Elder. Immune booster. Somewhere near you.
It’s no wonder that the elder is a plant steeped in mythology. Just looking at the big bushes, with their clouds of tiny white flowers dancing in the wind, or with the clusters of blue black berries dangling seductively at the end of each branch, you can tell that there is something magical about it. … Continue reading
Chimichurri
There I was, standing at the door of my open fridge, staring at a bunch of ingredients, willing an answer to come. I imagine that this is how Sherlock Holmes feels when staring down some evidence: the jalapenos are in the plastic bag on the middle shelf, and then Jam just brought home those delicious … Continue reading
Two for Tuesday blog hop!! Preserved lemons.
This post is a part of the Two-For-Tuesday blog carnival. To see my post on the medicinal properties of lemon, click HERE. When my family moved to California 12 years ago, we planted a lemon tree in the garden outside my bedroom. It must have been the perfect spot (or on top of radioactive waste), … Continue reading
Citrus medica var. limonum: Lemon
Common name: Lemon Botanical name: Citrus medica var. limonum Taste: sour, cool, dry Tongue: swollen, red tip Pulse: Rapid, soggy All citrus fruits help digestion, and keep the energy of the body flowing smoothly. Lemon, specifically, is cooling (where orange is more heating), and acts directly on a stagnant liver. Liver stagnation is fairly common … Continue reading
Feelin’ Peachy
This post is a part of the Two-For-Tuesday blog carnival!!! Today, I had the most fantastic stroke of luck ever: our friends who were going out of town gave us their CSA box for the week, and in it were mostly nectarines. All of this the day after I had picked up about 5 lb … Continue reading
Prunus Persica: Peach
The simple peach tree can provide a wealth of medicine– the flowers, the pits, the leaves, and the twigs are all useful, and good things to have on hand for you and your family. Common name: Peach (or nectarine– it’s a recessive gene that makes the peach non-fuzzy, but contrary to popular belief that it’s … Continue reading
Two for Tuesday: Making your own medicinal herbal honeys and elixirs.
This post is a part of the two for Tuesday blog carnival. Making your own herbal medicines is ridiculously easy, and a nice little pharmacopeia can usually be put together from plants that you can find around where you live. A few of my favourite gentle herbs to make medicines with are the following: Note: … Continue reading
Two for tuesday: Compound butter and a roast chicken that will blow your socks off.
This blog is a [belated] part of the two-for-tuesday blog carnival. I’m into local herbs. I mean, I’m sure you’re gathering that from my poetical waxings about what’s in bloom, and the pictures I take of the herbs in my garden, and stuff like that. It’s more than a trendy thing, or an ethical thing, … Continue reading
Lavender-honey ice cream
I kinda have a thing for lavender. It started when I was at university in Santa Barbara. I was a junk-food vegan. That is, a person who is vegan who eats nothing but vegan junk foods– vegan cookies, vegan muffins, vegan pasta dishes– and assumes that they’re healthy because of the vegan label. On one … Continue reading
empty jars
Now that I’m done with school for a few weeks, I can actually get out and walk and enjoy the late spring weeds that grow around here. Yesterday I went to my favourite little trail in Topanga Canyon. It’s such a diverse little area. In fact this whole area is. The wild cherries are getting … Continue reading
cauldrons and crockpots 