Dandelions & green smoothies

Yes, you read it right, dandelion leaf green smoothie!

Dandelions are rather bitter, but if picked early spring,

or before they flower they're considered to be some

what sweet...we tried them this morning, and

well, I wouldn't call them sweet but most definitely

not as bitter as the last year when

we tasted them.

I came across the Raw Family site and

read how they use wild edible weeds as their greens

for their green smoothies, so knowing what a great

powerful green plant dandelions were and

how reasonably priced they were (huh, free for the picking!)

I decides that we were going harvesting this morning,

to find sweet dandelion leaves.

We harvested our leaves, prepared them for

blending added 2 cups of water,

handful of dandelion leaves,

2 bananas

agave nectar

some ice

and BLENDED away...

The recipe called for apples we didn't have any on hand,

so we used agave nectar....

You know I think with the apples we would have

a keeper here!!

Not bad at all, I can't say it was delicious but really

not bitter! sweet and enjoyable.

One thing about green smoothies my body

loves them, within 30 minutes

I felt, what I call the green rush, my

body was happy! energetic,

and very fulfilled!

Tonight were gonna add apples to the

green smoothie and I'll let

your know the difference.

For this family, yes we will be adding

green dandelion smoothies to

our weekly consumptions

of green drinks :-D

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LATER in the evening:

we used apples and a pear in the

dandelion green smoothie this

evening...very good!!

Yes, we will be using

dandelions in our

smoothies!!

It's a Keeper!!

Wild Violet Nori Roll

The nori rolls were wonderful!! We are definately doing these again!! If you come across some wild violets (make sure you id them correctly) think about trying them in a nori roll :-D

Spring and wild plants everywhere!

Now that it's spring I'm hoping for an abundance of discoveries and with it, more post :-D

A few days ago we came across a large patch of violets, I didn't know if they were edible so we had to leave them, then last night I came across this video:



So, I went to the store and picked up an avocado, tomato, lime, and a package of nori sheets.
tomorrow if the weather permits were going to go find some violet and have ourselves a nori roll. I'll post more on it after we actually have our roll.

Benefits of Garlic Tincture

I'm posting some findings I came across while searching out 'the benefits of garlic'. I'm also going to link a very informative site that shares documented studies of the medicinal benefits of Garlic ... I know for fact that taking garlic will get rid of a cold because I did and it did, lol... the main reason why I'm brewing a garlic tincture is the benefits of lower high blood pressure and lower cholesterol

1. 20 drops of Garlic tincture to 1/2 glass of water will attack uric acid which in turn relieves pain from arthritis, rheumatism and sciatic Gout.
   
2. 20 drops of said tincture to 1/2 glass of water benefits the digestive apparatus relieving constipation and strain to the bowels.
   
3. 20 drops of the tincture in 1/2 glass of water will in a short while relieve hypertension.
   
4. 20 drops of the tincture in 1/2 glass of water will stimulate the hepatic(liver) function.
   
5. 20 drops of the tincture in 1/2 glass of water will relieve the palpitations, difficulty in breathing and the anguish most cardiac patients suffer.
   
6. 20 drops of the tincture in 1/2 glass of water aleves continuous fatigue, neurology’s, headaches, insomnia, hysteria, depression and muscular rigidity.
   
7. 20 drops of the tincture in 1/2 glass of water cures varicose veins and hemorrhoids.

Making Tinctures

A tincture is an alcohol based derivative of fresh or dried herbs or plants. Many people will also use a glycerin or vinegar base tincture. I have chosen to use an alcohol base because alcohol will extract volatile oils and most alkaloid, preserve the tincture longer than the other two and will maintain it's potency for years. One thing I learned and didn't know was that most dried herbs only have about one shelf life making it into a tincture is another way to perserve your herbs.

If your like me, I really don't want to consume alcohol (although the amount is small) just add your tincture to boiling water or to your hot tea, the heat will cause the alcohol to evaporate leaving only the therapeutic qualities of the herb.

I found an excellent article at Stony Mountain Botanicals that give a wealth of info on alcohol based tinctures.

What you will need to make it:

100% Vodka or Gin or Brandy

if using fresh herbs, clean and chop up into small pieces. I used dried berries often when using dried herbs you'll have to add more alcohol within a few days because the herbs absorb the liquid.

Place the herbs in a glass jar and then cover with alcohol about an inch over the herbs.

Shake the mixture and label with the day and herb.

Place in a dark cool place and shake the jar at least once a day. Leave the herbs in the alcohol for six weeks. You can start using the tincture after two weeks but keep the herbs in their for at least six weeks. After six weeks just strain the herbs and place the tincture in a amber bottle.



The dosage for different herbs can be found at Stony Mountain Bontanicals I'm make hawthorn berry tincture so my daily dosage will be 1/4-1/2 tsp three times a day.

I'm also making a garlic tincture which is 10-15 drops (about 1/4 teaspoon) once or twice a day according to John Heinerman, Ph.D. author of The Healing Benefits of Garlic.

Hawthorn Berries

Picture and Excerpt taken from The Bulk Store

Excerpts from the book Left for Dead by Dick Quinn:

Hawthorn regulates high and low blood pressure, arrhythmic heartbeat and irregular pulse. Hawthorn prevents hardening of the arteries, treats arteriosclerosis and cools inflammation of the heart muscle. Used regularly, hawthorn strengthens the heart muscle and the nerves to the heart.
Controlled medical studies in Europe showed that hawthorn lowered blood pressure and reduced the strain on the heart by dilating the blood vessels away from the heart, strengthened the heart muscle by increasing the metabolism of enzymes in the heart muscle, boosted the utilization of oxygen by the heart and slightly dilated the coronary vessels. Almost all the heart patients given hawthorn showed improvement. Hawthorn normalized and enhanced the function of the heart and circulatory system without side effects.
Hawthorn is a gentle heart tonic that nurtures the entire circulatory system. Hawthorn has proven effective as a treatment for functional heart disease arrhythmia, angina pectoris, age-related circulatory insufficiency, arteriosclerosis and regulation of the circulatory system.
To thwart the damaging effects of a heart attack hawthorn is the ‘ounce of prevention that is worth a pound of cure.’ Hawthorn improves coronary circulation by dilating the coronary arteries to bring more oxygen directly to the heart muscle and reducing the chances of heart attack or angina. Increasing the ability of the heart to function smoothly, hawthorn imparts a gentle but persistent toning action that compensates for age-related degeneration of the heart. Simply put, hawthorn helps keep the heart healthy enough to head off a heart attack.
Used in conjunction with a healthy diet and stress management, hawthorn is the perfect preventative prescription for persons who have a family history of heart disease. Considered a safe and effective long-term treatment for the gradual loss of heart function that comes with age, hawthorn is not habit forming,
accumulative or toxic.
For patients who have already suffered a heart attack, studies show hawthorn speeds recovery, lowers blood pressure, strengthens the heart and forestalls any onset of coronary disease. No other herb in the plant kingdom provides the nourishing regeneration of hawthorn both before or after a heart attack.
Although hawthorn berries are used in marmalades, jellies, and as a flour additive, powdered hawthorn should be taken with the meal or shortly after eating to avoid nausea. The recommended dosage of hawthorn, whether in capsules,
powder or tincture, is three times a day.
To make the tincture, steep four ounces of the berries in a pint of brandy for two weeks, then filter. Fifteen drops is considered one dose. For hawthorn tea, add one or two teaspoons of berries to hot water.

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I received my order of dehydrated hawthorn berries
today in the mail. I tried the tea
this evening. It really had a mild flavor
I was expecting more but that's not why
I bought them I bought them for their health benifits

Goot

GOOT Garlic Oil Treatment

Anti-infective/Anti-fungal/Anti-parasites

MAKING GOOT

3 tbsp Coconut Oil

3tbsp Olive Oil

3 tbsp of fresh crush/chopped garlic

(chop by hand not with garlic press)

Warm three tablespoons of Coconut oil over stove until melted and add three tablespoons of olive oil. Remove from heat and add three tablespoons of fresh chopped garlic. Blend at slow speed, then at high speed for two minutes. Use a blender or coffee grinder. Pour mixture through a screen to remove chunks of garlic that the blender may have missed. Pour into a wide mouth jar and label it “GOOT.” Place in a refrigerator.
Freshly made, the mixture is a milky color and runny. GOOT turns into a thick soft paste after one hour. After being in the fridge for several hours, it is just hard like a salve easy to spread.

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES GOOT

rubbed into the skin, transfers raw garlic oil directly into the blood stream.
Apply on the feet of children or infants to fight infections. Rub on chest for chest colds, pneumonia or rub into nostrils for sinus infections. Place on cotton swab for ear infections. Apply directly to sores inside the mouth. Rub on Athlete’s foot or genital area for jock itch. Insert GOOT into affected area for yeast or other related infections. Apply on rashes any place. GOOT kills Candida, parasites, bad bacteria and virus by direct application. Also can be applied on bug bites.
In addition, it treats systemic infections by absorption through the skin into the blood supply and travels throughout the body. After two weeks, make a new batch of GOOT.

Want more info click the pic at the top to take you to the original post

I found the recipe at.

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