Spring Into Action! Sniffing Out A Wild Garlic Patch

Wild garlic is not only free, it's tasty, too - in fact, the only problem is that its season is way too short. But that's all the more reason to make the most of it now.

If you go down to the woods today, you're sure of a pungent surprise. Well, not absolutely sure, maybe, but it's an odds-on bet. Wild garlic announces its presence long before you see it, enveloping you in its bosky aroma. It feels ancient, the scent of garlic hanging beneath the trees' bare branches, in the damp, earthy, early spring air.

Wild garlic is a friend to first-time foragers everywhere - number two on the list of easiest-to-identify-and-use hedgerow spring greens, after the ubiquitous nettle. Although its glossy, spear-like leaves can look a bit like lily of the valley, its smell puts you in no doubt as to what it is, so you need have none of the tyro terror of the first-time mushroom hunter.

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Allium Ursinum, or wild Garlic, Ramps, Ramsons, Buckrams, broad-leaved Garlic, wood Garlic, Bear Leek, or Bear's Garlic.

Allium Ursinum (wild Garlic)
The wonders of wild Garlic
Why wild Garlic is good for you
Irresistible Wild Garlic Recipes for Your Wild Edible Adventures
Wild garlic Allium ursinum - Naturescalendar pdf
Hyacinthoides Non-Scripta (Bluebell)
Ancient Woodland Indicator Species
Ancient Woodland

Magnolia Flower Vinegar

This magnolia flower vinegar recipe is something to die for. Within 24 hours it has turned from clear to a deep pink, and the flavour, well it has to be tasted to be believed! 

Why not try this magnolia flower recipe today? It’s quick, easy and cheap to do, and the end result is awesome.

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Botanists Baffled by Rapid Growth of 'Space Cherry'

A tree grown from a cherry pit that traveled in space five years ago with astronaut Koichi Wakata, now commander of the International Space Station, has bloomed far ahead of what is normal, to the astonishment of botanists.

Cherry trees typically take about a decade from the time they sprout from seeds to bloom.

The cherry pit was one of around 265 produced from the fruit of the famous 1,250-year-old “Chujohimeseigan-zakura” cherry tree grown in the compound of the Ganjoji temple here, which traces its roots to the seventh century.

In the "space cherry" project organized by Tokyo-based Japan Manned Space Systems Corp., the space-going pits were rocketed to the International Space Station in 2008, and returned to Earth in July 2009 with Wakata, now 50.

The original Chujohimeseigan-zakura tree is a variant of the “yamazakura” wild cherry species, and until now, attempts to grow young trees from its fruit have been unsuccessful.

Botanist Takao Yoshimura, 78, successfully sprouted one of the pits that traveled to the ISS using a method in which he covered the soil with sphagnum moss.

In four years, the young plant has grown to a height of about 4 meters. This spring, it produced about 10 buds, which all were in bloom by April 4.

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Artist Aelita Andre (4) - MIR Russian Space Station in Cherry Blossom

Foraging is Easy: Learn 50 Plants In Just 10 Minutes

Can I eat it? Will it harm me? These are the two basic questions the forager needs to answer when looking at any potentially edible plant. Once we decide to view the wild herbs, trees, mushrooms, seaweed and seafood of this country as a possible source of food, we enter a world, not only brimming with exquisite and unusual flavors, textures and aromas, but also pitted with numerous hazards and even the vague possibility of a hideous death! Is it all worth it just for a plate of food…if approached sensibly then the answer if definitely yes. Approach this topic with too casual an attitude and the results may be very unpleasant. So, that’s the melodrama out of the way, now down to the simple bit….Foraging is easy if you learn how to answer the two opening questions and the easiest way to do this is to Divide and Conquer (though not in the traditional sense). Dividing plants into their separate families ie the mint family, cabbage family, carrot family, allows us to learn group characteristics (square or round stems, number and color of petals, different leaf shapes, common smells, habitats etc etc) and this in turn allows us to “half way” identify numerous plants very quickly, at least to be able to put them in the right family. This is a very good start on the road to correctly ID’ing a plant and lets us know how we can proceed, depending on whether we have entered a family full of potential dangers or one with very few. Imagine walking into you local pub, hopefully it contains your friends, some people who like you and maybe a few who don’t, but at least you know the protocol and can feel relatively at ease…this is the mint family. Now lets go to that dodgy  looking bar on the other side of town. This is the carrot family, full of dangers, full of delights and possible excitement but whatever comes along it’s the sort of place where we really need to tread carefully. In the same way, once we can positively identify the plant family we are looking at, we can adapt our behaviour accordingly. Here’s a few of the most common plant families that our wild foods come from and a suggestion of how we should treat each one.

Source

Foraging Wild, Organic Foods
The Wonders of Wild Garlic

Birch Juice; Divine Nectar

Beryozovy Sok (Birch juice) is the sap from a Birch tree. It is a water-like sweet liquid. It’s the only kind of juice in Russia that is venerated in songs about the love of the Motherland.

The ancient Slavs worshiped various Pagan gods and Birch was one of the most sacred trees. At that time it was forbidden to take the juice from the tree for regular use – it was to be saved for rituals. But after the introduction of Christianity the ban gradually disappeared. And people started to collect Birch nectar for everyday needs.

To collect the sap you have to go to the Birch grove, of course. The only time you can get the juice is during the 20 day period from the middle of March to the beginning of April – that’s when the core of the tree is filled with juice. During some winters this period may be reduced to 10-12 days. Because of melting snow it’s important to wear rubber boots – otherwise one can get soaked.

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Due to an unusually mild (and very wet, I might add) winter in parts of Europe, Scandinavia and The U.K., Birch sap collection could possibly start earlier this year.

I vividly remember how we used to collect Birch tree juice as children. We would cut a suitable branch off at an angle and hang a glass bottle on it and return the next day to find a full bottle of sweet divine birch nectar. Wonderful childhood memories!

Birch

Pesnyary - Birch Sap
Birch Tree: Health Benefits & Uses

Spring Has Sprung

Traditional Danish Pastries Threatened By EU Cinnamon Ban

Proposals for an EU ban on cinnamon rolls have put a dampener on Denmark's Christmas festivities.

The season's festivities in Denmark have been overshadowed by the prospect that it could be the last Danish Christmas before a European Union ban on their beloved kanelsnegler or cinnamon rolls.

The proposed ban followed plans by Denmark's food safety agency to implement EU regulations aimed at limiting the amount of coumarin, a naturally occurring toxic chemical found in the most commonly used type of cinnamon, cassia.

Under Danish interpretation of the EU legislation the amount of cinnamon in "everyday fine baked goods" will be limited to 15mg per kilo meaning a ban on Kanelsnegler pastries, a winter favourite in all Nordic countries, which take their name from their coiled snail shape.

The move has provoked a furious reaction from Danish bakers because neighbouring Sweden has decided to save their spicy pastries, known as kanenbullar in Swedish, by classing them as a traditional and seasonal dish with a permitted cinnamon level over three times higher, at 50mg per kilo.

"It's the end of the cinnamon roll as we know it," said Hardy Christensen, the head of the Danish Baker's Association.

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Cinnamon Health Benefits
5 Health Benefits of Cinnamon—Ceylon and Cassia
Coumarin In Cinnamon Causes Liver Damage In Some People

Turmeric: A Powerful Medicine

Turmeric has a peppery, warm and bitter flavor and a mild fragrance slightly reminiscent of orange and ginger, and while it is best known as one of the ingredients used to make curry, it also gives ballpark mustard its bright yellow color.

Turmeric comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant and has a tough brown skin and a deep orange flesh. Turmeric has long been used as a powerful anti-inflammatory in both the Chinese and Indian systems of medicine. Turmeric was traditionally called "Indian saffron" because of its deep yellow-orange color and has been used throughout history as a condiment, healing remedy and textile dye.

Health Benefits: Turmeric (Curcuma longa), the bright yellow of the spice rainbow, is a powerful medicine that has long been used in the Chinese and Indian systems of medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent to treat a wide variety of conditions, including flatulence, jaundice, menstrual difficulties, bloody urine, hemorrhage, toothache, bruises, chest pain, and colic.

A Potent, Yet Safe Anti-Inflammatory: The volatile oil fraction of turmeric has demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory activity in a variety of experimental models. Even more potent than its volatile oil is the yellow or orange pigment of turmeric, which is called Curcumin. Curcumin is thought to be the primary pharmacological agent in turmeric. In numerous studies, Curcumin's anti-inflammatory effects have been shown to be comparable to the potent drugs Hydrocortisone and Phenylbutazone as well as over-the-counter anti-inflammatory agents such as Motrin. Unlike the drugs, which are associated with significant toxic effects (ulcer formation, decreased white blood cell count, intestinal bleeding), Curcumin produces no toxicity.

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Brew a Cup of Turmeric Tea
22 Surprising Uses For Turmeric

25 Reasons Why Turmeric Can Heal You

How Turmeric Tea Can Benefit Your Health
Building Your Medicine Chest: Turmeric Chai Tea

Cloves: A Wonder Spice With The Highest Antioxidant Value

Cloves are one of the highly prized spices, widely recognized all over the world for their medicinal and culinary qualities. They are the "flower buds" from evergreen rain-forest tree native to Indonesia.

Botanically, the spice belongs to the family of Myrtaceae of the genus; Sygyzium, and scientifically named as Sygizium aromaticum.

The flower buds are initially pale in color, gradually turn to green, and, finally develop into bright-red clove buds by the time of harvesting. Buds are generally picked up when they reach 1.5-2 cm in length.

Structurally, each bud consists of long calyx; terminating in four spreading sepals, and four unopened petals, which form a small ball (dome) at the center. The sweet aroma of cloves is due to eugenol, an essential oil in them.

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Honey: A Must Read For Those Who Eat It Regularly

by The Health Coach, Contributing Writer  

Truly, honey is a superfood, a nectarian delight and an effective healing agent all in one. It is packed with vitamins and minerals, enzymes and antioxidants, lots of carbohydrates in the form of sugars and even some amino acids. So sweet is it that, taken together, its unique combination of fructose and glucose makes it sweeter than table sugar.  

When you have a moment, hold up a clear jar of honey up in the sunlight and see the golden nectar for what it is. Its amber color reflects much of the sun’s energy which was utilized in its process of creation.  In Ayurveda honey is considered one of the most effective natural delivery systems for the therapeutic administration of herbal preparations and other remedies.  

As in all healing systems throughout the world, there is much subtlety and nuance associated with every healing agent “under the sun”. By that we mean that a single food or herb or spice has different healing qualities associated with it depending on it’s source, its specific type, ripeness, exact time of being picked or harvested, what kind of ground it is grown in, among several other determinants.

In the case of honey there are additional differences which are even more subtle, but no less important in distinguishing one healing application from another. By way of illustration, here is a list of the eight different types of honey identified within Ayurveda which can be found at the website linked below:

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Feeding Refined Sugar to Honey Bees

Feeding Bees - The Food and Environment Research Agency

50 Foods You Really Should Be Eating

Think popping a multivitamin once per day is good enough to cover all of the bases your diet is missing? Think again. Your body doesn't absorb nearly as many minerals and vitamins from that pill as you might believe. Instead, give your body a powerful boost by adding some natural superfoods to your diet.  

1. Kale: If Popeye knew about kale, he'd never have bothered with spinach. This robust, dark leafy green is chock-full of nutrients like iron, vitamins A, C and K, fiber, antioxidants and is a great detoxifier (particularly for your liver).  

2. Chia Seeds: Prized by the Mayans and Aztecs, this superfood is once again becoming a star in the modern-day diet. Add these to your diet to get a boost of fiber, omega fatty acids, calcium — and it's also a complete protein that's easy to add to salads and smoothies.  

3. Spinach: Your mother always told you to eat this vibrant, leafy green if you want to grow up big and strong. What she didn't mention is that it's also great for preventing prostate cancer, is an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K, is loaded with antioxidants and is a good source of protein.  

4. Swiss Chard: Swiss chard grades highly among the ranks of nutrient-packed leafy greens, but the best part might be the taste. Kale can be tough, collards are heavy and some people hate spinach, Swiss chard tastes similar to the very neutral romaine lettuce. Best of all, it has all of the same nutrients as its brethren.  

5. Collard Greens: Collard greens don't get the type of love that kale does, but they still bring the same nutrients to the table, like vitamins C and K. Collards also give you vitamin E, folate and manganese, and similarly, are known as a cancer-fighter.

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Constantly Tired? Here Are 10 Herbs To Increase Energy, Vitality, And Adaptability

How difficult is it for us to achieve a work-life balance? How much more difficult is it to achieve a life-energy balance? And does it not seem that there are never enough hours in the day to achieve any balance at all? 

You’re not alone. Your days may seem that way, but in truth the balance is always there, always available and always achievable. That doesn’t mean it isn’t difficult, but a few ancient herbal formulas will certainly help you achieve the balance you never thought possible. 

Skip your daily sugar boost, coffee or red bull because in the long-term they will always let you down. Adaptogenic herbs will give you sustained energy and vitality while allowing your mind to think freely, calmly and without excessive stimulation.

Adaptogenic herbs demonstrate a nonspecific enhancement of the body’s ability to resist a stressor. Modern herbalists say adaptogenic herbs are plants with properties that exert a normalizing influence on the body, neither habit-forming, over-stimulating nor inhibiting normal body function, but rather exerting a generalized tonifying effect. They increase your resistance overall against physical, chemical and biological stressors.

Herbal formulas found in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic medicine restore a healthy stress response typically using traditionally prepared as formulas. However, each herb can be taken on its own in the appropriate dosage depending on your specific requirements. For the exact dosages, please consult with a master herbalist or natural health practitioner well-versed in herbal formulas to increase energy and vitality. Here are the ten best adaptogenic herbs:

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Make Your Own “Soothing Roots Balm” for Headache Relief

When a headache hits, the only thing that sounds remotely pleasant is lying down, closing you’re eyes, and falling asleep. Unfortunately, more often than not, we’re stuck in traffic, helping the kids with homework, dealing with a crabby boss, trying to cook dinner, running to catch the bus, etc. etc. when the pounding sets in, and lying down just isn’t an option. Instead of instantly medicating yourself, carry around a little tin of this soothing headache balm and rub some on your temples, the back of your neck, or anywhere you feel tense or sore to help relieve the pain.

Ingredients: Peppermint Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Lavender Oil, Beeswax, Shea Nut Oil, Grapeseed Oil.

Why peppermint oil: Peppermint contains menthol, and menthol produces a cooling sensation on the skin which, couples with the refreshing scent, helps relieve tension and resulting tension headaches. 

Why eucalyptus oil: Fresh and invigorating, eucalyptus soothes without making you sleepy. Studies have shown the scent increases brainwave activity, reducing fatigue. Rubbed on muscles, it helps relieve tension and soreness. 

Why lavender oil: Lavender is also a wonderfully soothing scent, being used in a number of studies testing the benefits of aromatherapy. Changes in brain wave patterns for people exposed to the scent suggested increased relaxation and a resulting loss of tension in muscles.

Why beeswax/Shea nut oil/grapeseed oil: All of these ingredients are what give the balm its body, and dilute the essential oils. Good and nourishing for the skin, they are easier to obtain than their names suggest! (Grapeseed oil can be found at your local grocery store.)

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A Recipe for Turmeric Juice: A Powerful Healing Beverage

When I lived in Bali, I fell in love with the Balinese-style turmeric juice, Jamu Kunyit. Turmeric is known to be one of the most powerful healing herbs. It is great for bones and joints as it has anti-inflammatory properties. It prevents metastases from occurring in many different forms of cancer. 

Turmeric is also a natural liver detoxifier and a kidney cleanser, and it speeds metabolism and aids in weight management. Plus it heals and alleviates conditions of depression, psoriasis, damaged skin, arthritis and more. For these reasons, turmeric is ubiquitous both in Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine.

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5 Survival Uses of Pine Resin

Pine resin has multiple uses for survival. This sap is produced by the pine tree to seal up cuts or damages to the tree. 

If you ever find yourself lost in a wilderness environment, having a pine tree in the area is one of the best case scenarios you can hope for. There are many different species of pine trees but they generally prefer open and sunny areas. 

They are found abundantly throughout North America, they are also found throughout Central America, Europe, North Africa, in the Caribbean region, and in some places in Asia. 

Native Americans used pine sap for medicinal purposes. The resin is either chewed on or made into a beverage by mixing with water. It is known to be very effective in treating stomach ulcers and rheumatoid arthritis. Modern medical experts have not verified the medicinal benefits of pine resin though.

Look for the damaged part of the pine tree because that will be where the resin secretions are. The resin will be dry and hardened but can be softened with heat. Look for damaged or fallen limbs first before you purposely cut into the pine tree’s bark for the sap. If you have to damage the tree, do it in a small area on one side only. Also, take only as much resin as you will need and leave some on the tree to protect the cut from boring insects.

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Magic Mushrooms? Fungi Can Change The Weather

Magic Mushrooms? The fungi can whip up winds that blow away their spores and help them disperse.

Mushrooms have an extraordinary ability to control the weather, scientists have learned.

By altering the moisture of the air around them, they whip up winds that blow away their spores and help them disperse.

Plants use a variety of methods to spread seeds, including gravity, forceful ejection, wind, water and animals. Mushrooms have long been thought of as passive seed spreaders, releasing their spores and then relying on air currents to carry them.

But new research has shown that mushrooms are able to disperse their spores over a wide area even when there is not a breath of wind - by creating their own weather.

Scientists in the US used high-speed filming techniques and mathematical modelling to show how oyster and Shitake mushrooms release water vapour that cools the air around them, creating convection currents. This in turn generates miniature winds that lift their spores into the air.

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Homemade Coconut Oil Toothpaste

by Jessica Espinoza

Commercial toothpastes are full of chemicals and toxic ingredients. When you look at the ingredients of a tube of toothpaste, you will notice that most brands contain fluoride, sodium laurel sulfate, artificial sweeteners, colors, and flavors, all of which are unnecessary for dental health and do more harm than good to our teeth and our bodies.

Making your own toothpaste at home is very easy, allows you avoid toxic ingredients, and can help improve your overall dental health. The ingredients in this toothpaste recipe are all very healing for the mouth and can help with remineralization of the teeth. This toothpaste is safe for the whole family, even children.

Most of the ingredients in this recipe are common to almost all homemade toothpaste recipes. Use coconut oil for its natural antimicrobial properties, baking soda for whitening and gentle cleaning, sea salt for gum health and mild antibacterial properties, and castile soap for foaming properties. The castile soap is optional and replaces the toxic sodium laurel sulfate (a foaming agent) found in commercial toothpastes. Some people leave it out, but others find that they prefer toothpaste that foams. Even with the addition of the castile soap, this toothpaste will not foam as much as commercial toothpastes.

A couple of the ingredients, bentonite clay and myrrh gum powder, are not as commonly used, but are all are great for dental health.

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20 Ways to Control Slugs in the Permaculture Garden or on the Allotment

Permaculture designer, Ludwig Appeltans, gives 20 practical tips for controlling slugs so that you do get to eat your harvest.

There are many tips about how to fight these invertebrates circulating around allotments and gardens – some are fables, some are more effective than others. The reality is that no single thing does the trick. In short, the solution is to create an ecosystem in your garden that will help to create a balance. A plague is caused by an imbalance, a lack of predators that keep the population of slugs under control. Sounds easier than it is, but if you love your garden it greatly increases the joy and once established it looks after it self!

A number of years ago I started a forest garden in the middle of a very wet woodland, in the midst of a slug stronghold. I could easily collect a large jarful of slugs at dusk. After an intensive research and learning process with many failures, I only had to go out with a torch in the dark once every week or so and even then I only found a few. I was able to grow anything I liked without losing many plants to slugs. I have had to learn to live with some losses but still feel I can shout "Victory!"

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How Monsanto Can Be Defeated

The anti-GMO movement in the U.S. has achieved some preliminary victories in GMO food labeling but that's not all that needs to be done.

After enjoying a year of maximum profits, record stock prices, the defeat of a major GMO labeling campaign in California, pro-industry court decisions, and a formidable display of political power in Washington, D.C. – including slipping the controversial Monsanto Protection Act into the Federal Appropriations bill in March -- the Biotech Bully from St. Louis now finds itself on the defensive.

It is no exaggeration to say that Monsanto has now become the most hated corporation in the world. 

Plagued by a growing army of Roundup-resistant superweeds and Bt-resistant superpests spreading across the country, a full 49 percent of American farmers are now frantically trying to kill these superweeds and pests with ever-larger quantities of toxic pesticides, herbicides and fungicides including glyphosate (Roundup), glufosinate, 2,4D (“Agent Orange’), dicamba, and neonicotinoids (insecticides linked to massive deaths of honey bees).

Reacting to this dangerous escalation of chemical farming, toxic residues on foods and environmental pollution, over a million consumers and organic farmers have pressed the Obama administration to reject a new generation of GE “Agent Orange” and dicamba-resistant crops, forcing the USDA to postpone commercialization of these crops, at least temporarily. 

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Scientists Discover What’s Killing the Bees and It’s Worse Than You Thought

As we’ve written before, the mysterious mass die-off of honey bees that pollinate $30 billion worth of crops in the US has so decimated America’s apis mellifera population that one bad winter could leave fields fallow. Now, a new study has pinpointed some of the probable causes of bee deaths and the rather scary results show that averting beemageddon will be much more difficult than previously thought.

Scientists had struggled to find the trigger for so-called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) that has wiped out an estimated 10 million beehives, worth $2 billion, over the past six years. Suspects have included pesticides, disease-bearing parasites and poor nutrition. But in a first-of-its-kind study published today in the journal PLOS ONE, scientists at the University of Maryland and the US Department of Agriculture have identified a witch’s brew of pesticides and fungicides contaminating pollen that bees collect to feed their hives. The findings break new ground on why large numbers of bees are dying though they do not identify the specific cause of CCD, where an entire beehive dies at once.

When researchers collected pollen from hives on the east coast pollinating cranberry, watermelon and other crops and fed it to healthy bees, those bees showed a significant decline in their ability to resist infection by a parasite called Nosema ceranae. The parasite has been implicated in Colony Collapse Disorder though scientists took pains to point out that their findings do not directly link the pesticides to CCD. The pollen was contaminated on average with nine different pesticides and fungicides though scientists discovered 21 agricultural chemicals in one sample. Scientists identified eight ag chemicals associated with increased risk of infection by the parasite. 

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