For a few years, my son could only have honey as a sweetener, which meant store-bought candy was out of the question. (This was on the advice of his pediatrician who placed him on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet because he had non-responsive celiac disease and was a very sick little boy. The diet worked wonders […]
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This rich face cream contains an assortment of flowers and herbs, along with precious blue chamomile essential oil – which contains a powerful anti-inflammatory agent, chamazulene. It’s most suited for dry and/or mature skin types. Before starting, make sure to sterilize all utensils, bowls, beaters, and jars – I use the sanitize cycle on my […]
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Several of my friends are having new babies! I’ve made a variety of nursing balms lately for some of them, so thought I’d share a few recipes with you today. I’m trying something different by posting three difficulty levels from super-easy to a bit more involved. That way, there’s something for everyone. I’m not sure […]
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I designed this Aches & Pains Balm specifically for my dad, who has bursitis and arthritis. My dad is a fabulous man; he has worked hard his whole life – often so much that his hands would crack and bleed. He is unselfish and kind and is one of the most honest and true people […]
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Although violet blossoms are long gone from our area, the leaves have persisted in spite of the dry, hot weather and can still be found flourishing in shady spots around my house. I’ve touched on it before, but wanted to highlight today just how beneficial those violet leaves can be. Violet leaf is a wonderful […]
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This is one of those regional recipes – if you live in the south-eastern USA, you know exactly what kudzu is. If you don’t…. well, it’s this big invasive green vine that grows everywhere down here! Where I’m at, in Virginia, the plant is just starting to flower and will do so until September. We […]
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This is pretty much the easiest tomato sauce you’ll ever make! The original recipe came from Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet by Jodi Bager & Jenny Lass. Those ladies put out some amazing recipes – all grain free, honey-sweetened and SCD friendly. You can size this recipe any way you like – it all depends on how […]
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When I first found out my son had to go gluten-free and had a pile of food sensitivies to boot, a friend-of-a-friend who had been down that road before, loaned me a great allergy cookbook that focused on using a rotation diet to keep from developing further food allergies. The name of both book and […]
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I first got the idea for making sunflower jelly whilst I was pondering the happy row of flowers in my garden and wondering what other uses I could extract from them besides the seed. I remembered reading that the petals were edible and could be sprinkled in salads. During further research, I read that Native […]
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We are in the midst of a power outage, here in Virginia; and it will likely be a week before electricity is restored. (Update: we were without power for 11 days!) For us, no power means no water. Couple that with 100 degree weather and you can see where that could quickly become a problem […]
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For the past few weeks, I’ve been experimenting with lavender vinegar and must say, I love it as much as rose petal vinegar! Directions to Make Gather lavender, rub the buds off into a jar, then cover with vinegar. Immediately cap to keep the vapors in. Store in a dark cabinet for a few […]
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I do not currently own a basting brush. I have owned them, plenty of them, but they get all oily and are hard to clean and I end up tossing them long before most people would. As a consequence, I would find myself in need of one all the time, but having to make do […]
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I’ve discussed various ways of preserving and using roses, but for my final post on the topic this season, I want to highlight how to capture the physical and emotional benefits of the rose using the easy-to-take, alcohol-free medium of vegetable glycerine. Rose Glycerite acts as a mild nervine, calming anxiety and jitteryness. Many people […]
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A few days ago, one of my nieces brought a beautiful rose back from her grandfather’s house and presented it to my brother. He made a joke to her about giving it to me so I could make something from it. I admit I MAY sometimes go a bit overboard on creating things from flowers […]
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These yummy peppermint drops were inspired by a recipe for Herbal Candy Drops contained in A Kid’s Herb Book, written by Lesley Tierra. It’s an enchanting tome filled with facts, folklore, ideas & recipes aimed at introducing children to the wonderful world of herbs. I highly recommend it (for grownups too!) I took their basic […]
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This stunningly beautiful rose petal vinegar is super easy to make and has tons of great uses! It will keep for at least a year, though the color is most brilliant during the first few months. If you have an abundance of roses and want to preserve some of that beauty – try making rose […]
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Sweetened only with honey and free from any type of grain, this lemon meringue pie was a mainstay treat for my son when he was on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for two years. My kids actually prefer this without a crust, so I rarely make it with one unless it’s for show. (Or blog posts!) […]
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While researching violets several years ago, I found references to homemade violet jelly. It looked beautiful, but I wondered… would it taste like you were eating a mouthful of flowers? That didn’t sound all that appealing to me. Regardless, I decided to try it out basing my experiment on a recipe for mint jelly. My […]
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