My micro micro micro brewery It started about four years ago. I began brewing tea to make kombucha with a live bacteria-yeast culture. This culture has mysterious origins like many of the cultures that are passed down. No one can make one out of ingredients, you must get a culture from someone else. There is … Continue reading »
Filed under herbs …
Healing Clay
Preparing the clay One of the simplest home remedies is the use of healing clay — internally and externally. Although the practice of using clay as a cleanser, detoxifier and remineralizing agent is coming back…I feel like it’s time to write some information about it to help get the word out on this great age-old … Continue reading »
Apple Chutney (lacto-fermented)
Heirloom apple mix from Southern Appalachia A few weeks ago, a friend ‘found’ some apples — about two bushels — that were just ripe for the pickin’. So, for the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to do stuff with them before they go bad. I didn’t feel like making standard apple sauce or apple … Continue reading »
Late Summer: Harvesting Spring Efforts
Goldenrod, chanterelles, and herbal vinegars Whether you are aware of the fertility cycle of life or not, she is aware of you. In a literal sense, Late Summer is a time when all our efforts of Spring and Summer come into our laps. This can be a project in its ripened state of fruition, an … Continue reading »
Liquid Nurturing
Turmeric powder and fresh root About four years ago, my life went through some shocking changes. A short relationship had ended abruptly (although right on time, really), triggered by an abortion that I went through. Deciding to go through the abortion was very difficult. However, after consulting my inner wisdom and guidance (and with heart-felt … Continue reading »
Reishi (Ganoderma tsugae): The Mushroom of Immortality
Me and my new friends (a little out of focus) Reishi goes by a lot of names: Mushroom of Immortality, Supernatural Mushroom, Shining Skin, Auspicious Plant, and the Plant of Longevity. So — you get it? — it’s an amazing offering to us from the unknown and the unseen world. This plant is classified as … Continue reading »
Blueberry-basil Chutney-jam (lacto-fermented)
Blueberry bush flowers (honey bees love these!) Ripe blueberries Many indigenous tribes to North America had names for the full moon that just passed us — berry moon, blueberry moon, blackberry moon, etc. Each moon throughout the 13 moon cycle kept the tribe/community in touch with what the land was offering at that time. Not … Continue reading »
Summer Peach Chutney (lacto-fermented)
Fresh and fuzzy peaches Unfortunately, these beauties are one of the most sprayed fruits in the US. So, always wash and peel (sigh, as if that really does anything) and buy organic (ask the farmer if they are chemical-free!) whenever possible! Below, I have a lacto-fermented peach chutney recipe for you. But, first — a … Continue reading »
St. John’s Wort (Hypericum Perforatum)
St. John’s Wort in bloom in my backyard St. John’s Wort, or what herbalist Susan Weed calls, St. Joan’s Wort, is a beautiful weed that spread from Europe to the Americas with the settlers. And, just like the light that Joan of Arc was known to cast in dark places, this plant is energetically associated with … Continue reading »
Kickin’ the Coffee Habit
If this picture stimulates your salivary glands and kicks in your coffee craving, consider that you are addicted to coffee. I kicked my short-lived habit about 10 years ago. I used to drink quite a bit in one day (I think, encouraged by my restaurant job at the time). However, after a couple years of … Continue reading »
