Sabtu, 31 Oktober 2009
Taking An Herbal Timeout!
Guest Blogging for The Herb Companion Magazine!
"In the sheltered heart of the clumps last year's foliage still clings to the lower branches, tatters of orange that mutter with the passage of the wind, the talk of old women warning the green generation of what they, too, must come to when the sap runs back."
- Jacquetta Hawkes
Whoooo. The remaining leaves all fell at once on one rainy windy day. The world looks as old as me, spooky for Halloween, not like last year's glorious last hurrah.
This evening I found a sweet little mouse in my kitchen; her name was Minnie.
And a beautiful purple fairy (with green woolies underneath her gossamer costume) was discovered in my living room, stealing candy, as fairies will do.
- Jacquetta Hawkes
Whoooo. The remaining leaves all fell at once on one rainy windy day. The world looks as old as me, spooky for Halloween, not like last year's glorious last hurrah.
This evening I found a sweet little mouse in my kitchen; her name was Minnie.
And a beautiful purple fairy (with green woolies underneath her gossamer costume) was discovered in my living room, stealing candy, as fairies will do.
My New Love Affair with Black Tea
This blog post is part of a blog party hosted by Kristine on Morning Beverage Rituals. Visit her fabulous blog to see the other entries
It is only in the past couple of months that I have fallen head over heels for black tea. I usually avoid caffeinated beverages, but somehow the rich tannic taste of black tea slowly won me over. I have become so enthralled with this indulgence that each morning, while waking from my reverie I am dreaming of which tea I will sip today.
The morning ritual of placing the water kettle on the fire to warm, pulling my favorite cup from the cupboard and gazing at the row of teas on my shelf reminds me of how abundantly the earth offers us special treats to cherish.
Camellia sinensis is a perennial evergreen shrub. It’s leaves are harvested, processed and dried in a variety of ways to produce all black tea, green tea, and oolong tea. Its history goes back at least 5,000 years in areas of China. Today China, Sri Lanka, and India are the biggest producers of black tea. Worldwide black tea is consumed more than any other beverage with the exception of water. With this in mind I see that I am not the only one to be seduced by this rich brew!
With our country’s overt dependence on stimulating nervines like coffee and black tea, it’s easy to demonize these beverages and tout the often cited side effects associated with their overuse. This is something that even I have been guilty of in the past.
As herbalists we know that some herbs work great for some, and horribly for others. As people we know that too much of anything is seldom a good thing.
With this in mind let’s explore the positive benefits of Camellia sinensis.
Green tea is often marveled for its high anti-oxidant content and is frequently suggested for immune enhancement, as an anti-inflammatory as well as a general tonic to improve well-being. Black tea also contains a high level of anti-oxidants and new research has shown it to be just as beneficial as green tea.
Like it’s caffeinated counterpart coffee, black tea has also shown promising results in lowering blood sugar in diabetics and could be used as part of a larger treatment protocol involving a health promoting diet and robust exercise.
I order most of my black tea from Mountain Rose Herbs. I love getting the high quality of whole leaf tea and there is something so REAL about placing leaves in my tea kettle as opposed to a bag that came from a box. Also, whole leaf teas are assuredly higher in quality than the stuff placed in tea bags.
Tea has a long history of trade and has even been used as a form of currency. Like many sought after items, people have been exploited in the harvesting and preparation of black tea. For this reason I always look for organic and Fair Trade teas.
I make my teas in a small cast iron kettle that has a fine metal strainer inside of it. I place a couple teaspoons of whole leaf tea in the holder and possibly a pinch of other herbs for flavor. After letting it sit for 3 – 5 minutes I am ready for the dark brew to be poured into my cup. I add a generous amount of cream and enjoy some quiet moments to myself enjoying the heady steam arising from the leaf flavored water.
Some of my favorite teas from Mountain Rose Herbs include:
Ancient Forest Tea: Harvested from ancient protected tea plants that range from 500 – 2,700 years old, sipping this brew is a reminder of the primeval forces on this earth.
Darjeeling: A complex tea from India with a significantly different taste than most black teas. It’s often described as a flowery flavor and it lends itself well to being combined with lavender.
Assam Tea: This tea is named after the region where it is produced in India. It’s often sold generically as breakfast tea blends. This popular tea will please everyone’s black tea palate.
Spicing it up
While visiting a dear friend in Portland this summer she delightfully reminded me that lavender can be enjoyed in practically everything. Together, on her lovely veranda, we sipped black tea with lavender and cream and I was hooked!
Most days I still enjoy a pinch of lavender flowers along with my black tea. I also enjoy adding some licorice root, or chai spices like cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and all spice.
I am sure many of you have favorite additions to your black tea and I would love to hear them!
Happy Halloween!
Enter If You Dare!
We either get the kids crying because they are scared or laughing and having fun! One year the sparrows who live in the ivy on the front of the house started flying around! There were three teenage girls who thought they were bats! Perfect!
P.S. We had 20 brave souls come to the door. The best comments of the night were from one of the dads who said, "You have your own adventure here!" A little girl asked me, "What are you supposed to be?" I'm the candy giver, I told her! We had kids who wanted to volunteer in our garden next summer! We will see if they show up. I should have taken names! Then if that were not enough, "our cat" came and sat on the walk like an Egyptian mummy cat. I didn't have my camera handy and it ran when a child approached. Here is a link to a previous post about the cat if you missed it! Hope you had a lot of kids and that you did not run out of treats. The first year we had 80 kids and we were handing out Hall's cough drops at the end! It was bad! Now we have leftovers! Not always a good thing!
P.S. We had 20 brave souls come to the door. The best comments of the night were from one of the dads who said, "You have your own adventure here!" A little girl asked me, "What are you supposed to be?" I'm the candy giver, I told her! We had kids who wanted to volunteer in our garden next summer! We will see if they show up. I should have taken names! Then if that were not enough, "our cat" came and sat on the walk like an Egyptian mummy cat. I didn't have my camera handy and it ran when a child approached. Here is a link to a previous post about the cat if you missed it! Hope you had a lot of kids and that you did not run out of treats. The first year we had 80 kids and we were handing out Hall's cough drops at the end! It was bad! Now we have leftovers! Not always a good thing!
Jumat, 30 Oktober 2009
It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!
All Hallows
No matter what you believe, in the Autumn, our thoughts go to the cycles of life, the death (harvest) of the plants, and the hope for the renewal in the spring.
On a bright cheery afternoon last week we went to the Mount Bethel cemetery in Columbia PA to look up and visit some relatives. This place was founded in 1720, and although some find graveyards macabre, they are such a commentary on the human condition in times past.
Styles have really changed. This cemetery contains no lasered photographs on monuments. All are hand carved.
Many, many of these memorials are for teens or younger children. As I walked, the sense of longing, sadness and love was palpable.
These towers and obelisks are so different from what we'd have today. There is much ornate carving, but many of the stones are sandstone, easily worn away within 100 - 150 years.
only daughter and first-born son...
We forget how lucky we are to have so many deadly childhood diseases irradicated or manageable today. That isn't a statement for OR against innoculations - it is simply an observation. Imagine the terror parents felt the instant a child ran a fever.
I could imagine a loved one running their hand over the flowers on this monument, or sitting upon the front part, which is fashioned like a small bed, or chaise lounge.
Although the ancestors of these people are mostly gone themselves, we can still mourn with them as we pass. Notice the "m's" on the stone below... they resemble the willow tree motif that is often used.
On the base of the pedastal at the foot of this stone, "we love you still".
This gentleman was a poet, writer, and it would seem from the writings on all four sides of his obelisk, much loved by the community as well as his family.
So we walked, and we mourned, and we laughed. In some instances, we nearly cried. I suppose that in many cases, the only trace that these people existed is these stones. Now we have photographs, paperwork, and so many "footprints". But for these people, it is just the stone.
On a bright cheery afternoon last week we went to the Mount Bethel cemetery in Columbia PA to look up and visit some relatives. This place was founded in 1720, and although some find graveyards macabre, they are such a commentary on the human condition in times past.
Styles have really changed. This cemetery contains no lasered photographs on monuments. All are hand carved.
Many, many of these memorials are for teens or younger children. As I walked, the sense of longing, sadness and love was palpable.
These towers and obelisks are so different from what we'd have today. There is much ornate carving, but many of the stones are sandstone, easily worn away within 100 - 150 years.
only daughter and first-born son...
We forget how lucky we are to have so many deadly childhood diseases irradicated or manageable today. That isn't a statement for OR against innoculations - it is simply an observation. Imagine the terror parents felt the instant a child ran a fever.
I could imagine a loved one running their hand over the flowers on this monument, or sitting upon the front part, which is fashioned like a small bed, or chaise lounge.
Although the ancestors of these people are mostly gone themselves, we can still mourn with them as we pass. Notice the "m's" on the stone below... they resemble the willow tree motif that is often used.
On the base of the pedastal at the foot of this stone, "we love you still".
This gentleman was a poet, writer, and it would seem from the writings on all four sides of his obelisk, much loved by the community as well as his family.
No explanation needed....
This celtic cross was about 10 feet tall.
So much of the carving was gone from the stone that it was unreadable.
No age given. No years. Just "our boy".
This one held me for a long time. Mary was 9. Her parents are nearby, and she is the only child with them.
For some reason, this struck me as if to say, "hey! wait a minute, I have something more to say..."
This long row of tablet style graves and those like this used to terrify me as a child, as I assumed that the body was above ground. It was just another style of monument.
An angel watches over.
Again, I chuckled at this tiny obelisk. In the tradition and style of the soaring 10, 12, and 25 foot giants in the nearby background, this perfect little stone was for a child.
A wee lamb nestled in beside a tree stump. One of my favorite styles, but worn almost beyond recognition.
This little lamb will also wear away before too long. It is only from 1922 - relatively new in gravestone years.
This celtic cross was about 10 feet tall.
So much of the carving was gone from the stone that it was unreadable.
No age given. No years. Just "our boy".
This one held me for a long time. Mary was 9. Her parents are nearby, and she is the only child with them.
For some reason, this struck me as if to say, "hey! wait a minute, I have something more to say..."
This long row of tablet style graves and those like this used to terrify me as a child, as I assumed that the body was above ground. It was just another style of monument.
An angel watches over.
Again, I chuckled at this tiny obelisk. In the tradition and style of the soaring 10, 12, and 25 foot giants in the nearby background, this perfect little stone was for a child.
A wee lamb nestled in beside a tree stump. One of my favorite styles, but worn almost beyond recognition.
This little lamb will also wear away before too long. It is only from 1922 - relatively new in gravestone years.
So we walked, and we mourned, and we laughed. In some instances, we nearly cried. I suppose that in many cases, the only trace that these people existed is these stones. Now we have photographs, paperwork, and so many "footprints". But for these people, it is just the stone.
Kamis, 29 Oktober 2009
One of My Favorite Herbal Tools!
Rabu, 28 Oktober 2009
Scents of the Fall
Scents of the Fall
I meant to put this up to run concurrently with the guest blog day on Mrs. B's blog, but forgot. So, as All Hallows Eve approaches, a little fallity. Fallness. Fallsomnity? Well. You know.
In Autumn, the scents of flowers and grasses give way to the fragrances of dry, burning leaves, bales of hay, pumpkins (and the spices that make it a pie!), and various fruits. It is the harvest, and the harvest smells wonderful.
Traditionally we long for the warmth of the spicy smells of the kitchen as the leaves turn and the air carries a nip. A delightfully simple way to bring these spicy notes into your home is to mull some apple cider. The rich apple blends with cinnamon, orange, and cloves to warm up the whole house.
Mulled Apple Cider
½ gallon apple cider
1 orange cut into ¼” slices
¼ C brown sugar
In a muslin bag, combine:
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cardamom pods
2 Tbsp cinnamon pieces
Stir together the first 3 ingredients and place into a crockpot. Add the bag of spices and heat. This mixture is an easy way to keep a hot spicy beverage available for an evening of entertaining friends.
Simmering Potpourris is another great way to add a subtle background “flavor” to the home. There are small electric crocks made specifically to simmer fragrances, but a pan of water or a kettle on the woodstove works beautifully as well. I always like to put my simmers into either a muslin bag or a large heat-sealable teabag so that they are easy to clean up.
This is so much fun, and you are limited only by your imagination and pantry or garden. The following are only some of the ingredients you can consider .
Mint
Rose Petals
Lavender
Lemon Verbena
Cinnamon Sticks
Dried Citrus Peel
Cloves
Cardamom Pods
Vanilla Beans
Nutmeg
Ginger
Coriander
Allspice
Star Anise
Just have fun with it, and surprise yourself with the rich, warm fragrances you’ll create!
Loose incense to be burned on charcoal disks or fires is a wonderful choice for Halloween, too. I prefer to burn it outside, but if it is ground well to a fine powder, it can be burned indoors.
A nice choice is a combination of sandalwood with a pinch of lavender.
Myrrh has a dark and mysterious not that lends itself well to this time of the thinning veil.
Rosemary, sage, thyme, peppermint, mugwort, rose, lavender, frankincense, copal, pinon, benzoin, coriander, fennel, juniper, pine, and rose geranium are all choices and as you mix and blend, you’ll be amazed at how well it all goes together!
I meant to put this up to run concurrently with the guest blog day on Mrs. B's blog, but forgot. So, as All Hallows Eve approaches, a little fallity. Fallness. Fallsomnity? Well. You know.
In Autumn, the scents of flowers and grasses give way to the fragrances of dry, burning leaves, bales of hay, pumpkins (and the spices that make it a pie!), and various fruits. It is the harvest, and the harvest smells wonderful.
Traditionally we long for the warmth of the spicy smells of the kitchen as the leaves turn and the air carries a nip. A delightfully simple way to bring these spicy notes into your home is to mull some apple cider. The rich apple blends with cinnamon, orange, and cloves to warm up the whole house.
Mulled Apple Cider
½ gallon apple cider
1 orange cut into ¼” slices
¼ C brown sugar
In a muslin bag, combine:
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cardamom pods
2 Tbsp cinnamon pieces
Stir together the first 3 ingredients and place into a crockpot. Add the bag of spices and heat. This mixture is an easy way to keep a hot spicy beverage available for an evening of entertaining friends.
Simmering Potpourris is another great way to add a subtle background “flavor” to the home. There are small electric crocks made specifically to simmer fragrances, but a pan of water or a kettle on the woodstove works beautifully as well. I always like to put my simmers into either a muslin bag or a large heat-sealable teabag so that they are easy to clean up.
This is so much fun, and you are limited only by your imagination and pantry or garden. The following are only some of the ingredients you can consider .
Mint
Rose Petals
Lavender
Lemon Verbena
Cinnamon Sticks
Dried Citrus Peel
Cloves
Cardamom Pods
Vanilla Beans
Nutmeg
Ginger
Coriander
Allspice
Star Anise
Just have fun with it, and surprise yourself with the rich, warm fragrances you’ll create!
Loose incense to be burned on charcoal disks or fires is a wonderful choice for Halloween, too. I prefer to burn it outside, but if it is ground well to a fine powder, it can be burned indoors.
A nice choice is a combination of sandalwood with a pinch of lavender.
Myrrh has a dark and mysterious not that lends itself well to this time of the thinning veil.
Rosemary, sage, thyme, peppermint, mugwort, rose, lavender, frankincense, copal, pinon, benzoin, coriander, fennel, juniper, pine, and rose geranium are all choices and as you mix and blend, you’ll be amazed at how well it all goes together!
Fall Color in the Garden!
Selasa, 27 Oktober 2009
Well, The Vampires Won't Be Visiting Any Time Soon!
Senin, 26 Oktober 2009
Make Some Herbal Vinegar Quick!
More Autumn in PA
Since we started doing color covers, it has almost given me new eyes. 
Now the beauty of every bud, berry, bean, and blossom is even more apparent. Our brother also has a long history of photo manipulation with different computer programs, and he's toying with some small business ideas he can do from home. We are really happy to see him excited about something, btw.
With those things in mind, we set off in search of beautiful things yesterday.
This clear yellow is spectacular. Sometimes the maple out back glows this particular color into my sunporch, and it changes my mood. This year the weather wasn't right. So the larger shot of this might become a screensaver.
For some reason mushrooms are just so darned cute sometimes. I don't forage or identify them, I just look at them and enjoy the way they look.
Looking up through the trees, this struck me as an amazing vision. All the colors and the sky, and the size of the trees, it took my breath away.
The churchyard at the Mount Hope church. I'm thinking that at dusk on a foggy night, this could be pretty darned spooky.
Eeyore in the flesh! This is a very young little burro. S/he headed over to the fence right away, and I hurried away so that there would be no electric fence accident to repay the friendliness.
We sat on a little one lane bridge while I snapped this out the window, with my siblings squawking about oncoming traffic.
Still some firey leaves across a new crop of soybeans.
One of the larger farms in our part of the county, just over the crest on the other side of a field. 
And if you stayed this long, here is a luscious yet simple dessert from Michele Brown of Possum Creek Herbs, published in the Nov/Dec '06 issue of The Essential Herbal.
Baked Apple with Vanilla Bean Crème
You can make as many of these as you like. They taste best fresh from the oven.
Core a large, crispy apple and peel the top portion of the apple.
Set the apples firmly on their bottoms in a baking pan with sides.
Sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar over the tops of the apples and add a little bit of water around the bottom of the apples.
Bake in a 325 degree oven until tender. This usually takes 30-40 minutes.
While the apples are baking, whip up some heavy cream and add one vanilla bean (scrape the inside of the bean for the delicious meat).
Stop whipping the cream before it gets stiff peaks. You want to be able to pour the thick cream over the hot apples after they come out of the oven.
Bring the apples out of the oven and let them sit for a moment or two.
Put an apple on a pretty plate and pour the cream mixture over the top.
Take some of the spice drippings from the baking pan and drizzle over the cream.
Enjoy.
Now the beauty of every bud, berry, bean, and blossom is even more apparent. Our brother also has a long history of photo manipulation with different computer programs, and he's toying with some small business ideas he can do from home. We are really happy to see him excited about something, btw.With those things in mind, we set off in search of beautiful things yesterday.
This clear yellow is spectacular. Sometimes the maple out back glows this particular color into my sunporch, and it changes my mood. This year the weather wasn't right. So the larger shot of this might become a screensaver.For some reason mushrooms are just so darned cute sometimes. I don't forage or identify them, I just look at them and enjoy the way they look.Looking up through the trees, this struck me as an amazing vision. All the colors and the sky, and the size of the trees, it took my breath away.The churchyard at the Mount Hope church. I'm thinking that at dusk on a foggy night, this could be pretty darned spooky.Eeyore in the flesh! This is a very young little burro. S/he headed over to the fence right away, and I hurried away so that there would be no electric fence accident to repay the friendliness.We sat on a little one lane bridge while I snapped this out the window, with my siblings squawking about oncoming traffic.Still some firey leaves across a new crop of soybeans.One of the larger farms in our part of the county, just over the crest on the other side of a field. And if you stayed this long, here is a luscious yet simple dessert from Michele Brown of Possum Creek Herbs, published in the Nov/Dec '06 issue of The Essential Herbal.
Baked Apple with Vanilla Bean Crème
You can make as many of these as you like. They taste best fresh from the oven.
Core a large, crispy apple and peel the top portion of the apple.
Set the apples firmly on their bottoms in a baking pan with sides.
Sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar over the tops of the apples and add a little bit of water around the bottom of the apples.
Bake in a 325 degree oven until tender. This usually takes 30-40 minutes.
While the apples are baking, whip up some heavy cream and add one vanilla bean (scrape the inside of the bean for the delicious meat).
Stop whipping the cream before it gets stiff peaks. You want to be able to pour the thick cream over the hot apples after they come out of the oven.
Bring the apples out of the oven and let them sit for a moment or two.
Put an apple on a pretty plate and pour the cream mixture over the top.
Take some of the spice drippings from the baking pan and drizzle over the cream.
Enjoy.
Note: In PA we'd set the apples on a square of pie dough, bring it up and fasten at the top, and call it an apple dumpling.
Minggu, 25 Oktober 2009
They are Still Enjoying Lavender!
A walk in the woods
Our favorite cider mill was so crowded with tourists out for their once yearly trek to buy pumpkins and jump in the bounce house that Pa just drove right past, even though K does dearly love bounce houses.
I know, the business world is tough, and this is what brings in the spenders... sigh.
We'll be back when the bounce house is gone.
We went for a walk instead.
At the State Park, we hiked in the woods (two miles is a lot for little ones! SOME of us got carried part way) we collected pretty leaves, and we threw rocks in the lake.
We saw native Witch Hazel blooming, and found Sassafras 'mittens' shaped like Michigan.
After a snack in the pavilion, we played on the old swingset until thoroughly tuckered out.
October's flaming leaves 'lighting the way to winter', indeed.
The shame of it is, we saw a total of two other couples walking their dogs, during the whole afternoon. A few miles away, the plastic bounce house was jumpin' and shakin'. Do I worry about America? Yes.
I know, the business world is tough, and this is what brings in the spenders... sigh.
We'll be back when the bounce house is gone.
We went for a walk instead.
At the State Park, we hiked in the woods (two miles is a lot for little ones! SOME of us got carried part way) we collected pretty leaves, and we threw rocks in the lake.
We saw native Witch Hazel blooming, and found Sassafras 'mittens' shaped like Michigan.
After a snack in the pavilion, we played on the old swingset until thoroughly tuckered out.
October's flaming leaves 'lighting the way to winter', indeed.
The shame of it is, we saw a total of two other couples walking their dogs, during the whole afternoon. A few miles away, the plastic bounce house was jumpin' and shakin'. Do I worry about America? Yes.
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