Natural Health Archives

Wildcrafting :: Nettles

October 12, 2015 | Leave a Comment

On a recent trip to Brisbane, we were surprised at how adversely the town water seemed to affect our children. Chilli has been on tank water since she was 1.5 years old and Marlin his entire life. On the odd occasion we need to buy in a load of town water, but the town water here in the Huon Valley seems to be a far cry from the heavily chlorinated elixir of Brisbane City. My Aunt who lives in Bundaberg tells me that Brisbane’s water is good, she can drink that and finds it quite palatable – at her place she tells me she can’t drink that water! I’d hate to taste Bundaberg’s water then!

When we arrived in Brisbane, we thought for the day or so we were in the city before picking up the motor home and heading off to our first planned place of holidaying that we’d be fine to drink the city water – however within a few hours of drinking the water, both children felt quite ill and Marlin even vomited!

Upon discussing the subject with Brisbane locals, we were surprised to realise that many folk actually find the town water undrinkable and many reported the similar soapy flavour that we found to the water. I kept asking Graham if he’d accidentally gotten soap on the rim of the bottle when filling it from the tap!

I think a combination of being a little thrown off balance by flying and then drinking the city water, had Chilli feeling quite unwell for the best part of the first day and into the next. When we arrived out at Spring Valley Stays in Sarabah we were excited to see that, growing wild all around us, was amazing patches of nettle. Seriously this place has nettles the size of dinner plates – no exaggeration! They definitely put Tassie nettles to shame! The wildcrafting skill of ‘tacoing’ your nettle to pick them without being stung definitely doesn’t work on these babies – or giants as the case may be, the stinging hairs on these are all over – top and bottom. Unfortunately there also wasn’t much, if any, dock to be found around as a natural antidote to the stings. Later on in our stay we found the very first dock plants of the season pushing through the spring ground, but they were difficult to scout out. While the stings really aren’t something too excruciating nor that unpleasant and in the interest of healing the children I was happy to take a few of the fuzzy feeling nettle stings – the thing that did surprise me was the lasting effect of the stings. We were picking the nettles early in the morning – then through that entire day, the fingers that I was stung on, were quite numb! I guess alongside being quite cleansing, nettles are also a natural numbing agent – does that make them an anesthetic/paresthesia? I’m not sure what the correct term would be. Of course the occasional sting is all part and parcel of wildcrafting nettles and normally the sting passes in a minute or two, but we were surprised at the longevity of the effects these monstrous stinging nettle leaves had!

We picked some nettles for the children to eat fresh, but the children weren’t so keen on the nettle stings in their mouth when the normal ‘tacoing’ didn’t work so we decided to make some tea – improvising with what we had on hand for our tea equipment. We steeped the leaves in boiled water for 5 minutes or so and then used a clean handkerchief in a mug to strain off the tea. Once the leaves had been steeped in hot water, their sting had naturally gone, so we could then eat the wilted greens as well as enjoy the cleansing tea. After a few leaves and a cup of tea, Chilli miraculously felt wonderful and Marlin also enjoyed having some of the tea. We decided a little nettle cleanse was in order for us all to flush out the city water we’d had and we all felt great for it. It was so lovely to be able to put our wildcrafting to such therapeutic use.

Chilli and I mused at how wonderful Mother Nature is and how if you work in harmony with her, she will always rise up and provide exactly what you need wherever you are.

Subsequently, this sent us on a bit of a wildcrafting mission. We found fat hen, milk thistle, chickweed, clover and mallow to harvest in the grasses along Sarabah Road as well as a mulberry tree that was just coming into season with it’s berries. There was also a lovely prickly pear which I had wanted to pick some of the fresh spring pads from to prepare – I always remember a wonderfully delicious prickly pear salad I ate at a Mexican restaurant years ago – but unfortunately we never got around to driving past it with time to spare for stopping.

What are your favourite wild foods to forage for? We enjoy the Herbal Roots Zine series which is wonderful for learning about beneficial and useful herbs, many that are easily found in the wild.

Bulletproof :: Initial Experiences

June 28, 2015 | Leave a Comment

Dear Reader – this is a post that set out with the intention to be short and sweet. It has however turned into anything but. Perhaps grab yourself a mug of something Bulletproof to enjoy while you read this post! 😉 This post also contains adult themes – you must be over 18 years of age to read this post.

We’ve recently become big fans of the Bulletproof Lifestyle. To be honest the ‘we’ in regards to ‘recently’ probably more relates to me – Graham has been interested in and lightly experimenting with the Bulletproof philosophies over the past year and I’ve only recently jumped on board with him. It takes me a while to ‘catch onto’ these things. It’s often been our experience, time and time again over the years, that Graham will talk to me about something, giving me the ins and outs of a particular program or philosophy and I say “That sounds good honey – hmmmm….” Then about a year later, I come to him rabbiting on with great enthusiasm about some great concept I’ve been reading about that I think is really wonderful and suggest that we should give it a try together if he’d like. He grins a little smile and says “A-ha, yep, sure.” Almost like a ‘been there, done that, so glad you’ve decided to join me honey’ type thought behind his smile! These things need to be my idea I think for me to fully commit to them, he just has to wait about 1 year normally for me to be onboard with something he’s discovered! Lucky he’s a patient man!

We’re really enjoying the Bulletproof recipes and there is a wealth of them around. Dave has created some really fantastic dishes that have delicious and satiating results. With one exception – The No-Coffee Vanilla Latte. I wish I could say something good about this blend, but I just can’t unfortunately. Hot water, vanilla powder, butter, coconut oil (or MCT) and a drop or two of stevia if you choose – which we normally opt not to use. It just needs a little ‘something else’ to make it satiating and appealing in my opinion. It tasted exactly like you would expect it to – a weak milky cup of vanilla flavoured hot water. Eh – not exaclty an enticing nightcap! In my opinion, there is much more flavourful and nutrient dense caffeine free Bulletproof beverages you can enjoy in calmer times through the day, such as the Egg Nog recipe.

To be honest, on that point of sweetness I mentioned above, I’ve been really surprised since starting with the Bulletproof way of eating, how quickly I have had little to no sweet cravings. I’m talking about having noticed huge obvious changes in a matter of days. For someone with as big a sweet tooth as me, that is quite impressive. Before when we have followed certain eating plans or philosophies, I’ve always still had sweet cravings that have really taken all my will power to not reach for the jar of medjool dates as I walk into the pantry preparing a meal. As far as I’ve experienced with Bulletproof, I’m not even thinking about sweet foods. I’m finding that something in me has almost ‘reset’ and I am discovering all the sweetness I need within the foods such as the vanilla, coconut oil or paste and vegetables natural flavours. I remember many years ago when I was a new mother, I would often attend parenting information evenings at our local Steiner school. Ebba Bodame was a wonderfully wise, seasoned Waldorf teacher who often presented very inspiring talks about the natural/holistic approach of Waldorf/Steiner education and how we as parents in the home could embrace and expand on these philosophies used in the schools. Many quotes from those ‘Evenings with Ebba’ remain strongly in my mind to this day, 8 years later. One of them being when Ebba was talking about the diet we feed our children. She spoke about the ‘sweetness’ in food and how even with giving the children natural ‘sweet’ food like honey or maple syrup we can almost numb their reception to sweetness. Sure, these natural sweeteners are lovely as special treats – maple syrup pancakes on a special occasion or honey cakes on Saint Nicholas Day – but in the day to day flow of our food, Ebba spoke about how it is important for the child to search and find the sweetness within their food. A child who has not had a diet that regularly features these sweet foods will find great sweetness in (as an example) their carrots. We eat quite healthfully and for Chilli’s entire eating life we have been an organic eating family. Our food within the home is organic and if we eat out, we aim to favour places of whole and mindful food offerings and places who use local, quality ingredients from mindfully produced sources. When we moved to Tassie, it called for us to really have an entire overhaul of our food values. Sure organic food is here – but not in the same way it is on the mainland and in our original hometown. It’s not labelled so much, certified is a minority and it’s most definitely not shouted from the rooftops. It takes a real awareness here of where your food has come from, who has grown it and what their values are. There are many mindful, passionate farmers and home growers, producing food in really beautiful, nourishing ways – quietly, humbly in their own little patches. It takes time to find these people, to become friends with these often quiet folk and really understand how they are growing food in their gardens and on their farms. Organic shops are here, but there is only a few of them and for the most part they are quite boutique compared to the larger Sydney based stores and operations. We’ve really watched the organic market and offerings grow over the past 4 years we’ve been here and it is entirely different to what it was when we originally arrived, but it is still a far cry from the vastness and range of something as wonderful as Whole Foods! One of our saving graces here for fresh produce and local mindfully produced food coming together in one easy to access place, is Harvest Feast – a very passionate and mindfully run stall at the weekly Salamanca Markets.

I have digressed (as is so my style!) so let’s get back to carrots and their sweetness. It is fair to say even though we are an organic, mindful eating family – with a mother that has a sweet tooth as strong as mine, my children have had more than their fair share of organic sweetness over the years. A carrot is most likely the last thing they would classify as ‘sweet’. Things like vanilla and coconut all do have a beautiful sweetness to them – however when your sense of sweetness is dumbed by sugars – even if they are organic they are still sweet, sweet sugariness – you really stop ‘finding’ the sweetness in these everyday whole foods. I am therefore thankful to the Bulletproof recipes and philosophy because it has almost hit that sweetness ‘reset’ button in my body and taste buds – allowing me to really find and appreciate the sweetness in so many wonderful foods. I know the same is happening for my family as well. For many years we have followed a Weston A Price Foundation/Nourishing Traditions (WAPF/NT) way of eating. Healthy fats have long been a part of our diet that I value greatly in the health of our family’s food. The Bulletproof diet though, in my opinion takes this to the next level. It really ups the fats. It brings such an awareness to why you are eating the fats and blends into many recipes a combination of wonderful health promoting fats. I’m a little unsure of the specifics of this, I’ve read a lot of information but am still in that stage myself where I am taking it all in and churning it all around before I can regurgitate in my own way the information I have digested. I am guessing though that the way the healthy fats interact with the body and the process’ they mobilise/initiate has a great power over the desire for empty ‘sweet’ foods as opposed to whole healthy foods that we will naturally find our own sweetness in. When I spoke with Graham about this recently, he was talking about how the fats and the types of meals we are eating and even the time of day we eat certain foods, ensures that certain ‘levels’ of the brain are ‘fed’ and therefore there is a change in the messages the certain parts of the brain send for what types of food they feel the body needs… AH! You can see as I said, it really takes a lot of taking the information in and digesting it yourself to be able to put into words exactly what you feel is happening for you. At least that’s what I am finding to be the case for me.

Okay, let’s get to this No-Coffee Vanilla Latte (The recipe is coming I promise!) Graham made the Bulletproof recipe of this for us one evening and we drank it, quite unimpressed to say the least. Even with a good dose of healthy fats, it really just felt ’empty’ and needed a bit of ‘ooomph’. Now the one time I am still struggling a little bit with on the Bulletproof way of eating is that afternoon ‘lull’. That typical 2-3pm crash where traditionally while you’re sitting at your office desk, your mind starts screaming at you to pop to the vending machine or corner store to grab yourself a delicious confectionary bar. A great combat for this is a nice mug of Bancha tea which is highly spoken of in Macrobiotic circles. Bancha tea which is a somewhat by-product of Sencha tea making as far as I understand it, is a green tea that I was told (by a macrobiotic friend regarding her experiences) has a nice ability to harmonise blood sugar levels that are out of whack and screaming for that candy bar. Now it’s not the blood sugar level drop and ‘crash’ that I am experiencing in the afternoon, it’s the hunger or maybe just the mental association of that time of day and the general habit of a snack. Spending years at home with the children in a Waldorf inspired homeschooling environment, morning and afternoon snacks are amongst the cornerstones of each day. Inevitably I end up sharing in those meals and over the years I’ve found myself eating more food than I need to in a day, including many that are quite sweet and carb loaded as well. One of my differing opinions to Waldorf food values is their heavy emphasis on grains in snacks and meals. These extra snacks have not, I can tell you, been conducive to getting my post 2 pregnancies mid section back into pre baby growing shape! 😉 So in this afternoon lull, I’m not finding myself ‘crashing’ energy wise – but just in finding myself feeling that I am quite hungry and not able to last until dinner a few hours later. Therefore I’m looking at a beverage that is easy to prepare and satiating while not being filled with carbs or a huge protein hit. Something that is nutrient dense, honours the Bulletproof values, that I can easily make and sit to enjoy with the children as they have their afternoon snack. Some days we’ve eaten avocado boats – which are always a fun, super easy to prepare and well loved snack by the children. Other days we might make ants on a log and sometimes we splurge for something a bit special as a total treat and have a Bulletproof muffin!

I also find dandelion to be a great mid afternoon beverage to blend into a Bulletproof base. Our whole family is quite fond of dandelion tea and Graham and I have been drinking multiple cups every day for a good few years now. We go through waves of having totally exhausted ourselves of it and taking a break, but for the most part, it’s a staple in our diet. I love the comfort cup of creaminess and warmth it offers as a morning awakening or an evening wind down. I also love that it’s most likely giving my liver a good dose of TLC to keep that in good shape! We generally brew our dandelion for around 8 minutes to get a good strong infusion and then sweeten with a teaspoon of honey and add almond milk – delicious, but definitely not Bulletproof with the honey and almond milk as well as lacking a good dose of those healthy fats. Dave isn’t against herbal teas in his philosophy, but he does warn to approach with caution. As you’ve heard me previously mention, one of the things I LOVE about Bulletproof is the way Dave encourages us to get so intimately in tune with our own bodies. He makes a point of saying that his philosophy is not a blanket approach that is going to suit everyone. It is going to need fine tuning adjustments for each individual – our own personalised bio-hacks! He gives you his experience, research and concluding information and empowers you to go on, in your own way, with that knowledge in your tool box to better understand what is happening inside our bodies with the consumption of certain food types. He then encourages us to dig into our own biology and hack what we need to in order to create our own unique Bulletproof blueprint. In regards to herbal teas he recommends really paying attention to what happens in your own body when you consume this beverage. It may have the medicinal benefit that is a wonderful aspect to the tea – but he tells us to be conscious of how OUR body relates to the herbal infusion – does it create a craving, inflammation or other reaction in some way within ourself. It really takes the mindlessness out of the way we eat and promotes a big dose of mindfulness when we are eating. I have the image from those food doco’s we’ve most likely all seen of the extremely overweight – possibly even obese person, sitting there on a park bench consuming this greasy, giant hamburger. The contents are spilling out the sides, the paper wrapper is all crumpled up around the bun, unhealthy grease drips from the burger and the whole scene is exaggerated in the film to appear more like a pig in an apple orchard devouring a bucket of scraps, than someone enjoying their food. There is no beauty in this at all and eating is and should be a beautiful thing. In my opinion, there is a huge disconnect to the food being ingested in this instance. I would doubt that someone in this situation has much consciousness about what they are eating and how it tastes. I imagine that if you walked up to them in that moment and said “Without looking at your burger, can you please tell me what ingredients are on the hamburger and describe the taste” – I’m sure you’d get a blank look. Of course this is all a gross exaggeration – while this kind of food consumption happens around the world on a daily if not hourly basis, it’s not always in this manner that mindless eating happens. When we sit down from a busy day, have snacked all afternoon and we know the children need to get into bed – it’s often in these times we sit and ‘chow down’ rather than really honouring the process of eating. I can tell you I’ve eaten more than my fair share of meals where in the realm of a large, nourishing meal – I have honestly not tasted a single bite. Eating slowly and with mindfulness has always been and continues to be my challenge. I have memories as a child of our evening family meal – my father would have finished his large meal and be up clearing his plate before I’d barely made a start on my dinner. Meal table conversation wasn’t rich, if it indeed happened at all. And I totally see myself in that role now. But I also understand that just like me now – my father as a parent to young children then, had all the same things that I do to jump up and tend to – dishes to be washed, post dinner preparation clean up and making sure the children got to bed on time. There’s no way every mouthful I swallow has been chewed 24 times as is recommended to alkalise as best we can our food and activate the digestive enzyme process. Children really do learn what they see and I am increasingly conscious around this topic of what I am showing my children that will form their habits around how they eat as adults in years to come. And I think this goes back through my German ancestral lineage a bit. I have memories of also being at a meal table with my German grandparents and attempting to start a discussion to which in a thickset German accent the reply came back “psht – psht”. I suspect even their childhood shared meals with parents who behaved similarly. These people were living in a war torn time when they often had no idea when their next meal would come and where it would come from. Perhaps it just was the German way? Don’t talk – just eat! Maybe that’s why the traditional image of Germans that I carry in my mind (despite having relatively slender German relatives myself) can tend to be a little more heavily set than the petite French! Isn’t that the secret to why ‘French Women Don’t Get Fat’? Food is such a social event in France and often people eat out in restaurants where conversation is just as rich as their food – they aren’t just sitting, heads down chowing their meal. They are taking a bite – chewing, swallowing, discussing, conversing, having a sip of some divine South of France ‘du vin’, resting for a moment and then finally taking another bite. They have a better awareness of when they are full. As opposed to my so often sense of absolute near explosion and needing to lay on the lounge for a while after dinner because I sat, chowed and just ate way more than I needed to. I’ve heard it said that eating is the most intimate act we will ever undertake in our lives. I equate mindful eating to really beautiful, soul connected love making between two partners that care deeply for each other. Mindless eating as described above on the park bench reminds me of just that – a spare of the moment, fleeting fling of passion most probably somewhere like a park bench between two people that have stumbled out of a bar together and barely know each other.

In the short time we’ve been enjoying Bulletproof recipes, I have this transformed relationship with my food. I have always been a lover and appreciator of good, mindfully produced, well prepared food. Eating the Bulletproof way, by the time I come to my lunch and dinner I am not ‘ravenous’ in a starving way, but I am really looking forward to my meal. To be honest the meals are not much different from food we normally eat. However I come to my food with a different mindfulness now and every bite is savoured and enjoyed. It’s difficult to describe, it’s not because I feel that I’m limiting my food or anything like that, I just think there is this wonderfully rich mindfulness about what and why I am eating. And of course it’s different for everyone. I know the Bulletproof literature, just like all other programs, is littered with passionate testimonials about how Bulletproof has just absolutely transformed and changed a certain persons life in such a wonderful way – but I do also know that everybody’s journey is different. This is just my experience with starting to embrace the Bulletproof philosophy, and I really couldn’t be happier with all the ‘resetting’ that it seems to be having around my experiences with and relationship to food. I think there’s a quoted Bulletproof line that goes something like – ‘And all that from a simple cup of coffee!’

I think one of the key aspects of the Bulletproof way of being is that you understand the philosophies and reasons behind certain things that are done. I don’t think it has the same impact on a multi dimensional level if you just hear a friend talk about how great they feel following the principles and then you look up a few recipes and start doing the ‘Bulletproof thing’. I think there is a need to understand why certain things are done and at what times of the day are optimal for certain food types. Of course you could pick up the 2 week program, follow it to the letter and have great results, but as I mentioned above, a large part of the program encourages each individual person to listen to and be in tune with their own food experiences, so without understanding the information behind the program, you can’t effectively tailor your own Bulletproof blueprint and create that essential, unique program that bio-hack’s your own body. I’ve never followed any ‘dieting’ style plans previously and I’m definitely not saying the Bulletproof program is a ‘fad diet’ as such – sure it has the ability for rapid weight loss if that’s what you need and are after, but I also think much of that can be your body rebalancing to level out as you bio-hack your self. I guess at the core of any kind of weight loss program is the need to understand reasons behind why you are doing things so it makes ‘staying on track’ easier and more successful. However in my experience, all ‘philosophies’ we’ve studied and followed in the past such as NT, Eat Right For Your Type (ER4YT), the Turn Over a New Leaf Detox program and even raw food to an extent – have little to no real need for you to educate yourself first in the research and philosophy behind the program, before you begin. Each of them sure, has information that accompanies their philosophy – but nothing really compares to the extent of the experiences Dave Asprey has put himself through in creating this deep and revolutionary program.

I have to say, as I enjoyed this re-vamped Vanilla Latte recipe below the other day, I couldn’t quite put my finger on what the flavour reminded me of – there was this really satisfying sweetness (without being an intense ‘sugary’ sweetness) amongst the creamy taste and texture. And then it clicked – it was like the smooth, creamy flavour of a jersey caramel. Seriously! I’m really looking forward to the next time we make this.

Now, without further ado – our Bulletproof inspired Vanilla Latte for a nourishing and satiating afternoon or evening delight….

::Soothing Afternoon Vanilla Latte::
Recipe by Elke at Another Day

The following recipe is quite nice. In my opinion it really improves on the original Bulletproof No-Coffee Vanilla Latte recipe – but there is just a small opportunity for a teeny tiny something ‘more’ to be added here. I’m looking forward to ordering (hopefully soon) some Four Sigma Foods mushroom packets. I’m wondering if a packet of Reishi to start to wind down into the afternoon might be a nice idea, or possibly even Eazy might be the final piece to complete this puzzle. Maybe the simple addition of an egg yolk or two would do the trick? If you’re after Four Sigma Foods in Australia – I discovered that GPA Wholefoods carries some of their products, which is great. Please do be careful when blending this together. If you are not experienced with blending hot liquids then please do some research first – it of course can be quite dangerous if you do not do so in an educated and mindful way.

Ingredients;

1-2T roasted dandelion and chicory
4T grass-fed organic butter
2T coconut paste
2T coconut oil
4T cacao butter
1-2t vanilla powder
1t ground cinnamon

Method;

Steep tea in 3C of boiled water for 8 minutes. We use our Breville Tea Maker for ease of brew time and accurate water temperature control
Add all ingredients including steeped/strained tea into high powered blender
Let sit for a few minutes to melt fats and oils
Place a tea towel over the blender lid and hold firmly in place – gently start the blender, increasing the speed as the initial pressure from the heated contents subsides – blend for a minute or so until well mixed and creamy
Pour into your favourite tall glass or mug and enjoy warm or allow to cool slightly and pour over ice cubes for a nice Summer iced tea.
Makes 3 adult or 2 adult and 2 child serves

Herbal Tea :: Apple Leaf

November 7, 2014 | Leave a Comment

As I stood amongst a misty, enchanting orchard the other day – watching my children wander under the leafy bower of springtime branches, drinking raindrop refreshment out of apple leaf cups – I wondered… Can you make herbal tea from Apple Leaves? Anyone who knows me well or has seen my Instagram feed will know that I’m quite conscious of putting to good use as much of a food source as we possibly can. “Waste Not – Want Not” was a mantra I was brought up with and it follows me into my home making years.

A quick bit of research and I was surprised to realise that Apple Leaf tea is in fact quite a thing. One permaculture forum I landed on had a thread where members were discussing a spring tea combining; apple, strawberry and blackberry leaves. I instantly loved the sound of this blend! Once the children were finished drinking their raindrop tea nestled in the cups of leaves, we set about picking a small bundle of soft, fresh, spring leaves from the trees. Who would have thought that these more permanent promises of warmer days who hang around to herald in those Summer hours, long after the fleeting moment of the blossom is done and dusted – would have such a great little treat to offer. I was surprised to realise that the apple leaves have cooling and astringent properties. I read that it is therapeutically used for stomach acid issues – heart burn, reflux and even all the way down to soothing digestive issues of the bowel such as diarrhoea. Outside of these internal uses with the leaves medicinal properties, apparently they are also great used topically for things like insect bites and stings as well as scratches or scrapes. A great bush walkers friend! Jim McDonald has some fantastic in-depth information about the therapeutic uses of apple leaves and bark on his herbal site.

::Spring Leaf Tea::
Recipe by Elke at Another Day

Cinnamon gives this mix a nice, subtle sweetness which blends well with the mild bitterness of these leaves. With the leaves having that bitterness, they’d be a nice addition to an After Dinner Tea blend to assist in digestion and nourishment of the stomach after the evening meal, or any other time when the stomach feels like it needs a little TeaLC! 😉
A touch of honey stirred into a hot cup would also be nice.

Ingredients:

• A handful of mixed leaves from chemical free; apple trees, strawberry plants and blackberry brambles
• 1/2 cinnamon quill broken into pieces

Method;

• Infuse the above ingredients in boiled water for around 8 minutes. The longer steep time allowed the very delicate flavours of these leaves to develop fully. We use the Breville Tea Kettle for our tea making as it is easy to program for steep time, water temperature and other custom settings unique to individual brews. If you are using a Breville Tea Machine, then we used the herbal setting and increased the time to 8 minutes.

In Autumn, when our slinky machine is working overtime to slice and peel apples for drying, we also love to dry the snake lengths of peel to pop into our Autumn and Winter chai blends. I’d love to hear about the quirky little tea recipes you have that are not so commonly known about.

Health :: Teeth Cleaning

November 4, 2014 | Leave a Comment

This is going to be a post you either love or hate to read. Some will think – “Who gives two hoots about what this girl uses to brush her teeth” and the other portion of you, which is where I’d sit – love these little insights into what others find effective in their daily lives. Okay, so let’s get fresh! Ha! Sorry, I couldn’t resist using that corny opening line! 😉 I’ve been meaning to write a post on this since forever and in light of this little space being sadly neglected of recent times, I thought this long intended post was an appropriate one to put together.

Tell me – what are your teeth cleaning treasure tips? I have to tell you, over the past few years our teeth cleaning techniques have grown to include some really amazing and very beneficial tools. Gone are the days of thinking that merely brushing, a quick floss and a rinse with some random mouthwash will do everything needed to keep our oral hygiene in tip-top shape. I have memories of when I was younger, being in the front seat of the car next to Mum driving – on the way to school. It used to make me so ridiculously annoyed when she would calmly and politely say “Elk, did you clean your teeth this morning?” – “YES MUM” I would snap back as I rolled my eyes and reached for the packet of Extra chewing gum in my bag. Extra was a good friend when I was younger – so much so, that I used to have this crazy idea that I would one day plaster a wall with Extra papers. Seriously! I used to iron those things flat and had a huge box collecting them. Gosh – to have that kind of spare time on my hands now!

Here in lies the key though to proper oral care, in my opinion. I most likely, each and every time, had thoroughly and effectively ‘cleaned’ my teeth with my toothbrush and our very fresh smelling toothpaste when my mother asked me that most upsetting question. I’d even used a popular mainstream mouthwash that was supposed to be like dynamite on bad breath! I was quite diligent about cleaning my teeth when I was younger – I always have been. However I realised that I can brush my teeth all I like, until the cows come home really – but it’s never going to get in between the little nooks and crannies of each and every tooth to get out the food that sneaks it’s way into those little hidey-holes sitting hidden away there decaying and stinking. The places we most likely all end up with cavities and needing fillings.

Enter flossing, pikstering, tongue scraping and oral care powder. These simple little techniques all combined, give one powerhouse kick to our oral care routine. Oh and our recently purchased Electric Toothbrush – which I’m not a huge fan of, but our dentist recommends it and I can tell you – the few times I’ve used it, my teeth really do have a totally different ‘clean’ feel to them. When I run my tongue around my teeth after brushing with that motorised, nose tickling, light headedness inducing gadget – they really do have that super smooth feeling that I normally only ever feel after our 6 monthly scale and clean at the dentist. Honestly, I despise electric toothbrushes because for some strange reason (and I know from talking to many people over the years that this is very uncommon) the vibration from the brush while I am cleaning my teeth, tickles my nose – and a new bonus (as I’m getting older) the vibration in my head seems to make me feel extremely unwell as my vision bounces all around the place while I’m brushing! Not overly fantastic 🙁

Here’s the benefits that I enjoy from of each of these little techniques;

Toothpastes – We predominantly use Weleda’s pastes, which our Holistic minded dentist does also recommend to us. On occasion we will grab an organic toothpaste if we won’t be able to get to a store where we can purchase Weleda. If we are going to use something other than Weleda, we always ensure our toothpaste is saccharin free.

Flossing – No new revolution here. The tape or string moves up and down between the teeth, aiming to remove food lodged in there. Great idea! However, I find that the floss seems to move the food up into the gap between my teeth at the gum line. Whilst some of it can be enticed out with a ‘scooping’ type action, it definitely doesn’t remove it all. To be honest, I’ve tried every organic, natural, beeswax coated floss over the years and none of them work for me. They don’t glide well enough, they are too thick for the gaps between my teeth (even the supposed ‘fine’ ones), they fray and end up breaking while I’m using them – leaving the most annoying little fibres between my teeth! Unfortunately it’s a very mainstream floss we use. I know there’s lots of negative reviews out there about floss’ but in my opinion, this stuff works for my teeth and we dispose of it responsibly.

Piksters – These awesome little, strange looking things are like the tiniest little bottle brushes you’ve ever seen – Fairy sized ones! These go back and forth in between that little gap at the top of the teeth on the gum line. For years I watched my mother and husband use these, told them they were nuts and refused to use them. Then after the need for several small cavity fillings between my teeth and a stern talking to from my dentist about the condition of my gums, I surrendered to the pikster. Verdict? I can’t believe I was so stubborn for so long and cost myself a whole bunch of dental work! It’s the decaying food stuck between the teeth and in that little nook at the top of the tooth line that harbours so much odour and bacteria. Bad for my breath, terrible for my dental health. These little gadgets are brilliant for pushing out caught food and cleaning thoroughly in that little space at the gum line, while giving the gum a nice little massage to keep it optimally healthy as well. They come in a variety of custom sizes so I can find a brush that suits the gap size between my teeth best. I use the tiny, delicate, pink handled ones.

Tongue Scraping – I first stumbled upon this when Kristen Suzanne did a video about her teeth cleaning habits. We really do live in a strange time don’t we? When people write about and others are interested in reading about someone else’s teeth cleaning! I’m one of those that love it, because without people sharing these things I definitely wouldn’t know about so many beneficial things that I use daily in our lives now – such as Tongue Scraping! Our tongue houses so much bacteria that is so detrimental to not only our tooth health but our breath as well. We can brush and floss and pikster but one of the final keys is in removing the thick layer of white gunk off our tongue. Now let me tell you – in my experience, even when I was tongue brushing with a fancy little moulding on the reverse side of a toothbrush, it is nothing like tongue scraping! Seriously. My mind boggled at the thick film of paste that scraped right off my seemingly ‘clean’ tongue the first time I ever used one of these. I’m never turning back from Tongue Scraping and the inexpensive cost of these little gadgets is definitely worth it in my opinion when considering the cost of dental health.

Oral Care Powder – We make up a big batch of Oral Care Powder every so often that lives in a little jar with all our teeth cleaning bits and bobs. We sprinkle a little bit onto our brush and run all around our teeth, tongue, roof of and inside of mouth. Every surface in there gets a going over with this whitening, freshening, wonder powder after we finish our brush, floss, pikster, scrape rhythm. The base is an aluminium free bicarb and Himalayan Salt. The rest is a mix of essential oils beneficial to dental health that our Naturopath recommends to us. Catherine sells pots of her specially formulated Oral Care Powder through her clinic, otherwise if you’d like to make your own, you can google around to find essential oils that are the most beneficial to dental health. There’s a tonne of great info out there, just be cautious of any specific health concerns that may need mindfulness with essential oil use. In pregnancy of course you need to be extremely cautious about the use of essential oils. I would recommend in any case, running a formula you plan to use – past your Natural Heath Professionals to check it’s suitability before use.

Propolis – This product is recommended for daily use on bacteria, bad breath, gum disease and all the rest. I only use this product acutely when I’ve bitten the inside of my mouth, eaten or drunk something too hot or have some other little niggly, annoying discomfort happening on my tongue, inside of the cheek or gums. I find a day or so of using a few drops of this in my rinse water is brilliant and fast acting on curing any little mouth ulcer type issue.

Of course, being in a situation where the time to iron flat Extra wrapper papers is something I most definitely do not have now-a-days, the time for a full teeth cleaning run through sometimes eludes me as well. On these days I normally make sure to give a quick brush with whatever natural/organic paste we are using at the time, quickly pikster or tongue scrape and perhaps splash a few drops of Weleda’s mouthwash into my rinse water. Especially if I’ll be out and about seeing people I know! 😉 Of an evening I try to be more diligent with my full routine, after all the meals throughout the day. I’m definitely also not trying to give the elusion that I never miss brushing my teeth! I have a baby and a very busy family. Occasionally Marlin wakes and calls me of an evening right close to my bed time and I’ve not yet gotten to the bathroom to clean my teeth. At those times, I’ll normally make sure the next morning to give my teeth extra special attention. Is it good to miss cleaning your teeth every now and again? Absolutely not – but it definitely does happen every so often for me, here in this busy Mumma life. I’m definitely not claiming you won’t ever catch me with funky smelling salami breath or dirty, furry, desperately needing to be cleaned teeth – that’s just a reality of never having enough hours in the day. For the most part though, I really do try to take the best care of my teeth possible. I honestly think it’s extremely important for not only myself but also as a value to model and instil in our children.

For the wee ones – what do they use? I have to say I loved the idea of bamboo brushes. I love the eco-ness of them and how they feel to use. However after using them for quite a long period of time and then being given a mainstream uber ergonomic, fancy design brush by our dentist upon one of our visits – I realised that the bamboo brushes really fell short in their design a little. I’d love to be able to use something a little more environmentally friendly, but at the end of the day – tooth longevity is the key here and it really is my opinion that there really isn’t the same level of design and research invested into the bamboo brushes as there is into the major brands very custom and meaningful designs. These things really do brush teeth well and make a big, noticeable different to the effectiveness of one’s overall dental care. I would love to say the wee ones use the child bamboo brushes (which they did for a while) but in all honesty, they use a regular child’s toothbrush. To mix it up a bit and for a bit of fun with our brushing, Jack and Jill products are a bit of a favourite, but often it’s also just a regular child’s toothbrush – one without all the commercial characters, logos and cartoons all over them. Chilli is at an age now where she can manage to floss between her teeth which is really fantastic with noticeable benefits. She has so many gaps from loosing 8 teeth by 7 years of age, that flossing is a piece of cake! She’s mighty conscious of her dental health care and has a personal goal to always have super healthy teeth, never needing a filling ever! Good on her, she’s definitely very committed to her teeth cleaning. Marlin, well – he goes through toothbrushes at a rate of knots. I’m not sure if he eats the bristles or spits them out all over the place, but the silicon brushes last a very short time before they are toothless themselves. He had 8 teeth by 6 months of age and has quite a full mouth of choppers now at 18 months. He’s totally gorgeous when he sits up on Graham’s knee – opening, closing and ‘chomping together with a smiley face’ as he’s asked – letting Papa brush his teeth very well. For the rest of the time we’re all in taking care of our teeth, he looks in the mirror, brushing his own teeth with the cutest little motion I’ve ever seen. For the most part though he just gnaws on the brush heads until they look like they’ve been attacked by wild dogs! I’d say he has very clean teeth for his age! For paste Chilli and Marlin use Weleda Children’s, or a Jack and Jill one.

Now of course you can read the good and bad about everything on line now-a-days and I am sure many of these techniques have negative reviews out there. For us though, we’ve found each of these methods to combine together for a wonderfully fresh, highly effective, tooth cleaning regime in our home – for our fussy and very particular family.

Health :: Spring Cleanse and Detox

August 18, 2014 | Leave a Comment

It’s happening people, there’s no denying it – even if you are as stubborn as I am and feeling like Winter pulled a very poor effort together this year. The fruit tree blossoms are opening, the bulbs have been blooming for the past month and the first lambs were spotted frolicking in the paddocks long, long ago. We definitely didn’t have anything close to what I would regard as a decent Winter this year, but Lady Spring – she’s dancing a-right-on-into town. While our wood fire still ticks over and there’ll no doubt be many more days that’ll bring a chill to our fingers and toes, I can see all around us – even within us – that the Spring cleanse is starting to unfold. So here’s a quick, raw, bullet pointed post to share with you all the notes I’ve taken as we prepare to embark on our annual Cleanse and Detox. It’s absolutely not a thorough cleanse and detox program, it’s just a few key notes that I’ve pulled out from our health files to clip on the fridge as we journey through this refreshing time of the year. For some other wonderful inspiration – check out Jodi’s seasonal notes on Spring. (Please note; As we consult with the same wise Naturopath, many of my Spring notes I’ll have pasted to the fridge, have come from Jodi’s articles over the years, therefore here in this post – I have deleted those and just referred you to that link.)

General Health;

Spring ‘colds’ are often a cleanse.
This time of year is all about the liver. Sour foods will support our liver and help the body’s natural detoxification process. A great time to increase all fermented foods.

The Earth;

As the Earth cleanses, so does our body. This is what the Spring ‘wild winds’ are all about.
The animals of the Earth are also cleansing, so this is a time when we avoid animal products for 6 weeks.

Food;

Our food should be fresh and light – a ‘refresh’ from the heaviness of Winter stews and bakes.
Food should (as always) be local, organic and seasonal.
Bitter greens such as dandelion, thistle and sorrel will support the liver.
Increase vegan and RAW foods – using chia, sesame and hemp seeds (when we’re in hemp food friendly Countries!) to support our Spring nutrients.
See the additional food suggestions regarding kale, fennel, celery and root vegetables on Jodi’s site.
Some great meal and information inspiration from Catherine.
We normally follow the ‘Turn Over a New Leaf’ 6 week detox program which is fantastic – however after 7 years of this program we’re really a little over the same menu year-in-year-out. This season we’re going to mix up recipes from Michael Reese’s 6 week plan for evening meals, breakfast and lunch recipes from some great free online resources, as well as on-the-spot inspirations from the above guidelines. A favourite breakfast is homemade nut butter on essene bread, topped with sprouts – but 6 weeks of this gets a little too much to take as well, so I’ll be using quinoa for simple, easy, nutritious porridges, beans in all different ways and facon for a continental vegan breakfast. Numerous recipes from Kristen Suzanne always end up gracing our meal table, especially her TLT. For an occasional decadent treat – the infamous Choc Cherry Bomb Shake is heavenly. I’m not big at all on copious amounts of powdered food supplements, I believe you should be able to get everything you need from your nutrient dense meals, however every so often I don’t mind a bit of chocolate Garden of Life Raw Protein in our smoothies for some added oomph.
My one personal allowance during this program is that I include bone broths in our diet. The bones are from animals slaughtered before the Spring period and as Hunter Gatherer type people, our family has found we really do thrive on an animal based diet. Therefore the inclusion of the animal minerals during this period, I feel – supports our systems as they detox and heal.

Teas;

Chrysanthemum for immune.
As well as the tea’s Jodi notes for support through this season.
Immune tea blend to support our system – add dandelion.
Thistles, burdock and yellow dock will support the sinus’.
Rosehip, parsley and lemon slices to increase the uptake of flavanoids.

Juices;

Green juice/smoothie each day (we’ll alternate juice/smoothie days) for the cleansing properties of chlorophyll. Use sour citrus’ but avoid orange juice as it is counterproductive to the liver as it cleanses.

Remedies;

A great recipe for cleansing support is toward the end of the post in italicised text, as well as an additional blood cleansing recipe from Catherine can be found in this FIG post, about half way down, under the heading ‘A Spring Cleanse’.

Aromatherapy;

Spring ‘cleanse’ sinus symptom; burn – lavender, lemon, eucalyptus.
Oil burner/spritz for the home; these oils along with cypress and rosemary are also beneficial.
Oils into hankie or on chest in carrier oil – respiratory blend onto chest all through season.

::Pregnant with Marlin in Spring 2012 – obviously my program had to be modified during that Spring, but I still benefited from mindfully supporting my system through the natural cleanse that happens with each Spring season::

Here are a few links if you’d like to read some various Spring recipes and articles I wrote for our local food co-op a few years back; Raw for Spring, Eat your Weeds!, Bring on the Brussels, Seedy Summer Lentil Dip, Beetroot Dip, Cumin Wedges, Amaranth Tabouli Mushroom Cups, Kohlrabi – the Under-appreciated Vegetable, Culturing Vegetables, Cooking with Grains, Amaranth, Berry-de-licious, Springtime Garden Tea, Spring Smoothies, Green Juices, Alkalising. You’ll have to excuse the lack of visuals – I didn’t realise that when I deleted a stack of Picasa albums, that I deleted the folder containing imagery pertaining to these posts. You’ll have to let your imagination take the lead and the words guide you through the appearance of each dish!

Tell me, what are your favourite Spring Detox traditions…

Healing :: Winter Remedies

June 15, 2014 | 3 Comments

‘Most everyone I talk to seems to be cleansing and healing from something at the moment. In our household this past few weeks it’s Chilli and I – Papa and Marlin are the wellness warriors here through this bout of cleansing. At times like these, I always hear our wise Naturopath’s words ring in my ears, reminding us that it’s quite possibly not a cold but a cleanse! In Autumn and Spring our bodies traditionally purge themselves – cleaning away built up toxins, mucus and waste. Sure, there’s definitely the reality of Winter Lurgies that make their rounds, but often we’re also just having a good clean out with our body’s natural cleansing functions.

Tucked up in our cosy little home from deep under an array of doonas, blankets and pillows that cover our lounge – rendering it looking more like a bed at the moment. With essential oil aromas wafting through the air and a stock bubbling away on the stove – this post has taken shape slowly through the space of this week, to share a few Winter Remedies that are helping us heal and restore. I loved Jodi’s recent Winter healing post, which reminded me of a few basics always helpful and handy when the Winter ailments come knocking on our door. I didn’t want to repeat the one’s she offered, but thought I’d write a post to share a few other remedies we find therapeutically wonderful. Therefore, please do head over and have a look at Jodi’s recommendations – all wonderfully nourishing and healing. We consult seasonally with the same wise naturopath as Jodi – in fact I think most of the naturally inclined families back home consult with this very same woman, who’s more than a practitioner, she’s like a family member to every one of her patients! Therefore it’s always great to read the suggestions Jodi shares incase something slipped my mind – such as soaking in an epsom salts bath, which our whole family has enjoyed on several occasions this week, or a big glass of freshly squeezed citrus juice, which we’ve added some of those 135 kiwi fruits to for an extra vitamin C boost! Tamarillo’s are also a phenomenal Winter vitamin C boost. Luckily the ones in our home food garden are just starting to ripen!

Without further ado here is that round up of helpful healing remedies we’ve been using the past few weeks.

Herbal Mixtures; There’s always a stand by bottle of general immune herbs here in the home. At the first sign of any ailments, this becomes part of our regular healthcare regime. Further to this, when we have a seasonal consultation with our naturopath, she sometimes recommends a supportive blend to either heal or help cleanse the body of current niggles. We are also blessed to have a fabulous apothecary close by, staffed with qualified and amazing naturopaths who we can chat to for general first aid and ailment needs. This time, the mucus Chilli and I are trying to clear out really seems to be a bit stubborn, resulting in a very mild but wet sounding cough – not persistent at all, but there none the less. The naturopath at Goulds put together a beautiful herbal formula to support this healing. We also keep on-hand a sore throat herbal mix which is in a handy little spray bottle that can be sprayed onto the back of the throat to relieve sore/dry throat symptoms. This is brilliant!

Essential Oils; We use essential oils in many ways, every day in our home; oil burners, massage blends, balms, on hankies and in baths. When we are healing – these uses get stepped up a notch and added to our cleaning as well. Last Winter we made a fantastic Winter balm which can have added any blend of oils to create a lovely chest rub. Dropping oils onto hankies to carry with us for inhaling and also to have by us for coughing into are great. The oils on the hankie are good air purifiers when being coughed into! I take two small crocheted granny squares, knit them together leaving the top edge open to create a pouch, finger knit a strap – attaching at both sides. These sweet little ‘pocket hankens’ are great for toting around oil filled hankies! For clearing out mucus we massage with a respiratory or immune blend – down across the bridge of the nose, along the cheek bone over to the ear, from the ear down to just under the jaw line. Then with alternating cupped hands folding around the neck we massage lengthways down the neck, moving all the mucus out of the head area. Respiratory oils on the chest are then good to keep it all moving out of the body. Our favourite Winter oils are; Woody for dilating the airways as well as building the immune system (Juniper, Pine and Eucalyptus are great), Citrus and Mints for their cleansing and refreshing properties, Tea Tree and Lavender for their anti bacterial properties. We rub garlic infused olive oil into the soles of our feet for both an immune boost as well as for cough treatment. All these essential oils also get wiped around benches and bathrooms often – particularly the vanity. Whether the ailment is contagious or not, anything being spat into the sink is normally full of bacteria the body is expelling to heal. We also use essential oils very mildly with internal applications such as in a spoon of molasses for treating certain conditions – but that’s definitely something best done under the care of a qualified health care practitioner. Opinions are wide and varied on the use of oils internally. For external use in massage oils, I always remember the old aromatherapy rule of halving the amount of mls in carrier oil I have and adding that many drops of pure essential oil into the carrier in total. I like to use a blend of three different essential oils for a powerful synergy effect.

Steam Inhalations and Humidifiers; The oldest trick in the book is a bowl of hot water with essential oils floating around. A towel over your head, hankie nearby to blow out into and under you go – head over the steam, breathing and healing. Inhalations work wonderfully for clearing and cleansing the airways. We’ve also just, during this bout of healing, invested in a Humidifier – which is worth it’s weight in gold. I don’t know why I didn’t think of one of these sooner. I guess because the cough Chilli tends to get with her mucus clearing, is normally a more wet sounding cough. I didn’t think about a wet treatment of steam. The naturopath at Goulds however, recommended one to us and the benefits have been wonderful. Chilli would cough a few times when she woke up through the night. The first night we used the humidifier, the bit of coughing she’d had of an evening was greatly soothed – we were quite impressed. It’s also great to have another way to disperse healing oils through the air. I didn’t realise that with keeping the mucus membranes lubricated, it soothes the chest and reduces the coughing. Of course I did a bunch of googling around before we decided on which humidifier to choose. As always if you read far and wide enough, you’ll read the good and the bad about any product – but I was quite impressed in the end by the new model TAAV humidifiers. We do use our own oil blends in the machine – against the manufacturers advice, but I’m a bit particular about what is dispersed into our home air. I merely take 15ml of glycerine and add our own oil mix – normally eucalyptus, peppermint and lavender – sometimes with a bit of juniper or tea tree and mix it well before popping into the water mix. This does of course void your warranty! However, I’d much rather be able to use organic oils and know exactly what was going into the steam infusion for our home. Our TAAV machine is working beautifully for helping us to heal. We have it on in the bedroom through the night and then in the main living space through the day. Naturally, each morning I need to wipe down and open wide the bedroom windows to air the room from condensation build up through the night. I also like to wipe an essential oil such as tea tree, lavender, lemon, eucalyptus or rosemary around the window sill. Rotating these impregnates the wood of the sills with a nice aroma – adding those healing oils to yet another space in the home! Indoor fires are also quite drying to our air, so we sit a kettle in a safe place atop our pot belly which also, of course, has a sprinkling of oils in the water.

Infused Honeys; Rosehip for Vitamin C boost, sage for sore throat relief, onion for coughs and turmeric as an expectorant. These honeys are delicious taken by the spoonful, drizzled over porridge or a vegan custard such as the one Jude Blereau has in her Wholefood for Children book on page 131. We use almond milk instead of soy as during the Autumn and Winter we avoid dairy and soy as much as possible, eliminating them entirely when journeying through cleanse/healing periods. Surprisingly, a large portion of people that have mucus activating reactions to cow’s and other animal milks, also have it to soy.

Ginger Syrup; This is great for soothing sore throats, coughs and for general immune boosting. We take a teaspoon or so in a cup of fresh water – it has quite a zing, so straight up it’s a little powerful. We use rapadura in the syrup as I like the inclusion of minerals from the full, unrefined cane syrup.

Onions; These little babies pack a huge antibacterial punch. We take a whole onion and pierce it all over with a skewer. Chilli loves this job! It then goes in a bowl and sits in our living area as well as bedrooms of those who are unwell. These little bundles do a great job of helping to keep the air in a home cleansed. Onions also make a wonderful natural cough syrup. We peel and cut an onion open across the middle, exposing the centre part of the onion. Place centre part up in a deep, wide top bowl and pour a good few tablespoons of honey over the onion. The honey will drizzle down through the onion. I periodically keep spooning the honey back up over the onion for an hour or so before using it by the teaspoon full as needed. I keep spooning the honey over the onion randomly through the day to further infuse and replenish the honey over the onion as needed. Eventually the honey becomes quite thin as it infuses deeply with the onion. It’s quite fun to watch the onion layers unfurl and open up as the infusion progresses further and further. We most definitely dispose of the onion with all the holes that has been attracting bacteria from the air, but the onion which has been drizzled with oodles of honey – once we’re finished using it for cough syrup, it makes a delicious addition to a pot of homemade baked beans or sweet curry.

Beeswax Candles; I look forward to the shorter days and longer nights because I love the gorgeous energy, sweet honey scent and gentle flicker of a beeswax candle. Seriously, who doesn’t love the ambiance of a glowing candle in a soft lamp-lit family room? Besides their aesthetic appeal however, beeswax candles offer a wonderfully therapeutic reason to keep them burning. Beeswax promotes negative ions in the air – negative ions are the pollution eating, cleansing, feel good, happy ions. Positive ions are the bad guys – the one’s you want to eliminate and minimise in the air. Last year we converted all candles in our home to beeswax – even the tea lights we burn in oil burners. I figured I wanted any candles that were on in the home to be health promoting, not possible toxic hazards. We make all our own tea lights as well as a pillar candle that is lit each evening and morning through the cooler times of the year to keep the air clean and fresh. We order all our candle making supplies from All Australian Candle Making. Their beeswax is really wonderful wax – I’m mindful to make sure the wax we buy is filtered and as clean as possible. It makes a huge different to the way the candle burns. Dirty wax will spit and make an awful mess.

Nourishing Meals; When I’m feeling a bit ‘under the weather’ it’s the time I least feel like spending a few hours in the kitchen, so I always make sure there’s a few nourishing meals to fall back on, in the freezer. These are always on rotation through our pyrex’s and freezer space; busy days, late nights or times of needing rest – I don’t always have the available time nor energy to be bustling around in the kitchen. This time I was grateful for frozen goulash, lentil stew, stocks and easy serve cubes of nutrient dense baby food.

Healthy Oils; Cod Liver, Hemp, Flaxseed or however you get your healthy oils – Autumn and Winter are the time we ensure these are a key part of our healthcare regime.

Tea Infusions; Year round there’s always something infusing in our mugs. I think a special tea cup is essential for everybody to wrap their hands around and identify with as their own. There’s something really special about moments spent together drinking tea. When we’re healing; rose hips, juniper berries, peppermint, lavender, chamomile and elderflowers, complimented with citrus, ginger and turmeric root slices find themselves steaming amongst our infusions. Of course in Winter all the earthier tones of cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg and star anise find themselves making their way into our brews as well.

Oral Care; Amidst our regular routine of brushing with Weleda pastes, flossing and pikstering, I always make sure we’re tongue scraping, gargling with warm salt water that has a drop or so of beneficial oil, along with a few drops of propolis and running around our; teeth, gums, tongue and all through our mouth with oral care powder on our brush. This formula is developed by our naturopath and in a base of bicarb, blends beneficial oral oils that cleanse and eliminate bacteria. It’s good to use all year round, but essential when our immune system is rebuilding. Tongue scraping is definitely not some new passing fad. It’s a wonderful oral hygiene tool that has countless benefits. Reducing the severity and length of viral infections is one of those benefits as it’s fantastic to remove the bacteria that naturally clings to our tongues. Trust me, tongue scraping is A LOT different to merely tongue brushing. I was quite disturbed when we first started scraping, at the gunk that can be removed from a seemingly ‘clean’ tongue. We’ve been tongue scraping for the best part of the past few years now and really noticed great benefits.

Fresh Air and Sunshine; Of course when we’re feeling ‘under the weather’, the inclination is to stay ‘under the doona’, but if we can muster the strength and determination to take just even a brief walk outdoors, then we’ll be all the better for it. I always love the saying “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing!” So we rug up to get outside, even if just for a bit so as to let Father Sun work his magic on cleaning out our airways, uplifting our spirits and in general just brightening our day. Even when the days are cold outside, with the fire ticking over inside, I always like to have the windows open just a touch to let the fresh air flow through.

Scarves; Those who know me personally know you’ll most likely not often catch me without a scarf on – even if it’s a barely there lightweight number in the Summer. I feel naked without scarves. Aside from my scarf obsession however, keeping our chests warm – the place our immune system resides – really is so very important especially once the days start to cool. My personal fave – hemp and organic cotton wraps that bundle into cosy lengths to drape around your décolletage.

Warm Clothing; Without getting into a long conversation about the benefits of warmth for not only children, but all of us – I’ll just say that natural fibre clothing, organic where possible with close fitting woollen and silk base layers is as nourishing to the body as the most nutrient dense meal you can muster. Our favourite warm gear supplier is Lana Bambini.

Tell me, do you write a blog – have you written about your favourite Winter Healing Remedies? If so, please share a link to your post or even just your favourite Winter remedies in the comments so we can all network our natural healing remedies.

Celebrating :: Turning 35

May 26, 2014 | 1 Comment

::Heading out for one last wild food forage this Autumn
Heather Pace’s Fudgy Coconut Layer Cake from her Carob Desserts book | Father and Son::

Recently I celebrated my 35th birthday. From the moment I opened my eye’s that morning until I climbed back into our warm family bed to drift off to dreamland that evening, my day was filled with immense gratitude for the beautiful and blessed life I have.

::Surprise iris’ | Boobie time | Car ride nap::

My dear family treated me to a wonderful day, one of the very best kind – pottering around on our property harvesting the last of Autumn’s bounty, preparing for the Winter ahead – which I’m starting to think may never actually arrive. A friend who shares my birthday pointed out that it may have been the first time in quite a while that Father Sun has dominated our day rather than Sister Rain and her water fairies. As we pottered outside in warming Autumnal sun, Graham decided to take a voice recording of me saying “I just don’t reckon Winter’s going to arrive this year, it’s never this warm by my birthday” – he plans to play it back to me when it hits freezing in the not too distant future!

::The last hips | Collecting hips | Summer has faded::

Our day comprised of Graham undertaking all the cooking – which was a lovely treat; Continental breakfast, Antipasto lunch and Baked dinner with a RAW carob cake I’d selected and requested for dessert. We foraged in the fallen leaves for hazelnuts we hadn’t managed to pick earlier in the season, harvested kiwi fruits (135 if you can believe it – from one home food-garden vine!) and removed the last of our tomatoes off the plants for green tomato chutney.

::Harvesting kiwi fruit | The last clinging hazelnuts::

I’m an Autumn baby through and through – there’s no other time in the year that I’d rather celebrate my birthday. When I thanked Graham in the afternoon for such a wonderful day he replied “That’s okay, I didn’t do much” to which I said “If we’re harvesting food in our gardens and making preserves and potions, you’ll always know I’m happy!” When my Aunt rang to wish me a happy birthday just before dinner, she couldn’t believe I was outside picking tomatoes on my birthday! I was in my element and so happy. A truly wonderful birthday.

::Colours of Autumn | Ripening feijoa’s::

We also took a little trip up the road to collect one last jar full of rose-hips to make infused honey for the Winter that may or may not come. As we sat around the lunch table we had a herb lesson we’d missed the day before – learning all about sage, then we went on to make our two remedies; sage and rose-hip both infused separately in locally collected prickly box honey.

::Cleaning and de-seeding rose-hips | Layering fresh sage | Pouring honey::

::Herbal Infused Honey::
Recipe by Elke at Another Day

This recipe is one of the most basic of all time, one that I’ve seen done in many different places and something we’ve been meaning to do for a while now. People do this in all different variations, google ‘infused honey’ and you’ll find a myriad of herbs and spices to infuse honey with; rosemary which is wonderfully refreshing, lavender for use in calming applications, turmeric which is reported to have fantastic expectorant effects, onion for anti-bacterial use – the list goes on and on. Honey in itself is a wonderful health promoting food with fantastic natural health and healing properties.

Ingredients:

• Fresh herbs (dried herbs can also be used, but I think you would need to reduce the amount of herb – we haven’t tried dried ourselves. Some people worry about bacterial spores growing in the infusion due to water activity from fresh herbs being used. If you are concerned about this – do your own research and perhaps look to other recipes that specifically talk about this issue and using dried herbs.)
• Honey that can pour (If your honey is an unheated, thick set honey – you can sit the jar in a pot of warm water for a half hour or so to loosen it up enough to pour. Remember to be mindful of applying heat to your honey though, our preference is just enough to make it run. Heat will start to reduce the beneficial properties of the honey.)

• A glass jar with a tight fitting lid

Method:

• Neatly arrange your fresh herb in the bottom of the jar, filling half way up.
• If you are using rose-hips, make sure you have pinched the stem and spent flower bloom from each end. Rose-hips will also need a good wash to remove excess prickles and hairs. Once clean, carefully slice your hip lengthways down the middle. Scoop out the seeds and wash again. You will just be left with the ‘shell’ of the hip. Dry these off well in a tea-towel before placing in the jar.
• Fill your jar to about 2″ down from the top. Give the jar a good stir around making sure all the fresh herbs are immersed well in the honey. Then fill the remaining space in your jar with honey.
• Put the lid on your infusion and leave for around 2 weeks to meld together.
• We leave the herbs in the honey and just use the honey out as we need.
• Sage honey is good to have on hand for any mouth or throat afflictions that creep up; it’s soothing for tonsillitis, coughs, mouth ulcers and the like. This page has some lovely info on sage as well as other infused honey’s.
• Rose-hip honey is handy to have ready for any viral Winter surprises. It’s high vitamin C content makes it great for colds and flus. There’s some great information here on the humble rose-hip’s amazing power.

What herbal infusions have you tried recently and have you ever made infused honey? If so, I’d love to hear about what herbs you used in the infusion.

Herbal Studies :: Calendula

March 30, 2014 | Leave a Comment

Over the Summer we had an on-going herbal study. I love the Bearth program for the inclusion of this component in their curriculum. It was one of the influential factors in us choosing the Earthschooling program for our home school. This project flowed through the Summer with various activities that all complimented each other beautifully for a really holistic, gentle learning experience. It included;

A sensory tea experience – smelling, talking about and tasting flower teas. Calendula was amongst the several teas we explored that day.
Picking and hanging to dry, bunches of the golden sun flowers through the Summer. (Chilli didn’t know what the flowers were being dried for – she just knew there was a special ‘surprise project’ she would find out about one day)
Seed saving from the calendulas. We call the calendula’s ‘fairy seeds’. They are perfect seeds for children to plant; easy germination, quick growing, gorgeous foliage structure and pretty ‘sun’ flowers. Great for a fairy or children’s garden.
Watercolour pencil drawing of the calendulas form a few stems picked and arranged in a vase (or recycled organic apple juice bottle as the case may be!) on the drawing table. Experimenting with this medium was a lot of fun (This part of the project was inspired by the Little Acorn Learning Curriculums)
Then for the ‘special surprise project’; We took an old calendula ointment jar that we had finished and washed up – Filled the jar with the dried petals – Then poured into the jar organic almond oil (this was a really nice natural learning experience as well “But the jar’s already filled with petals Mumma”… “Hmmm, let’s pour in the oil and see what happens, I think it might just work” … “Oh WOW! The oil does fit, it goes down into all the little gaps between the petals!”- We secured the lid and placed the jar on the windowsill of our learning space where the sun streams in through the window, for the oil to infuse (This was inspired by Delphine of Prairie Flower Children’s Centre in the Early Childhood video from the Lifetime Membership files – found under :Extra Video’s:) – Within just a few days the oil had infused into a gorgeous golden colour – We left the oil there for about a few weeks to really infuse well, it was lovely to check the progress of the infusion every so often – Now the oil lives in our healing basket and is used anytime there’s a bump, bruise or scrape.

I loved the way this project theme wove itself beautifully into so many aspects of our Summer program. It was achieved little-by-little over the Summer and we had a really nice completed project at the end of the Season.

What’s in your healing basket? Do you have any favourite healing verses or songs you sing as you soothe a bump or scrape? I’ll be posting our healing basket contents soon.