, but was so lost. Lol. I realized how much terminology I had forgotten. I hadn’t really looked at it much since 7song had taught it to us two trimesters ago. I was plenty rusty. Afterwards I sat around chit-chatting and wasting a bunch of time, and filling in this journal. I was gonna wait for the truck to go up, but since I hadn’t done much walking and didn’t do a hike that day, I decided I would walk up.

I washed my hands and readied for dinner. It was written on the board today but we had some black rice, tortillas, beans, beef, cheese, salad, greens, and tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole. There was also some grilled tempeh, which was delicious.

After dinner, myself, Ayo, Yiwande, Effie, Kat, and Caroline played a game called Imagine Iff. It was a fun game, somewhat similar to apples and apples. Then we headed off to Cherylville,where she held court every night. I first tried to get some night shots of the moon, because it was hanging there neatly between two bunched of trees, and I hadn’t really played creatively with my camera the entire trip aside from snapshots. Horrible job I did at this capture, but I don't really have the lens for that kinda shot, so whatever.

We sat and conversed. Spot was outdoor chillin’ with us and must have heard or sensed something. She began barking and growling then ran over to us and turned her back to us and barked into the darkness at something that we will never really know for sure what it was, if anything. But I suspect it was something, as Spotty isn’t the type of dog to just bark for no reason. Her stance was as if she was protecting up from something. It was so cool, I felt safe with her being there and knowing she had our backs. She kept it up for like 10 minutes or so, then calmed down and laid in the middle of our circle. We chatted for a bit longer, then it was off to bed.

5/28/2010

<-- Ayo carved us into the tables. Herbies '09

I had to get up at 5am to urinate. Effie was awake as well so we chatted a but and then got up and ready to leave. We begin packing up our things and breaking down the tent. The trip was almost over. It was a bittersweet energy around me because I thoroughly enjoyed the trip, but at the same time, I was so ready to get back to my home. I mean those insects tore me up. I’m obviously deficient in my B vitamins. We packed up then headed over for breakfast.

After breakfast we walked one last trek down the hill and begin packing our things away to the car. Paul was driving the luggage from the top to the bottom, as we would have never made it if we had to carry that stuff back and forth up and down.

In the car me and Effie discussed our joy about how well the trip had gone and how we would love to do it again. We were hungry and stopped at this spot in West Virginia that we found via a highway sign and went there. It ended up being a very beautiful Italian restaurant, and the food was delicious.

My camera was in the car otherwise I would have taken pictures. Instead I snapped a few shots with my iPhone. Later we stopped for gas. About another third of the way Effie was getting tired so we stopped for coffee. We ended up in a café that sold coffee and also had an ice cream parlor. Guiltily enough, I got another strawberry shortcake ice cream. Lol. Don’t judge me. It was long before we arrived at my home. It was great to be there. I showered and then it was off to work for me.

Overall the trip was a wonderful experience. I was there with a great group of people and I think that helped put me at ease a lot. Paul was a wonderful host and he opened his doors for us to return in the future if we ever wanted to. I hope to be able to take him up on that offer.

From the trip what I gained was a deeper connection with nature and the medicines that she provides. Also a great appreciation for the stewards of the earth, and for the people who harvest and make the medicines and sell them in these cute little bottles so conveniently for us. It is so much work that goes into it!

It was an experience I will forever cherish.

-Herbies '09

Pesticides in the Food Supply

2010-05-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

Its embarrasing to be human sometimes, the things we are responsible for...

I could rant on that for a while, but I won't (in this post anyway). Instead, here are some quick ways to remove as many pesticides as possible from your produce. It beats a couple seconds under cold water by far.

This article led me to write this quick post:

Quick tip for washing your produce (esp. if not organic):

1. Use equal parts of vinegar and water.

2. Baking soda, lemon juice, and water.

3. Vinegar and baking soda, and guess what, water!

4. Baking soda and water.

Make a solution of either of these combinations and soak your fresh produce for about 5 minutes. Then swish it around in the solution a bit and rinse with cold water. If you have a brush, then for firmer fruits with skins, I would brush it while in the solution before rinsing.

However I do not recommend (personally) removing skins because much of the fiber resides there. Just clean it best you can!

Feliz Dia de la Tierra!!

2010-04-22T07:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day Everyone!!

I really haven't got much to say today, but I felt the intense need to not let this day go by without a blog post on this blog. I mean its Earth Day!

So, what I want to say is to let everyday be Earth Day! Don't just confine it to a calander. Pick up trash everyday. Don't litter any day. It's kinda silly we need a day to remind us to respect Gaia. She a the source of life for us. Our food comes from this earth. Our oxygen content, and source of water is directly related to her. Why shouldn't we take care of her as she does us?

Mmm...on that note, and without getting up on a soapbox today, I am reading this book I want to recommend called Genetically Engineered Food: Changing the Nature of Nature. I'll finish it before I start ranting about it, but if nothing else, its a good book to read for perspective about things that are going on right under our noses that may gravely affect us and our children, and our grandchildren, and so on and so forth. Ok, Im coming down now...

Thats it I think. At least for today. Just wanted to say something.

I'll leave you with a few practical (some common sense) tips for celebrating the day, beside planting trees.

1. Spend the $1 to get the Reusable Grocery Bags...AND ACTUALLY USE THEM!

2. Really, if it isnt that far...walk instead of driving. And if it is, and you aren't in a rush or have the time...take the bus. While you are walking, check the scenery. Notice the trees. The textures, the colors, the patterns...all the things we ignore.

3. Buy in bulk, to reduce packaging needs.

4.The easiest most sensible: RECYCLE (pls...!)

5. Eat some Greens... haha-didn't think of that one did you? But what better way to celebrate the earth, than by enjoying her bounty? Your body will thank you too.

6. Turn off the lights, turn off the lights! If your not using them, or if you are but you really don't need them, turn it off. Same goes for power strips and yes even those "powersave" appliances. You can save even more by turning it totally off and unplugging it. And your BGE bill will thank you too (tough BGE might not).

7. Stop using herbicides and pesticides in your lawn and garden! Pretty self-explanatory.

8. Shop at a Farmers Market. Its better for you health-wise, and better for the planet and supports your local economy, and when buying organic there are no pesticides used.

9. Get involved with Earth-affected government regulations. You don't even have to move your pretty little feet. At the least write a letter to your legislators. Or even easier, go online and sign SOME petitions that have already been formulated to protect the earth, AND YOU!

10. Use homemade cleaners instead of those heavy bleach, ammonia scrubs. Lemon juice and baking soda clean fairly well. Give it a try.

And by no means is this a definitive list. Find your own ways to get involved. The more the merrier!

PS..Oh, and I wanted to point out too: while it was very clever, it was also a marketing idea to have the movie Avatar come out on Earth Day. I loved that movie: went to see it three times, twice on IMAX. But just in case you were wondering: buying the DVD does not subconciously fulfill your Earth Day duties, no matter how much you identify with the Avatars (and trust me I do). But it you aren't doing anything in this here life to prevent history from repeating itself (yea, you do know its based of many true stories right? READ: American History (ie. Native Americans) and African History (ie. Colonialism) to get a reawakening) then what are you doing, really? This is real life-not just TV!

PSS... Here are a few links to check:

Invisible Threats to the Planet
Slow Food Slow Food USA
Earthday
Avatar
EPA

So much for not having anything to say. I start talking (or in this case typing) and I just can't stop!

Why I Take So Long In Supermarkets...

2010-04-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

So anyone who has had the pleasure (or not) of going with me to the supermarket know that it's never quite as simple as in and out with me. (I think only my daughter has been subjected to me at this time...)

The reason for that is because there are just soooo many different brands and versions of products, with varying prices, and I am so frugal, I want to know that I am getting the best value for my money. Notice I said best VALUE for my money, not most for my money. Thats one of the tricks they use, and you'll understand why I say that in a minute.

Probably much like you (or not), I used to go into the market and I would try to get the most for my money. That's not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you are on a budget, or like me are just tight with where you spend your hard earned money. Now-a-days however, with all the high fructose corn syrups, and genetically modified ingredients found in nearly everything, I am much more cautious about what goes into my shopping cart. While Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are great resources, I can't afford to get all my groceries from them, so I shop there for specific items, but do the bulk of my shopping at regulaar grocery stores...including the almighty Wally World!

So while the average Joe-Scmoh (did I spell that right?) is going around counting calories, I'm inspecting ingredient labels. I think its important, and often very interesting to know what is actually in your food. While calorie counting is fine, I tend to be more interested in ingredients, and from the Nutritional Label, I'm checking the sodium and sugar amounts, as well as fats presence (or absence) of any actual nutrients (that would be those vitamins and minerals). But that is for a later post. This one is about ingredients...

So anyway, I am moseying along the aisle in my local Food Lion, I think this particular day without the two year old (though that matters not), and a look to my left and my eyes fall upon none other than Apple Butter. Immediately feelings of nostalgia overtook me as I remembered the days of my youth, when my mother used to bring home apple butter and we would eat it on toast. I knew instantaneously that there was no way I could leave the store without it, as it had been probably a decade or more since I experienced its taste, and well, lets just say my mouth was watering just thinking about it.

There were three brands on the shelf. Food Lion, White House, and Country Acres. The Food Lion jar was clearly the biggest, next being the White House brand, and last coming in, the unknown Country Acres.

If you are shopping quantity for price, clearly the Food Lion brand would be the take home. It was 28oz for $2.99. The 28oz, but much fancier packaged White House was $3.44, and the Country Acres was $2.79. The Country Acres was the cheapest, but smallest and least known. Very easy to dismiss. The most known was the White House but also a bit overpriced. The Food Lion brand was the best prices and the best value for size. It was also the one that I would have been most likely to pick up...

...had I not decided to check out the ingredients listing.

Check this:

In terms of the (transparent) ingredients, both the Food Lion adn White House brands were the same. Of course with the ingredient "Spices" there could arguably be a slight difference, but over all it is the same. Apples, Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, and "Spices".

What spices? And why is there a need for both Corn Syrup and High Fructose Corn Syrup? My feelings of nostalgia were begining to wean. I know "grandma" did not make hers with Corn Syrup and High Fructose Corn Syrup. Something was not quite right here. But oh a beam of hope. There was still this Country Acres version I had never heard of. I decided to check it out and see what it contained...

Big difference from the other two: Apples, Cider, Salt, Baking Soda, Ground Cinnamon, Cane Sugar, and gee: No Preservatives Added. Now this sounded like something I could clearly recreate in my kichen at home, and hence the true winner was revealed.

One of my criteria for packaged food items when I am shopping, is that I should be able to make it at home. The ingredients should be things that I can clearly gather and find (depending on the complexity of the product) or at least recognize and (hopefully) pronounce. And I was definitely happy to walk away with my Country Acres Apple Butter.

So what's my point? Well just be aware of what you are getting and what you are looking for. Quality or Quantity? If its quantity, then by all means price and size is what you should be aware of. If its quality, then you better start brand comparing the ingredients.

Yes it is a bit more time consuming, but don't you think its worth it for your health, and your children's health? Besides, what are you rushing for anyway? SLOW DOWN!

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Comment below...

Germ Warfare

2010-04-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

It really is the simple things in life...

So I am sitting with the kid watching Dinosaurs . I purchased the DVDs because I loved the show that much. I'm a huge fan of satire, and so every part of this show tickles me...
I guess that is to say humanity tickles me more, because that is what the show is based off of.

So this particular episode that comes on is called "Germ Warfare" (Season 3, Episode 6), and is a satrical representation of the medical establishments of today. And don't get me wrong, I do believe that they have their place, but it is true that many of our common ailments that we go to the doctors for and pay boo-koo money for are ailments that we could very well cure at home on our own with simple ingredients and/or lifestyle changes.

My grandparents generation knew and understood that. My parents as kids barely went to the doctors. I guess that was partially because they couldn't afford it. But in not being able to afford it did not mean they suffered. They "figured out" how to cure themselves. And a lot of their methods are time-tested and proven. But because of there simplicity, we think it's too easy to try. We have been sold the idea that medicine has to be advanced and technical. The reality is quite different though. One of my reasons for this blog is to help people to get back that wisdom that our ancestors knew. And for sure I'm going to pass it down to my own youngin'. Hopefully you will see fit to do the same.

On the show when Baby gets sick, Ethyl, the grandmother tells the parents to take him to the "guy in the woods". He would be the modern day equivalent of us herbalists specifically, but also any other holistic or complimentary health care professionals and naturopathic physicians. They spend thousands at the doctors office instead for medicine that not only did not work, but made the baby worst (modern day=side effects). They then go back to this doctor who they blindly trust and when he tries to sell them another more expensive batch of medicine, they realize that he may well be a sham. They finally reluctantly go to the "guy in the woods" and he heals the baby with an unlikely cure: mold.

Remember its a satire. So maybe we won't instruct you to eat moldy bread per se, but a lot of our medicinal plants are things that most people consider weeds. The things that they spray heavily for "polluting" their yard, all have qualities that could be health promoting... whats it gonna take though for us to make that shift consciously?

I'll add that in the light of all this health care hoopla, I see it as one of the leading answers to the questions that aren't being asked. But that's a political discussion, so I won't get into that.

Anyway, you can view the episode here. I was able to find it online. ENJOY! Let me know your thoughts!

It's Spring!! That means allergies...

2010-04-11T07:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, so I am quite a few days late, but spring is definitely in full effect. 89 degrees in mid-April?? Yeah.

Well for some people, such as myself, spring is the best time of year. Beautiful flowers in bloom, colors everywhere... the earth is in a stage of awakening. For others though (also such as myself), it can be rather bothersome. It becomes the battle of the allergies. That sneezy, snotty, itchy time of year where being outdoors-what you've been waiting to do all winter- is not quite as attractive as you had imagined it would be.
Of course you can always pop a pharmaceutical allergy suppressant such as Claritin, Zyrtec, or Benadryl.
But since you're reading this blog...I am assuming you may be looking for a more natural route to travel.

Since pharmaceutical allergy medicines works so well, why go the natural route? Well, one because its natural. That in and of itself is enough reason for me...but in case you need more persuasion, here is a few reasons why you may want to opt for natural remedies:

Standard pharamceutical allergy relief comes in the form of decongestants and antihistamines. Histamine is a chemical that the body makes which results in an inflammatory response. Antihistamines work by supressing the body's natural release of the histamine compound. Thus, like most pharmaceuticals, the symptoms are being treated while the cause remains the same.

Well then, what is the cause of allergies?

Allergies is the body's immune system responding to a substance which is in fact harmless. If you inhale pollen or animal dander for instance, the body responds as if it is an invader (ie bacteri/parasites etc...), and then reacts to rid the body of the substance. Allergies can be said then to be a mistake of the immune sytem in the stages of indentification, as it has viewed these seemingly harmless objects as a threat.

Well thankfully, nature provides us with some herbs that can help fight the peskiness of hayfever. Here I will list only three:

1. Stinging Nettle Leaf

Stinging Nettle Leaf, often refered to as "Nettle" offers relief for allergic nasal symptoms. As an infusion (tea), nettles can be used to help detoxify and remove toxins from the body. It can also be taken in tincture (alcohol extrated) form. I use the tincture for myself, and a glycerite extraction for my 2 year old daughter (she didn't like the regular tincture. It took me a while to figure that one out). We both also drink it as a tea. You can also add it to foods. I sprinkle it, along with dried basil, onto grilled turkey and cheese sandwiches. You can't taste it, and its great for sneaking it into kids' diets...though in the sandwich it isnt enough for any medicinal value. I would stick to the teas and tinctures for those purposes.

2. Garlic

[Picture Coming...but yall know what it looks like]

Garlic (Allium sativum) and to a lesser extent onions (Allium sativum) is said to be effective due to its high concentrations of quercetin. According to Jim Duke in The Green Pharmacy , "These compunds retard inflammatory reactions. If you have allergies, I'd suggest adding generous amounts of these foods to your menu."

3. Horseradish

Horseradish (Amoracia rusticana) can immediate clear blocked nasal passages, as anyone who has ever tried it may know. It must be cautioned though that horseradish is spicy (think cocktail sauce), so if you are averse to spicy foods, definitely opt for another method. Apparantly beside just clearing up nasal airways, horseradish can have preventative effects on allergies as well. According to Dr. Duke, it was reported in the book Natural Health Secrets from around the World by Glen W Geelhold, the "a daily dosage is necessary only untill the symptoms of your allergy subside. Thereafter, you need only a few teaspoons of horseradish each month to prevent another allergy attack."

Cranberry-Orange Ginger Jelly

2010-03-09T14:15:00.001-08:00

This is a recipe I got from Dr. Sunyatta Amen. She is a Naturopathic physician. I took it, tweaked it, made it my own and it came out great so I want to share it with you.

But first...according to Dr. Amen, there are several reasons to love fresh cranberries. Here is what she says:

Why fresh cranberry?

* Urinary Tract Infections - The proanthocyanidins found in cranberry appear to block the adhesive strands on the E. coli bacteria

* Anti-Cancer Activity - It has been suggested that the proanthocyanidin compounds found in cranberry exhibits anti-carcinogenic activity.
* Heart Disease - Cranberry extract has been shown to inhibit low density lipoprotein oxidation thereby reducing the risk of heart disease.
* Kidney stones - quinic acid in cranberry may help to prevent the development of kidney stones.

I did some additional cranberry research of my own and I found a website that hailed all the benefits of this often overlooked fruit. Here is what some of the research shows:

Anti-cancer - In 1996 laboratory studies conducted by University of Illinois scientists and published in Planta Medica demonstrated the potential anticarcinogenic properties of cranberries. More recently researchers at the University of Western Ontario demonstrated, using an animal model, that human breast cancer cells showed significantly lower incidence of tumor development when the experimental group's diet was supplemented with cranberries. Although these results are very preliminary, compounds in cranberries may prove to be a potent cancer fighter.
Anti-aging - Using an animal model James Joseph, Ph.D. and Barbara Shukitt-Hale Ph.D. have been experimenting with cranberries and their ability to protect brain cells from free radical damage and subsequent motor and cognitive function losses. Rats feed diets supplemented with cranberries are put through a series of tests to evaluate their neural function compared to a control group. Preliminary results indicate that there will be compelling evidence that cranberry can help protect the brain from neurological damage (unpublished results).

Dental - Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (2002) reported on a preliminary clinical trial using a mouthwash containing cranberry NDM. Saliva samples of the experimental group showed a two order of magnitude reduction in Streptococcus mutans colony forming units compared with the placebo group (unpublished data). A large percentage of dental caries (cavities) can be attributed to S. mutans.
Heart - Flavonoids have been shown to function as potent antioxidants both in vitro and in vivoand may reduce the risk of atherosclerosis. Cranberries contain significant amounts of flavonoids and polyphenolic compounds that have been demonstrated to inhibit low density lipoprotein oxidation. Ongoing research continues to suggest that cranberries may offer a natural defense against atherosclerosis.
Ulcers - Peptic ulcers are increasingly being attributed to infection by Helicobacter pyloribacteria, as opposed to stress and/or stomach acidity. A high-molecular-weight nondialysable constituent of cranberry juice has been shown to inhibit the adhesion of H. pylori to human gastric mucus in vitro. These preliminary results suggest that cranberry may be beneficial in the prevention of peptic ulcers through the inhibition of H. pylori adhesion to gastric mucus and stomach epithelium.

For someone like myself without insurance, I found the dental information to be the most appealing. In fact, I ordered myself a sample of Burt's Bees newest all natural cranberry toothpaste just a week or so ago (still waiting for it to come in). Obviously someone is catching onto the research and at least giving it a shot. (Now I'm anxious...where is my toothpaste?)

********************************************************************************************

Ok ok. I know what you're thinking. On with it. Alright, so here is the recipe:

1 pound fresh cranberries, rinsed
2 oranges (peeled and de-seeded)
2/3 cup agave syrup
1 inch thumb ginger, finely grated
1/2 tsp orange zest
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

So you add these ingredients all together in a food processor. High Pulse several times to allow the cranberries to break up. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to set and let the flavors mingle.

**NOTE**

I didn't have any agave syrup on hand so I used Grade B Pure Organic Maple Syrup in its place. Taste-wise they come from two very different worlds. However I love pure maple syrup and it adds a nice earthy taste to the recipe. Also, pure maple syrup is a decent source of the trace mineral manganese and zinc. You could also substitute Blood Oranges for regular ones.

As is, mine didn't set like a jelly would. Cranberries have enough pectin naturally that you don't need to add any for it to set. However the more ripe the fruit is the more the pectin breaks down. Maybe I was just impatient but it wasn't setting like I wanted it to, so took half the batch and added some to see how it would differ.

The as-is version taste great just as it is. If you like you could eat it like you would apple sauce or something. Really good. Also you can eat with fruit, add to muffin mix to make cranberry muffins, add to oatmeal or cream of wheat to help sneak in healthy nutrients for your kids, or add it to a jello to make fruit jello, eat with crackers, add on top of a homemade cheesecake... etc. You can get really creative with it. I also used it as a spread on turkey sandwiches, and it was, as Rachel Ray would say, Delish!
Those are just a few of my ideas...do you have any others?? Leave a comment and let me know if you do.

So for the other half of the batch, here is what I did:

Heat mixture on stove and allow to come to a full boil.
Add a package of fruit pectin (I used Sure-Jell)
Allow to boil again. Stir in a tbsp of sugar (needed to help it set otherwise I wouldn't have as it was plenty sweet enough)
Pour into ball jars leaving 1/8" space at the top for expansion. Boil a pot of water and set sealed jar in and allow to boil for 5-10 minutes. 5 minutes for jelly, 10 minutes for jam according to instructions. I didn't really time mine. It was somewhere in that range though)
Allow to cool. (After the jars cool, check seals by pressing the middle of the lid with finger. If it springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

Store un-opened jams and jellies in cool, dry, dark place up to 1 year.

Refrigerate opened jams and jellies up to 3 weeks.

Please let me know how yours comes out should you decide to give it a try and also how you like it. I am interested in what everybody thinks!!

Blood Oranges

2010-03-05T04:50:00.000-08:00

In trying to keep with the theme of seasonal eating, I would like to present to you Blood Oranges (Citrus sinensis) a member of the Rutaceae family. It sounds so cryptic doesn't it? Blood oranges? However be ye not alarmed. There is nothing ghastly about this fruit.

It is very noticable upon cutting into its fruit its crimson red-toned flesh. Its color comes from anthrocynanin-a chemical found in many fruits, but typically not citrus fruits.

Pictured is the Moro variety of the fruit, whose flesh is closer to purple than red.

Blood oranges, being a citrus fruit, are particularly high in vitamin C and is also is a decent source for some potassium. The anthrocyanins-the chemical responsible for its color- are antioxidant.

When picking the fruit, look for fruit that is heavy for its size. Storage is best in the refridgerator. It keeps for a few days at room temperature, but lasts longer-for up to two weeks, when stored in the fridge.

For the Moro variety-peak season is December thru March.

I'll be back in another post with a recipe using this fruit. Stay tuned.

Storing Produce

2010-03-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

I came across this article here about the proper way to store produce. Its great information for keeping your produce fresh and what to store where and for how long. Check the link for the entire article but here are a few of the main points:

If your produce rots after just a few days, you might be storing incompatible fruits and veggies together. Those that give off high levels of ethylene gas—a ripening agent—will speed the decay of ethylene-sensitive foods. Keep the two separate.

Use trapped ethylene to your advantage: To speed-ripen a peach, put it in a closed paper bag with a ripe banana. One bad apple really can spoil the whole bunch. Mold proliferates rapidly and contaminates everything nearby, so toss any spoiled produce immediately.

For longer life, keep your produce whole—don't even rip the stem out of an apple until you eat it. "As soon as you start pulling fruits and vegetables apart," says Barry Swanson, a food scientist at Washington State University, "you've broken cells, and microorganisms start to grow."
Cold-sensitive fruits and veggies lose flavor and moisture at low temperatures. Store them on the counter, not in the fridge. Once they're fully ripe, you can refrigerate them to help them last, but for best flavor, return them to room temp.

The ABCs of Fresh

The main way to lengthen shelf life is by using cold temperatures to slow food's respiration, or 'breathing' process," explains Marita Cantwell, PhD, a postharvest specialist at the University of California, Davis. In general, the warmer the temperature, the faster the rate of respiration, which is why refrigeration is critical for most produce. But while you want to slow it down, you don't want to stop the breathing altogether. "The worst thing to do is seal fruits and vegetables in an airtight bag," says Barry Swanson, a food scientist at Washington State University. "You'll suffocate them and speed up decay."

Some fruits emit ethylene, an odorless, colorless gas that speeds ripening and can lead to the premature decay of nearby ethylene-sensitive vegetables. Put spinach or kale in the same bin as peaches or apples, and the greens will turn yellow and limp in just a couple of days. So the first trick is to separate produce that emits ethylene from produce that's sensitive to it. (See "Gas Wars" sidebar.)

REFRIGERATE
THESE GAS RELEASERS

Apples
Apricots
Cantaloupe
Figs
Honeydew

DON'T REFRIGERATE
THESE GAS RELEASERS

Avocados
Bananas, unripe
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Tomatoes

KEEP THESE AWAY
FROM ALL GAS RELEASERS

Bananas, ripe
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Lettuce and other leafy greens
Parsley
Peas
Peppers
Squash
Sweet potatoes
Watermelon

Never refrigerate potatoes, onions, winter squash or garlic. Keep them in a cool, dark, dry cabinet, and they can last up to a month or more. But separate them so their flavors and smells don't migrate.

Fastest to Slowest Spoilers: What to Eat First You can enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables with just a single weekly trip to the supermarket, with proper storage and a little planning. The key is eating the more perishable produce early on. Use this guide, right—created with the help of Marita Cantwell, PhD, postharvest specialist at the University of California, Davis—based on a Sunday shopping trip. The timing suggestions are for ready-to-eat produce, so allow extra days for ripening if you're buying, say, green bananas or not-quite-ripe pears. And remember, looks count. Appearance—vivid green spinach; smooth, unbruised peaches; plump oranges—is the best clue to whether fruits and veggies are fresh to begin with.
Eat First: Sunday to Tuesday Artichokes Asparagus Avocados Bananas Basil Broccoli Cherries Corn Dill Green beans Mushrooms Mustard greens Strawberries Watercress	Eat Next: Wednesday to Friday Arugula Cucumbers Eggplant Grapes Lettuce Lime Mesclun Pineapple Zucchini	Eat Last: Weekend Apricots Bell peppers Blueberries Brussels sprouts Cauliflower Grapefruit Leeks Lemons Mint Oranges Oregano Parsley Peaches Pears Plums Spinach Tomatoes Watermelon	And Beyond Apples Beets Cabbage Carrots Celery Garlic Onions Potatoes Winter squash

Ginger-Cinnamon Tea

2010-02-24T04:46:00.001-08:00

Ginger-Cinnamon Tea

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) has long been known for its medicinal value and has historically been used as both a food and a medicine. Because I am anal, I would like to point out that the ginger "root" you buy out the store is not actually a root but a rhizome. The rhizome is the part of the plant that is used medicinally. Having said that, I will from hence on out call it Ginger root just to avoid confusion, and if looking for it in the store (typically found in the produce section) if will be labeled as a root.

This is a really good winter tea as the ginger is very warming to the body as has been said to warm cold hands and feet. It has a sweet aroma and a pungent taste.

Medicinally it has been used to treat nausea, morning sickness in pregnancy, as a digestive stimulant, as a carminative and to aid in relief from colds.

The Recipe

Well I'm no good when it comes to exact measurements. However:

Approximately 3-4 cups of water (or so)

1-2 pieces of fresh ginger root

1-2 cinnamon sticks

Honey

*Lemon *Orange *Cayenne *

Instructions:

Chop ginger into small but not miniscule pieces (approx. 1/4")

In saucepan, combine water, ginger, and cinnamon sticks. Cover with lid

Turn on heat to med-high. Once it begins to boil, reduce to simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Strain mixture as seen below and discard.

Add honey.

Optional: Add lemon or orange slice.

Optional: Add a pinch of cayenne for stubborn congestion.

Sip on tea 3x a day. Yum.