Sweet Earth Soup

 Sweet Earth Soup

8-10 servings

A rich hearty soup for a main course.

3 TB olive oil

1 lg onion, chopped, 3 c

3 cloves garlic, chopped, 2 TB

1 lg. burdock root, but into thin rounds, 2 c chopped

1 large handful dried sea palm fronds or kelp, 1 1/2 c soaked

1 lg. potato, chopped, 2 c

1 lg. yam, chopped, 4 c

1 tsp sea salt

2 TB tamari or to taste

5 c water

3 tbp ground fenugreek

1 1/2 tsp ground coriander3 c raw cashews

3 c water

chopped scallions for garnish

Break the sea palm fronds into pieces no longer than 1" Soak in water to cover for 20 minutes, then drain and compost the liquid. Set aside soaked sea palm fronds.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a heavy skillet. Saute garlic and onions 5 minutes or until translucent. Add burdock root,and saute until onions are translucent. Add fenugreek and coriander and saute one minute to mix the spices in with the oil. Add sea palm fronds, yams, potatoes, salt and 5 c water. Bring to the boil, and simmer, covered, 30 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.

Blend the 3 c water and 3 c cashews until creamy. No mash will remain. Remove cooked vegetables from heat, add 1 c of the boiling liquid slowly to the cashew cream, stirring constantly. Now add this back to the soup slowly. Taste for salt and/or tamari.

If necessary, return to a very low flame and heat to serving temperature. Take care not to boil. Garnish and serve immediately.

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Cinnamon, Cardamom, and Nutmeg

 Cinnamon, Cardamom, and Nutmeg

The aroma of winter is wood smoke and evergreen. But winter holidays smell spicy. Herbs that grow only in the tropics — such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, mace, cardamom, allspice, and vanilla — are called spices. Their aromatic oils and volatile esters entice us with delicious smells and mouth-watering tastes. And spices warm us from the inside, as if we had ingested the tropical sun on a cold day. Spices help preserve food and counter a variety of illnesses, too. Come, sit and warm your feet by the fire. Close your eyes and imagine the dense green forests where aromatic spices grow. ..

* A cup of Cinnamon tea .. eases menstrual cramps, soothes sore joints, relieves gas pain, and allays that feeling of fullness after a big meal. A sip or two of cinnamon tea before meals improves digestion and prevents acid reflux. Those who drink cinnamon tea regularly will have less cavities, stronger gums, and fewer insect bites.

* Chewing cardamom seeds freshens the breath and improves digestion. Herbalists consider cardamom effective for helping the liver, the appetite, the stomach, and the intestines.

* Modern medicine validates Nutmeg’s ability to inhibit diarrhea and slow down the action of the gastrointestinal tract. Folk medicine agrees, using nutmeg against diarrhea, dysentery, inflammation of the mucus membranes, flatulence, and vomiting. Nutmeg has also been shown to effect prostaglandin synthesis and to be a particularly potent antimicrobial. It may also be anti-rheumatic.

Green blessing are everywhere, especially in your spice chest.

Happy Holidays!

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* Read the whole article here*:

www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/October09/healingwise.htm

Simple Green Pesto

 Simple Green Pesto

excerpt from Abundantly Well: Seven Medicines.

This simple pesto has only four ingredients. It keeps up to three years in the refrigerator. 

Pesto preserves the herbs antioxidant power. 

Dandelion leaf pesto is bitter and tangy. 

Chickweed pesto is mellow and grassy; use new growth. 

Shiso or tulsi pesto is aromatic and romantic. 

Garlic mustard pesto is bitter and spicy and delicious. 

Garlic scape pesto is heaven on earth. 

There are no specific amounts; use what is abundant. 

Chop herb coarsely with a knife. Peel garlic and mince. 

Half fill a mini-prep or blender with herb. 

Add extra virgin olive oil to cover well. 

Add minced garlic and some salt. 

It is important to use salt. It acts as a preservative and it helps turn the green leaves into a paste (pesto). 

Puree/blend well. Add more oil as needed. 

Add more herb, more salt, and more garlic, too. 

Pack almost to the top of a tall jar. Tap lightly to remove air bubbles.

Pour more olive oil over the top. Label on lid, refrigerate. 

excerpt from Abundantly Well: Seven Medicines.

www.wisewomanbookshop.com/product-page/abundantly-well-seven-medicines

Achieve Instant Calm

 Achieve Instant Calm

Here are a few easy ways to calm jangly nerves, achieve greater overall calm, and cope on-the-spot with stressful situations. For instant calm, try these following simple calming exercises, herbal allies, and movements, and learn how and why they work so well.

* Unfreeze yourself: Curl up in a fetal position (on your side with knees drawn up), breathe deeply, and hum. You may want to rock back and forth. Concentrate on what feelings want to emerge. Do not be surprised if grief is what you are really feeling. 

* Focus your eyes: Look at anything, steadily, with concentration, and breathe deeply. Feel a warmth in your upper abdomen; breathe; focus. 

* Conjure an image of safety: Imagine a huge image of safety, such as a cowrie shell, the palm of Buddha or Christ, a giant mother’s lap, or a cloud of pink light. Surround the object of your anxiety with this image. Fear locks up movement and speech; a clear visualization can unfreeze you. 

*Take an herbal calmative: Tincture of red clover is a profound relaxer and soothing calmative. Its salicylic acid content (similar to aspirin) makes it an excellent pain reliever, too. Motherwort is also effective. Motherwort is not sedating, but calming, leaving you ready for action, not flying off the handle or bouncing off the walls. Try 10 to 20 drops as soon as you feel your nerves starting to fray or just before a stressful event. Repeat every five minutes if needed.

* Try yoga postures. Yoga postures, yoga breathing, and quiet, focused meditation soothe the sympathetic nervous system instantly. Regular practice alleviates anxiety, often permanently.

Excerpt from New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way.

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Coffee - Plantation to Table.

Coffee facts

Q: Should coffee drinkers worry about an increased risk of cancer related to caffeine consumption?

A: The results of many prospective cohort studies provide strong evidence that consumption of coffee and caffeine is not associated with an increased incidence of cancer or an increased rate of death from cancer. Coffee consumption is associated with a slightly reduced risk of melanoma, nonmelanoma skin cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. Stronger inverse associations have been observed between coffee consumption and the risk of endometrial cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. For endometrial cancer, the associations are similar with caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, whereas for hepatocellular carcinoma, the association appears to be stronger with caffeinated coffee.

Q: Does coffee consumption affect one’s risk of gallstones or kidney stones?

A: Coffee consumption has been associated with a reduced risk of gallstones and of gallbladder cancer, with a stronger association for caffeinated coffee than for decaffeinated coffee, suggesting that caffeine may play a protective role. In U.S. cohorts, consumption of both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee was associated with a reduced risk of kidney stones.

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Join Susun Weed, daughter Justine, and granddaughter Monica Jean as they tour coffee plantations in Costa Rica. Join them as they learn firsthand how coffee is grown, harvested, dried, roasted and marketed. Learn about the health benefits, the economics, and the ecological impact of this favorite morning beverage. Tours of Toledo Organic Coffee Plantation and El Trapiche Plantation.

Register here:
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Roadside Harvest

Roadside Harvest

Comfrey. Nettle. Red Clover. Jewelweed. Yellow Rocket. Yellow Dock. Chives. Finding nutritious food and healing medicines can be as easy as stepping outside your door.

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Make A Tincture/Fresh Herb

Make A Tincture/Fresh Herb 

I use tinctures in varied doses, from several dropperfuls at a time, to only a few drops at a time. I take tonic tinctures daily. Others as needed.

Alcohol pulls out more poisonous constituents than water.
Tinctures are superior when made from fresh plants.

These tinctures require fresh plants, no exceptions.
* St. Joan’s wort flower means trouble for viruses and frowns.
* Poke root stirs up the lymphatic and immune systems.
* Bloodroot in tiny amounts counter periodontal disease.
* Motherwort calms anxiety, eases the heart.
* Skullcap eases pain and brings deep sleep.

Fill any size jar to the top with cut-up pieces of fresh, just harvested herb, then add 100-proof vodka, right to the top of the jar.
Lid well, label. Ready to use in six weeks.

excerpt from: Abundantly Well: Seven Medicines