Wednesday, April 7

Author: Staff

Gardening for ourselves and Earth
Gardening

Gardening for ourselves and Earth

A couple of years ago I decided to leave Sydney and find refuge in a remote valley from what’s coming. This is the story of that failed escape and the refuge I find in gardening, still living in the city. First, why did my escape fail? Earth warned me off my escape plans, saying, “all bets are off for what’s coming.” I could see that everywhere I looked on the east coast of Australia, with the valleys I looked at buying into still burnt from the last firestorms. I walked in creeks that had never run dry but now were, and later when they flooded the flooding of them was just as worrying as the drying up. There’s nowhere to run from Earth’s collapsing climate. Not even to the island, Tasmania. There, too, forests that have never burnt, burned.  Rainfall has forgotten its past habits on t...
Kratom Leaves: Medicinal Plants That Have Psychotropic Effects
Herbal Medicine

Kratom Leaves: Medicinal Plants That Have Psychotropic Effects

Not everyone knows about kratom, even though it is often used in West Kalimantan. Kratom is a type of tree found in several countries in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand. Kratom has the Latin name Mitragyna speciosa, from the Rubiaceae family. In Indonesia, it is known as purik leaf or ketum. It has long been used as a pain reliever herbal medicine. It can be eaten raw, brewed as a tea, or turned into kratom capsules, tablets, powders, and liquids. However, recently kratom has begun to be abused as a drug because of its effects similar to opium and cocaine. Usually, chewing raw kratom leaves is done to produce energy as if you consume caffeine. Or as a traditional medicine for various diseases, such as diarrhea to treat pain in the body. Read more
Herb Stuffing Recipe with Sage and Thyme
Herbal Recipes

Herb Stuffing Recipe with Sage and Thyme

A lot of folks wonder how to make stuffing with sage (Salvia officinalis) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris) in a way that maximizes the herbal properties of these two related plants and enhances the proteins in their main dish. Both sage and thyme belong to the Lamiaceae, or mint family (Ware, 2018), making them complimentary flavors in any late fall meal. Sage contains nutrients, including Vitamins A and K, as well as magnesium, potassium, beta carotene, and phosphate (Ware, 2020). Historically, thyme has been used as a preservative, a repellant, a flavoring agent, and an antiseptic, with possible antibacterial properties (Felman, 2018). Using dried thyme when you make stuffing dishes ensures that the dish will retain the maximum amount of  pungent aromatic flavor (Moncel, 2020). Get the reci...
Healing herbs
Herbal Medicine

Healing herbs

Ayurvedic knowledge originated in India more than 5,000 years ago. In the Third Century BC Ashoka the Emperor converted to Buddhism. He sent many Buddhist missionaries to neighboring countries and this is probably how Ayurveda reached Sri Lanka. We know that Ayurvedic medicine was already extensively developed by the time of the Buddha (5th to 4th century BCE). Green Thumbs speaks to Senior Lecturer, Former Director, Institute of Indigenous Medicine, University of Colombo, Dr. Swarna Hapuarachchi on Ayurveda plant medicines and the health benefits provided by Ayurvedic plants. “There are number of medicinal plants that have the power to fight against diseases. There are some groups of medicines available in the Ayurveda system. Following groups are very commonly used - Thriphal...
Captain Cook used a native Australian plant to fight scurvy. Are Indigenous foods the future?
Wild Herbs

Captain Cook used a native Australian plant to fight scurvy. Are Indigenous foods the future?

Juru and Kanaka man Gerald Power often hears from people that food eaten by First Nations people in the tens of thousands of years before colonisation did not have much seasoning. It is a myth he is keen to correct. He offered up saltbush as an example, saying many people thought of it as livestock feed. But it was also delicious ground up and rubbed on meat. Mr Power cultivates many edible native plants, including bush basil, curry myrtle and river mint, in a community garden in Orange, in central-western NSW. One of his favourite products is a drink made with lemon myrtle and ironbark honey, but he also spoke highly of warrigal greens, which he loved for their versatility. "It's a thing you can use in stews. I make warrigal pesto out of it," Mr Power said. "It's just so...
The Best Indoor Gardens and Herb Garden Kits for Families
Gardening

The Best Indoor Gardens and Herb Garden Kits for Families

Gardening is a great way for kids to see nature in action and learn where their food comes from. While you once needed a yard (and good weather) to grow strawberries or basil, innovative garden kits have made gardening possible for more people. Kids who live with little or no outdoor space can now tend to indoor gardens any time of year and watch how dirt, light, and water magically morph seeds into food that they can harvest and eat for dinner. Indoor garden kits and herb garden kits give kids the opportunity to care for something, and when kids are involved in food preparation, they gain a sense of ownership, making them more likely to try new things, even weird vegetables. The idiot-proof self-watering indoor garden makes this process even easier, especially for parents who don’t hav...
Lemon Herb Veal Chop
Herbal Recipes

Lemon Herb Veal Chop

Succulent veal chops are pan-fried then finished in the oven for the perfect degree of doneness! A simple lemon herb sauce surrounds each veal chop so that each bite is melt-in-your mouth delicious! This meal is worthy of any special occasion! I’m proud to have partnered with the Ohio Beef Council to bring you this recipe. The first time I ever tried veal was in college. A group of guy friends decided to cook for all their female friends. They set up an elaborate long table in the living room of their house and they spent the entire day cooking. If memory serves me, the guys prepared veal scallopini…and it was delicious! Much better than expected, considering it was cooked by a bunch of college kids! My friends made a very big deal about the whole evening and so now I associate ve...
Herbal Remedies For Hot Spots: Help Your Dog Naturally
Herbal Medicine

Herbal Remedies For Hot Spots: Help Your Dog Naturally

You may think of hot spots as acute. But most of the time they’re a symptom of a more serious condition … like chronic stress, food sensitivities, energy stagnation or liver imbalances. Known as acute moist dermatitis or pyoderma, the dreaded hot spot should be called the “red, gooey, inflamed, hairless spot varying in symptoms, size and severity” spot. More commonly known causes of hot spots include: Fleas and other bug bites Food sensitivities Summer heat Environmental allergens But they can also be caused by imbalances in the liver, immune system … or some type of injury or instability in the body. Hot spots are damp and bring heat and inflammation to the skin. Most hot spots are a result of too much heat produced in the body … blocking the movement of energy. Read mo...
Helen Chesnut’s Garden Notes: Aromatic Mediterranean herbs are drought tolerant
Gardening

Helen Chesnut’s Garden Notes: Aromatic Mediterranean herbs are drought tolerant

Dear Helen: What herbs or other plants would you suggest for spaces in my plot of lavender and oregano? There is very little water available here for the garden. Plants I add to the space will have to be as drought tolerant as the lavender and oregano. D.M. Why not stick with the aromatic Mediterranean herbs which, along with lavender and oregano, include rosemary, thyme, and sage? All thrive in lean, dryish soil, full sun, and warmth. All are drought tolerant once established in a garden. These herbs are available in many varieties and plant sizes. You can choose from among purple, golden, tricolor (white, pink and green), and dwarf sage. Honey Melon sage has a wonderful pineapple scent and edible red flowers that attract and feed hummingbirds. More tips at Times Colonist
Why Recipes Call For Bay Leaves Even Though They Have No Taste Or Smell
Herbal Recipes

Why Recipes Call For Bay Leaves Even Though They Have No Taste Or Smell

When seasoning a dish before popping it in the oven, you might not think about the plants the herbs and spices came from. One time you might is when using bay leaves. It’s one thing to sprinkle food with oregano or thyme, but sticking an entire leaf into a pot as it simmers might seem odd. While it is not common to eat them whole, tucking the aromatic leaves into food while cooking is popular. Bay leaves come from an evergreen plant called a bay laurel, which grows in warm climates. Bay leaves have been grown around the world for centuries and used as a seasoning as well as essential oil and in traditional medicine applications for thousands of years. But bay leaves have taken some heat in recent years. In a story entitled “The Vast Bay Leave Conspiracy” at the Awl, writer Kelly C...