Protein bars

After lifting weights...or gardening- because gardening like I do has nothing on Boxfit- I like to grab a protein bar.  I won't buy conventional protein bars but instead prefer to make them in bulk and keep a few bags of them in the freezer.

I screw around with the ingredients off and on because I use what I have on hand. If you happen to buy super nasty organic protein powder that tastes like "wet play-dough" as a friend A.M. told me about...well... it works well to use it up in things like this:)

What you will need:

3 jars (16 oz each) of almond butter.  

3/4 cup Chia seed

6 cups protein powder

4 cups raw honey

3 cups old fashioned oats

At room temperature- mix almond butter and honey together first- 

then add protein powder then Chia and lastly add the oats.

I pack this into 2 large pans and refrigerate for a few hours until set. 

 Cut and package in Ziploc bags and store in the freezer.

I usually get about 72 bars total- each around 200 calories and weighing in with 20g protein or more depending on the nut butter and the protein powder.  This equates to an ideal snack for those who are active...or just want healthy fudge:)

Comfrey

COMFREY

My youngest brother broke his ankle a few days ago.  Right at this moment he is in surgery...5 hours and counting now:/  He really broke it.  With healing properties of Comfrey, Calendula and even a bit of Plantain, I began putting together a drying station and harvesting a bunch to bring him for making poultices to speed recovery.

Comfrey is a plant with soft long leaves unbothered by bugs.  It seems bugs don't enjoy eating the plant in any way... I have never seen a Comfrey plant with a bug problem...One of many flowers I use to boarder my gardens.  In the summer they develop purple flowers.

Comfrey is most typically used in external applications.  Recently, many began to wonder about its damage to the liver because of a poison called pyrrozidine alkaloids.  The only tests I can find are so isolated and the test subjects were given massive over the top doses of Comfrey...which of course lead to less than favorable results-  far beyond what one would use for tea...and those countries that do use it frequently for tea don't seem to have reported issues with consumption.  I'm no doctor, but there are times when looking at wording and evaluating the broadness of studies needs to be dissected.

My first experience was watching a friend who had sliced her finger wide open.  She ground up some Comfrey leaf and packed on the wound, slapped a bandaid over it and warned me that if I ever do that I must watch the cell regeneration because it helps stimulate regrowth so quickly it can cause a build up of cells and within days you could have an overabundance of skin cells looking like a scar!  Whaaaat??  So, I watched her healing-  she cut her finger so deep I had my reservations.  But low and behold I was so happy to be wrong. The healing is because of an abundance of allantion.  Comfrey has been used for ages to reduce swelling and is believed to knit broken bones together faster than expected- it also has high levels of vitamin C and calcium.

I began studying it and later viewed several experienced herbalists and alchemists state not to put on open wounds...but still!!!  What I saw with.my.own.eyes will not be forgotten.

Plantain

Plantain is a weed that is related to spinach.  Here^^^ you can see it in early growth.  It can get huge and eventually it begins to grow a slender woody stalk with a concentrated comb like collection of seeds at the top...    It is also a great one to keep on hand.  We keep it dried and even frozen in the deep freezer for tea and poultices.  This is something that is most likely in your yard or close by.
Together with Comfrey and some times even adding a bit of Calendula to make a tea or infusion and have a poultice ready on hand for problems like bee stings, mosquito bites, nettle stings and even poison ivy. Usually there is Plantain or Jewelweed growing close by poison ivy...just chew it up and slap it on the exposed area of your infected area to relieve pain if out in the woods.
Plantain also has a coagulant that works on external bleeding.  Not internally at all.

Bee Prep

At some point this week I will be traveling across the state to pick up my bees.  3# to be exact.  That estimate runs between 12,00 and 15,000 depending on the bee.  I have a cell of Carolinian coming and they are quite small...so I would be lead to believe I would be bringing home the larger in number.

I went with this breed because they winter better than other versions.  Last year a lot of bees died around my area because of the cold.  There were a few days where the high reached -24...not including the wind factor.  I live at the very top of a mountain and believe me when I say we get wind....up to 50 miles an hour.  Last year I watch the wind rip off the right side of the neighbors roof and then realized it bent our chimney! Yeah.  "cold & windy" doesn't begin to cover it.  The plus side is the summers here are not that bad.  It usually doesn't peak over 95 too often.

Another reason I chose the Carolinian breed is because the queen begins to dwindle egg production coinciding with food supplies dropping.  

This allows for one less worry when I take my share of honey and wax in the fall. 

If your bees are not protected from the elements properly, or if their winter food storage is not enough- they will die.  For example- the photo below shows how bees pile on top of each other to keep warm; even though, on the left of the photo, there is still ample supply of winter food.

^^^^This is a friend who owns and operates Long Arm Farm^^^^

Sadly, she has had just as cold of a winter in the valley as I did on the ridge 

and her bees suffered because of it.

-Top Bar-

With my lovely assistant, Google, top bar hive plans were found then altered to work for what I want.  

I used scrap, untreated wood.

The strips on top^^^ are what the bees will build their comb off of. They each will hold one length of comb.  The 3 slats on each side will be blocked off with a little hole for access and used for housing honey water until all the useful blossoms are in bloom.  

The other 20 slats will be (hopefully) full by this fall and I will then portion off my share and leave the rest for the bees to survive off of until the next set of blossoms.  

A general rule of thumb is to have your bees ready or shipped to you by the first sightings of dandelions. With the allowance of a few small bouquets here and there from my children, they usually know not to pick dandelions until there are other flowers out there.  

Remember- the blossom is for your bees and the leaves are for your dinner.

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The slats each received a little run along the middle for me to pour melted bees wax down.  

Just a little extra grip for a little extra insurance.

We keep a surplus of beeswax in the house.  I just chipped away at it and placed it in a double boiler.

Once the wax is melted, I used a spoon on one lifted end of the slat and allow it to flow down the groove until the entire thing is filled.  Repeat as many times as it takes. Like layers on a candle.

I then make sure to layer a ribbon of wax over the length of the middle section covering beyond the strip.  The beeswax tells the bees to use this as a starting strip for building combs.

This morning I finally decided on- what I hope to be, a safe location for the hive.  With all the trees allowing for ample filtration and  blockage from our nasty winds, in the middle of 13 apple trees, a field of clover, 5 acres of alfalfa and more black raspberry bushes than I could ever count- I hope this is a forever home for my new little critters.

Mullein

Mullein

Mullein is a plant found in most places.  Many people consider it a weed and mow it down instead of collecting the very useful leaves.  Since it is a biennial, it grows the rosette of leaves the first year, then the second it grows the tall stalk with several yellow flowers on the top....then at the end of the second year, it dies. Through the winter of the first year you can dig around in the snow and still find healthy fresh Mullein leaves for medicine.
 It does look a lot like lambs ear, however, its growth of the leaves are up to a foot long.  The leaves are blueish-green and very fuzzy.

Mullein is not indigenous.  It was brought over from Europe and any bug introduced from Europe are about the only things that will eat it.  You can find it in locations where the area gets full sun- and it helps if the soil has recently been disturbed.

Medicinal uses:

Topical-  

• wounds
• burns
• hemorrhoids
• skin infections- coupled with Comfrey- this is truly amazing for blisters and corns
• some research supports the chemicals found in Mullein help treat herpes and influenza

Internal treatment-

• Ear aches (saturated carrier oil)
• Gastrointestinal bleeding, diarrhea 
• Asthma, allergies
• Cold, migraines, sore throat
• TB, tonsillitis, bronchitis
• Whooping cough, pneumonia (combined with plantain works best for me)
• Chills, flu, fever, joint pain, gout
• Cramps, frame-shaking-sick
• High stress- especially when coupled with Motherwort

While I use this plant with home medicating, I tend to use it at night. The whole plant contains slightly sedative and narcotic properties.  It affects everyone individually- some react far more intense than others.

After being dried- the best way to use the leaves for relieving chest congestion and cough....is to actually smoke it.  I know, I know- sounds backwards- but it truly is a good way to relieve asthma and spasmodic coughs by acting as an expectorant and loosening phlegm from the walls of your lungs.  Other than that, use it in a tea.

The stalk containing the yellow flowers blooms here and there. Never all at once.  I collect the fresh flowers from several stalks, allow for the water content to drop by leaving them out for a few hours, fill a small jar with them- add olive oil, seal the container and place in the sun for a month or 2.   Filter out the flowers and keep bottled. This becomes a very powerful bactericide.  I keep this in the fridge along with my daughters garlic ear drops- The drops are useful for our animal ear mites as well as infected piercings.

Using the root allows for strengthening of the trigone sphincter at the base of the bladder so that incontinence can be relieved.  

I can't recall where I researched this- and I will post a link if I can think of it- but there is proof that this will help with spinal injuries...even in those who are deemed to be untreatable.  Using the leaves or root (first year growth) treats the synovial membranes making for a moistening and lubricating effect allowing for your spine and your joints to be able to align properly again.  Pain and inflammation reduced!

**note: A lot of this is used on its own but I strengthen the manifestation by combining Mullein with things like Horsetail, plantain, St johns Wort, Black Cohosh, Arnica, Motherwort etc.

***I am not a doctor, but I play one at home by following those who have been living off of the land for thousands of years before me with success.  Speak to your doctor before beginning an herbal treatment.  There are some herbs and medications that don't play well together.

HOW TO make and can Ghee

Since I am fortunate enough to have access to grass fed cows- this means I gather a few gallons of cream each week.  Clearly I don't go through that much even with making cream cheese, sour cream, ice cream, creamer etc...  no matter what-I always make butter.  Always.  Then I typically convert the butter to Ghee and can it.

Ghee is butter that has been heated to a certain length of time to a point where the milk solids solidify and separate from the fats.  This end is clarified butter.  For years I have been making this stuff as a carrier oil... all the while not knowing it has a proper name... Ghee.

This results in a much better cooking oil as the smoke point reaches about 485* which makes it very versatile.  Yes, it also has higher levels of A, D, E, K2 and CLA: an antioxidant coupled with antiviral properties.   Ghee is a good source of this in its finished state.
 K2- This is very important and hard to find unless you have a grass fed animal you are collecting the byproducts from.  Grass fed animals all vary to a certain degree of these levels depending on what stage of alfalfa they are primarily raised on.

There are 3 stages...or cuttings.  Every farmer has their reasoning for wanting one over the other.  The first cut contains far more nutritional value in my opinion- this is why I collect my medicinal use for the whole year at first harvest.  Other cuts contain higher levels of sugar and/or protein etc.- more on that later.

So, cream.  Get your container filled half way with a tight fitting lid.  I use glass because I feel it distributes the heat in your hands better to allow for coagulation.  If I am in a rush, I heat the cream to 90* and use the Kitchen Aid.  Always allow for 2x the volume.  Once you get your shake on, it becomes whipped cream sans the sweetness and it needs the room before falling back and then collecting in on itself to form the butter pieces.

At the the point where the butter fats collect and form a clearly distinguishable separation between the buttermilk-I then pour into a colander lined with butter or cheese cloth to drain out the buttermilk (60-90 thread count fabric).  

Don't toss the buttermilk!  It can be used for so many other things!

You will need to chill the butter in order to work it with a wooden spoon or two to agitate out the buttermilk.  Keep washing the butter with ice cold water until it runs clear after being worked.

Once you have made proper butter- you can now melt it over med/low heat for as long as it takes for the milk solids to separate... like below... possibly 20-30ish minutes.

Now skim off of the top and then if possible run through a cheese cloth after it has cooled.

Pour off into clean sterilized jars.

  Can at 11# for 60 minutes and you now have a stock of Ghee that wont take up your freezer or counter.

YOGURT DROPS

Frozen Yogurt Drops

Since warmer weather is actually on its way- I began making yogurt drops and stashing them in my freezer for a little cool down snack for my children.

Yogurt drops remind me of a version of Dippin Dots... except if you tip your container over- all is not lost... well, that and they have nothing artificial in them.

At home, we flavor our yogurt with cinnamon, lime zest and honey- once converted into a small frozen disk, they contain a small bite of brightness with no true yogurt flavor (tart)- just the texture as it begins to melt in your mouth.

Recently, Dannon yogurt announced they would be dropping their sugar content down to about 22g per serving.  Whaaaaaat?  That is a lot of sugar!

My way:
 Making yogurt drops begins with making yogurt at home- before it goes bad, I convert them into drops.  If you would like to try making yogurt at home, check out a previous entry of mine that will show you how.

L-way:
Not all of us have the desire to make things at home.  I call this the L-way.  If you purchase your yogurt from a store, you can just follow the same directions.

Find your trays you are going to be using and line them with waxed paper.  I fold mine over a bit and tape them down to stay in place.  Using cookie sheets with a lip is useful in aiding stacking a few layers of dots in the freezer to finish off.

Take a zip lock bag and place your yogurt inside- then zip closed.  Twist the yogurt into a fairly tight corner separating the yogurt and the empty plastic bag.  This will allow you to have control over the force behind the yogurt.   Cut a TINY piece off of the corner and begin gently squeezing them onto the waxed paper- release pressure and lift off so you can avoid dragging strips of yogurt everywhere.

Stack level in a freezer and they will be done within a few hours.  Pull the dots off of the paper and store in a freezer bag.  I also fold and reuse the paper next time by putting the paper in a bag along side the dots in the freezer.

They will stay frozen much longer than you would assume on the counter.  On average, the time it takes for my children to eat a 1/4c- 1/3c serving is about 10 minutes- rarely are there any too soft to get at in the end.

Stinging Nettle

Stinging Nettle

AKA- powerhouse

Spring time brings out the young shoots of a lot of forageable edibles.  One of which my family includes daily is the stinging nettle.  It is found in the mid to northern half of the United States- reaching from coast to coast.
Typically viewed as a pesky weed to those in the unknown tend to mow it down.  I always see them next to buildings in mass. Look them up in photos and I bet you can think of an area you have seen them in volume.

I strongly believe they could become part of your FARMacy and you should consider the benefits.

The healing properties of nettles are endless.  There are several ways to prepare nettles for usage.  Internal consumption via blanched, freeze dried, dehydrated for tea and then there are tinctures... applied topically in the forms of poultices, oils, rubefaceint and optional applications

The tea with the top parts (above ground) of the plant is used in irrigation therapy

• any type of urination problems- painful, frequent, bladder infections etc
•  UTI, kidney stones, gout and arthritis 
•  The root is used very widely for medicinal uses as well.  In Europe it is widely used to treat BPH
• It has a quiet manifestation on the lymphatic system helping the kidneys cleanse waste
• It helps with protein in the liver and informs the body not to expel it in waste, but to actually utilize it  
• Nettles have the ability to rid the body of toxins- because of this it is suggested to be used in alleviating PMS symptoms.  when the liver is slow acting, it is slow to work on estrogen- if there is too much estrogen in the body the second half of a woman's cycle, this causes a lot of side effects- exacerbating PMS symptoms.

Bleeding problems-
Nettle has an outstanding iron content along with vitamin C- this allows the two to work together for the body to readily absorb the iron.  Also high in vitamin K- it helps tremendously with pregnancy and gives the baby vital nutrients.  It helps in delivery to ebb excessive bleeding- it also assists with breast milk production.

• Alleviates and stops bloody noses, internal bleeding, anemia and does well with blood purification

Lung problems- I use this in a tea along with Mullein to get rid of those nasty phlegm coughs. It also relieves allergies and hayfever.  I have witnessed  it actually help those with asthma.
Some researchers believe nettle has the ability to reduce the amount of histamines the body produces in response to allergens

Topically it is used in treating

• oily glands- I use it in my facial toner (because it is an astringent) and masks and in one of my hair rinses- it will help with hair loss as well
• When used in a poultice: I use it after lifting weights to relieve sore muscles
• Some use it for eczema  very successfully
• Arthritis

Nettles contain Boran- boran helps play a roll in allowing bones to retain calcium

I could sit here for an entire day listing all of the benefits I have researched or experienced for myself- but suffice it to say- I consume it religiously.

In order to harvest this properly and safely, I use a pair of gloves, scissors and a paper bag. It is not named "stinging nettle" for nothing.  Below was what happened when a tiny brush of exposed skin against a leaf did to my arm.  You can see the 4 tiny spine bites I received and the consequential redness that joined in.
You can harvest the top of the nettle without gloves- you pinch off the first few leaves of young nettle with your nails from under the leaf while dragging your fingers up slightly.  This allows you to lay the hairs down a bit in order to roll up the greens tightly into a ball so you crush the rest of the hairs and pop into your mouth.

The spines/hairs find their way into your skin easily.  The average person only experiences the burn of stinging nettle for about 10 minutes.  If allergic, you will sense this stinging much longer- and if you have excessive exposure- like harvesting a bag full without gloves, you can even have a nasty case of this for days!  Wear gloves and a loose long sleeve shirt!

Below are very young shoots

 If the shoots are still young- about 2' and under, then I take the top half. This allows the stalk to continue to grow and you should be able to harvest again once more. Once the stalks grow to larger heights, I would begin to take the top third- and in late summer, only the top 1' or the first 4-6 joints of leaves against the stalk.  You will be able to make your own decision on the woodiness- There are times when it grows so far over my head that I just don't even bother. The taller they become the more you only want the top 2 or 3 joints of leaves and then just snip the leaves off the stalk.
 In the late summer, you only want to harvest off of the plant before you see the seeds develop. Once the seed pods start, all nutrition and energy goes into making this develop and therefore dwindles the leaf nutrition.
 After 2', I still take about 1/3  begin to snip off and cook the leaves alone and save the lower leaves and stalk for drying out for my tea.  The taller the stalk, the woodier the stalk becomes, the less desirable it becomes for cooking- but is still perfectly fine and nutritious for tea-For myself I require 2# of dried nettles to last me through the fall and winter for tea before fresh sprouts are around again.
A different way to preserve them... Blanch the nettles for 1 minute in 200* water (or just before boiling) before submerging them in an ice bath.   I then drain the leaves and place them in freezer bags so I am able to add them to shakes or dishes through the winter months.  I turn them into pesto, herb butter, dips, Au gratin, soups, sauces and stuffing for just about anything.  Fresh is always best- So I puree them to keep them raw and safe from spines in my mouth

**Nettles can interrupt medications.  Do your research- especially if you have diabetes or are on blood thinners.

At the very least I use nettle and alfalfa in all of my teas.
Nettle in combination with Saw Palmetto, Mullein,  red raspberry leaf, red clover, alfalfa and/or dandelion leaf/root add high levels of benefits.
Dandelion leaf and nettles cooked together are wonderful for arthritis.

Number one on my list of edible wild greens is alfalfa- next would be stinging nettles.  I always suggest adding these two for most things.  Think of them like the salt and pepper in your meal.

*I am not a Dr, but I play one at home.  I follow in the footsteps of those who have been doing it this way since the beginning of medicinal time and have seen results.  There are thousands of studies done on nettle that have been proven.  Don't take my word for it- good or bad,  if you believe me or not- look it up then you will have more than just my word for it.