Well this week certainly requires a long hot bath. Historically baths have been used to cleanse, purify, relax, soothe, heal, sanctify, and release. This mixture has plenty of essential oils to provide the benefits of aromatherapy too. My girls loved the color and scent which brought back memories of our trips to Hawaii .This is a really fun recipe to make with kids.
Blue Bath Potion
3 cups of liquid castille soap (rose if possible)
1 cup of vegetable glycerine
2/3 cup rice syrup
Lots of blue food coloring
10 drops ylang ylang essential oil
6 drops ginger essential oil
6 drops of plumeria essential oil (make sure it is not artificial)
Dilute with 1 cup of water
Mix with a whisk and pour into bottles
Shake well before using
Plumeria in bloom is one of my favorite smells. Immediately I am transported to a place that is warm, wet, tropical, and green. Rainbows, the roar of the ocean, sandy feet, waterfalls, shaved ice, colorful fish, iridescent roosters, sea turtles, exotic orchids, tasty fruit, palm trees, snorkel masks, hikes in the rain forrest and the best coffee all come to mind when I inhale.
This plant is found all over the world. It has been used as a purgative or remedy for- diarrhea, STD’s, bronchitis, cough, asthma, fever, bleeding piles, headache, back pain, rheumatism, asthma, shingles, dysentery, edema, fainting, diarrhea, malaria, blood disorders, insect “bites,” skin issues, warts and tumors. Studies on the plant have reported to have anti-fertility, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepatoprotective and antimicrobial activities.
Contraindications:Do not use if pregnant. Contains latex /white sap which can cause an allergic reaction in sensitive people.
We consume a lot of oranges in the winter. I hate to see the peels go to waste with all their health benefits. Fresh- the peels can be candied, chopped and put into a fruit cake, added to a mulling spice mixture, simmered for potpourri or used in an oxymel. An oxymel is an infusion of herbs into vinegar and honey (see also shrubs, kvass, kombucha, switchels and other similar fermented “sodas”/drinks ). Plants easily give up their vitamins and minerals when added to vinegar. The raw honey serves as a powerful antibiotic when not exposed to heat. The yummy result can be mixed into salad dressing, braises or marinades. A tablespoon added to carbonated water or iced tea makes a refreshing drink with added nutrients, medicinal properties, pro-biotics, and acid. If you suffer from bloating, gas, indigestion etc. a shot of oxymel first thing in the morning may help with your symptoms.
Orange Peel Oxymel
2 cups of apple cider vinegar
1 -2 cups of coarsely chopped orange peel
1/8 cup of dried chopped licorice root
2 TBSP of powdered star anise seed pods
2 cups of raw honey
1/2 cup of coarsely chopped ginger root
Combine all ingredients in a very large canning jar. Put a piece of plastic wrap or baking parchment between the lid and jar lip. Seal tightly. Let sit six weeks in a a cool dark place. Shake and invert weekly. Press and strain to remove any solids or seeds. Divide up into smaller bottles which can be stored or refrigerated. With proper storage an oxymel will last for at least a year.
Besides vitamin C there are other healing uses for fruits in the citrus family. The peel specifically is thought to be anti-bacterial. It is high in anti-oxidants (could prevents cancer/tumors) bio flavinoids (could strengthen blood vessels and tissues) coumarin (found in turmeric) and other nutrients. Orange peel increases circulation and removes dampness. It may support “the spleen” , liver and gallbladder. It is best known as a digestive to address symptoms of bloating, constipation, gas, indigestion, nausea, and hiccups.
Healthy food is our best preventative medicine. As busy women we may not listen to our bodies. In a frantic attempt to meet the needs of others we settle for what is easy but not wise. Many times I have shoved my kids cold, leftovers into my mouth as I hustle them out the door or skipped eating all together. Without paying attention I choose the cookie over fruit or protein and then feel like crap afterwards.
Comfort food does not have to be fatty, sweet, or unhealthy. If you dig deep in the past there is a meal that provides satisfaction and fond memories without the guilt. It could be……..
1)A favorite dish mom often cooked in your childhood. For me that would be tuna noodle casserole.
2) Cuisine unique to your cultural heritage or the region where you grew up or lived a long time. The first thing that comes to my mind is homemade cheese enchiladas.
3)”Invalid Food” which is warm, soupy, soft and easy to digest, like a porridge or gruel. With the grains there are often tiny bits of added vegetables to provide vitamins and minerals. Sometimes there is a small amount of meat for “rebuilding” or medicinal plants to support recovery. This is commonly given to babies, the elderly or those recovering from a long hard illness. Congee is something I remember giving my youngest in China.
When times are tough we may forget the power of something so simple as comfort food. When we really need it the opportunity for buying or making it is often not there. That is why I like to make it ahead of time and freeze it for later use. Instead of depending on someone else for a meal, you have planned ahead to take care of yourself.
Comfort food is support through nutrition, memory, and the senses. The most powerful one being smell. If you have a favorite vice (freshly brewed coffee, just baked bread, a new bar of chocolate) it is the scent that recalls and brings the happy sigh. When cooking think about color, texture, and the balance of various tastes.
We waste a lot of time and energy that easily be reallocated towards making meals. Sunday morning is my favorite time to cook. I can get several condiments, soups, and simple staples made during two hours that will be readily available to make several healthy meals during the week. Each weekday I have it planned that while my girls do their music practice, I take that hour to start a grain in the rice cooker and a legume in the crockpot. That makes a future healthy breakfast or lunch so easy to throw together is the form of a wrap, bowl, salad or patty.
Eating should be pleasurable, fulfilling, nurturing, slow and beneficial to the body.
I love soup as a comfort food. I am not a big fan of juicing so a breakfast of warm borscht gives me many of the same benefits without the “cold” energy.
The Perfect Borscht
1 smaller leak
1 medium onion
1/2 medium red pepper
2 stalks of celery
1 cup of root vegetables-carrots, parsnips, yams, or 1 medium potato. I will also use any random small pieces or cooked leftovers.
1 medium tomato or 2 TBSP of lemon juice
1/2-1/4 red cabbage depending on size
2-4 beets depending on size
4-8 cups of stock
1 cup of greens (kale, chard, dandelion, nettles, parsley, cilantro, fennel, dill, spinach, tops etc.)
Coarsely chop the first 4 ingredients and saute in them in 2 TBSP of olive oil. I like to use a very large cast iron pot for this as I can do it all in one dish.
Add in 4 cups of stock and the rest of you vegetables coarsely chopped. Simmer on low for 1 hour. Add in the green, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 1-2 hours. Let cool and puree until smooth. Reheat and serve immediately. You can garnish with yogurt or other yummy condiments. Nothing goes better with any soup that homemade bread and some good goat cheese.
What is your favorite comfort food? Please share this post with other women so that we can all benefit from this knowledge during these difficult times.
The girls and I harvested a bumper crop of hawthorn berries last summer. They freeze easily and can be defrosted for later use if you do not have time to process them all at once. This ketchup is quite tart and acidic but has more “taste” due to all the spices. I like it better than store bought. It goes well on a vege burger or in meatless sloppy joe recipe.
Hawthorn Berry Ketchup
1/8 tsp of allspice finely ground powder
1/8 tsp of clove finely ground powder
1/8 tsp of powdered nutmeg
1/2 tsp of finely ground dried ginger
1/2 tsp of star anise ground in a coffee grinder
2 TBSP of chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp of salt
brown sugar or honey to taste
1/2 can of tomato paste
2 cups of apple cider vingegar
2 cups of water
4 cups of hawthorn berries processed (see below)
A note about processing hawthorn berries to get a nice pulp. Boil and then simmer the berries on low heat until they are soft. Remove from heat and then press the berries through a fine mesh sieve with a large wooden spoon. This will remove the 1-3 seeded “pits”. You may need to do small batches and press pretty hard to get all the pulp off of the seeds. This is probably why we don’t find this fruit in many recipes. The flesh is not soft like a wild plum and it has a bland almost sour taste. Don’t bother using a cherry pitter or knife to remove anything either.
After you have the pulp return it to a large stewpot and add in the above ingredients. You can vary the sweetness by the amount of honey or brown sugar added. Cook on low for 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Place in a very clean bottle with a tight seal. Keep refrigerated and use within one year.
Crataegus,
Hawthorn is a small tree/shrub (6-20 feet high) that one does not see often where I live. It must be cultivated and cared for to be attractive in an urban setting. The bark is ash colored and the wood quite hard. The leaves are small, shiny, dark green (on top) and have irregularly toothed lobes. Those grow on multiple branches (shooting in all angles) which have small but not terribly sharp thorns. It produces clusters of beautiful, tiny, showy, white flowers (5 petals) in the spring and bright red berries in late summer. The fruit is a favorite with wildlife. If your harvest is not timed right, the perfectly ripe berries can disappear off the tree over night. Ripe berries will be a darker shade of red ,close to that of a bing cherry.
Hawthorn likes to grow along streams and in meadows. You will often find it on older properties like farms, especially as a hedge. It will grow well in most climates.
Crataegus is best known for its effect on the heart. It normalizes blood pressure by regulating heart action/contraction. It strengthens the heart muscle/connective tissues and dilates blood vessels. Hawthorn can be used for either high or low blood pressure. Historically the berries have been used to treat myocarditis, arteriosclerosis, angina, congestive heart failure, heart palpitations, irregular heartbeat, blood clots, high cholesterol, variscose veins, and Reynaud’s syndrome/poor circulation . A tea of the flowers or leaves may be helpful for stress, mild, pain/spasms, headache, diarrhea, indigestion, gout, altitude sickness, arthritis, joint injuries/slipped discs, tendonitis, hernias, and insomnia.
My daughter has beautiful skin. I keep crossing my fingers that it stays that way because she scars terribly. Many of her friends have acne. She does not. It is not her diet, she loves sweets. I attribute it to genetics and the skincare products I had her use when I started noticing those shifts into puberty. She uses the witch hazel as a nightly astringent to clean her face. The apricot scrub once a week to exfoliate. Castor oil is one of the best cleansers I know to help prevent acne and blackheads. It actually dissolves sebum without stripping the beneficial oils from the skin. I am a big fan of the bamboo detox patches. The liver gets overburdened dealing with hormones so anything that can be done to reduce the work it needs to do and help it function better will reduce outbreaks of acne. Clay is good for drying out small trouble spots without being harsh or encouraging scarring.
Even though my daughter does not have acne now. I decided to make a tincture to deal with it for friends (hers and mine). I just strained and bottled it up this week. I used the following herbs
Oregon grape root
Burdock root
Dandelion root
These herbs are thought to purify the blood and support the liver. I do not currently have any of these for harvest from my garden. I don’t typically grow plants for their roots. I also no longer wildcraft for various reasons. So these herbs are some of the rare ones I have to purchase from another source. Sometimes I just can’t find substitutes in what I can grow but the need for a specific medicine is great.
What products do you use as part of a natural skincare routine?
Blackbird's Backyard Pharmacy 