tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23688191489990764702024-03-13T18:42:46.849-05:00Handmaiden's KitchenForaging, finding, harvesting, cooking, with wild plants, weeds, herbs, trees and anything else that can be hunted and gathered.Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.comBlogger192125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-41302833537206226782012-04-26T07:51:00.000-05:002013-02-08T09:37:30.818-06:00A Very Telling Quote<span lang="EN">McDonough manages to say *exactly* what is wrong with Big Food, Big Pharma, Big Medicine in America in 81 words. Good job!<br />
<br />
<br />
So here's where I get radical. <b>Over many years, we have developed U.S. food and medical systems with enormous financial stakes in the occurrence and maintenance of chronic diseases which are preventable and reversible. We spend vast sums of money subsidizing a U.S. food system that guarantees an endless flow of new individuals with food-induced chronic disease. (Esselstyn, smartly, calls heart disease a "food-borne illness.") And then we spend vast sums of money paying for medical services to care for people with these preventable and reversible conditions. </b><br />
<b>
</b>
<br />
And we spend next to nothing to prevent or reverse these conditions -- unless, of course, the preventative is a profitable procedure, drug, or device.--John E. McDonough, Health Stew<br />
<br />
From "<a href="http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/health_stew/2012/03/statins_chronic_disease_--_and.html">Statins, Chronic Disease and the Definition of Insanity</a>," Health Stew, March 11, 2012<br />
<br />
<br />
Onwards, <br />
HM</span>Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-39210543859015700192012-04-26T07:50:00.001-05:002012-04-26T07:50:57.474-05:00'Paleo' Nutrition Blogger Will Go to Jail if He Does Not RecantBy GaryNorth<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: small;">Freedom of
speech? Surely, you jest.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: small;">This man got
diabetes. He started a blog on treating diabetes. He broke the law
by doing this. He is not licensed to promote such opinions.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: small;">He promotes
the so-called “paleo” diet: low carbohydrates. (The diet
is not “paleo.” It’s capitalist. I have explained
this <a href="http://lewrockwell.com/north/north1126.html">here</a>.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: small;">He criticizes
the establishment’s “carbs are OK” Party Line. That
called down the wrath of the government on him.</span><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: small;"> Chapter
90, Article 25 of the North Carolina General Statutes makes it
a misdemeanor to “practice dietetics or nutrition” without
a license. According to the law, “practicing” nutrition
includes “assessing the nutritional needs of individuals
and groups” and “providing nutrition counseling.”</span><br />
</blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: small;">If he does
not rewrite 3 years of posts, he must take down his site. If he
refuses, and if he is convicted (after an expensive legal fight),
he will go to jail.</span><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: small;"> When he
was hospitalized with diabetes in February 2009, he decided to
avoid the fate of his grandmother, who eventually died of the
disease. He embraced the low-carb, high-protein Paleo diet, also
known as the “caveman” or “hunter-gatherer”
diet. The diet, he said, made him drug- and insulin-free within
30 days. By May of that year, he had lost 45 pounds and decided
to start a blog about his success.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: small;"> But this
past January the state <a href="http://www.ncbdn.org/">diatetics
and nutrition board</a> decided Cooksey’s blog – <a href="http://www.diabetes-warrior.net/">Diabetes-Warrior.net</a>
– violated state law. The nutritional advice Cooksey provides
on the site amounts to “practicing nutrition,” the board’s
director says, and in North Carolina that’s something you
need a license to do.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: small;"> Unless Cooksey
completely rewrites his 3-year-old blog, he could be sued by the
licensing board. If he loses the lawsuit and refuses to take down
the blog, he could face up to 120 days in jail.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: small;"> The board’s
director says Cooksey has a First Amendment right to blog about
his diet, but he can’t encourage others to adopt it unless
the state has certified him as a dietitian or nutritionist.</span><br />
***************************<br />
End Excerpt<br />
<br />
Read the rest of the article <a href="http://lewrockwell.com/north/north1131.html">here</a>. At Lew Rockwell. One of the best and most interesting sites on the Web.</blockquote>
<br />
Well, folks, looks like every blogger who has written about actual, real-live nutrition will have to rewrite their blogs or recant or face jail in this land of the sniveling slaves.<br />
<br />
When my brother moved here a few years ago he was insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetic. We live a basically low-carb lifestyle (except for my love for potatoes), and within a few months he was insulin-free. Bingo. Easy. Probably would work for MOST Type 2 diabetics. <br />
<br />
But NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Can't talk about it. Can't recommend it. Why? Because we don't have the permission of the State to discuss something as elemental and common sense as diet and nutrition. Without a permission slip from the State. What utter crap. <br />
<br />
I don't know if Indiana has this same law as North Carolina, but I expect I'll find out one of these days. In the meantime, forage for summer's feast of wild greens and eat REAL food. :)<br />
<br />
Onwards,<br />
HM<br />
<br />
<br />Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-51422308681263382422012-03-30T06:57:00.003-05:002012-03-30T06:57:51.269-05:00Super Nettles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2wp4DTGX5Et2FLPaOgxLQIiohzlogfQpkwifmMnHFBa7E2p4kxz6-U6T4LlQqHbnvsPM5RRtoWMuBnjNAxYGQjncWrvhkFD1ehCKFTM91ZZkfZr_kQQAZ6Ho-ujnKdnfoqg7lVGG_dTaL/s1600/wood+nettle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2wp4DTGX5Et2FLPaOgxLQIiohzlogfQpkwifmMnHFBa7E2p4kxz6-U6T4LlQqHbnvsPM5RRtoWMuBnjNAxYGQjncWrvhkFD1ehCKFTM91ZZkfZr_kQQAZ6Ho-ujnKdnfoqg7lVGG_dTaL/s320/wood+nettle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The picture above is of a young wood nettle plant. Wood nettles have the same medicinal properties as stinging nettles, about which I read a <a href="http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/benefits-of/nettles-leaf">terrific article</a> today. Nettles make a great spring tonic, a tincture of the leaves can help with seasonal allergies and the plants has tons of vitamins and minerals. So read the article and go looking for nettles. With our early spring, they'll probably be all over their usual places. <br />
<br />
Onwards,<br />
HMPatriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-59911070027601569762012-01-09T15:25:00.002-06:002012-01-09T15:26:17.582-06:00Foraging!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4NAAIgRWttbKmiE6H9eLRuXnZDpBSBil_xX6ptidY1o1z7kucpUL1PneZaHJUcKe_R5L655HoE6KNDr74OqStgWVNc9t4sFvU_YOsyod3ZrGSuDumTVndM6fv_FKiyoQOkS2bk4emQt4/s1600/watercress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4NAAIgRWttbKmiE6H9eLRuXnZDpBSBil_xX6ptidY1o1z7kucpUL1PneZaHJUcKe_R5L655HoE6KNDr74OqStgWVNc9t4sFvU_YOsyod3ZrGSuDumTVndM6fv_FKiyoQOkS2bk4emQt4/s1600/watercress.jpg" /></a></div>
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(That's a pix of what tempts Claire into the stream--watercress!)<br />
<br />
Found this description of a woman foraging in colonial America in a novel I'm reading (<em>An Echo in the Bone</em> by Diana Gabaldon. This series of Gabaldon novels make wonderful reading, by the way. I love the Claire and Jamie books. :) Claire is an herbalist and a doctor (and a time traveler). <br />
<br />
Excerpt<br />
<br />
Spring had sprung, and the creek was rising. Swelled by melting snow and fed by hundreds of tiny waterfalls that trickled and leapt down the mountain's face, it roared past by feet, exuberant with spray. I could feel cold on my face, and knew that I'd be wet to the knees within minutes, but it didn't matter. The fresh green arrowhead and pickerweed rimmed the banks, some plants dragged out of the soil by the rising water and whirled downstream, more hanging on by their roots for dear life, leaves trailing in the racing wash. Dark mats of cress swirled under the water, close by the sheltering banks. And fresh green plants were what I wanted.<br />
<br />
My gathering basket was half full of fiddleheads and ramp shoots. A nice big lot of tender new cress, crisp and cold from the stream, would top off the winter's vitamin C deficiency very well. I took off my shoes and stockings, and after a moment's hesitation, took off my gown and shawl as well and hung them over a tree branch. The air was chilly in the shade of the silver birches that overhung the creek here, and I shivered a bit but ignored the cold, kirtling up my shift before wading into the stream.<br />
<br />
That cold was harder to ignore. I gasped, and nearly dropped the basket, but found my footing among the slippery rocks and made my way toward the nearest mat of tempting dark green. Within seconds, my legs were numb, and I'd lost any sense of cold in the enthusiasm of forager's frenzy and salad hunger. <br />
<br />
End excerpt<br />
<br />
Oh, gads. I know JUST what that feels like! Foraging frenzy! It's so true. And here's I've got to wait two months (at least). Sigh.<br />
<br />
Makes me hungry just thinking about it. <br />
<br />
HM<br />
<br />Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-62419755614858503382012-01-07T11:33:00.000-06:002012-01-07T11:33:12.498-06:00Statin Drugs Linked to 300+ Adverse Health ProblemsGood grief. And then there's <a href="http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/consumer-alert-300-health-problems-linked-statin-drugs">this article</a> discussing how statin drugs--you know, those cholesterol lowering miracles--are basically poisoning people. Americans really have to wise up. If they do not, or refuse to pay attention, they are bound to end up sick and diseased if not outright dead. <br />
<br />
The importance of good nutrition and good basic health habits (you know the drill--exercise, good diet, sunshine, cheerfullness and positive thoughts) are increasingly important in this poor country where what's called food ISN'T and what's called "medicine" isn't either. <br />
<br />
Seems like these megacorporations are out to kill you, with the help of the government in the form of the USDA and FDA to boot. <br />
<br />
I better stop for today. These two blog posts are making me ill. Time for this one to head out into the glorious sunshine and take a walk through the woods and fields, or at least down one of our dusty ol' roads!<br />
<br />
Take care, everyone, and be sure to eat REAL FOOD. Oh--and don't take statin drugs. <br />
<br />
HMPatriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-78672770245862680092012-01-07T11:13:00.000-06:002012-01-07T11:13:14.197-06:00Cheeseburger Remains the Same After a Whole Year??<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiunXQFq4jxNP_ulQMlNNZ2rmLQzXjUZFtptX8T8mOp2po3FeTQ9JmFWpLF8Ldkv7FPFf4pb9EJ65zwamAAl-CoPmDDh7ky898hk-lqgaTZhSqqSTF6r3jABDadVDokiKCGKHrt2MSBBGv7/s1600/cheeseburger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiunXQFq4jxNP_ulQMlNNZ2rmLQzXjUZFtptX8T8mOp2po3FeTQ9JmFWpLF8Ldkv7FPFf4pb9EJ65zwamAAl-CoPmDDh7ky898hk-lqgaTZhSqqSTF6r3jABDadVDokiKCGKHrt2MSBBGv7/s1600/cheeseburger.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Urf! You will want to think twice about eating a fast food cheeseburger after reading <a href="http://thestir.cafemom.com/food_party/130975/cheeseburger_that_stayed_exactly_the?utm_medium=sem2&utm_campaign=prism&utm_source=&utm_content=835">this!</a> What a horror story this is. I recall reading somewhere about researchers leaving a small bowl of margarine out on a windowsill for a couple of years. You'd have thought that something--flies or other bugs, bacteria, mold--would have eaten or dissolved the margarine, but you'd be wrong. After two years, the stuff was still sitting there, as fine (and as plastic) as when the researchers put it there. <br />
<br />
What IS this stuff they're selling as food? As the blogger asks--What should we call this stuff they sell as food, which ain't food? I love her idea--"plastic chew toys for humans." Because whatever else the stuff is, it ain't food!<br />
<br />
This is the kind of thing you need to keep in mind when you're out and about and feeling tempted by the fast food chains. Oh you can buy and eat the stuff, but it isn't food, it isn't remotely nourishing and it is contributing to ill health and eventually death. <br />
<br />
YUCK!<br />
<br />
Note, I haven't done this myself, so I don't know if this story is true or not. But somehow I don't doubt it....<br />
<br />
HMPatriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-63287665578588287182011-12-28T12:13:00.000-06:002012-01-07T11:15:22.818-06:00Herbal ExtractsRecently I found a fascinating book called <em>Herbal Extracts: Build Better Health with Liquid Herbs</em> (Supplement to the Copyrighted Work) by Dr. A. B. Howard. I want to share a few excerpts with you. <br />
<br />
The first is from the introduction: <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The work addresses a host of physical problems from the standpoint of what to use and how to fix them. This is a practitioner's book about how to use herbs to get the body healthy and strong and keep it that way. The word herb is used here with a meaning of: a plant food substance that helps you more than it hurts you when you eat it. You may not find many familiar plants that you regularly eat for food in this work, but then some problems you have require some very special herb foods that you can make part of your regular diet. After all, what gets you well, usually keeps you well. It might not normally occur to you to eat a purple sea vegetable called Dulse for breakfast. But if you do, your hands and feet and the tip of the nose may warm up. The choice of herb or herbs that are given here to correct problems, focuses on the real cause of a problem. In the case just mentioned, this is a gland in the neck, known as the thyroid, that needs some decent nourishment to "set your thermostat on warm and comfortable" by increasing the rate at which your body burns food. </blockquote>
<em>Herbal Extracts</em> has a list of human ailments and then a list of herbs for the treatment of those ailments. I've been reading in it, and learning a lot of very useful information. Whoever Dr. A. B. Howard is, he or she certainly knows her stuff! The doctor writes with an eye for <strong>cure</strong>, not just treatment. <br />
<br />
Here's another bit from the introduction:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Stop eating "junk food." We cut too many corners in this country in food production, even when we know it is wrong in terms of how it affects health. Is your cheese not yellow enough? No problem, inject it with Yellow #5 dye. Want volumes of rich-looking, long-lasting and unnatural foam on your beverage? No problem, here is a chemical compound that will make it foam like a fire extinguisher and make the foam last for 2 days in the glass after the beverage is gone. And, while we are at it, here are literally 56 other chemicals to alter your beverage in other ways to save money or time or both. Don't want to grow or pick lemons or squeeze the juice? What something that tastes like a lemon, smells like a lemon, has a lemon color and is real sweet and has never seen a lemon? No problem. We have a chemistry set and we will give you some delicious, convenient to use chemicals instead, and who your child's favorite cartoon characters laughing and drinking it and telling your child to drink it too. It tastes just like real lemonade, boys and girls! Never mind what happens to your children's blood stream with the stuff in it, or if they get sick on it. You get the idea?</blockquote>
And the good doctor is exactly right, in my opinion. Eating and drinking chemicals is simply NOT GOOD for human beings or animals. Chemicals make us fat, sick and worn out before middle-age. It takes work to avoid the chemicals so deeply embedded in food production in America. It's a wonder when you find a can of a simple vegetable that simply lists "pumpkin" in the ingredient list. Just pumpkin, that's it. <br />
<br />
In my view, this is why most everyone in this country is so sick. We eat pills instead of food, drink Lord-knows-what in our beverages (as in <a href="http://www.naturalnews.com/034448_brominated_vegetable_oil_soft_drinks_chemical.html">flame retardant chemicals in soft drinks</a>) and then wonder why cancer, obesity and high blood pressure are epidemics. And of course, the "treatment" for these ills consists of more pills and chemicals, thanks to the FDA and most allopathic medicine.<br />
<br />
To regain and hold on to health, eating real God-made nutritious food is essential. Drink water or herb teas instead of flame-retardant soft drinks. I'll be sure to share some of the doctor's prescriptions from this book with the blog. Ok, I'll share one more now. This is for one of the Doc's combination of herbs, plants and other foodstuffs that provides a complete vitamin combination in a whole food form that the body recognizes right away as useful nutrition. <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Vita-Lixir</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Is an all vegetable source, liquid multi-vitamin supplement. Vita-Lixir contains no artificial flavorings or synthetic vitamins. Vita-Lixir is produced from foods in liquid form without heat. In this form, it is available to the cells of the body for immediate and easy absorption. This provides a distinct advantage over a tablet or capsule. Vita-Lixir does not need to work its way through 25 feet of digestive tract in large quantities, and maybe get digested so it can be absorbed. Vita-Lixir can even be applied externally for absorption, as on the soles of the feet or under the ribs for babies or those who can't or won't swallow. The rationale of Vita-Lixir is to take our vitamins from foods, as we should, if we were able to eat a proper diet and digest it properly. Therefore, we use those selected foods most appropriate as a source to provide a rich, natural supply of specific vitamins. Organically grown Carrot Roots and Dandelion Leaves give us a non-harmful, rich supply of Vitamin A for healthy skin and eyes. Dandelion Leaves also provide a gentle and highly effective vegetable iron for energy and healthy blood. We use Rice Bran (the exterior covering of rice grains before they are turned into "lifeless" white rice) for the properly balanced ratio and entire complex of B vitamins for steady nerves and normal, healthy cell division. Vita-Lixir is especially helpful for babies and people who do not chew each bite 32 times and do not have whole grains in their diet. The Wild Rose Hip (a rounded structure or "protective cradle" under the petals of a wild rose which contains the baby roses known as "seeds") supplies a complete source of Vitamin C complex and all its naturally associated substances. This type of Vitamin C, just as it works to protect the seeds or "babies" for the next generation, can and does raise our immunity levels, promotes longevity, acts as a poison antidote, antibiotic and strengthens all connective tissues in the body. Raw Sunflower Seeds provide a non-harmful Vitamin D for strong, healthy bones and joints. The Vitamin E spectrum of vitamins is derived from fresh, raw Wheat Germ (the part of the wheat which sprouts and is alive). The Vitamin E complex of vitamins makes sure the oxygen which circulates through the body is more efficient, and provides for proper oxygenation of cells and tissues. This Vitamin E complex of vitamins also devours poisons known as free radicals. Dandelion leaves contribute Vitamin K for proper blood clotting properties and hemorrage prevention. Liquid Bee Pollen, which contains all the elements of new life, is included for quality protein lift. The herb Gentian supports the organs of digestion as a digestaid. For those of us who have always wanted an all vegetable, full spectrum source Multi-Vitamin liquid, Vita-Lixir answers this desire. Please note, when dealing with natural vitamins (those produced by Nature and not in a chemistry laboratory), what is desired is their dependable activity and effectiveness, not how many grams or milligrams of vitamins they contain. The activity level of vitamins from Nature whould not be confused with the manmade or coal tar source "high potency" type vitamins which are needed in large quantity to get any type of affect. </blockquote>
Combination: Dandelion Leaves, Organic Carrot Roots, Rice Bran, Wild Rose Hips, Raw Sunflower seeds, Raw Wheat Germ, Gentian, Bee Pollen<br />
<br />
End excerpt. Hmmmmmm. That sounds great to me. I'll have to try my hand at combining these items and see what kind of extract I get. Most of the herbal extracts described in this book are the basic alcohol extracts. It should be relatively easy to either combine all of the above, add enough vodka to cover, then let the extracting process work for a few weeks. I'll give it a shot and let you'all know how it turns out...<br />
<br />
By the way, by "carrot roots" I think the doctor means simple carrots, as carrots are roots.<br />
<br />
Onwards!<br />
HM<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-62517022537727907012011-12-25T06:37:00.001-06:002011-12-25T06:44:16.569-06:00Bromelain in Pineapple a Cure for Cancer?Wow! I know it is Christmas and all (Merry Christmas!) but when you get the time, check out this article at Activist Post, entitled <a href="http://www.activistpost.com/2011/12/research-pineapple-enzyme-superior-to.html#more">Research: Pineapple Enzyme Superior to Chemotherapy in Treating Cancer</a>. It's incredibly good news. I hope and pray that sometime comes of this research. <br />
<br />
Unfortunately, I'm cynical about allopaths adopting something relatively simple and inexpensive, even if the FDA allowed it, but then it IS Christmas, and I'll be hopeful instead. All is in God's hands and I can rest easy in that. <br />
<br />
Blessings to everyone this and every day!<br />
HM<br />
<br />Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-73734806422696705412011-12-23T13:12:00.000-06:002011-12-23T14:40:44.551-06:00Nettles for Medicine and Nutrition<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtboIkYJF_CiTee0HwRvQkyWfNQCbY6ORwPRJWkUYQHeetfPplt9LBINx0WureS11afBIcarKfAJK1e7qKXWl-qqn-S2-3IyYEghyqgCiDqQVmooWVzwFlwzs1mpIqHtPtykBu6TTOn_Kg/s1600/wood+nettle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtboIkYJF_CiTee0HwRvQkyWfNQCbY6ORwPRJWkUYQHeetfPplt9LBINx0WureS11afBIcarKfAJK1e7qKXWl-qqn-S2-3IyYEghyqgCiDqQVmooWVzwFlwzs1mpIqHtPtykBu6TTOn_Kg/s320/wood+nettle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Lately, I've been daydreaming about nettle gathering come spring. It's only late December and much too early for tasty, slightly bitter but oh-so-good-for-you spring greens such as stinging nettles or wood nettles. The pix above shows a young wood nettle, which grows in shady areas near flowing water. <br />
<br />
If you're thinking of getting into wild food foraging this year, try to familiarize yourself with the nettle plant before spring hits. Get a good foraging book, one with color photographs and read up on stinging nettles, which is the usual variety of nettle described. Around here, I mostly find wood nettles, but since their nutritional and medicinal profile is the same, I harvest them and am grateful to find them in such abundance. I wrote about nettles <a href="http://handmaidenkitchen.blogspot.com/search/label/nettles">once before</a>...<br />
<br />
Early in the spring, young nettles make excellent eating in any number of preparations. Saute or boil them for a few minutes, top with olive oil or butter, a touch of salt and you'll have one delicious and nutritious dinner. Or make a soup with onions, garlic and nettles. Add some to scrambled eggs...ah, the list is endless. <br />
<br />
Harvest young nettles when they are four to eight inches tall. If they get much taller than that, they'll be a bit tough. Still tasty, still nutritional, but a bit tougher. Even so, I've harvested nettle at about a foot tall and they still tasted great to me. The trick is to find them when they're young and freshly popped out of the ground. Around here, that's early spring, in late April or so. Then later, I harvest nettles throughout the summer, but these I'll dry for use as a wonderful medicinal tea or as an extract. <br />
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Nettles are the green of chlorophyll, which naturally they contain, as well as iron, calcium, silicon, sulphur, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. Rich in vitamins too: A, C, D, E and K and a few of the B vits as well. Nettles also have trace elements or more of zinc, cobalt and copper. I think nettles are so healing because of these vital nutrients. If you've read much of this blog, you've read how our food today has lost much of its nutritional value due to industrial agriculture and overall processing. One fine way to counter that is to eat wild foods like nettles (and lambsquarters, purslane, red clover....). <br />
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I found a couple of very informational articles about nettles. One is from <a href="http://proliberty.com/observer/20060517.htm">Ingri Cassel</a>, from a few years ago. Europeans down through the centuries have employed nettles in a variety of medicinal uses and treatments. Its a terrific article.<br />
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The other is from the <a href="http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/stinging-nettle-000275.htm">University of Maryland Medical Center</a>, which for some reason has lots of good herbal information. As you'll see from these articles, nettles can be used for many different ailments in a variety of forms (extract, tea, capsules and so on). <br />
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I mostly use nettles for a wonderful spring tonic--either as greens or simmered in a broth with other young spring greens (dandelions, clover leaves, wintercress, garlic mustard, plantain). I usually make two nettle extracts--one of the leaves and stems, one of the roots. And of course, I dry lots of the leaves for use as tea throughout the year. Whenever I'm feeling a bit under the weather, nettle tea is one of the first things I turn to. <br />
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It is definitely worth your while to learn to identify and harvest nettles. They grow worldwide, where ever rich soils are found. Both stinging nettles and wood nettles can sting, so wear gloves when harvesting. Once cooked or dried, they no longer sting. Nettles make a great fodder for animals as well. Once cut and dried a bit, nettles can be fed to horses or cattle, especially if they need a nutritional boost themselves.<br />
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During these months of winter (while I'm daydreaming longingly about these plants...), I'll describe as many as I can. I hope this will spur some of you to start foraging and boosting your family's nutrition. Foraging free, wild plants is an ancient skill--but one we should learn again. <br />
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Onwards,<br />
HM<br />
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<br />Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-25987212879050265282011-11-07T10:18:00.002-06:002011-11-07T10:19:00.682-06:00<span lang="EN">Hey Folks,<br />
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What's below is an announcement from Natural News about a new video series they have on harvesting wild foods. If there's any time we'll be needing these wild plants for our food and medicine it is NOW. Times are tough, prices at the store are rising even as I write this. Everything has gone up in costs. It is harder and harder to afford the foods we're used to eating. And all we eat are basics--hardly any processed foods. Anyway, this series on free, wild foods should be good. I don't know if they're charging for access to the videos--just saw <a href="http://www.naturalnews.com/034079_wild_foods_plant_medicine.html">the announcement</a> and thought you'all would be interested. <br />
HM<br />
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(NaturalNews) The most powerful food and medicine on the planet is free, and it's growing right outside your door and around your neighborhood.<br />
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Did you know that wild local plants and foods are far better for you than organic produce from a supermarket? They're naturally loaded with plant-based medicines -- <i>phytonutrients</i> -- and you'd be surprised how many are growing near your home right this very minute. In fact, no matter where you live, there are an astounding number of wild plants in your region that have been used for thousands of years as <b>FREE food and medicine</b>.<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;">ALL plants have a purpose</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span></b>You've probably been driving right past them every day without even knowing it... <b>wild weeds</b> and plants that can be used as liver cleansers, menstrual health support, prostate health enhancers and even for digestive remedies. Some wild plants are even <b>powerful cancer fighters</b>. It's just a matter of learning how to identify and harvest these <b>amazing gifts from Mother Nature</b>.<br />
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Unfortunately the average person today has virtually no knowledge of wild plants. They think food comes in a plastic container from the grocery store and medicine comes from the pharmacy -- it's a disturbing sign of <i>total detachment from the natural world</i>. We've all become so dependent on the commercial food system that we're not even aware of the edible plants that commonly grow in our own yards. This is truly astonishing considering how much expense and suffering we could all be spared if we just made use of the natural resources the earth has given us for food and medicine.<br />
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That's what this course is about: "Free Food and Medicine" teaches you how to find an astounding array of health-enhancing foods and medicines literally right in your own back yard!<br />
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You'll not only be surprised at how many edible wild plants are growing within walking distance of where you live right now, but also how many of these plants have <b>incredible healing properties</b> -- WAY more than the so-called "organic" produce at your local grocery store.<br />
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Yep, it's <i>better than organic</i>. It's better than non-GMO. It's 100% local, wildcrafted, and FREE for the harvesting!<br />
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Get instant access to this entire course right now through NaturalNews.TV:<br />
</span><a href="http://premium.naturalnews.tv/Free_Food_and_Medicine__NN.htm"><u><span style="color: blue;"><span lang="EN">http://premium.naturalnews.tv/Free_...</span></span></u><span style="color: blue;"></span></a><span lang="EN"><br />
<br />
You'll get instant access to <b>21 videos</b> totalling over <b>350 minutes</b> of instructional (and inspirational) wisdom.<br />
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<br />
Learn more: </span><a href="http://www.naturalnews.com/034079_wild_foods_plant_medicine.html%20/%20ixzz1d2KRyd4Y"><u><span style="color: blue;"><span lang="EN">http://www.naturalnews.com/034079_wild_foods_plant_medicine.html#ixzz1d2KRyd4Y</span></span></u><span style="color: blue;"></span></a><br />
<span lang="EN"></span><br />Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-69963005318341059182011-11-06T11:41:00.000-06:002011-11-06T11:42:03.290-06:00Eat Those Onions!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WOx-FqiZa7eRGaYTWFQ2zt1RiWRoWGEopte2tTsqn8hBCwkl4h4YXkhaNRKdWwbvNcW881egcNQd2CoIHQ9hdmTAaiFGGIauLJzsPHZ8Maw2P01y4yIyK23XskE_14X_GnF5R0PfukoO/s1600/garlic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WOx-FqiZa7eRGaYTWFQ2zt1RiWRoWGEopte2tTsqn8hBCwkl4h4YXkhaNRKdWwbvNcW881egcNQd2CoIHQ9hdmTAaiFGGIauLJzsPHZ8Maw2P01y4yIyK23XskE_14X_GnF5R0PfukoO/s1600/garlic.jpg" /></a><br />
Did you know that sulphur is in every cell in your body? I didn't, until this morning that is, when I was reading a <a href="http://www.naturalnews.com/034065_sulfur_nutrient.html">Natural News article</a> about it. It is one of those essential minerals, which do all the marvelous invisible things that contributes to your overall health. <br />
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Excerpt: <br />
<span lang="EN">Sulfur is a mineral that is present in every cell of the body. It plays a key role in liver metabolism and the function of the joint cartilage and keratin of the skin & hair. It is also critical for metabolism and anti-oxidant defense systems that protect the aging patterns of the brain. Some of the healthiest cultures in the world have the highest levels of sulfur in their diet while the US has some of the lowest levels.</span><br />
Industrial farming, that speciality of huge agribusinesses, depletes the soil of sulphur. Chances are, unless you are eating lots of a certain vegetable family, you may be sulphur-depleted. <br />
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And guess what vegetable family that is? Of course, the alliums! Onions, garlic, chives, leeks, shallots are all members of the allium family.<br />
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At our house, we eat garlic every day (or nearly every day--some days I forget until the Gruff Lord growls that he's being deprived of an essential health ingredient...). And I can't even imagine cooking without onions. I ran the dehydrator ragged last summer dehydrating onions, just to make sure we'd always have some around. <br />
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I have a wonderful cookbook, the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Garlic-Lovers-Cookbook/dp/0890875030/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320599335&sr=1-1">Gilroy Garlic Festival Cookbook</a>. If you think Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic is a bit garlicky, take a gander at this cookbook! All the recipes have lots of garlic: breads, soups, meat dishes and appetizers. All made with huge amounts of garlic. Here's one of my favorite recipes from the book:<br />
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Garlicky Tomato Saffron Soup<br />
6 cans (10.5 oz. each) chicken broth (I use my homemade broth...)<br />
1 cup boiling water<br />
1/4 gram Spanish saffron threads<br />
1 lb. Roma tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped in bits<br />
1 bunch leeks (3 medium or 1 1/2 cups), white part only, well-cleaned<br />
4 tablespoons virgin olive oil<br />
5 large cloves fresh garlic<br />
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme<br />
6 whole fennel seeds<br />
8 large fresh spinach leaves<br />
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Place canned chicken broth in the freezer so the fat will rise to surface for easy removal. (Personally, I like a bit of chicken fat in my homemade broth so I skip this step.)<br />
Bring water to boil. Add saffron threads and let steep, uncovered, off heat.<br />
Skin tomatoes by putting them in boiling water for 1 minutes. Skin, seed and chop.<br />
Chop leeks fine. Heat olive oil in soup pot over medium heat. Do not let oil smoke. Add chopped leeks and saute until limp but not brown. When leeks are limp, squeeze garlic cloves through press into the leeks and mix over medium heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. <br />
Remove chicken broth from freezer and remove fat clumped at the top. Add chicken broth, saffron water including threads, tomatoes, thyme and fennel to leeks in soup pot. <br />
Simmer mixture, partially covered, for 30 minutes. Five minutes before soup is ready, add spinach leaves. <br />
Serve hot, room temperature, or cold with hearty, crusty bread. Makes 4 to 6 servings.<br />
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Sounds good, doesn't it? It's one of my favorite soups for when I feel like I'm coming down with a cold. Delicious and it will beef up your sulphur intake too. <br />
<br />Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-59213767903407440662011-11-02T07:27:00.000-05:002011-11-02T07:30:15.487-05:00<span lang="EN"></span><br />
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What is Garlic Mustard?<br />
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Garlic Mustard (Alliaria officinalis) is a hearty, dark green herbaceous plant. Its leaves are arrowhead to heart shaped, scalloped-edged and deeply veined, growing up to 5 inches across. A cold weather plant, garlic mustard flourishes from late fall to early spring. It can be seen in fields, ditches, disturbed soils, near creeks, on trail edges and in open woodlands. A biennial, garlic mustard spends its first year as a basal rosette, with leaves growing close to the ground. In its second year, it sends up a flowering stalk that grows to about 3 feet. The leaves have a strong garlic odor when crushed. <br />
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Garlic mustard is considered an invasive, noxious weed. The Plant Conservation Alliance posts it on their Least Wanted list, maintaining that it poses a severe threat to native plants and animals in forest ecosystems. Basically, garlic mustard out-competes other plants, using up available light, moisture, space and nutrients from the soil, leaving less for native plants. As deer don’t care for the garlic taste, they won’t eat garlic mustard. It is prolific and can take over large wooded areas. <br />
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On the other hand, garlic mustard provides a nutrient-rich somewhat bitter green that can be eaten raw in salads (a few leaves at a time as it is bitter) or steamed, sautéed or lightly boiled. Garlic mustard contains high contents of vitamins A and C and it is rich in folic acid, vitamin B6 and manganese. It is a good source of potassium as well. Old time mountain folks used to gather fresh wild greens and used them as spring tonics to spruce up their health after a long, torpid winter. That is still a good idea and garlic mustard fits the bill as a healthy, nutritious wild green. <br />
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While many people won’t care for the slightly bitter flavor of garlic mustard, others love it. A good use of this wild herb is in making pesto. Gather a good bunch of garlic mustard when it is at the young basal rosette stage, wash it and chop it up. Mix it with olive oil, chopped garlic, parmesean cheese and pine nuts or walnuts for a surprisingly delicious pesto. Freeze the pesto in ice cube trays and use the pesto cubes to flavor soups and stews. Or simply keep it in jars in the refrigerator. The garlic mustard pesto loses its bitterness prepared this way, but remains pungent and flavorful. <br />
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Medicinally, garlic mustard is antiseptic. Juice from the leaves can be used to cleanse skin ulcers or wounds. Garlic mustard tea contains most of the plant’s vitamins and minerals and gives a definite nutritional boost to anyone who feels depleted or slightly ill. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfHXF6yfI47NldOqtqSNwg-hkhr7hoN5UElagr9jAXYx8h2JuZSwDG1QKfodiF2lCn7AcA5sZB3vIzZxPpAY0kk8yEO7vKSOpJ8XUWLUmtuSbrGP61NQ9LRAH8QpOIfLJRgq4xiewWgF8/s1600/Garlic+Mustard_041113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfHXF6yfI47NldOqtqSNwg-hkhr7hoN5UElagr9jAXYx8h2JuZSwDG1QKfodiF2lCn7AcA5sZB3vIzZxPpAY0kk8yEO7vKSOpJ8XUWLUmtuSbrGP61NQ9LRAH8QpOIfLJRgq4xiewWgF8/s320/Garlic+Mustard_041113.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</span>Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-6250502461588046302011-10-27T15:33:00.000-05:002011-10-27T15:33:47.312-05:00High Food Prices? Look Around Outside...<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqu_5FCWfiByEE9xMnJbsqtjh8qOvxlNxDUS8PxVw_uT6-he05Ap8BVYWM4jcS4gtaQ51HKvrKQ4R7JGO10oupsr9yoQobyoTJpYZOAfS1Xfrc26A8qBMTKR8kzgczAxBCgnSOqsjfnh_8/s1600/lady+thumb.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667489766746499058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqu_5FCWfiByEE9xMnJbsqtjh8qOvxlNxDUS8PxVw_uT6-he05Ap8BVYWM4jcS4gtaQ51HKvrKQ4R7JGO10oupsr9yoQobyoTJpYZOAfS1Xfrc26A8qBMTKR8kzgczAxBCgnSOqsjfnh_8/s400/lady+thumb.png" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 184px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 274px;" /></a>The cost of food just keeps going up and up. Just the other day we heard about peanut butter going up by 40%! (A national catastrophe! as my brother says.) </div>
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I was heading out on my normal afternoon's walk and took a look around. From where I stood outside the door, I could see plantain, dandelion, lady's thumb (pictured), a few remaining lambsquarters, now gone to seed, a bunch of some kind of mint, a really nice healthy looking mullein plant, lots of mugwort, some curly dock plants, a few red clovers, and a bit of wood sorrel. </div>
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Walking down the road, I saw walnuts galore from the black walnut tree, and some Queen Anne's Lace. And persimmons from the persimmon tree. And pine trees across the road.</div>
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While the cost of grocery store foods have surged ever upward, all of the food plants mentioned above are still free and available for the harvest with a wee bit of work on my part. </div>
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While I find plantain a bit too fibrous to eat, if I needed or wanted its nutritional value, I'd add it to a pot of water for a vegetable broth. Ditto with all the plants I just mentioned. If you're feeling run down and sickly, pick a bunch of these wild vegetables and green and make yourself some healing broth with them. </div>
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Some of these plants are greens for eating, some have medicinal uses, but all have a lot of nutritional value, full of vitamins and minerals. </div>
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It can take a while when you're new to identifying plants in the wild. But I will tell you this--I first starting learning this stuff about 5 years ago. While there's still zillions of plants I don't know, there's now a lot of them that I recognize easily. Once you're had that EUREKA moment and identify a plant--you'll then see it everywhere for a while. And you'll know it from then on, like a good buddy. </div>
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With grocery costs spiraling higher, consider learning to forage some of these green plants, nuts, berries. Learn which have edible roots (like Queen Anne's Lace--but be careful, there's some toxic lookalikes of Queen Anne's lace, so leave this one to experts). Learn which greens are better at what times of year. When you learn some of this, you can start harvesting and cut your grocery bills. </div>
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We all love lambsquarters here. It's a spinach like green and quite tasty. Highly nutritious--better for you than spinach, actually. So when it is flourishing, growing wildly everywhere, I harvest it, blanch it, freeze it, and we eat this lucious green instead of the $1.70 package of frozen spinach or $1.99 to $2.99 bags of fresh spinach from the store. See what I mean? That's money I don't have to spend, I can keep it (or more likely, spend it on something else...)</div>
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I gotta go, but I'll be back. I think for a while, I will focus on various plants ... </div>
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HM</div>
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</div>Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-88775903945012454772011-10-23T11:14:00.000-05:002011-10-23T11:17:48.031-05:00Time to Start Blogging AgainI figure by this time, all who used to read this blog have departed for other blogs/websites. Can't blame them one bit. So, I'll just start up again, keep the focus on herbs, foraging wild foods and all my usual chatter about things consequential and not-so.<br /><br />It's funny--I've gone back to read some of my old posts, and find that the information is good stuff. I'm pleased with what I achieved here, as there's good information that can stand the test of time. But now I plan to do more.<br /><br />I won't be able to post every day, but there'll be a good post every week.<br /><br />Thanks, everybody. Y'all come on back if you wish!Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-60467833084384042472011-04-12T19:24:00.004-05:002011-04-12T19:32:38.570-05:00Side EffectsOh Lord, this is a hoot! Seen on the back of a Tshirt at <a href="http://secretsofnaturalhealing.blogspot.com/">Secrets of Natural Health</a> blog: I take aspirin for headaches caused by the Zyrtec I take for the hayfever I get from Relenza for the uneasy stomach from the Ritalin I take for the short attention span caused by the Scopederm Ts I take for the motion sickness I got from the Lomotil I take for the diarrhea caused by the Zenikal for the uncontrolled weight gain from the Paxil I take for the anxiety from the Zocar I take for my high cholestrol because exercise, diet and regular chiropractic care are just too much trouble. PS Just so you're warned, Secrets of Natural Health does try to sell you stuff. But there's some good info there. HMPatriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-90761586373717396872011-03-31T19:42:00.001-05:002011-03-31T19:44:49.992-05:00Iodine for Radioactive FalloutOk, found the article I was talking about in my last post. <a href="http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller37.1.html">Iodine for Radioactive Fallout</a> by Donald W. Miller, Jr. MD. Whew!Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-8770678611909511562011-03-31T18:56:00.005-05:002011-03-31T19:24:52.962-05:00If You Don't Have Potassium Iodide. . .I don't know if a huge radiation cloud is coming our way, but I suspect that's the case, considering the news. I've learned to listen to Mike Adams, the Health Ranger. I never trust *anything* I read 100%, of course. I've a skeptical nature after all. But on this and many other health related topics, Natural News picks it up, reports on it, analyzes it, takes it apart and dissects it, often with wit, sometimes with disgust at the current government-mandated medical paradigm (we're here to make money off of you peasants, so just shut the hell up and do what we tell you) deal. So check out <a href="http://www.naturalnews.com/031912_Fukushima_cesium.html">this Natural News report</a>, check other sources and make up your own minds about it.<br> I'm not <strong>telling</strong> you to do anything. That's up to you as always. It is driving me nuts that I can't find the article I am looking for. This was an article posted on <a href="http://www.lewrockwell.com/">Lew Rockwell's excellent libertarian news and commentary page </a>a week or so ago. Written by a doctor, it was about radioactive iodine, and how to prevent your thyroid from absorbing it. The trick is to get enough good iodine to your thyroid first, and then your thyroid will basically ignore the radioactive crap. But if your thyroid is hungry for iodine, it will take up the radioactive stuff. <br>If you haven't gotten ahold of any potassium iodide pills (130 mg) here's a rather simple thing you can do that's cheap and easy. Head to any drugstore and get that wound-cleaning iodine stuff called Povidone (at least that's the generic I bought). It is a 10% iodine solution for use as a topical antiseptic/batericide/virucide. The doctor's article that I haven't managed to find a link for said if you use a cotton ball and spread a goodly patch of this stuff over your stomach and chest, your skin will take in enough iodine to protect you 95% or so from your thyroid uptaking any radioactive iodine.<br> Now please, folks. I'm NOT giving you medical advice. I'm simply repeating something I read. However, I'm a bit uncomfortable relating even this as the fed.nasty.govs might want to smash anyone causing panic among the sheep. However, I rather doubt that any sheep would be reading this, as I'm sure Charlie Sheen and Britney and all those other otherwise useless celebrities MUST be doing something dumb enough for the media to be lamb-basting them. (HAH! Pun stumbled upon serendipitiously!)<br> I'll see if I can find the damn article. In the meantime, consider at least getting some of that 10% iodine stuff. If nothing else, you can use it to clean wounds with. Again, I am not a medical person of any variety, not an X-spurt, not an academic, not anyone important enough for you to listen too. :)<br> Onwards, take good care, wash all produce before eating, and live prayerfully and as well as you can. And don't worry about stuff you can't fix. ONLY worry about things you can do something about and even then, dinna fesh. <br>HMPatriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-37139406713801380792011-03-18T09:49:00.003-05:002011-03-31T15:58:29.718-05:00Surviving Radiation and March of CambreadthOk, here's for a really *timely* piece by Susan Weed on handling radiation naturally. Please do read it. I was getting ready to write something about it, but then found this <a href="http://www.wisewomantradition.com/wisewomanweb/2011/03/surviving-radiation-the-wise-woman-way.html">article</a> and thought it better than anything I might have cobbled together. And if you need to get your blood heated up and your spirit high, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCrnF844_ww">watch this youtube</a>. I first saw this song posted at Mayberry's blog and it is terrific. Both the Gruff Lord and I get tears in our eyes and roused like all hell was breaking loose when we listen to it. Bagpipes are the best! Take care, all HandmaidenPatriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-44855055317388176522011-02-18T06:27:00.003-06:002011-02-18T06:37:36.984-06:00Important Article on VaccinationThere's a very interesting article on vaccination and how it works (or doesn't work) at the <a href="http://www.veteranstoday.com/2010/08/19/operation-desert-storm-20-years-later-situation-reports/">Veterans Today website</a>. I stumbled across it while looking for something else. It definitely caught my eye and explained a whole lot about the dangers of vaccines (and about the benefits for some) as well. The article, How Vaccinations Work by Dr. Philip Incao starts about halfway down, after many pleas for understanding and care for veterans who got Gulf War Disease back in the 1990s after the first Gulf War. Check it out--it's a damn good article.<br /><br />As for us, no colds, no flu this winter. We've been eating our clove of garlic daily (as well as lots of other garlic in various dishes) and while we've had the occasional sniffles, there's been no other real cold/flu problems. If there was, we'd bring out the elderberry extract.<br />Onwards!<br />HMPatriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-56200600775925820842011-01-16T08:53:00.002-06:002011-12-28T12:14:37.345-06:00Two Excellent Articles on What's Wrong with Current Medical SystemWow. This month two national magazines published two important articles that would blow your mind about Big Medical as it is practiced in the US and elsewhere. If you care about your health, read them.<br />
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<a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2011/01/deadly-medicine-201101">Deadly Medicine </a>in Vanity Fair<br />
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<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/11/lies-damned-lies-and-medical-science/8269/1/">Lies, Damned Lies, and Medical Science</a> in the Atlantic.<br />
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You know, most of our ancestors didn't bother much with doctors. They knew doctors could be quacks and behaved accordingly by not trusting them. And here we go again. Use the Western medical system at your own risk. There's a lot of quackery out there, and they make a ton of money from it. Beware for your own good.<br />
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HMPatriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-20618687022844906602010-10-05T09:59:00.004-05:002010-10-05T10:20:28.656-05:00And Now for Some Really Cheery Info...The following is from Sally Fallon's wonderful <em>Nourishing Traditions</em> cookbook. The liner notes in this book are incredible. She's stuffed more important research findings into this cookbook than you'd find in a year in most other sources. This is about your breakfast cereals. Be prepared to ditch them forever....<br /><br />Excerpt from the chapter on grains:<br /><br />Four sets of rats were given special diets. One group received plain whole wheat, water, vitamins and minerals. Anotehr group received Puffed Wheat, water and the same nutrient solution. A third set was given water and white sugar, and a fourth given nothing but water and the chemical nutrients. The rats which received the whole wheat lived for over a year on the diet. The rats who got nothing but water and vitamins lived for about 8 weeks, and the animals on a white sugar and water diet lived for a month. But [the company's] own laboratory study showed that rats given vitamins, water and all the Puffed Wheat they wanted died in two weeks. It wasn't a matter of the rats dying of malnutrition; results like these suggested that there was something actually toxic about the Puffed Wheat itself. Proteins are very similar to certain toxins in molecular structure, and the puffing process of putting the grain under 1500 pounds per square inch of pressure and then releasing it may produce chemical changes which turn a nutritious grain into a poisonous substance . . . I was shocked, so I showed the report to Dr. Clark, who shared my concern. His predecessor, Dr. Graham, had published the report and begged the company not to continue producing Puffed Wheat because of its poisonous effect on animals. Dr. Clark . . . went right to the president . . . "I know people should throw it on brides and grooms at weddings," [the president] cracked, "but if they insist on sticking it in their mouths, can I help it? Besides, we made $9 million on the stuff last year."<br />Paul Stitt, <em>Fighting the Food Giants</em><br /><em>************************</em><br />Also from the chapter on grains:<br /><br />In 1960, researchers at Ann Arbor University performed an interesting experiment on laboratory rats. Eighteen rats were divided into three groups. One group received cornflakes and water; a second group was given the cardboard box the cornflakes came in and water; and the control group received rat chow and water. The rats in the control group remained in good health throughout the experiment. The rats receiving the cardboard became lethargic and eventually died of malnutrition. But the rats receiving the cornflakes and water died before the rats who were given the cardboard box--the last cornflake rat died on the day the first box rat died. Before death, the cornflake rats developed schizophrenic behavior, threw fits, bit each other and finally went into convulsions. Autopsy revealed dysfunction of the pancreas, liver and kidneys and degeneration of the nerves in the spine--all signs of "insulin shock." The startling conclusion of this study is that there is more nourishment in the box that cold breakfast cereals come in than in the cereals themselves. Loren Zanier, designer of the experiment, actually proposed the protocol as a joke. But the results are far from funny. They were never published and similar studies have not been repeated. If consumers knew the truth about breakfast cereals, vast fortunes would be jeopardized. (Sally Fallon)<br />*********************************<br />Don't know about you, but this tells me all I need to know about Big Food and cold cereals. The poisonous aspects seem to be due to the processing methods of the grains--changing them from nutritious foods into...well...what can we call the stuff? I haven't eaten cold cereals (except homemade museli) in ages, but I know I ate a lot of it before. Live and learn. And don't trust Big Food!<br /><br />HMPatriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-22216351282573439632010-09-24T14:40:00.002-05:002010-09-24T14:44:21.348-05:00For a Good Laugh...Read this hilarious article from Mike Adams, the Health Ranger over at Natural News. Besides showing what <a href="http://www.naturalnews.com/029837_health_news_mainstream_media.html">total idiots the mainstream media can be</a>, Adams has a real talent at showing them at their outrageous, stupid worst. Read and enjoy. Laughter is good medicine. :)<br />HMPatriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-27727190521790020222010-06-08T11:39:00.008-05:002010-06-10T07:26:51.171-05:003 "Weeds" to Leave in Your Garden (Until they're big enough to eat)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmAhJJyyWM4pPb1tU5FOfLF0z0OYdyGbxipTQEETiindpa2nRar8i72abbKkh1MBLmM7x9goSthHlSyDb0mDbsGYNxexCXI0IBTGp1JF6QqS2izhou2a2jLO7Yfxt3LXoz8PAxw5g23E7x/s1600/lambsquarter+closeup.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 139px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 104px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480446645374073442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmAhJJyyWM4pPb1tU5FOfLF0z0OYdyGbxipTQEETiindpa2nRar8i72abbKkh1MBLmM7x9goSthHlSyDb0mDbsGYNxexCXI0IBTGp1JF6QqS2izhou2a2jLO7Yfxt3LXoz8PAxw5g23E7x/s400/lambsquarter+closeup.jpg" /></a> <span style="font-size:85%;">(lambsquarters close up)</span><br /><div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>There are common garden weeds which are not only edible, but are highly nutritious whether served in salad or cooked lightly as one would spinach. The trick is to learn to recognize them at all stages of their life--as tiny young plants or as flourishing adults. That's a young one is the pix above.<br /></div><div><br>We live in southern Indiana, so I'm talking about my bioregion, which would include a lot of the Midwest (though maybe not the prairie areas). If you live in the Northwest, Southwest, your biogregion is no doubt quite a bit different. But if you're in most of the continental 48 states, then you could find lambsquarters in your garden, since it is common pretty much all across the country. Lambsquarters likes disturbed soil--as you find in gardens and other border areas where mankind lives. It grows in cities, in the country, and is one of those ubiquitious fellas who are found all over the place. Once you learn to identify them, you'll see them everywhere.</div><div> </div><div><br>So check your garden! We're lucky to have lots of little lambys growing. I'm letting them get big enough to eat and then I'll pick them. But for now, they're welcome to grow. In former posts, I've written about lambsquarters <a href="http://handmaidenkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/08/summertime-harvesting.html">here</a> and <a href="http://handmaidenkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/08/why-wild-foods-by-patricia-neill-boone.html">here</a> as well as lots of other places in this blog. Just look under the category lambsquarters. They are highly nutritious and tasty (not to mention, grow without any effort on your part and FREE).</div><div> </div><div><br>A few days ago, I "weeded" our Amish friend's garden, which had a whole slew of lambsquarters. In fact, the LQ basically covered the area where they had planted celery! So I was lucky enough to pick all that. I processed it all by taking the leaves off the stems (edible but tough), then blanching or scalding them in boiling water, then drainging, cooling, and packaging them up for the freezer. So far I have 7 quarts in the freezer, with one more big batch of lambsquarters left to go. If you're lucky to find big areas of lambsquarters, do freeze them. They keep well and they're very welcome in the wintertime.</div><div> </div><div><br>Purslane is another "weed" I let grow in the garden. I've talked about purslane in both the links I posted above for LQ. Also highly nutritious, purslane has the added benefit of being a great plant source of Omega-3. I like these as a salad green and we eat a lot of it in the summer. They don't freeze well, but you can pickle the stems. I haven't tried to dry it, but I might try that this year. You can find lots of pictures of purslane by going to Google Images and typing in purslane. That's what I do when I need to see a pix of a plant--very useful for identifying plants. It grows in gardens mostly--that's where I've seen most of it anyway. It's another plant that grows all over the country, north to south and east to west. It's very tasty and makes a really nice addition to salads. You can eat it as a potherb too, but I prefer it in salads. In Turkey, it's a national dish. Try it in a dish of browned ground beef, pork or lamb, rice, tomatoes and add a bunch of purslane. YUM.</div><div> </div><div><br>The other of the three weeds I mentioned that I leave in the garden is woods sorrel. It's a light, lemony kind of plant. You can find a good pix of it, as well as other edible wild plants in this article of Wildman Steve Brill's. <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/JPEG%27S/Plant%2520Web%2520Images/WoodSorrelInFlower.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Clippings.folder/FreeLunch.html&usg=__ee8e_eemPGvqOxqJm5-SOHyul8o=&h=428&w=570&sz=17&hl=en&start=12&itbs=1&tbnid=nYsdW7_-rqyQgM:&tbnh=101&tbnw=134&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwoods%2Bsorrel%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1">Check it out! </a>This article includes mushrooms, berries, and a bunch of wild greens. I've written about <a href="http://handmaidenkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/10/spring-greens-in-fall.html">woods sorrel here</a> (among other plants). I find it in the garden all the time. And it is one of those I definitely leave til it's big enough to eat. </div><div> </div><div><br>When it comes to weeds, if you can't beat 'em, eat 'em! These three, lambsquarters, purslane, and woods sorrel are all delicious and very good for you. If you keep an organic garden, as we do, then you don't have any worries about pesticides, herbicides, etc. Just wonderful, free food. As the world crashes down among us, these are good guys to keep your eyes open for. They'll help keep you alive and healthy. </div><div><br>Onwards!</div><div>HM</div><div> </div><div> </div></div></div>Patriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-21213855592215997882010-06-06T07:34:00.002-05:002010-06-06T07:47:21.237-05:00Old Fashioned SpoonbreadMichael says that folks have been asking for a good spoonbread recipe. Back story is I get cookbooks out of the library for us to drool over. If something looks good, I make the recipe to see if we'll like it. We saw a recipe for spoonbread and Michael said he'd been wanting some for years. I'd never had any, so it was time to make some! The recipe in the cookbook called for stuff I didn't have, so I did a google search and came upon this recipe. The spoonbread was delicious. Try it, you'll like it!<br /><br />Old Fashioned Spoonbread<br />3/4 cup cornmeal, stone or water ground if available<br />1 teaspoon salt<br />1 cup boiling water<br />3 tablespoons melted butter<br />2 large eggs<br />1 cup milk<br />2 teaspoons baking powder<br /><br />(I added some shredded cheddar cheese and a can of yellow hominy for fun)<br /><br />Combine cornmeal and salt in mixing bowl. Stirring constantly, slowly add boiling water, keeping cornmeal smooth. Mix in the melted butter. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until they thicken, add the milk and beat to combine. Add eggs and milk to cornmeal and mix in the baking powder. (At this point, I added the cheese and can of hominy. Creamed corn would be good too...) Turn in to a square 8 or 9 inch well-greased baking pan. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until firm. Serve with plenty of butter. We had ours with our wonderful cranberry beans.<br /><br />This was delicious, and a fun break from corn bread--it is a bit more pudding like than cornbread. You can eat it with (ahem) a spoon.<br /><br />Enjoy!<br />HMPatriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368819148999076470.post-35843001470169057872010-04-23T13:32:00.005-05:002010-04-23T14:00:48.835-05:00Gardening by the Signs<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgD3i7ABrEeLGRuLBeKwk8BzlKqb80Txj6mDJNbfHSaC8srUoMEhzhm0x-NZh2x7NvCHkZM_dNGIDRCYI6qkTXL-tTSDK0DnSPWxsYsbnyjNEYRPgCEj1-nFOzEUq9KUwjUOT0WnHFeBx/s1600/taurus.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 119px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 123px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463407183784524034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgD3i7ABrEeLGRuLBeKwk8BzlKqb80Txj6mDJNbfHSaC8srUoMEhzhm0x-NZh2x7NvCHkZM_dNGIDRCYI6qkTXL-tTSDK0DnSPWxsYsbnyjNEYRPgCEj1-nFOzEUq9KUwjUOT0WnHFeBx/s400/taurus.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div><div></div><div>Moon Waxing, Moon in Taurus</div><br /><div></div><div>I planted much of our small terrace garden in the past week or so. With the moon in Taurus, a very fertile sign "number one for all root crops; second best for plants bearing above the ground" according to T.E. Black's Planting by the Signs chart (found in Foxfire, volume 2, I think). Well, the plants I put in were of the "bearing above the ground" variety, but I didn't want to wait until moon in Cancer rolled around. I transplanted cabbage and lettuce that I bought from an Amish lady, then planted a bunch of rows of spinach and finally a long row of Swiss Chard. I do love my greens! I also planted some herb seeds: dill, cilantro and rosemary. </div><br /><div></div><div>The plan is to pay close attention this year to what I plant when, whether the moon is in the first and second quarter, full, third and fourth quarter, new moon, and what astrological signs are prominant on those days. I'm curious to see if this works. I expect it will and hope it will as well. I started a garden journal to help me keep track of it all. </div><br /><div></div><div>What I'm wondering is what to plant underneath the black walnut tree, if anything. Right now, I've left the weeds in that section of the terrace garden, but I want to plant something there. I did a quick google search and <a href="http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf74947570.tip.html">found a webpage</a> that discuss this, plants that will tolerate the jugalone of the black walnut tree: lima beans, snap beans, beets, carrots, corn, onions, melons, parsnips and squash. Hmmmmm. I might put a couple of melons there and see what happens, melons or beets, I think. The next really fertile days will be the 28th (which is also the full moon) with the moon in Scorpio. We'll shoot for then. </div><div> </div><div></div><div>I've also been foraging, this being a wonderful spring for it. Since poor Fred is still recovering from his broken leg, I've been making him dandelion broth regularly. That is, I gather lots of dandy leaves and roots, yellow dock leaves, chickweed, plantain, clover leaves and wild onions and brew them up in a pot of water, simmering for 30 minutes or so and then straining out the greens, which go into the compost heap. Good dandelion broth and also some bone broth, is bound to help by providing lots of minerals and vitamins for his body to heal with. We see the doctor on Monday and hopefully he'll start having Fred put weight on the leg and getting his muscles back into shape. Lord knows, the poor guy is really TIRED of sitting around and reading. People need to move around--it is how our bodies know we are still alive :) </div><br /><br />I've also been harvesting that marvelous garlic mustard and making pesto with it. That's what most foragers tend to recommend doing with garlic mustard as the plant is quite pungent, a little more than most folks will appreciate in a plate of greens. But it makes a superb pesto--here's the <a href="http://www.prodigalgardens.info/garlic%20mustard%20recipes.htm">recipe I use</a>, from Prodigal Gardens, one of my favorite foraging sites. I just noticed some horsetail growing on the other side of our little lake here, so I'll be gathering that as well for tea.<br /><br />Spring has been absolutely lovely so far. Nice warm days, cool nights, lots of sunshine and now some rain to water those little plants in the ground. It's a blessing to be alive!<br />Onwards,<br />HMPatriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11257697880645849334noreply@blogger.com4