Deciding to compost is the first step. Picking the right compost for your lifestyle is the second, possibly more confusing step. After choosing one for myself, I made this flow chart (yes, me) to help you (yes, you) find your perfect fit.
Stay tuned for the next (com)post, in which I’ll reveal the compost I picked and how I made it.
You don’t always have to save the best for last. This tasty treat can work as lunch and dessert in one! And relax, dark chocolate is good for you (in moderation, of course). Here’s how: In a toaster oven, lightly toast the bread with dark chocolate on top. Then, taste the meaning of sublime. Pictured with walnuts and sliced apple with dulse (sea vegetable) and freshly ground black pepper.
This sammy isn’t too complicated, but it’s pretty dang amazing in all its pesto glory. If tofu ain’t yo’ thang, leave it out — this basily beast will still knock your socks off.
Things you need:
What to do:
I’m always scrambling at the last minute to find something to bring to a barbecue or potluck. No longer! With all the pieces of chicken I have after making bone broth, I can whip up a delicious concoction for food-sharing events, from grill nights to picnics. Veggies, vegans or those not trying to use up chicken scraps: this is great with tempeh!
Things you need:
What to do:
cookies cookies cookies.
Ok, this entry may or may not be a thinly veiled excuse to publish this cookie sentence (eye heart Minnesota) invented by my dear friend, Mrrrrllll. But here you’ll also find 2 incredible recipes for sugar cookies. One’s from my mom, starring good ole refined shug-shug, and one featuring honey or maple syrup instead.
Basic Sugar Cookie
Combine ingredients until dough forms.Divide dough in four parts, flatten and refigerate for 2 hours. Roll dough to 1/8 inch thick (or more for fat cookies). Cut the dough into desired shapes. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet at 375°F for 7 minutes. Thanks, Mom!
And this one is from the rad blog, The Nourishing Apron. I don’t have a food processor or much of a taste for almond extract, so I modified very slightly.
Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
Mix flour and butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle honey while stirring, just until mixture begins to hold together. Gather into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Roll to 1/8 inch think and cut into desired shapes. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 300°F for 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool.
Send to friends, bring to parties, watch as people fall in love with you and your sweet baking skills!
Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) was one of the reasons I discovered herbalism. As a 19-year-old pre-med student, I was searching the university’s Pub Med database in search for the best proven medication for the awful cold I was having. The doctors though it was strep throat or mono, but both tests came back negative. So I searched for some magic cough syrup or antibiotic from heaven, but every study that came up said that over-the-counter cough syrups were actually ineffective.
I noticed page after page of studies in German that had Holunderbeere (German for elderberry) in the title. I refined my search and found out that Elderberry was an effective treatment for the flu and other winter ailments. I was skeptical, but the seeds had been planted.
In addition to being a great remedy, Matthew Wood adds that “[elderberries] have a property not found in the other parts of the plant; they are used as a tonic to the build up the blood and combat anemia. For this purpose they may be combined with blackberries” (434). Dark berries = yum. Cancer-fighting anthocyanins, anybody?
I first saw elder’s creamy white flowers on the slopes of the Blue Mountains in North Carolina, and didn’t see them again until I was at Sage Mountain in Vermont. The last time I saw the plant was last June in southern Minnesota, on the sides of bluffs and hills outside Winona. Is it just a coincidence that all the places I have seen the black elder growing were either mountains or hillsides? Although I have seen elder growing in Northern Minnesota, it is not the right kind to harvest (it may be red elder). Typical of the elder of fairy tales and folk lore, whenever I find an elder tree in the woods up here, I can never find it again! For you Duluthians, there are a few in Hartley park, in the deer-proofed area.
I have come across many elderberry syrup recipes over the years. This recipe from Rosemary Gladstar is the one I like the most because 1) it is alcohol free, 2) it can be made with fresh or dried berries, and 3) storing it in the refrigerator reminds me to use it was a food and medicine. It is seriously delicious with baked garnet yams, waffles, or mixed with mineral water.
1. Heat the berries and water to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 30-45 minuets.
2. Mash the berries, strain, and add 1 cup of honey. I add a half cup of the purple liquid to a measuring cup, then pour in honey until the total volume is 1 1/2 cups. Then stir to mix well, and add to the rest of the reserved liquid.
3. Bottle and store, refrigerated. for 2-3 months.
4. Enjoy a tablespoon daily to keep the immune system strong, use more often when afflicted with the flu.
Refereance: Gladstar, Rosemary. The Family Herbal.
Celia Linnemann is a maker of natural medicine and doula in Portland, OR. This article is reprinted from the blog on her site, Dandelion Revolution. See the original post on elderberry syrup here.