Posted on 02/09/2009 12:36:11 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny
Yahoo ran an interesting article this morning indicating a rise in the number of survivalist communities cropping up around the country. I have been wondering myself how much of the recent energy crisis is causing people to do things like stockpile food and water, grow their own vegetables, etc. Could it be that there are many people out there stockpiling and their increased buying has caused food prices to increase? It’s an interesting theory, but I believe increased food prices have more to do with rising fuel prices as cost-to-market costs have increased and grocers are simply passing those increases along to the consumer. A recent stroll through the camping section of Wal-Mart did give me pause - what kinds of things are prudent to have on hand in the event of a worldwide shortage of food and/or fuel? Survivalist in Training
I’ve been interested in survival stories since I was a kid, which is funny considering I grew up in a city. Maybe that’s why the idea of living off the land appealed to me. My grandfather and I frequently took camping trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway and around the Smoky Mountains. Looking back, some of the best times we had were when we stayed at campgrounds without electricity hookups, because it forced us to use what we had to get by. My grandfather was well-prepared with a camp stove and lanterns (which ran off propane), and when the sun went to bed we usually did along with it. We played cards for entertainment, and in the absence of televisions, games, etc. we shared many great conversations. Survivalist in the Neighborhood
http://www.bigmedicine.ca/bioscitech.htm#BPA,_chemical_used_to_make_plastic
Seed tick bite may set off ‘delayed anaphylaxis’
[May 19 Charlottesville VA]— Spring is here and more of us are heading outside to enjoy jogging, hiking, gardening and camping. Wherever our outdoor adventures lead, there is a good chance that we’ll come in contact with one of nature’s most notorious hitchhikers, the tiny seed tick.
New NIH-funded research from the University of Virginia Health System suggests that it is wise to be wary of the seed tick because its bite may set off a cascade of events that not only defy current thinking about food allergies, but also create serious health risks for people with certain blood types.
In a paper published in the February 2009 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, UVA researchers describe a novel and severe allergic response, which they call delayed anaphylactic shock. The reaction occurs three to six hours after patients eat beef, pork or lamb. Symptoms begin with itching that intensifies as hives develop on the skin’s outer and deeper layers. Itching quickly escalates to swelling, intestinal irritation and the alarming, life-threatening symptoms of anaphylaxis: airway constriction, chaotic heart beat, a rapid drop in blood pressure and loss of consciousness.
“Our conventional understanding is that anaphylaxis happens within seconds or minutes of exposure. The notion that it can be delayed for several hours is a paradigm altering discovery,” says senior study investigator, Thomas Platts-Mills, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine and Microbiology at UVA and head of the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
The researchers found that the delayed response is being triggered by an IgE antibody that binds to a sugar molecule known as galactose- -1,3-galactose (alpha-gal). The antibody was found in the serum of all 24 adults assessed in the study and in more than 100 other individuals, including six children, now being tracked by the UVA study team.
“Alpha-gal is an unexpected culprit,” explains lead author, Scott Commins, M.D., Ph.D., an allergy and immunology fellow at UVA who will join its medical faculty in July. “Today’s textbooks tell us that allergic reactions are caused by proteins in food, pollen, dander and venom. They are not supposed to be caused by sugars like alpha-gal.”
UVA researchers are still determining what triggers the production of alpha-gal antibodies. So far, evidence strongly suggests that tick bites are the cause. “Eighty percent of our study cohort reported being bitten by ticks either weeks or months before symptoms began. When we consider all the patients in our database, more than 90 percent had tick bites,” Commins notes. “We are continuing to investigate this link by gathering patient information from a network of allergists around the U.S. and in four other countries.”
“In our findings, we refer to ‘seed’ tick, which is the generic term for the larval form of ticks. Ticks such as dog tick, deer tick, Lone Star, etc. are the adult forms. We believe all types of ticks can trigger this reaction,” Commins explains.
Blood typing performed at UVA indicates that individuals with Type B or AB blood seem protected from developing IgE to alpha-gal. Commins is concerned that people with other blood types may be unaware of the risks posed by tick bites. “A lot of people suffer symptoms for years without knowing the cause. We worry that the number of undiagnosed or potential cases of alpha-gal sensitivity may be on a dramatic rise,” Commins says. “However, we’ll need more data to make formal projections.”
The UVA study yielded other paradigm-challenging findings. First, the allergist’s key diagnostic tool, the skin prick test, proved ineffective in detecting red meat allergy in study patients. (As part of the UVA research effort, Commins developed a skin testing technique to identify this allergy.) Second, most patients began experiencing symptoms as adults, defying the common belief that food allergies rarely develop after childhood.
According to Commins, the study is prompting new thinking about food allergies as well as continued investigation. “Our observations have turned a lot of conventional wisdom upside down while raising a number of important questions,” he notes. “We still need to figure out what triggers production of IgE to alpha-gal, why some blood groups are protected and why the allergic reaction is delayed and so severe.”
On a practical note, Commins advises quick removal of hitchhiking ticks and monitoring of bite sites. “People who develop the red meat allergy often report they experienced significant itching and redness around the bites,” he explains. “Anyone who is concerned about developing the alpha-gal antibody after tick bites should have a screening test. It’s far safer than waiting for an allergic reaction to occur.”
In addition to Platts-Mills and Commins, the UVA study co-authors were Shama M. Satinover, MS, Jacob Hosen, BS, Jonathan Mozena, MD, Larry Borish, MD, Barrett D. Lewis, MD, Judith A. Woodfolk, MBChB, PhD.
http://www.bigmedicine.ca/bioscitech.htm#BPA,_chemical_used_to_make_plastic
BPA, chemical used to make plastics, found to leach from polycarbonate drinking bottles into humans
[May 21 Boston MA]—A new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that participants who drank for a week from polycarbonate bottles, the popular, hard-plastic drinking bottles and baby bottles, showed a two-thirds increase in their urine of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA). Exposure to BPA, used in the manufacture of polycarbonate and other plastics, has been shown to interfere with reproductive development in animals and has been linked with cardiovascular disease and diabetes in humans.
The study is the first to show that drinking from polycarbonate bottles increased the level of urinary BPA, and thus suggests that drinking containers made with BPA release the chemical into the liquid that people drink in sufficient amounts to increase the level of BPA excreted in human urine.
The study appears on the website of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
In addition to polycarbonate bottles, which are refillable and a popular container among students, campers and others and are also used as baby bottles, BPA is also found in dentistry composites and sealants and in the lining of aluminum food and beverage cans. (In bottles, polycarbonate can be identified by the recycling number 7.) Numerous studies have shown that it acts as an endocrine-disruptor in animals, including early onset of sexual maturation, altered development and tissue organization of the mammary gland and decreased sperm production in offspring. It may be most harmful in the stages of early development.
“We found that drinking cold liquids from polycarbonate bottles for just one week increased urinary BPA levels by more than two-thirds. If you heat those bottles, as is the case with baby bottles, we would expect the levels to be considerably higher. This would be of concern since infants may be particularly susceptible to BPA’s endocrine-disrupting potential,” said Karin B. Michels, associate professor of epidemiology at HSPH and Harvard Medical School and senior author of the study.
The researchers, led by first author Jenny Carwile, a doctoral student in the department of epidemiology at HSPH, and Michels, recruited Harvard College students for the study in April 2008. The 77 participants began the study with a seven-day “washout” phase in which they drank all cold beverages from stainless steel bottles in order to minimize BPA exposure. Participants provided urine samples during the washout period. They were then given two polycarbonate bottles and asked to drink all cold beverages from the bottles during the next week; urine samples were also provided during that time.
The results showed that the participants’ urinary BPA concentrations increased 69% after drinking from the polycarbonate bottles. (The study authors noted that BPA concentrations in the college population were similar to those reported for the U.S. general population.) Previous studies had found that BPA could leach from polycarbonate bottles into their contents; this study is the first to show a corresponding increase in urinary BPA concentrations in humans.
One of the study’s strengths, the authors note, is that the students drank from the bottles in a normal use setting. Additionally, the students did not wash their bottles in dishwashers nor put hot liquids in them; heating has been shown to increase the leaching of BPA from polycarbonate, so BPA levels might have been higher had students drunk hot liquids from the bottles.
Canada banned the use of BPA in polycarbonate baby bottles in 2008 and some polycarbonate bottle manufacturers have voluntarily eliminated BPA from their products. With increasing evidence of the potential harmful effects of BPA in humans, the authors believe further research is needed on the effect of BPA on infants and on reproductive disorders and on breast cancer in adults.
“This study is coming at an important time because many states are deciding whether to ban the use of BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups. While previous studies have demonstrated that BPA is linked to adverse health effects, this study fills in a missing piece of the puzzle—whether or not polycarbonate plastic bottles are an important contributor to the amount of BPA in the body,” said Carwile.
The study was supported by the Harvard University Center for the Environment and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Biological Analysis Core, Department of Environmental Health, HSPH. Carwile was also supported by the Training Program in Environmental Epidemiology.
“Use of Polycarbonate Bottles and Urinary Bisphenol A Concentrations,” Jenny L. Carwile, Henry T. Luu, Laura S. Bassett, Daniel A. Driscoll, Caterina Yuan, Jennifer Y. Chang, Xiaoyun Ye, Antonia M. Calafat, Karin B. Michels, Environmental Health Perspectives, online May 12, 2009.
Clam Frappé
hmmmm, well....I don’t think I’ll be trying THAT one!<<<
Nor will I, for I always get the one with sand in it.
Information on the effectiveness of facemasks and respirators for decreasing the risk of influenza infection in community settings is extremely limited.<<<
Why don’t we have the information? [Sarcasm, “call obama and tell him thy need a grant to study it...]
In Japan, they say the use of face masks is common to avoid diseases and you will often see photos of the streets there, with most wearing them.
With beautiful Mason jars all lined up and pretty - no worries! Oh, wait. I do live in earthquake country. But I’ll put the little guys back in the boxes they came in and that’ll help with that ;)<<<
Good planning.
Curious thought of “what if you bought an old foam rubber mattress and set the boxes on that?”
You are welcome, we will convert the husband to essential oils and herbs, takes longer for some.
To me, the essential oils are just herbs in a concentrated form.
>>>LOL! You would think of that, wouldn’t you?<<<
Well, of course....
Actually, the elephant dung, cow paddies, or horse manure would all work well for paper making. Let the animals prepare the fiber for you. Now, I wonder if that is what the Chinese do to make cardboard so much cheaper than we do??? I better be careful, or someone will be saying that they are (and I will have created an international incident)...
Hey, CB - glad you got your pressure canner! I think you said earlier that you had gotten the Ball book... It is excellent!
I have been playing with my latest toys (doesn’t take much to entertain me - Thought I better say that before you do)- Jar sealers for regular and wide-mouth jars to vacuum seal with my Food-Saver that BIL and SIL got us for Christmas. I have been vacuum sealing everything in sight! Opened a jar of Bread & Butter pickles for some potato salad, and sucked that lid down tight before putting it in the fridge.
Have been doing nuts, raisins (that I had gotten on sale at the bulk store) , even supply of tea bags. I plan to use it on the dried foods this summer. I still think I will use the oven method for rice and beans though, as any eggs will be killed that way.
I have used it for storing extra garden seeds (as I always have about twice what I need and then some)
Nice thing is that if you open the lids carefully, you can reseal them over and over. (Just don’t try to use it for canning though)
http://localnourishment.com/2009/05/19/twice-a-week-pancakes/
I wanted him to eat soaked grains but couldn’t find a good recipe for pancakes. I was near giving up on the pancakes and just making regular old whole-wheat pancakes when I found a link to the best pancakes I’ve ever had: soaked or otherwise!
Even though they contain whole wheat and oats (or buckwheat, barley or any other grain you choose) you don’t need a grain grinder because your blender will do the work. They soak overnight in buttermilk which both neutralizes the phytic acid in the grain and makes them light and fluffy. Even better for me, once they are put together the night before, it’s a quick 5 minute blend with leaven and an egg in the morning so I’m not having to do a lot of measuring and thinking at 5:30 AM.
Here’s the link. Don’t be discouraged by the length of the instructions, Sue Gregg, the author, really went to great lengths to explain and photograph the process. I have the bare bones written on a 3×5 card that hangs on the fridge for twice weekly reference.
http://www.suegregg.com/recipes/breakfasts/blenderbatterwaffles/blenderbatterwaffles.htm
>>>Curious thought of “what if you bought an old foam rubber mattress and set the boxes on that?”<<<
Putting them in the shipping box is actually an extremely good practice... Not only does it make them more stable (as far as falling over), but it also helps shield them from light too.
Mattress might be a bit expensive, but foam carpet underlayment would probably work great and is inexpensive (even free) - just talk to a carpet installer for remnants or used from one of his jobs.
http://www.wisebread.com/four-fun-frosting-formulas
A good blog, for information on ‘frugal’ and how to do it.
This page has good frosting recipes and there are links to more.
Many subjects, worth checking out.
Actually, the elephant dung, cow paddies, or horse manure would all work well for paper making. Let the animals prepare the fiber for you. Now, I wonder if that is what the Chinese do to make cardboard so much cheaper than we do??? I better be careful, or someone will be saying that they are (and I will have created an international incident)...<<<
Why not, would not surprise me, as there was a dumpling seller there caught adding cardboard to the dumplings a couple years ago....
It is only today that the cow patty is considered a bio-hazard.
They were always added to the soil and have been used many years for fuel, once they are dry they burn well, my parents did during the depression and many journals of the covered wagon travelers talk of using the buffalo patties to cook with, when there was no wood.
If we knew the truth about what we are eating, we would stop eating.
Welcome to the thread and thank you for the link.
They are a great way for space limited gardeners to maximize their yields and for those who may be renting and unable to till for a garden to have one.
Again, welcome and please continue to share with everyone.
Welcome to the thread.
Thank you for the link, an excellent idea and I am glad you posted it.
Have you made it? Does it work for your growing area?
Several of us are reduced to growing in pots for now and all information is welcome, LOL, on any subject, well almost any subject.
Mattress might be a bit expensive, but foam carpet underlayment would probably work great and is inexpensive (even free) - just talk to a carpet installer for remnants or used from one of his jobs.<<<
Taking a drive around the neighborhood on trash pickup day would likely find some of the carpet foam or old mattresses.
LOL, the things we dream up and there is always “Free Cycle”.
Frugal, crafts, links. The bag is lovely and free...granny
http://www.myrecycledbags.com/2009/05/23/tee-shirt-recycled-into-a-handbag/
Tee-Shirt Recycled into a Handbag
Posted on May 23, 2009
Recycled Tee-Shirt Handbag
Recycled your old tee-shirts into a cute handbag. I crocheted this purse using two tee-shirts and a part of another for the striping. I added a flower as an embellishment and here is my final result.
Tee-Shirt Cut Click to supersize photos
Here is a photo showing how I cut around the tee-shirt to create “yarn” to crochet with. You just continue cutting in one continuous strip and go around corners as shown. If you do need to join two strips, either overlap and weave under your ends or join splicing strips together by either hand or machine stitching the ends together. Another method that doesn’t require sewing the strips together is to make a small slit hole at the end of the two strips you need to splice together. The slit should be cut lengthwise only about ½ inch from the end of the strip and should only be big enough to allow the next strip to pass through it. Hold the two strips with the holes together then take the uncut end and lace it through two holes. Pull the strip completely through the holes and pull tight to make the splice as small as possible.
Have fun with this project by recycling your tee-shirts into a charming eco-friendly handbag. The materials are free and so is the crochet pattern below.
Free Crocheted Recycled Tee-Shirt Bag Pattern
Bag measures 10 inches wide and 9” long with 8” handles.
Material: Three different colored tee-shirts cut into ½ to ¾” inch strips
Hook: Metal “N” hook
[I dare not check the other crafts and links, they look interesting...LOL granny]
JD, note the bite cure she uses...]
http://localnourishment.com/category/carnival-post/natural-cures-blog-carnival/
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Our favorite natural remedies
May 25, 2009 in Carnival Post, Health and Beauty, Natural Cures Blog Carnival | Tags: Health | 3 comments
This post is part of the Natural Cures Blog Carnival hosted by Hartkeisonline.
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We don’t have health insurance. It can be a scary place to live, knowing that we are one broken leg away from financial ruin, but we are getting used to it. Hubby has maintained his insurance to help defray the cost of his dozen prescriptions, and we kept the dental insurance because of the kids’ tooth problems. But I am completely uninsured, and the kids have no medical insurance at all. I looked into the state insurance for low incomes, but the premium for all of us is more than we make!
So, we are making do with natural remedies as best we can. I feel confident that most of what we encounter we can heal from with some supporting nutrition and herbs and lots of prayer. There are a few things I wouldn’t do at home. I would not set a broken bone, for example, or leave symptoms of meningitis to a “wait and see” attitude. I am comfortable within my limits.
Our health care protocol starts with sunshine, fresh air, exercise, clean water, real food, prayer and sleep. If someone exhibits the symptoms of illness, we take action right away, knowing that the sooner a condition is treated, the greater the liklihood that a gentle treatment will suffice.
Our favorite natural remedies:
For twisted ankles, wrists, etc.: Cold packs 20 minutes on and 40 minutes off for the first 24 hours, followed by warm packs in the same manner. Resting the injured joint if it is swollen or too painful to move or bear weight. A homemade infused oil (we call it Ahh Oil) of St. John’s Wort and Arnica, infused into coconut oil and applied when the cold or warm pack is removed. Fresh pineapple in the diet to take down swelling.
For sore throats, colds, etc.: Sixteen ounces of filtered water taken immediately when that sore feeling begins usually stops the illness before it “blooms.” If we miss it, we gargle with a vinegar infused with raspberry and sage once an hour. Stuffy noses are treated to a steam tent for five minutes each hour made of a bath towel over a bowl of hot water in which thyme has been steeped. A salad of wolfberries and parsley to give an unbeatable vitamin C boost.
For cough: Mullein to the rescue! We add garlic to the diet to warm the lungs and prevent secondary infections as well.
For itches: Bug bites (as long as the bite has not been scratched open) are treated to a q-tip dunked in ammonia once every several hours. Smells awful, but stops the itch like nothing else we’ve found. We also keep zinc oxide and calamine lotion available for poison oak and ivy rashes, but not for the longer term rashes of eczema and dishydrosis we battle. A booster of Omega 3s and zinc in the diet help skin repair.
For burns: When a burn happens (stove, oven, ironing board etc.) the injured body part is immediately soaked in water for five minutes. If the least bit of redness remains after soaking, I slice off a tiny piece of aloe leaf from a plant we keep in the kitchen and expose the inside where a soothing liquid waits to provide relief. The liquid goes onto the burn every time the heat comes back for the first 24 hours. We don’t cover the burn, but allow it to “cool” in open air. Sunburns are treated to a vinegar rinse after a cool shower. Since we’ve been using vinegar on sunburns, we haven’t had one that peeled. Here too, Omega 3s and zinc seem to speed repair.
For eye problems: We had a baby whose tear ducts didn’t open until she was 2. I did not want the doctor doing surgery on her to open them, but she got frequent eye infections. If I caught them early enough, placing freshly grated potato or apple on her closed eye (while she slept) would stop the infection before naptime was over. I must admit, I have NO idea why or how this works, but it did.
For cuts and scrapes: We love keeping witch hazel around for minor cuts and scrapes. We use it to clean wounds well before applying a tea made of echinacea, yarrow and calendula. Echinacea encourages new tissue growth, yarrow closes wounds and calendula is very soothing.
Headache: A cup of chamomile, peppermint or lemon balm tea usually does the trick here. Of course, a moment of quiet contemplation while sipping the tea enhances its effect.
Diarrhea: A few tablespoons of dried blueberries steeped in hot water and drunk like tea usually stops it.
Gas: Laying on the floor and rolling very slowly like a log can release trapped gas.
Nausea: We chew on papaya enzyme tablets if it is so severe that a spoonful of lacto-fermented vegetable or a cup of raw milk doesn’t do the trick. But more often than not, the food remedies work fine.
http://localnourishment.com/2009/04/28/mullein-to-the-resue/
Mullein to the resue
April 28, 2009 in Carnival Post, Natural Cures Blog Carnival | Tags: Health
This post is part of the Natural Cures Blog Carnival.
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In my journey from standard American to smarter American, I embarked on an herbal medicine course. Due to family issues, I had to stop two or three weeks before completion. I have since finished the course on my own, but don’t have the official stamp of certification. Studying herbal medicine was a wonderful step toward being more self-reliant for our family. As I see the US move toward socialized health care and as I study the strengths and weaknesses of the Canadian and British systems, I am more and more convinced that I need to take care of as much as I can in my own home and not rely on doctors for everyday illnesses and injuries. DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor, the medical advice I provide my family is just that…advice. The herbal remedies I make at home are for supporting our health, they aren’t cures.
Studying herbs has also lead me to study food and the way what we eat supports or degrades our health. I believe there are critical first steps to take to help our bodies function at their peak: sunshine, fresh air, clean water, lifestyle exercise, restful sleep, peace with God and the foods we eat. Sometimes our bodies fall ill and we need to take stronger steps. But long before I bring out the cannons of prescriptions, I’ll try some smaller guns like herbs and time-tested home remedies.
I have what some might call “weak lungs.” That is, when I catch a cold, it usually goes to bronchitis and occasionally pneumonia before resolving. In order to stop the downward cycle, I have a weapon in my herbal arsenal I’m never without.
Mullein grows wild in many parts of the US, including the Pacific Northwest where I first learned about this gem; and the southeast where I now live. The first year it makes a soft, green rosette. These leaves can be made into a soothing salve for scrapes and hemorrhoids.
If left through the winter, the plant puts up a flower spike that I’ve seen rocketing 7 feet tall in its second summer. As the spike blooms, the flowers can be picked and made into a tincture.
When I catch a cold, the cold goes through these stages if left untreated: the headache, the runny nose, the congested chest, bronchitis, pneumonia, healing. When my cold reaches the congested chest stage, I will start taking my mullein tincture. The mullein causes the congestion in my chest to break up. The coughing that results is good coughing, called expectoration. This coughing breaks up the mucous in my lungs and keeps a secondary infection from getting started. The exercise of coughing also increases blood flow to my lungs, which helps my body warm up and clean the area. Since I’ve begun taking mullein during the congested part of a cold cycle, I have only had one bout of bronchitis and it didn’t develop into pneumonia.
I now have mullein growing in my medicine garden so I don’t need to wonder if the herb I wildcraft has been sprayed with pesticides or herbicides. The next time you’re driving through a wild area and see a tall spike like this, I hope you think “medicine” and not “weed!”
[15 comments and if granny’s memory is right, the indians and early travelers used the dry flower stalk for a large candle or torch, to light their way.....granny]
http://localnourishment.com/category/carnival-post/natural-cures-blog-carnival/
Owie Syrup
March 23, 2009 in Carnival Post, Natural Cures Blog Carnival | 1 comment
This post is part of the Natural Cures Blog Carnival hosted by Hartkeisonline.
Twisted ankles, sprained wrists, fat lips. All these can take place over the course of a normal childhood. But next time, instead of reaching for a pill to take that inflammation down, try this delicious syrup on toast, porridge, ice cream or pancakes. Not hungry? A spoonful taken like a medicinal syrup will do just as well. First, the recipe, nutritional notes follow.
Owie Syrup
1 organic pineapple
2 cups organic tart cherries (fresh, in season if possible, otherwise frozen)
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground organic cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 cup (or less) organic maple syrup or unheated, unfiltered honey
Peel, core and run the pineapple through a juicer. Pit cherries, add to pineapple juice in blender or food processor. Melt coconut oil in a bowl over a warm water bath, but do not allow oil to get warmer than skin temperature. Stream in coconut oil while blender is running. Add cinnamon and cloves. Taste before adding maple syrup, as it might be sweet enough without it. Store syrup in refrigerator.
Brave users can try just a little grated ginger in this as well, but my kids tell me that “ruins it.”
Nutritional notes:
Pineapple is particularly rich in bromelain, an enzyme that decreases inflammation. Cherries are rich in anthocyanins. In general, the darker the cherry color, the higher the anthocyanin content. Anthocyanins have been found to block two enzymes, COX-1 and COX-2, which play a role in the production of inflammatory compounds called prostaglandins. NSAIDS work the same way. Cinnamon’s ability to lower the release of arachidonic acid from cell membranes makes it an excellent anti-inflammatory food. Ginger’s volatile oils are helpful in reducing inflammation. Coconut oil appears to have a direct effect in suppressing inflammation and repairing tissue. Maple syrup and cloves are used for flavoring.
The important enzymes in these foods will be destroyed if the syrup or any of its ingredients are heated about 115°, so this syrup is not cooked. For the same reason, canned pineapple and cherries will not have the same potency. As the coconut oil cools, it will thicken the syrup a little. If the syrup becomes too thick, leaving it at room temperature for a time will soften it again.
Tired of traditional medicine telling you you’re sick when you’re not? Me, too. This article from The Onion sums it up pretty succinctly.
Cold Comfort Food
March 18, 2009 in Carnival Post, Monday Soup, Natural Cures Blog Carnival, Recipes and Menus, Thursday Meatless | Tags: Health, Potatoes, Rice, Stock | 4 comments
This post is part of the Natural Cures Blog Carnival hosted by Hartkeisonline.
We were still fighting a cough thing when Blair said her upper teeth hurt when she bit down—a sinus infection? So, I dug out my nutritional materia medica and tossed together this lunch:
Cold Comfort Lunch
Chop 2 garlic cloves, set aside. Chop a small onion, six shiitake mushrooms and eight green beans into tiny bites. Steam those veggies in a steamer basket for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until crisp tender. Warm up two cups of leftover cooked rice or sprouted grains and garlic for 5 minutes in some good homemade stock. Toss the veggies in a large bowl, add rice and a handful of crispy pine nuts. Strip the leaves from eight or nine stalks of fresh thyme, grate 2 carrots and add the thyme leaves and carrots to the bowl. In a separate small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of homemade chicken broth and 1/4 cup raisins. Add that in and toss all together. Serve with a little parmesan on top.
Garlic and onion are prized for their immune-boosting and infection-killing abilities. Shiitake mushrooms have antiviral properties. Thyme is a miracle worker when it comes to calming coughs (we have a bowl of boiling water with thyme for the kids to “tent” their heads when they start coughing.) The fresh lemon juice is a great source of vitamin C, and raisins are alkaline. Of course, homemade stocks are the original health food. The leftover rice is filling, and the small pieces of veggies are easy to chew and nutritious, making this meal a real “comfort food” for when colds strike.
At snack time, I didn’t want the kids eating a bunch of immune-suppressing sugar, but they wanted something sweet. I also wanted a big nutritional “BANG” for those who are not feeling well enough to eat a lot. So of course, I turned to sweet potatoes! Ah, all that orangey goodness. You just can almost feel the vitamins working their wonders on you. Of course, they taste great, or they wouldn’t get eaten!
I just peeled and sliced 3 large sweet potatoes in 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices and tossed them in a big bowl with a tablespoon of melted pasture butter. Onto a cookie sheet, into a 500° oven for 20 minutes, and voila! Snacktime! They were crispy on the outside and sweet and chewy on the inside. They didn’t even need salt.
I wanted something for dinner that would be soothing on upset tummies, cough-relaxing and warming, but not overly filling, and this chowder fit the bill.
chowderI call it The More (Vegetables) The Merrier Chowder
I mixed together 3 cups of homemade beef stock, a large chopped onion, a tablespoon of stripped thyme leaves, a teaspoon of cumin, 2 cloves of minced garlic and got it boiling. I turned the heat down to simmer and covered it for five minutes. I tossed in a half cup of frozen corn with a handful of frozen peas, four stalks of chopped bok choy, three stalks of chopped celery, a chopped up red bell pepper, two chopped carrots and two chopped zucchini. I had a loaf of sourdough french bread that needed using, so while the soup simmered for about 15 minutes, I warmed the bread in the oven. In a separate bowl, I mixed together 3 cups of raw milk, three tablespoons of homemade peanut butter and a dash of Tabasco. I added that to the soup and stirred it around. It was the perfect eating temperature almost immediately. We had elderberry preserves on the bread, well, the kids did. I dunked my bread in the chowder!
I’ve come the long way around to nutritional healing. I started by learning homeopathy, then became a home herbalist. Supporting my family’s health through nutrition seemed the next logical step.
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