Behold the wonders of Mallow!

This "weed" grows everywhere!  Common mallow or cheese weed can be found along road sides, next to flower boxes, in flower boxes, along driveways. 

I am dealing with GERD Gastroesophageal reflux disease. Things have been  little tense lately and my body is reacting to it. 

My neighbor stopped by today and was asking me about the giant mallow I have growing near my garden. He sparked my memory and I decided to make a tea to ease my tummy.  I used equal parts of mallow, mint and basil. 

The mallow is a mucilage plant meaning it will coat and sooth.  Mallow is also great for thickening soups and stews. 

Mint has anti inflammatory properties.

Basil can protect against ulcers. 

This combo soothed me very quickly. 

So simple, so good. All these plants have vitamins and other uses as well. We have what we need, it's all about research and learning about the gifts that grow in our own back yards!

Have a great week!!!  

 

There has been a lot of information out about keeping your gut healthy. There are studies that show there is a strong correlation between a healthy digestive system and your brain power! Makes sense really, your fuel for running your body comes from what you eat. I also read a paper that shows serotonin production begins in the digestive system. 

There are more supplements than you can imagine to keep your gut healthy. They all claim to be natural, but how about a simple daily smoothie that can take care of that for you!

I make my own Kombucha. It's simple, inexpensive and so very good for you. 

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/6785643731867106352/3408316654671325142

So I start this smoothie with Kombucha, about a cup. I add in some juice for nutrition and and flavor. It's winter time so I'm using pineapple juice for the Bromelain.  It's a natural cough and congestion suppressant. And carrot juice for the vitamins, beta-carotene and potassium. I add a splash of Aloe Vera juice for the anti-oxidants and digestive help. I then add a couple tablespoons of plain yogurt. In the summer time I freeze the yogurt to give the smoothie a nice chill. (recipe below)

Since my surgery and wanting to help my tendon heal, I also add collagen powder. It is so good for tendon health as well as bone, skin and hair. My healing is coming along quite well. 

I always need a bit of energy in the morning so I add beet powder as well. I like it better than coffee because you don't get that low feeling a few hours later. 

This smoothie has everything you need to keep your gut working the way it should. It's hard to eat healthy when we are busy, and this smoothie is a great start to the day. 

I just wanted to share what is working for me, just in case it works for you! 

Stay warm and dry!!!

Recipe

1 cup Kombucha

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup carrot juice

2 tablespoons of aloe vera juice

2 tablespoons of plain yogurt

additionally I use:

Beet Powder

Collagen 

Blue Berries

Strawberries

 

Day 3 of captivity….

As most of you know I had surgery Thursday to reconnect my Achilles tendon to my heel. It was an unremarkable surgery of simply attaching filament wire to the tendon, and anchoring to my heel via plastic anchors and screws.

Day one was okay, as the nerve block was holding, however day two was a challenge as said block decided to wear off and the full force of what it feels like to have things drilled into bone became apparent. But not to worry, a wee bit of self-medication and a few (okay a lot) of choice words got me through.

So here we are to today. I realize that there are times you really must ask for help. I am blessed to have it granted. Before surgery my awesome son Neal took my grocery shopping and to the bank so I had supplies for this adventure.  A lovely lady, Sherrie that  I sold a saddle to agreed to feed my horses day and night. Jim, bless his heart did the driving and came by to help me with firewood, bringing in seedlings and various other things.  My dear friend Deborah brought me a pizza to satisfy my need for comfort food. To my delight, Dan came by and put up a ramp for me so when I have to go back to the Dr. I am able to get to the vehicle. And last, but certainly not least were the prayers sent up by friends, my bible study table, and I was blessed to have the surgeon pray with me before the surgery.

So here I am day three, figured out how to do some of the simplest things, wash my hair, tidy up a bit, how to get from my knee scooter to bed and chair without crashing into things. I cannot use my right foot for weeks. The healing takes a bit of time. I am not used to such constraints. Many have had it worse, but trauma is measured on how much you have dealt with in the past.

I have had a lot of things pass my way that were a trial, mostly emotional, and I was able to eventually handle it. But this has taught me many things.

1.       Patience. I laugh when I type this because I can’t really say I have mastered that art, but I am getting better. It is so frustrating to slow down to a crawl and take all day to do a couple of simple things.

2.      Asking for help, although nearly choked me, has shown me that inherent kindness that resides in most people. We are in a time when it appears humanity is losing it’s ability to care. I am happy to report that in my circle that just isn’t true.

3.      Dealing with disappointment. I am supposed to be in Israel right now. I booked the trip first of summer, got it paid off and was planning on a 10 day excursion through the holy land.

So now on day 3, stew is simmering on the stove, easy little projects are being completed, people are reaching out.  I will finish labeling soaps I made to take to Christmas craft fairs that will be sold likely in Spring. I do have bookkeeping work to do, and a few other life things I can take care of.

So if nothing else I want to remind you, when you feel the tug to slow down and pay attention, but you are just too busy to do so, don’t be so arrogant. Take the time to ease up when your body is tired, your mind is racing and your soul is weary. Do it when it’s your choice, before the choice is made for you. Just sayin

 

 

 

The End of the World is Near!

Folks stand on boxes telling the world to watch out Armageddon is coming! The world doesn’t end, it just changes. Each generation fights to bring a new look to the landscape, either by style, belief, war or peace. Each generation has something to offer. They fight for their changes. I was born in 1957. Enter the 60’s, the day of the men’s club, woman at home, children playing outside till dark, and the grand 50’s moral standard. People went to church, they knew their neighbors, and there were no safety caps on medicines. Government was trusted, presidents had a more regal bearing.   

Fast forward to now. None of those things are true anymore. None of them. Children have play dates, they don’t roam the neighborhood looking for all the bikes parked outside a neighbor’s house to see where everyone was hanging out.  Now it’s all scripted, children don’t learn interactive skills or communication. Mom’s set up everything. Kids have phones so they are tethered to their parents, yet when they are all together they don’t interact.

We are feeling a crossroads yet again. There is a call to change the moral rules to allow for all kinds of new and some disturbing behaviors. There is a breakdown in the family unit. Both parents work, just to make ends meet. There is more control via advertising to tell you what you “need” to own to be one of “us”.

So many want it all to take a step back, to stop running amok. And so many want a new way. So as with every generation the fight is on. It does seem different to me than the changes of the 60’s and 70’s. There was a freedom type revolution that kept spilling over into the 80’s and 90’s and even the first decade of the 2000’s.  But now even though they speak of freedom, people are anything but free. They are tethered to their phones that record where you are at all times. Government agencies have more control over your life than ever before. They say it’s for your safety, but it’s really just another excuse to take away any thing that resembles the freedom you might have thought you had.

In its stead, we have schools that go behind parent’s back to teach children things children aren’t ready for. They are in a massive indoctrination camp in the guise of learning. They took out PE and marvel at how active children are, so they put them on drugs. The logic is out the window.

While I do understand that life is a constant line of changes, it would be nice to keep the pleasant things. Keep moral high ground, teach kids how to communicate, how to handle disappointment, how to be proactive. We have a generation that has no idea how to make this all work.  Things have gone a bit too far, and it needs to be throttled back. We all know there will be change, but it has to make some kind of sense to bring joy, love, enlightenment, contentment back into the world. All I see now is chaos, anger and fear. Look at what is happening. We can do better.

 

 

Greetings,

I’m sitting here listening to the lovely sound of rain! We haven’t had a good rain in a very long time and we really need it. Had a very busy week last week, a combination of tax prep, real estate, gardening, and preserving. 

My harvest last week was pretty good, and I decided to give fermenting a try. I do like to can, but I really didn’t have enough to feel like I should go through the energy and expense of canning. I have been watching a lot of videos on fermenting. Fermented foods are very good to keep a healthy gut.  I am a solid kombucha drinker already, so I thought I would add this too!

 

I’ve also started my cole crops for my winter garden. This year I’ve started broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussel sprouts and bok choy.  I’ve ordered my garlic from a place in Idaho, and my onion sets should be here soon.  I’ll be putting in root crops too, another must have!

 

 

 

Just a reminder this is a good time to start your Fire Cider. It takes a few weeks to infuse and cold and flu season is right around the corner. Here is the link, in case you’ve never made it.  

http://www.thereikiranch.com/p/fire-cider-for-those-pesky-winter-colds.html

  I do think it helps with congestion and sore throats. It doesn’t taste great, but enough honey helps it go down.

 

Guess I better go label some soaps, they aren’t going to label themselves! 

 

Bye for now,

Tammie

 

 

 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

 

I will post my fermentation experiment in a few days and let you know how it went. 

 

 When God He is speaking

That voice in your ear

He talks of your joys

He shows you your fears

The pain of the others

The weary and lost

Those that have found Him

At joy and at cost

They call Him the savior

They greet him with cheer

They forget with the knowledge

That binds us all here

To draw Him the open

To welcome with glee

To live through His might

With bowed head and bent knee

To see it is coming

To taste this new test

There is no great winner

There is no real best

The sorrow it comes

The balance be made

The payment extracted

For the table we have laid

We fight and we conquer

We chose our new foe

We say we are righteous

But inside we all know

The love we have in us

We hide and we dare

We choose only the worthy

To honor and share

But now time has come

To look what we wrought

To wonder the payment

For what we have bought

So we sit and we ponder

We try not to think

We are sick with the knowing

We are the weak link

It’s time to take hold

To do what is right

To share that love

To honor His light

So smile with knowledge

And find joy in what you see

Start your day with grace

And be what you are to be.

Open your heart

Be brave and to dare

For all He really wanted

Was for us to care

33

Let's talk about Kombucha!

 

Kombucha is easy to make, with the simple ingredients on the above plate.... but what is that brownish slimey looking thing?  Well it's a SCOBY. A Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast.  Sounds and looks yummy.  lol  It is this SCOBY that enjoys the sugar that ferments the tea into making a lovely drink full of good bacteria, antioxidants and more!  It is simple to make and a must for good gut health.

Kombucha has been around for centuries, originating in the Chinese and Japanese cultures. There are many claims to what it can help and cure, but little scientific testing has been done. I am my own guinea pig, and I have to say I do enjoy this tasty drink every morning.  

I make mine with black tea which is why my SCOBY is brownish. If you use green tea it is closer to a white color. However, I think that green tea tastes like feet, so I don't subject my SCOBY to it. lol

All my SCOBY's go back to Scoby wan Kinobe.  lol Okay it's a little silly, but I was given one years ago. And then made my own. They are very easy to make.  Just take a serving of Kombucha, pour it in a jar and leave it for a couple of days. You will see a white film start to form on the top of the liquid, and as the days go by it gets a little thicker. With this thick disc that floats on top you can make your own Kombucha

To make a 1/2 gallon all you need is 3 tea bags of either black or green tea, or a combo of both and 1/2 cup of sugar. You might think it would be healthier with less sugar, but you would be wrong. The SCOBY needs that sugar to ferment your tea. So use the amount recommended and you won't be sorry!  After about a week, less in the summertime your kombucha will start to smell a little vinegary. If you wait too long, it will smell and taste a lot like vinegar.  At this point save one cup of kombucha to keep your SCOBY happy and put the rest in the refrigerator.

You can drink it like that or do a second ferment. I like to add blueberries and ginger to increase the health benefits.  I don't add a lot, a handful of each. Then put it in the refrigerator. 

So too begin, boil water and dissolve your sugar, then turn off the stove and add your tea bags.  Let the tea cool off before adding it to the SCOBY. It is live culture and you don't want to hurt it! Fill your 1/2 gallon jug till the SCOBY is at the top and cover with a paper towel or coffee filter, I affix mine with a rubber band, set it were it won't be disturbed. Wait about a week and TADA! you have Kombucha!

My favorite way to start the day is with a drink of 1/3 Kombucha, 1/3 Carrot Juice and 1/3 Pineapple Juice with two dollops of plain yogurt. I put it all in a blender to get it to a good consistency. A nice little smoothie type thing to get your day started. 

Don't keep your SCOBY in a tightly sealed container. It's working and can develop gas (can't we all?),  and you don't want to let too much pressure build up. That is why we cover with a paper towel or coffee filter. 

If any of you are in the Grass Valley area, I will gladly share my SCOBYs with you! Just email tammie5750@yahoo.com and we can set a time to get one.

Happy 2022!

Okay, now that I have your attention!  Isn't this just the cutest goat!

 

Wow, we made it to 2022!  So now we take the time to enjoy the good things in life. If the past two years has taught us anything, the most important things aren't things at all!  They are the people in our lives. So to start this year, I got a good nights sleep. What a concept!  After chores I took the dogs for a walk and said my morning prayer of thanks. We have had a tough December in my area, and I was blessed to come out of all that unscathed. 

Started out this year with a little champagne brunch. Good food, great people and enlightening conversation. I don't think you start a year out better than that!  

We did have a bit of the bubbley.  :) 

Finished up with some good food and laughs. I call that start a winner!