Free local organic Food

Did you know that there's free food right in your backyard. Way to many people spend money to eradicate this very beneficial and tasty herbs. Right now there is a very very common "weed" that is at its prime right now. Well, I should say the leaves and roots are ready to harvest, then the flowers are ready when they first start blooming, then the roots again in the fall & winter, and repeat. This is one of the most renowned herbs by most herbalist.

This herb is Dandelion (Taraxacum Officinale).  Susan Weed has over 30 pages devoted to the benefits of Dandelion in her book "Healing Wise" and over 16 recipes. Rosemary Gladstar indicated on a webinar that I listened to last year (email me I'll send you the MP3) that dandelion is in her top 10 of favorite herbs. In Rosemary's book, "Herbal Recipes for a Vibrant Health" she writes that "Dandelion, is, I'm convinced, one of the greatest tonic herbs of all time." Now those are some powerful words from such a well known herbalist. Dandelion is one of those herbs that is ready to harvest at the perfect time when our bodies need extra cleansing (As with other herbs, such as cleavers, chickweed, etc, but more on that later). As the winter slows down and spring is right around the corner, the perfect herbs start popping above the ground for us to harvest. Kami McBride says that Dandelion is high in Vitamin A, C, and E, calcium, magnesium, and iron. It's also a bitter tonic herb, which increases the flow of saliva, which results in better digestion and stimulates the liver. Dandelion is even said to improve the enamel on teeth! There are so many wonderful things to say about this wonderful, yet top hated, herbs. 

I've been enjoying eating dandelion greens and roots the past few weeks. I gather the plants as I clean out my garden and flower beds. I simple have two buckets; one for yard waste and the other for herbs to dry and/or eat. I had such a tasty lunch today that I wanted to share the recipe so you can also enjoy the bounties of the seasons.

 Sauteed Dandelion Greens

- 1/2 onion sliced in half moons
- 1 TBL coconut oil
- 1 TBL butter
- 5-10 dandelion whole plant (roots, buds, & leaves) seperated in root and greens
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp. sesame seed
- Salt & pepper to taste

Saute onion in coconut oil and butter until slightly brown and soft. Add chopped roots and cook 2-5 min. Add garlic and dandelion greens. Cook 2 min. until greens wilt. Add sesame seeds and season to taste. I thoroughly enjoyed these greens on top of a everything bagel and cream cheese. Oh so good. I might have to have this tomorrow!

Enjoy the early spring offerings that our wonderful land is providing us.


What other recipes and herbs do you enjoy this time of year?



References:

- Juliette de Bairacli Levy (1997). Common Herbs for Natural Health. Woodstock, NY: Ashtree Publishing

- Rosemary Gladstar (2008). Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing

- Kami McBride (2010). The Herbal Kitchen. San Francisco, CA: Conary Press

- Susan Weed (1989). Wise Woman Herbal Healing Wise. Woodstock, NY: Ashtree Publishing



This post is shared on http://www.picklemetoo.com/ and http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com

Homemade Shampoo

I'm always looking for ways to make things myself instead of having to buy it . One thing that my body hasn't agreed with fully is regular shampoo. The reason is because my hair is very oily, well I thought it was. When I use regular shampoo (organic, natural, or not) my hair is very oily by the next day and nasty oily by the 2nd day. I don't mind taking a shower everyday if I want, but don't like taking one because I have to.

The last time my commercial shampoo ran out I promised myself I would try to make my own shampoo and try to rid myself of the shackles of daily hair washing. I reviewed all my personal books and found a wonderful recipe by Rosemary Gladstar in her book "Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health." This book is full of easy herbal recipes that help you keep healthy by using natures most natural form, plants. I would totally recommend this book for anyone who is interested in a do it yourself health lifestyle, but I digress. Let's diving into the shampoo making.

Before I go into the recipe you should know that I view recipes as a guideline and meant to be customized. I'll write the main recipe, include my modifications, and end with the results. The best part of making your own things at home is you can customize it to exactly what you want:

8 oz. water
1 oz herbs (dried or fresh)*
3 oz liquid castile soap
1/4 tsp. jojoba oil (rosemary oil if you have really oily hair)
25 drops pure essential oil*
*I'll give you reasons why I chose the herbs and oils that I used, but you should check out Rosemary's book for further details on the specifics on uses of other herbs and oils.


Step One: pick some herbs. I chose dried rosemary, sage, and fresh yarrow leaves primarily because I have them already. Rosemary is great for oily hair and helps with Dandruff treatment and promotes hair growth (I can use that!). Sage is good for all hair types and is good for dandruff treatment. Yarrow has drying properties. I chose little handfuls of each.

Step Two: Cover herbs with water and boil. Cover and let simmer for 20 mins. Of course longer doesn't hurt either as I'm sure there are plenty of distractions as your house as with mine. I just figure it pulls more of the good stuff out the longer it sits.


Step Three: Strain the tea into a large glass measuring bowl. This way you know how much liquid you actually have. This will be the basis on how much castile soap and essentials oils you put in. I ended up with 2 cups of tea so I doubled the recipe.

Slowly add the castile soap while stirring. Then mix in the rosemary oil and essential oil. I used 25 drops of lavendar, 15 drops of patchouli, and 10 drops of Tea Tree oil. All of these oils have oil, and itchy scalp fighting properties and plus they smell so good.














Pour into a container with flip-top lid. Shake before use.




Since this is a tea based shampoo it doesn't last forever. I made this once before the it lasted me a good month or more and smelled as fresh as ever. Honestly I'm not sure how long it does last, so make it as you need it. Also, I have found that my hair does wonderfully with a baking soda rinse (1 tablespoon baking soda to 16 oz water) everytime I use the shampoo and a monthly cider vinegar rinse (1 tablespoon vinegar to 16 oz water). I suppose this method of shampoo is considered "no poo", but I really don't know much about it so I won't talk about it. Feel free to leave comments explaining more about "no poo."

I would also love to hear what other herbal and essential oil blends people use for homemade shampoo or how this recipe works for your hair.