Elderflower Cordial From The Courtyard

June in England and the Elderflower is  blooming! Time to make Elderflower cordial!

Ingredients:

20 heads of elderflower

1.8 kg granulated sugar, or caster sugar, or to taste

1.2 liters water

2 organic lemons, or limes 
75 g citric acid

Method:

1. Shake the Elderflowers to expel any lingering insects, and then place in a large bowl.

2. Put the sugar into a pan with the water and bring up to the boil, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.

3. While the sugar syrup is heating, pare the zest of the lemons off in wide strips and toss into the bowl with the elderflowers. Slice the lemons, discard the ends, and add the slices to the bowl. Pour over the boiling syrup, and then stir in the citric acid. Cover with a cloth and then leave at room temperature for 24 hours.

4. Next day, strain the cordial through a sieve lined with muslin (or a new j-cloth rinsed out in boiling water) and pour into thoroughly cleaned glass bottles. Screw on the lids and pop into the cupboard ready to use.

To serve Elderflower Cordial: Dilute the elderflower cordial to taste with fizzy water, and serve over ice with a slice or two of lemon, lime or a sprig of mint, or Elderflowers floating on top.

Sambucus (elder or elderberry)

U2, Bono? Celeb Partners With Monsanto, G8, To Biowreck African Farms With GMOs

By Rady Ananda - At the G8 Summit held two weeks ago at Camp David, President Obama met with private industry and African heads of state to launch the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, a euphemism for monocultured, genetically modified crops and toxic agrochemicals aimed at making poor farmers debt slaves to corporations, while destroying the ecosphere for profit.

And Bono, of the rock group U2, is out shilling for Monsanto on this one.

It’s phase 2 of the Green Revolution. Tanzania, Ghana, and Ethiopia are the first to fall for the deception, with Mozambique, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and other African nations lining up for the “Grow Africa Partnership,” under Obama’s “Global Agricultural Development” plan.

In Obama Pitches India Model of GM Genocide to Africa, Scott Creighton writes:

But African civil society wants no part of this latest Monsanto aligned ‘public private partnership.’ Whatever will the progressives do now that their flawless hero has teamed up with their most hated nemesis to exploit an entire continent like they did to India not that long ago?

With a commitment of $3 billion, Obama plans to ‘partner up’ with mega-multinationals like Monsanto, Diageo, Dupont, Cargill, Vodafone, Walmart, Pepsico, Prudential, Syngenta International, and Swiss Re because, as one USAID representative says ‘There are things that only companies can do, like building silos for storage and developing seeds and fertilizers.'

Of course, that’s an outrageous lie. Private citizens have been building their own silos for centuries. But it’s true that only the biowreck engineers will foist patented seeds and toxic chemicals on Africa.

Creighton continues:

Bono says that there has to be a ‘public private partnership’ in order to get this done and that they are going to be using the ideas of the African people and farmers. Really? This is what the African farmers say to that…

‘We request that: – governments, FAO, the G8, the World Bank and the GAFSP reconsider their promotion of Public/Private Partnerships which, as they are now conceived, are not suitable instruments to support the family farms which are the very basis of African food security and sovereignty.’ African Civil Society Organizations

I wonder if that could be any clearer. They don’t WANT the public private partnerships involved in this process…. It’s not enough that huge mega-corporations are bleeding the nations of Africa dry by sucking the valuable mineral resources out of their hills. No. As Bono says about the development in Africa:

‘They’re future consumers for the United States. The president is talking business. This is good. It’s a whole new development paradigm today. The old donor/recipient relationship… it’s over.’

Volatility chimed in:

The history of corporate agriculture and its ‘Green Revolution’ is a perfect example of the unfulfilled promises, and therefore proven lies, of corporatism. What was the Green Revolution? With a huge one-off injection of fossil fuels, and building upon ten thousand years of agronomy, corporate agriculture temporarily increased yields within the monoculture framework. 

ActivistPost

Image by LuckyClover

Incredible Edible Todmorden

Todmorden lies 17miles north-east of Manchester, at the convergence of the  three Pennine valleys that forms part of the ancient border between Yorkshire and Lancashire.

Centuries before industry arrived in Todmorden, the local population lived in self-sustaining, agriculture settlements on the hill-tops, the industry revolution came and went.

Recently a group of activists, dismayed with what they perceive as a troubled world, have been going back to basics.

About three years ago they decided to invent something that would perhaps make their town better, perhaps make more people more aware of the importance of the environment, but do it by talking about local food, because everybody has got to eat and it seems a simple message, that might just unite the people.

Whole Foods Adds Creepy Warning Stickers To Their Raw Juices

After a recent trip to the juice bar at the Naples Whole Foods – a place, mind you, I usually avoid at all costs because they don’t explicitly label the ingredients in their prepared foods as being certified organic – I allowed my good judgment to be euthanized by the sweet-sounding clerk’s assurance that they use "mostly organic" ingredients, with the highly non-binding qualification: "whenever possible."

Of course, my main concern with not buying 100% organic juice is the greater likelihood that the produce was grown in factory-farmed animal manure, or raw-human sewage, which is a breeding ground for serious, even deadly pathogens, and which may contaminate both the food grown in it, and the people who consume the contaminated food.

But, a battery of factors conspired against what I would like to consider my better judgment: 1) being fatigued by the morning outing at the Zoo. 2) knowing our favorite organic juice bar (at Food & Thought) was taking a much-deserved day of rest. 3) being in the company of less "neurotic" and equally exhausted child-towing company ... I just decided to shut up and give it a shot.

And so, with all my pre-purchase doubts happily behind me I sat down to an already half-consumed glass of raw vegetable juice, only to discover the following warning sticker staring back at me, declaring in CDC-speak that I had just engaged in highly risky, if not downright dangerous behavior:

WARNING: This product has not been pasteurized and, therefore, may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly and persons with weakened immune systems. -- Whole Foods Market

ActivistPost

‘Scientists’ Say Eating Organic Food Makes You A Jerk

Do you eat real, organic food? If you do, you must be a jerk, according to a new ridiculous ‘scientific study’ that most likely has financial ties to factory farm corporations and junkfood makers across the planet. 

Instead of discussing the wide variety of health benefits of eating real food — the kind made without harmful pesticides that actually make you stupid, the researchers use participants to show how ‘eating organic can make you a jerk’. 

Now spanning the mainstream media headlines, the ‘scientists’ use the fact that those who eat organic are ‘stingier with their volunteering’ time as one of the reasons as to why it could ‘make you a jerk’.

What the scientists do not discuss, as it is much more serious and could potentially change the way that the public eats (and spends their money), is the serious illnesses associated with eating non-organic junk, almost always laced with pesticides and oftentimes genetically modified. 

They fail to mention the fact that junk food has been found to make you infertile, that ubiquitous high-fructose corn syrup makes you ‘stupid’ through the destruction of your memory and learning capabilities, and how common food chemicals are fueling the obesity epidemic. 

But it appears that to them none of these factors are as important to the study authors as the fact that those who eat organically (real food) offer 11 minutes less volunteer time than the ‘comfort food crowd’.

NaturalSociety

The Top 50 Excuses For Not Prepping

With the way that things are heading in this country, it is not surprising that there are approximately 3 million preppers in the United States today.  What is surprising is that there are not more people prepping. The economy is rapidly falling to pieces, the national debt is absolutely soaring, the earth is becoming increasingly unstable, a major war could erupt in the Middle East at any time and the fabric of our society is coming apart right in front of our eyes.  We have become incredibly dependent on technology and we have become incredibly dependent on our economic system.  If a major natural disaster, a killer pandemic, an EMP attack or the imposition of martial law caused a significant transportation disruption, America would literally change overnight.  We live during a time of tremendous global instability, and yet most people still see no need to start prepping at all.  Most people just continue to have blind faith in our leaders and in our system.  But what happens if our leaders fail us?  What happens if our system collapses?  What are they going to do then?

The number of preppers in the United States today is steadily increasing, but the vast majority of people out there still see no reason to start getting ready for "the end of the world as we know it".  Most people just assume that things will always somehow get better or that they will somehow be immune to whatever calamities are heading our way.  Most people always seem to have a "good excuse" for why they do not need to prepare.

The following are the top 50 excuses for not prepping....

Read more here

New luxury ‘Doomsday’ shelters line Kansas missile silo
Modern Survival Online: Self-reliance Gardening

How To Make A Bee Hotel: A House For Mason Bees And Other Solitary Bees

What are Solitary Bees ?  As well as Bumblebees and Honeybees (that live socially) there are some 200 species of wild bees in the UK that are called 'solitary bees' because they make individual nest cells for their larvae. 

Some species nest in small tunnels or holes in the ground or in sandy banks, piles of sand, or crumbling mortar. Others use the hollow stems of dead plants such as brambles, or tunnels previously bored into dead wood by beetles.

Mason Bees and Leafcutter Bees are well-known examples of solitary bees that are common in gardens.

Some species of solitary bee species will group their nest cells together in aggregations, and a few have evolved social behaviour rather like bumblebees. Many solitary bees are very small and you may not have realised they are bees. All collect nectar and pollen from flowers, except the so-called 'cuckoo' species that lay their eggs in the nest cells of other species.

Solitary bees are harmless and not aggressive. They rarely if ever sting unless trodden on or squashed between your fingers and they do not have painful stings like those of honeybees. They do not live in hives or build honeycombs, and they do not swarm.

If you find them (for example in old house walls) please leave them alone. Colonies are very faithful to their nest sites and may have been living there for many decades. They are part of the 'fine grain' of your local biodiversity - something to be cherished. A number of species are commonly seen in gardens, and they are very useful as they pollinate fruit crops. It is easy for gardeners to encourage them. By drilling holes in dry logs or blocks of wood it is possible to create artificial nesting sites for a number of common species, particularly Mason Bees.

These bee houses are also called 'trap nests', or in America, 'bee condos'. It has become fashionable to call them 'bee hotels' but I feel that this is misleading, as they are not short-term accommodation like a hotel room, they are the bee's permanent home for nine months or more of its short life as it develops from an egg through a larval stage, into adulthood.

FoxLeas

Controversy Deepens Over Pesticides And Bee Collapse

A controversial new study of honeybee deaths has deepened a bitter dispute over whether the developed world’s most popular pesticides are causing an ecological catastrophe.

Researchers led by biologist Chensheng Lu of Harvard University report a direct link between hive health and dietary exposure to imidacloprid, a so-called neonicotinoid pesticide linked to colony collapse disorder, the mysterious and massive die-off of bees across North America and Europe.

The study isn’t without critics, who say doses used in the study may be unrealistically high. But the level of a realistic dose is also a matter of controversy, and even critics say the findings are troubling.

“Our result replicates colony collapse disorder as a result of pesticide exposures,” said Lu, who specializes in environmental exposures to pesticides. “We need to look at our agriculture policy and see if what we’re doing now is sustainable.”

Developed in the 1990s as a relatively less-toxic alternative to pesticides that seriously harmed human health, neonicotinoids soon became the world’s fastest-growing pesticide class and an integral part of industrial agricultural strategy. In the United States alone, neonicotinoid-treated corn now covers a total area slightly smaller than the state of Montana.

Like earlier pesticides, neonicotinoids disrupt insects’ central nervous systems. But unlike earlier pesticides, which affected insects during and immediately after spraying, neonicotinoids spread through the vascular tissues of plants. They’re toxic through entire growing seasons, including flowering times when bees consume their pollen.

The first reports of colony collapse disorder came in the mid-2000s from commercial beekeepers, who depending on region have experienced colony losses ranging from 30 to 90 percent. Commercial pollination costs have since skyrocketed, and as wild bees are also afflicted, even naturally occurring pollination is threatened.

Measuring bee declines, however, proved much easier than explaining them. Among a lineup of potential culprits including fungus, mites, viruses, bacteria and pesticides, studies failed to find an obvious, smoking-gun cause — but, piece by piece, evidence against neonicotinoids has steadily accumulated.

Wired

Peru Passes Monumental Ten Year Ban On Genetically Engineered Foods

In a massive blow to multinational agribiz corporations such as  Monsanto, Bayer, and Dow, Peru has officially passed a law banning genetically modified ingredients anywhere within the country for a full decade before coming up for another review.  

Peru’s Plenary Session of the Congress made the decision 3 years after the decree was written despite previous governmental pushes for GM legalization due largely to the pressure from farmers that together form the Parque de la Papa in Cusco, a farming community of 6,000 people that represent six communities. 

They worry the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will compromise the native species of Peru, such as the giant white corn, purple corn and, of course, the famous species of Peruvian potatoes. Anibal Huerta, President of Peru’s Agrarian Commission, said the ban was needed to prevent the ”danger that can arise from the use of biotechnology.”

OccupyMonsanto360

In a massive blow to multinational agribiz corporations such as  Monsanto, Bayer, and Dow, Peru has officially passed a law banning genetically modified ingredients anywhere within the country for a full decade before coming up for another review.  Peru’s Plenary Session of the Congress made the decision 3 years after the decree was written despite previous governmental pushes for GM legalization due largely to the pressure from farmers that together form the Parque de la Papa in Cusco, a farming community of 6,000 people that represent six communities. They worry the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will compromise the native species of Peru, such as the giant white corn, purple corn and, of course, the famous species of Peruvian potatoes. Anibal Huerta, President of Peru’s Agrarian Commission, said the ban was needed to prevent the ”danger that can arise from the use of biotechnology.”

Source: http://www.occupymonsanto360.org (http://s.tt/18OeH)

In a massive blow to multinational agribiz corporations such as  Monsanto, Bayer, and Dow, Peru has officially passed a law banning genetically modified ingredients anywhere within the country for a full decade before coming up for another review.  Peru’s Plenary Session of the Congress made the decision 3 years after the decree was written despite previous governmental pushes for GM legalization due largely to the pressure from farmers that together form the Parque de la Papa in Cusco, a farming community of 6,000 people that represent six communities. They worry the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will compromise the native species of Peru, such as the giant white corn, purple corn and, of course, the famous species of Peruvian potatoes. Anibal Huerta, President of Peru’s Agrarian Commission, said the ban was needed to prevent the ”danger that can arise from the use of biotechnology.”

Source: http://www.occupymonsanto360.org (http://s.tt/18OeH)

How To Grow A Bumper Crop Of Organic Strawberries

For many years now, I have been growing my own strawberries.  The first year that I attempted to grow strawberries, I was so overwhelmed and very disappointed.  I didn’t know which varieties to buy, how to grow them, why my strawberries weren’t producing a lot of strawberries, and what a “runner” was and how it dramatically could effect my harvest!  Today we are going to learn about strawberries and how to get the best yield out of your strawberry plants.

So lets talk about the different varieties of strawberries and strawberry types.  There are hundreds of different varieties but there are only three strawberry types.  The three types of strawberries are June-bearing strawberry varieties, ever-bearing strawberry varieties and day neutral strawberry varieties.  Here are descriptions of the 3 strawberry types provided by strawberry plants .org

June-bearing strawberry varieties:

Any list of strawberry varieties will probably contain more June-bearing strawberry varieties than any other. June bearers are tremendously popular and common. They typically produce the largest strawberries, and do so over a period of two to three weeks, on average. Most June bearing strawberry varieties produce a harvest around the month of June, hence the name. However, strawberry varieties are further classified into Early Season, Midseason, and Late Season. By selecting strawberry plant varieties that produce during different parts of the season, you can prolong your harvest and enjoy fresh strawberries for an extended period of time. June bearing strawberries are most often of the Garden Strawberry variety (Fragaria x ananassa). June bearing strawberry varieties are often planted using the matted row system.

Everbearing strawberry varieties:

Everbearing strawberry varieties aren’t really “everbearing.” They generally produce two harvests per year: one in the spring and another in the late summer or fall. Under ideal conditions, it is possible for some everbearing strawberry varieties to produce three berry harvests. Most everbearing strawberry types are of the species Fragaria vesca. In general, everbearing strawberry varieties put out less runners (or no runners at all) than the June bearing varieties, as most of the plants productive energy is directed toward producing multiple strawberry harvests. Everbearing strawberry varieties are often planted using the hill system or in locations where space is limited.

Day-neutral strawberry varieties:

Day neutral strawberry varieties are unique. Unlike June bearing varieties, day neutral strawberries will produce a good yield in the first year they are planted. They flower and set strawberries whenever the temperature is between 35 and 85 degrees. They will still be producing fruit in October during milder years. The drawback to day neutral strawberry plants is that they produce smaller strawberries than do the June bearing and everbearing strawberry varieties. Their fruit is usually small to medium in size, rarely exceeding one inch. Day neutral strawberry varieties are often planted using the hill system or in locations where space is limited.

Here is a great chart that will help you find the right strawberry type and variety for your region as well as the desired flavor you are looking for. Keep in mind, oftentimes strawberries are much sweeter the smaller they are.  If they are larger, they often times have a lot of water in them making them not as sweet.

WholeLifestyleNutrition

Why Gardening Makes You Happy And Cures Depression

While mental health experts warn about depression as a global epidemic, other researchers are discovering ways we trigger our natural production of happy chemicals that keep depression at bay, with surprising results. All you need to do is get your fingers dirty and harvest your own food.  

In recent years I’ve come across two completely independent bits of research that identified key environmental triggers for two important chemicals that boost our immune system and keep us happy - serotonin and dopamine. What fascinated me as a permaculturist and gardener were that the environmental triggers happen in the garden when you handle the soil and harvest your crops.

Getting down and dirty is the best ‘upper’ – 

Serotonin  Getting your hands dirty in the garden can increase your serotonin levels – contact with soil and a specific soil bacteria, Mycobacterium vaccae, triggers the release of serotonin in our brain according to research. Serotonin is a happy chemical, a natural anti-depressant and strengthens the immune system. Lack of serotonin in the brain causes depression.

Ironically, in the face of our hyper-hygienic, germicidal, protective clothing, obsessive health-and-safety society, there's been a lot of interesting research emerging in recent years regarding how good dirt is for us, and dirt-deficiency in childhood is implicated in contributing to quite a spectrum of illnesses including allergies, asthma and mental disorders.  

At least now I have a new insight into why I compulsively garden without gloves and have always loved the feeling of getting my bare hands into the dirt and compost heap.

Read more here

Stevia: A Healthy Substitute For Sugar

Stevia is a genus of about 240 species of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family (Asteraceae), native to subtropical and tropical regions from western North America to South America. The species Stevia rebaudiana, commonly known as sweetleaf, sweet leaf, sugarleaf, or simply stevia, is widely grown for its sweet leaves. As a sweetener and sugar substitute, stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar, although some of its extracts may have a bitter or licorice-like aftertaste at high concentrations.

With its steviol glycoside extracts having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, stevia has garnered attention with the rise in demand for low-carbohydrate, low-sugar food alternatives. Because stevia has a negligible effect on blood glucose, it is attractive as a natural sweetener to people on carbohydrate-controlled diets.

The availability of stevia varies from country to country. In a few countries, it has been available as a sweetener for decades or centuries; for example, stevia is widely used as a sweetener in Japan, where it has been available for decades. In some countries, health concerns and political controversies have limited its availability; for example, the United States banned stevia in the early 1990s unless labeled as a dietary supplement, but in 2008 it approved rebaudioside A extract as a food additive. Over the years, the number of countries in which stevia is available as a sweetener has been increasing. In 2011, stevia was approved for use in the EU starting in early December, 2011.

Wikipedia

51 Amazing Uses For Baking Soda

I don’t mean to sound seditious here, but I have a rebellious plan to combat the ills that many corporations are perpetrating in the name of fighting grime and germs. 

My main gripe is about the environmental pollutants from cleaning and personal care products that we wash down our drains and into our water systems, resulting in situations like the chemical triclosan (a pesticide added to many products as an antibacterial agent) being found in dolphins.

So the simple plan is to encourage everyone to use baking soda in any of these 51 applications. Besides showing kindness to aquatic life, we can also protect ourselves from the array of toxins in household cleaning products. Conventional cleansers can expose us to multiple chemicals linked to asthma, cancer, and other documented health problems.

Baking soda also makes a perfect stand-in for many personal care products, which are adding their own twist to the toxic tangle of pollutants and personal health (mainly in the form of synthetic fragrance (and it’s almost all synthetic), sodium laurel sulfate, and parabens).

So exactly how does baking soda fit into my scheme to make the world a better place? Baking soda, aka sodium bicarbonate,  helps regulate pH—keeping a substance neither too acidic nor too alkaline. When baking soda comes in contact with either an acidic or an alkaline substance, it’s natural effect is to neutralize that pH. 

Beyond that, baking soda has the ability to retard further changes in the pH balance, known as buffering. This dual capability of neutralizing and buffering allows baking soda to do things such as neutralize acidic odors (like in the refrigerator) as well as maintain neutral pH (like in your laundry water, which helps boost your detergent’s power). 

It’s a simple reaction, but one that has far-reaching effects for a number of cleaning and deodorizing tasks. And so without further ado, I’ll remove my scientist cap, put on my rebellious housekeeper’s cap, and get this folk-wisdom revolution rolling…

Wakeup-World

Natural All Purpose Cleaner Made From Orange Peel And Vinegar

Orange peels and vinegar in a quart jar.

Let sit for 10 days or so ...

Strain out the liquid and use as an all-purpose cleaner. 

Easy, cheap, natural, smells good!

Ancient Garlic Power

This recipe, written in ancient symbols was found in a Buddhist convent in the mountains of Tibet in 1972. It has been said that people who have tried it, have not been sick since and that it tastes bad, but not of garlic.

USE: 

350 gram crushed garlic 

1/4 liter 60% spirit/liquor

HOW TO MAKE IT: 

Crush the garlic, blend it with the spirit/liquor and put it in an air tight jar. Put it in the fridge for ten days. After the ten days, filter it through a cloth. Then put it back in the fridge for another two days. Now it is ready for use. We are counting drops here, so you need to pour it into bottles you can fit droppers on. They need to be of glass, not plastic!

HOW TO USE IT: 

Always take the drops in a glass of water before the meal. Day one, 1 drop before breakfast, 2 before lunch and 3 before dinner. The rest of the days goes like this:

Day 2, 4 drops, 5 drops 6 drops. 

Day 3, 7 drops, 8 drops, 9 drops. 

Day 4, 10 drops, 11 drops, 12 drops 

Day 5, 13 drops, 14 drops, 15 drops 

Day 6, 16 drops, 17 drops, 18 drops 

Day 7, 12 drops, 11 drops, 10 drops 

Day 8, 9 drops, 8 drops, 7 drops 

Day 9, 6 drops, 5 drops, 4 drops,

Day 10, 3 drops, 2 drops, 1 drop 

Day 11 15 drops, 25 drops, 25 drops 

It is important to follow this exactly how it says. After day 11, take 25 drops before every meal until you have used it all.

The old scriptures says that this will: 

Clean out the organism of fat and calcification.

Better metabolism and make the veins more elastic.

It regulates the body weight. 

Varicose veins disappears. 

It cures inflammation in the throat and heart disease. 

Arthritis, eczema, sinusitis, high blood pressure, head aches, lung disease and bronchitis and pneumonia all disappears. 

It cures Rheumatoid Arthritis and Rheumatism. 

It cures gastritis, ulcers and hemorrhoids. 

It cures vision and hearing problems.

The whole organism renews itself.

It said not to repeat this cure until after 6 months!

I have not tried this recipe myself and can't make any claims of it's health benefits, as of yet, nor can i take responsibility for the choice some one else makes, but it sure sounds like a potent brew and i am most certainly curious to try it out.

Remember to use organic garlic!

I originally found this recipe here

5 Step Guide To Growing Gorgeous Garlic

Do you know where your garlic comes from? One of the most important reasons to grow your own is to avoid toxic chemicals and irradiation (that inhibit sprouting and extend shelf life).*

A few years back I didn’t even think about the garlic I ate … but then I became interested in the story behind the food I was eating.  

The majority of the world’s garlic is grown in China and is sprayed with chemicals and bleached white with chlorine during importation quarantine processes, not to mention the thousands of food miles clocked up. 

But if you really want to gag on your garlic, according to the CEO of the Australian Garlic Industry Association, “some garlic growers over there (China) use raw human sewage to fertilise their crops, and I don’t believe the Australian quarantine regulations are strict enough in terms of bacteria testing on imported produce” … so you might want to think again before you reach for that perfect white bulb in your supermarket! [Learn more & download an 'Irradiation-free Food Guide' at the end of this post]

In Australia, 90% of the garlic we eat is imported yet we have around 15 different garlic varieties available to grow that don’t need to be bio-fumigated with chemicals like methyl bromide that have been banned here for domestic use.

4 Reasons to Grow Garlic:

1. For health, amazing flavour + pest management in your garden.
2. Safe food = avoid imported garlic – it’s cheap for a reason.
3. Save money – organic garlic costs around A$45/kg.
4. It’s SO easy to grow so there’s no excuse!

“Where you find garlic, you find good health.” – Old Spanish proverb

Garlic is a bulbous perennial herb but grown as an annual. OK – it IS slow growing (avg 6-8 months), but it’s NOT a bed hog like pumpkins and doesn’t take up much ‘personal space’, so I’m happy to dedicate about 1m2 to growing gorgeous garlic to feed my family for an entire year.

TheMicroGardener
The greatness of garlic

Let Food Be Your Medicine and Medicine Be Your Food

Isn’t it absurd that we call the modalities of natural healing "alternative medicine"? Obviously, "alternative" refers to something other than the accepted or the standard. The opposite to "alternative medicine" is what we now call orthodox or allopathic medicine, which then makes it the standard.

This really irks me. For 2,200 years until 1805, medicine was practised exclusively according to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates (460-377 BC), the founding father of natural medicine. He taught that the first and foremost principle of medicine must be to respect nature’s healing forces, which inhabit each living organism. 

Hippocrates considered illness a natural phenomenon that forced people to discover the imbalances in their health. He strongly believed in good food and related the course of any ailment to poor nutrition and bad eating habits. He stressed, "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food"–advice that, to this day, has not lost its validity.

I mention the year 1805 because in that year in the small town of Einbeck, where I went to school and enrolled in my apprenticeship, German pharmacist Friedrich Wilhelm Adam Sertürner (1783-1841) discovered morphine, named after Morpheus, the god of dreams. Morphine is the bitter, white crystalline found in opium, the milky sap of the unripe poppy. This was the first time, and a significant moment in pharmaceutical history, that a single potent ingredient, an alkaloid, was isolated.

Sertürner was celebrated "freeman of the city," and to this day his pharmacy and discovery are subjects of school projects for students of Einbeck. Hence, the awakening of my desire to become a pharmacist, which, however, never materialized due to unfavorable circumstances during the war and thereafter. Instead, I chose natural health as my profession and my passion.

Alive

How Sniffing Rosemary Could Boost Your Brain Power

Sniffing rosemary could boost your brain power, scientists have suggested.

Tests show that cognitive performance improves when a compound in the herb’s oil – 1, 8-cineole – is absorbed into blood. Biochemists at the University of Northumbria now want to see how the ingredient might affect our brains.

Rosemary has a long history as a traditional remedy with such widespread uses as a hair rinse and a cat repellent.

It has long been thought to boost brain power, so scientists were not totally surprised that respondents performed better in tests. However, they were shocked when they realized the rosemary oil has an effect on the blood, it was reported in the Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology journal.

Dr Mark Moss said: ‘We were not surprised by the improvement in cognitive performance following exposure to rosemary aroma as this has been demonstrated previously. ‘What excited us was the demonstration that performance was linked to plasma levels of 1,8-cineole following exposure.'

Tests on 20 people showed the natural compound was absorbed through the nose and into the blood plasma. For Dr Moss, this means there is a more traditional biochemical explanation for the increased cognitive performances previously demonstrated.

DailyMail

So Many Herbs, So Little Thyme

Thyme is a culinary and medicinal herb of the genus Thymus.

Ancient Egyptians used thyme for embalming. The ancient Greeks used it in their baths and burnt it as incense in their temples, believing that thyme was a source of courage. It was thought that the spread of thyme throughout Europe was thanks to the Romans, as they used it to purify their rooms and to "give an aromatic flavour to cheese and liqueurs". In the European Middle Ages, the herb was placed beneath pillows to aid sleep and ward off nightmares. In this period, women would also often give knights and warriors gifts that included thyme leaves as it was believed to bring courage to the bearer. Thyme was also used as incense and placed on coffins during funerals as it was supposed to assure passage into the next life.

Thyme is widely cultivated for its strong flavor, which is due to its content of thymol. It is best cultivated in a hot sunny location with well drained soil. It is generally planted in the spring and thereafter grows as a perennial. It can be propagated by seed, cuttings, or by dividing rooted sections of the plant. It tolerates drought well. The plants can take deep freezes and are found growing wild on mountain highlands.

Wikipedia

Food Cures You Can Grow At Home

Why burn a quarter-tank of gas running out to the drugstore for Pepto when you can pluck some relief from your windowsill herb garden? Besides adding another dimension to your cooking, freshly harvested herbs can soothe dozens of common health problems, and it’s possible to grow a selection of home remedies in a couple of pots placed in a sunny spot. Look for seedlings of these plants and herbs at any garden store, or if you’re really ambitious, buy a packet of seeds and try sprouting your own.

Parsely 

Grow it: Thrives in a pot in the sun as long as the soil is kept moist. Feed with organic fertilizer. 

Use it: Immune-system booster. Eat one tablespoon of chopped flatleaf or curly parsley daily. Chewing parsley neutralizes mouth odors.

Aloe Vera  

Grow it: Plant in pots placed in full sunshine. Water well.  

Use it: Break open the thick leaves and apply the gel that seeps out to your skin to soothe sunburn. “It’s 96 percent water and 4 percent active ingredients, including amino acids and enzymes that nourish damaged skin,” says pharmacist Margo Marrone, founder of The Organic Pharmacy in the United Kingdom.

Basil   

Grow it: This sweet, fragrant annual is ideal for growing in pots. Pull off the white flowers as soon as they appear to keep it from going to seed and your herbs from tasting bitter.

Use it: Rub crushed leaves on your temples to relieve headaches. Pour boiling water over basil leaves for a pain-relieving foot bath.

Lavender

Grow it: This sun-loving plant needs good drainage. Use a small pot filled with gravel and a light soil.

Use it: It has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. Crush a handful of the heads and add to a bowl of boiling water to use as a steam bath for your face. You can also dab the oil from the flowers on blemishes, says Marrone.

Lemon Balm  

Grow it: Pot it, or it will colonize your garden.

Use it: Use for healing and preventing cold sores. Also, rub leaves directly onto skin as a natural insect repellent or to soothe bites.

OrganicGardening

Anti Inflammatory Foods – List Of 63 Foods To Choose From For Natural Healing

If you are looking for a real long and healthy life, natural anti inflammatory foods are the key. In this article you will find a list of anti inflammatory foods to choose from to achieve that and help you fight against autoimmune and chronic inflammatory disorders.

The word inflammation is derived from a Latin word ‘inflammare’ that means ‘on fire’. It is a set of biological processes involving the natural reaction of our body to harmful stimuli, i.e. injuries, infections etc. Some degree of exposure to these stimuli is inevitable in our daily lives, and our body’s natural defense can fight those harmful elements to some extent on its own.  

Inflammation can be acute (short term) or chronic (long term). Acute inflammation is the body’s first aggressive reaction to extrinsic damage from which the body recovers in hours to days, for example insect bite, abrasions, hives etc.  But chronic inflammation happens when the body’s defenses are continuously exposed to harmful stimuli, which renders the body and its defenses weak. Examples of chronic inflammation include tuberculosis, cancer, arthritis, dermatitis, inflammatory bowel diseases.

Sometimes the body’s defense starts working against its own tissues, which leads to a number of diseases widely known as ‘auto immune diseases’. Also it is postulated that inflammation is involved in the ultimate process of aging as well. One wonders if somehow you could conquer aging, what a miracle would that be.

Nature has given us some wonderful anti inflammatory foods and can be used to defy age and also to help fight against autoimmune and chronic inflammatory disorders.

NaturalAntiInflammatory
Natural Crohn's Treatments
Health Benefits of Turmeric
Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis)
Peppermint (Mentha Piperita)
Health Benefits of Peppermint Oil
Health Benefits of Manuka Honey
Healing Properties of Raw Manuka Honey and Cinnamon
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Heal with Herbs and Supplements
The Beneficial Effects of Green Tea Towards Your IBS Symptoms
Crohn's Disease Natural Treatments and Possibly Even Cure

Bread & Circuses: The Dangers Of Wheat - William Davis On RedIce Radio

Dr. William Davis, cardiologist and seeker-of-truth in health exposes "healthy whole grains" for the incredibly destructive genetic monsters they've become. Over 80% of the people he meets today are pre-diabetic or diabetic. In an effort to reduce blood sugar, he asked patients to remove all wheat products from their diet based on the simple fact that foods made of wheat flour raise blood sugar higher than nearly all other foods, regardless if the wheat is organic, multi-grain, whole grain or sprouted. The results were positively drastic. Dr. Davis will discuss the benefits of going wheat free. We'll cover genetic changes of wheat verses ancient grains. He explains how modern wheat is an opiate and appetite stimulant. William also breaks down the internal components of wheat and how they interact with the body in negative ways linked to a slew of health problems. He also explains the great lie of gluten free bread. Why aren't doctors giving this important research any attention?

The Dangers Of Wheat - William Davis On RedIce Radio

Blamed for Bee Collapse, Monsanto Buys Leading Bee Research Firm

Monsanto, the massive biotechnology company being blamed for contributing to the dwindling bee population, has bought up one of the leading bee collapse research organizations. Recently banned from Poland with one of the primary reasons being that the company’s genetically modified corn may be devastating the dying bee population, it is evident that Monsanto is under serious fire for their role in the downfall of the vital insects. It is therefore quite apparent why Monsanto bought one of the largest bee research firms on the planet.

It can be found in public company reports hosted on mainstream media that Monsanto scooped up the Beeologics firm back in September 2011. During this time the correlation between Monsanto’s GM crops and the bee decline was not explored in the mainstream, and in fact it was hardly touched upon until Polish officials addressed the serious concern amid the monumental ban. Owning a major organization that focuses heavily on the bee collapse and is recognized by the USDA for their mission statement of “restoring bee health and protecting the future of insect pollination” could be very advantageous for Monsanto.  In fact, Beelogics’ company information states that the primary goal of the firm is to study the very collapse disorder that is thought to be a result — at least in part — of Monsanto’s own creations. Their website states: ” While its primary goal is to control the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) infection crises, Beeologics’ mission is to become the guardian of bee health worldwide.”

NaturalSociety

Feds Criminalizing Small Family Farms Under Ridiculous 'Labor Laws' That Target Children

For civilization to persist, each subsequent generation must be equipped by the previous one with the knowledge and skills to grow food, which traditionally occurs on family-scale farms from parent to child, or from seasoned expert to young amateur. But new labor laws being proposed by the U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) would prohibit children from performing many of the routine farm chores they have been involved with for centuries, which some see as a direct attack on small-scale agriculture.

The Daily Caller reports that the DoL, under the guidance of the Obama Administration, is proposing that child labor laws be modified to prohibit children under the age of 16 from working with animals, for instance, or from being allowed to work with food storage bins. The proposal also seeks to prohibit children from "being employed in the storing, marketing and transporting of farm product raw materials," which essentially makes it a crime for farmhands to touch produce once it has been picked.

Originally put forward by Labor Secretary Hilda Solis last fall as a way to further protect children from unsafe working conditions, the proposal threatens unprecedented government overreach into the normal operating procedures of private farms. And while the new provisions would reportedly contain an exemption for children working on farms owned by their parents, they would still drastically limit the freedom of children to learn about agriculture from a young age.

You can view the DoL's proposal announcement here:

http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/whd/WHD20111250.htm

NaturalNews

The Food Revolution Is Still On!

Welcome back! As all of you who have 'followed' and subscribed to this blog, may have noticed, i 'took a leave of absence' from August last year. I am now back with a new and better looking blog and new blog name; 'The Gardening Apprentice'.

My absence was mainly due to being busy making a living in these austere times. I am now in the process of moving from the city to the countryside, which i can hardly wait for.

It will be a dream come true for me to live closer to nature. somewhere peaceful and quiet, where  i can grow my own organic food, go foraging in the forest and fish in the ocean.

Last year was the first time i attempted to grow my own food and although it didn't turn out any bumper crop to boast about, i took great delight in clearing space, tilling soil, sowing, growing, getting my hands dirty and working in the outdoors (come rain, or shine), developing muscles and getting fit (no need for a gym-membership for me, thank you very much!).

I grew salad leaves, spring onions, asparagus (sadly, only one saw the light of day), red peppers (not successful), peppermint, coriander, strawberries, Eucalyptus, Echinacea, Foxglove and three different types of lavender and am now looking forward to start growing more substantial food, like potatoes, carrots, onions, tomatoes and cucumber and more this year.

My uprooting has a bit of a sad aspect to it - i will have to say farewell to all my new friends; a nutty family of squirrels, a couple of black birds, a few pigeons, a family of blue tits, and two robins (which is not normal occurrence, apparently, normally there would only be one robin per garden, which i can believe - they are fiercely territorial).

The two robins are my closest friends (amongst my 'garden friends') and i have named one of them Redshield (Rothschild), due to his red chest. He has even got a masonic ladder where he perches on top of, while tweeting away the goings-on of the day ...

Sometimes he follows me and it has happened the curiosity has gotten the better of him and he has flown into my house through an open window, all excited, flying around, until he hits a wall and poops on impact ... and i have to clean up his mess.

Nevertheless, i will miss him and will continue to feed the birds and animals in his honor in my new garden. It is great to reconnect with nature!

Until then, keep sowing those non GMO seeds and making those 'seed bombs'! The food revolution is still on!

New posts coming soon!

The Gardening Apprentice