Champs Breakfast

Champs breakfast. Potatoes, red onion, mini bell peppers, lacinato kale, sautéed in red pepper sesame oil, topped with avocado, oregano olive oil, hemp seeds and herbal sea salt. #ital #organicfood #vegan #chef #growyourown

Living with Herbs

Living with Herbs, Limited edition green cover with hemp saddle stitch binding. get one before its gone.

New Videos on Herbalism Basics

Cleaning Vinager Video

Hey folks this video is super super overdue as you can see from the bare trees but it's a timeless #recipe we use everyday in the house. The #herbal #cleaningvinegar . Finally got it up on #YouTube a few minutes ago. Check it out and try it out ! 🌿🌿🌿🌿 http://youtu.be/ZvIwxSJvJfo

Yummy Cake

Made some yummy cake☺️☺️☺️
Used 2 coconuts, cup of almonds, 2 tbsp molasses, 8 dates and 1tsp cinnamon to make milk earlier. Saved the pulp for this #recipe
Mixed 1cup spelt flour with
2tbsp arrow root
1tsp baking powder
1cup diced dates
Added the flour mix to the moist coco almond mix.
Greased pans with coconut oil and baked 20 minutes at 350

Quick Pickle

Dreaming of #nachos lately and still have lots of canned salsa from the fall harvest left. Hot water canned foods have a 1 year shelf life so time to finish it all up!
Don't #pickle #jalapenos last year so I made some real quick #recipe

Fill mason jar with thinly sliced peppers to neck.
Add 1/2 tsp sea salt
Fill halfway with apple cider vinegar
Fill to neck with cold water
Cap with plastic lid
Shake Shake Shake
Will taste great overnight,
Use within the month.
Can also add onions, scallions, carrots, cucumbers, pretty much anything, get creative !

Repurpose Rosemary

Taking it slow this morning And taking the time to cut select sprigs from this dried #rosemary bush to use as #bbq skewers. Open fire cooking is all we do in the summer🌿🌿🌿
"Arabian physicians used rosemary to comfort the brain, strengthen the memory, and restore speech...in times of epidemic and plagues in Europe, rosemary was burned, and simmered in open pots to kill germs and viruses in the air thus preventing them from spreading. Rosemary was the key in controlling the spread of disease in Europe because it's ability to kill airborn germs on contact made it a natural germicide and disinfectant."- Rashan Abdul Hakim

Warming Tea Blend

 

 

Spicy Kukicha tea to start the dAy. #ginger #anise #licorice #cinnamon #plantbased #medicinal
Kukicha, also known as twig tea or 3 year tea, is aged after harvest and roasted. #Kukicha #tea is also known as three years tea because the stems and branches that are used to do it have been in the tea plant for at least three years, so they have lost virtually all of the caffeine (only kukicha tea is between 0.5 and 1% caffeine) but, however, have absorbed all the minerals and vitamins around them.
Twig tea has more than twice the vitamin C of oranges and very high in calcium.

Kukicha is also high in: • Iron
• Zinc
• Selenium
• Copper
• Manganese
• Fluoride
• B vitamins
• Vitamin A
• Theanine
• Catechins
• Flavonoids
• Amino acids

It is a really alkalizing drink, Neutralizing the acidity and tannins kukicha contributes to proper digestion of grains and vegetables, enhancing its benefits and vitamins.
It has a high calcium content: a cup of tea contains up to 13 times more calcium than a glass of milk

Winter Roots

 

The Fall is when most root plants return to storing their energy in their root system so they may return again in the spring. This means that this is when the roots are most potent. Today we collected dandelion roots for winter storage. Below is an excerpt from our newly released booklet that covers remedies, recipes and information of different medicinal plants:

DANDELION


Taraxacum officinale



Active Compounds:
 vitamins A, C, D, and B complex as well as iron, magnesium, zinc, potassium, manganese, copper, choline, calcium, boron, and silicon, taraxacins (eudesmanolides), sitosterol, stigmasterol, alpha- and beta-carotene, caffeic acid, mucilage, Linoleic and Linolenic Acid, Gallic Acid, Several Triterpenest



History:
 Dandelion is commonly used as a food. The leaves are used in salads and teas, while the roots are often used as a coffee substitute. Dandelion leaves and roots have been used for hundreds of years to treat liver, gallbladder, kidney, and joint problems. In some countries, dandelion is considered a blood purifier and is used for ailments such as eczema and cancer. Dandelion has also been used historically to treat poor digestion, water retention, and diseases of the liver, including hepatitis.



Properties:
 anti-diarrheal and anti-bacterial, tonic, diuretic, Alterative, Antacid, Anti-bilious, Anti-lithic



Useful for:
 liver and gallbladder problems, prevent or cure liver diseases, such as hepatitis or jaundice; act as a tonic and gentle diuretic to purify your blood, cleanse your system, dissolve kidney stones, and otherwise improve gastro-intestinal health; assist in weight reduction; cleanse skin and eliminate acne; improve bowel function, working equally well to relieve both constipation and diarrhea; prevent or lower high blood pressure; prevent or cure anemia; lower serum cholesterol by as much as half; eliminate or drastically reduce acid indigestion and gas buildup by cutting the heaviness of fatty foods; prevent or cure various forms of cancer; prevent or control diabetes mellitus, Fiber fights diabetes, lowers cholesterol, reduces cancer and heart disease risks, and assists in weight loss.



Description:
 Closely related to chicory, dandelion is a common perennial plant worldwide. The plant grows to a height of about 12 inches. The oblong or spatulate, irregularly dentate or pinnatified leaves grow in a rosette from the milky taproot, which also sends up one or more naked flower stems, each terminating in a single yellow flower. The familiar puffball that succeeds the flower is a globular cluster of achenes, each of which is fitted with a parachute-like tuft. Dandelion is grown commercially in the United States and Europe. The leaves and root are used in herbal supplements

Ginger Lemon Honey Tea

Ginger Lemon Honey Tea

Some background on this Cold and Flu fighting remedy:

Ginger stimulates the immune system and digestive health. it is an expectorant, diaphoretic, anti-viral, anti-bacterial and stimulates  circulation; thus warming us up. Try to use fresh ginger that looks healthy and is firm. Ginger tea is soothing for car sickness, menstrual cramping, upset stomach, nausea; as a pain reliever for rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and externally as a wash for burns. Historically is has been used in cooking with meats as it is also antimicrobial.

Lemons are high in Vitamin C and bioflavonoids which stimulate and support proper immune function as well as vitamin and mineral absorption. These antibacterial powerhouses have been used to destroy many bacterial diseases such as malaria, cholera, diphtheria and others. Even though they taste acidic they alkalize the body; balancing pH. Warm lemon juice in the morning stimulates the liver into desolving toxins and increases peristalsis of the bowels.

Raw Honey is antioxidant, antibacterial, antimicrobial and anti fungal which is why it boosts our immune system function and is great for soothing and healing the throat. Unlike regular sugar, honey keeps blood sugar levels more constant due to it’s balance of glucose and fructose. Buckwheat honey is the best to use as a cough suppressant even for younger children.

More articles like this in our Living with Herbs book...coming soon

Mastering Parenting

If your living the clean green lifestyle and have kids then ice pops are your greatest tool and an exciting treat/eward for your little one. In our house it all started with teething and a wise woman (aka grandma) told me, just make ice pops. They are intriguing for a young child, provide a little liquid and save money. I started out by making some chamomile tea, sweetened with honey and charged with some powdered vitamin c. As she outgrew teething and the summers would roll around and I would worry about staying hydrated as we spend summers outside all day long in the sun; I reinvented this old trick. Smoothie Pops. I always make smoothies for myself. I make them a bit thick loaded with flax and hemp seeds and oats and such, which Lhailah will only drink so much of. So after we all enjoy our cool fruity, or veggie beverage I add some extra coconut milk to thin it out a bit, and a banana to sweeten it up. Blend it and and pour the pops. These are my kids sweetest treat right next to ripe fruit. On days when she needs extra fluids I'll promise her an ice pop After a tall glass of water. Or when sick with a fever these are perfect. I have even made a strong herbal tea for cold and fever, blend it with powdered vitamin c and banana. Freeze. And let her eat as many as she likes when sick. It keeps the body cool, hydrated and getting valuable nutrients that would otherwise be difficult for a stubborn preschooler to get just though tea. 
Today I made myself a #carrotjuice with #flax, #ginger, #hempseeds, #cinnamon, water, #rawhoney. Then added frozen pineapple, banana and peaches to what was left to make smoothie pops.
Drink Up!

Sumacade

We're here enjoying the end of season sumacade and just thinking how awesome it is that this plant grows wild in great abundance. They are antifungal, antimicrobial and antioxidant. They have a long world history as medicine and spice. This is the same stuff you buy at specialty grocers labeled as sumac spice. Through the summer months the tree bears a pretty fruit just waiting to be picked. You want to look out for these red cone shaped fruit that grow on Staghorn Sumac, they are not poisonous at all. There are a few varieties throughout the world but in short you want the red ones only. They are best picked when ripe, you'll know it because they will be a rich red around august. To make this refreshing beverage, put 2-3 cones into a quart mason jar
fill with cold water
cap it tight
shake it up
i like to make this infusion in the day time and set my jar in the sunlight.
in about an hour, strain it out
add a little honey
enjoy!

Alfalfa Iced Tea Lemonade?

Yea, that's right! A super chilly summer beverage that's keep you going all day. All you need is Alfalfa leaves, lemons, water and some grade A maple syrup. Why maple syrup? It has lots of zinc and maganese which is great for your heart and immune system, plus it's all natural. Lemons are one of the ultimate super foods and Alfalfa is also know as the Father of all Foods, seriously. You can learn about the bountiful nutrients Alfalfa holds in the Herbs A-Z Section. You can find my simple recipe here in the Remedies. Read on about the greatness of the Lemon..

1. Lemon being a citrus fruit, fights against infection.
It helps in production of WBC's and antibodies in blood which attacks the invading microorganism and prevents infection.
2. Lemon is an antioxidant which deactivates the free radicals preventing many dangerous diseases like stroke, cardiovascular diseases and cancers.
3. Lemon lowers blood pressure and increases the levels of HDL (good cholesterol) .
4. Lemon is found to be anti-carcinogenic which lower the rates of colon, prostate, and breast cancer.
They prevent faulty metabolism in the cell, which can predispose a cell to becoming carcinogenic.
Also blocks the formation of nitrosamines in the gut.
5. Lemon juice is said to give a glow to the skin.
6. A few drops of lemon juice in hot water are believed to clear the digestive system and purify liver as well.
7. The skin of lemon dried under the sun and then ground to make powder can be applied to the hair for a
few minutes before bath which relieves head ache and cools the body.
8. Applying lemon juice to acne dries the existing ones and prevents from getting more.
9. Lemon juice acts as a natural hair lightner and skin bleach which reduces the pigment melanin and prevents
the risk of chemical allergic reactions which is common with hair dyes and bleaches.
10. Lemon juice is given to relieve gingivitis, stomatitis, and inflammation of the tongue.
11. Lemon juice is given to prevent common cold.
12. Lemon juice is given to prevent or treat urinary tract infection and gonorrhea.
13. Lemon juice is applied to the sites of bites and stings of certain insects to relieve its poison and pain.
14. Lemon juice relieves colic pain and gastric problems.
15. Lemon juice soothes the dry skin when applied with little glycerin.
16. Lemon juice used for marinating seafood or meat kills bacteria and other organisms present in them,
thereby prevents many gastro-intestinal tract infections.
17. Lemon juice with a pinch of salt (warm) every morning lowers cholesterol levels and brings down your weight.
18. Lemon juice is the best drink to prevent dehydration and shock in case of diarrhea.
19. Lemon juice can also be used as a mouthwash. It removes plaque, whitens the teeth and strengthens the enamel.
20. A table spoon on thick lemon syrup everyday relieves asthma.
21. Lemon juice relieves chilblains and itchy skin.
22. Gargling lemon juice relieves throat infection and also used as a treatment for diphtheria.
23. Lemon juice is an excellent treatment for dandruff and greasy hair.
24. Lemon applied over the face removes wrinkles and keeps you young.
25. Lemon juice helps to prevent and cure osteoarthritis.