Owl’s Hill Nature Sanctuary (www.owlshill.org/

The first class starts September 10, 2011.  Registration is open! 

You can view the course schedule, learn more, and register here:  http://www.owlshill.org/tnp

If you decide to register, please let me know!! I’ll look forward to learning with you!

]]> http://www.luminearth.com/2011/08/16/the-tennessee-naturalist-program/feed/ 2 http://www.luminearth.com/2011/08/08/control-your-food-bill-eat-better-food-save-money-and-protect-yourself/ http://www.luminearth.com/2011/08/08/control-your-food-bill-eat-better-food-save-money-and-protect-yourself/#comments Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:00:35 +0000 Becki Baumgartner http://www.luminearth.com/?p=6683 FOOD. It’s the most the most important thing to all of us. Do you realize how much you can save on your food bill each year? According to The Food4Wealth Program, the average family spends around $5000 per year on fresh food. That is a huge amount of money considering the average family earns less than $100,000 per year! Almost 5% of your total income spent on food alone (if your are making $100,000 per year–even more if you make less!!)

Seriously… if you can control your food bill, you will gain more control over your finances.

I am learning this first hand. I’ve recently started eco-organic gardening using  The Food4Wealth Program, as well as cooking with wild edible plants. It is amazing what is already growing in our own backyards!! Many of these wild plants, that so many call “weeds” taste AWESOME! By supplementing the wild foods already in place on my property with a self-propagating garden, my food bill is dwindling. Fresh vegetables and greens taste SO much better than the ones from the market–even better than the organic vegetables from places like Whole Foods. Most vegetables in markets are bred for looks and shelf life, not taste. Vegetables also contain more nutrients when they are freshly picked.

LEARN ABOUT THE WILD EDIBLE & MEDICINAL PLANTS I USE

Building an eco-organic garden will take between half a day to one full day, if the time is dedicated to just that. The cost will be between $100-$300 (depending on how you shop) and you will be well on your way to saving around $5000 per year! After your half day of work (or full day) you only need to spend another few hours during the year checking over your vegetable garden and picking food from it. Then each year after that, your garden seeds itself and starts growing more food all over again with little effort from you.

If you’re a seasoned gardener or you know one who has a vegetable garden I bet they’d tell you it takes a lot more work than that. Well I can confidently tell you, they have it all wrong. The program I use is The Food4Wealth Program by Jonathan White. Jonathan is a Horticulturalist and Environmental Scientist who has dedicated his life to working out how to produce food in the easiest possible way. This guy lives on a small farm and has a garden that produces all the food he, his wife and two kids need each year. Better still, he has proven his method has he has been doing this for years.

Let me tell you another thing about why you really, really need to get your act together and start growing your own food. Pesticides, imported food, genetically modified food, and bacteria.

Did you know they grow tomatoes in China, export them to Italy and then re-export them around the world as Italian tomatoes?

Do you remember the outbreak of E.Coli a few years back? That was a breakout of bacteria in baby spinach.

Are you aware that many foods sold are not clearly labelled as genetically modified? You’d never know.

Some scientists say you have nothing to worry about and others say the process of life is so delicate and intricate that a small change in one part of the process can have dramatic changes in other areas and we might never know.

Did you know that most fresh food travels long distance – mainly by road – before it gets to your supermarket? If OIL skyrockets again – which the so called experts predict – what effect on prices do you think that will have on your food bill? It may not be $5000 you save but could be anywhere up to $6000, $7000 or even more.

I was really excited to find Jonathan’s book and video package, Food4Wealth. It took me through everything I needed to know to get my own eco-organic vegetable garden up and running successfully with the only a small amount of effort.

Just having Jonathan’s book got me in the mindset that I can handle the volatility this world is throwing at all of us. I’m lowering my food bill while eating healthier foods, helping to heal Mother Earth, and becoming more in tune with what is really going on world-wide. I’m glad I didn’t put it off another day!! The program showed me step-by-step exactly what to do and how to do it through an eBook and videos. I started getting my first vegetables in less than a month!

LEARN MORE ABOUT JONATHAN WHITE AND THE FOOD4WEALTH PROGRAM

READ ABOUT HOW I BUILT MY ECO-ORGANIC GARDEN

GET GREAT DEALS ON HEIRLOOM SEEDS AT MASTERGARDENING.COM

]]> http://www.luminearth.com/2011/08/08/control-your-food-bill-eat-better-food-save-money-and-protect-yourself/feed/ 0 http://www.luminearth.com/2011/07/31/pokeweed-phytolacca-americana-luminearths-guide-to-wild-edible-medicinal-plants/ http://www.luminearth.com/2011/07/31/pokeweed-phytolacca-americana-luminearths-guide-to-wild-edible-medicinal-plants/#comments Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:00:59 +0000 Becki Baumgartner http://www.luminearth.com/?p=6769

Pokeweed Berries

POKEWEED (Phytolacca Americana)

Other Names: American Nightshade, Cancer Root, Inkberry, Pigeon Berry, Poke, Poke Salad, Poke Sallet, Pokeberry, Pokeroot, Pokeweed, Skoke, Virginia Poke

Visit Our FREE Online Guide to Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants

Pokeweed is a robust perennial potherb that usually grows 4 to 12 feet tall, then dies back to the root during the winter. It is native to eastern North America but has been grown all over the world. Pookweed is an aggressive plant and is commonly found in disturbed areas all over North America. The plant is tinged with purple-red and has oval, untoothed, stalked, alternate emerald-green colored leaves with a width between 2 to 5 inches and length approximately 8 to 12 inches long. The plant flowers are symmetrical white with green centers eventually turning into dark purple, seed filled berries approximately 1/3 inch in diameter.

My interest in pokeweed began playing as young child in the countryside of rural Pennsylvania. My brotherand I would come home with the purple berries smeared all over our faces, arms and legs. “DON’T EAT those berries!” my mom would warn, “They’re POISONOUS!” I’m sure the same scenario occurred for many others in my age group and locale. This was probably the main reason I took me so long to get around to trying this delicious wild edible. Now I am glad that I did!

Pokeweed is one of the most widely used edible plants in North America, even though it has poisonous parts. Because the toxins can kill, this is not a plant for unsupervised beginners to eat. Study it over several seasons, build experiences with other wild foods, and work with an experienced forager before attempting to survive a pokeweed dinner.

-Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants by “Wildman” Steve Brill

CULINARY USE OF POKEWEED

CULINARY RECIPES USING POKEWEED LEAVES

Pokeweed Basic Preparation 

Boil a large and a medium-sized pot of water to a rolling boil. Boil the pokeweed in the medium-sized pot for 1 minute. Drain, using a colander. Add more boiling water from the large pot, which is your reservoir, and boil another minute. Drain, add more boiling water from the large pot again, and boil another 18 minutes. Drain again. Press the greens against the colander with a slotted spoon to remove excess water. Season to taste and serve. Good with vinegar, pepper, oil, lemon sauce, and bits of smoke-flavored foods.

–Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants by “Wildman” Steve Brill

Poke Salad

1 to 2 lbs. Poke Salad (Poke Leaves)
6 to 8 slices bacon
1 lg. onion
2 eggs
 

Pick and wash poke salad, bring to a rapid boil for 20 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold tepid water. Bring to a rapid boil, starting with cold water, for a second boil for 20 minutes. Again drain and rinse with cold tepid water. Now for the third time, starting over cold tepid water bring to a rapid boil for 20 more minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Let drain completely.

Meantime fry bacon and save drippings; set aside. Clean and cut onion in quarters. Take drained poke salad. Cook in fry pan that you fried your bacon. Add 1/4 cup of drippings and shortening from bacon. Add onion, 1/4 cup of water, salt to taste. Let steam fry until onions are sauteed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve and garnish with hard-boiled egg and bacon.

-Cooks.com “Poke Salad”

MEDICINAL USE OF POKEWEED

Pokeweed Plant With Blossoms

The roots and berries of the Pokeweed plant are poisonous to eat, but are often used medicinally.  Poke root has been used as an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral.  It affects the glands, lungs, spleen and kidneys and has been used to treat swollen and/or inflamed glands, breast cysts, and tumors.  In folk medicine it is used for its anti-inflammatory properties to ease arthritis and rheumatism.

In his book “The Way of Herbs”, Michael Tierra cites pokeroot as “one of the two or three most important native herbs for treating cancer” and indicates that it should be used with “a broad-spectrum blood-purifying formula, such as the Hoxsey formula” with dosage being “no more than 5-10 drops every 3 hours”.

Information on the Hoxsey Formula and Harry Hoxsey can be found in the book Cancer Salves: A Botanical Approach to Treatment by Dr. Ingrid Naiman .

Click here to watch Hoxsey: How Healing Becomes a Crime (Free)

Tierra also recommends making a syrup of fresh pokeroot, because a syrup lessens gastrointestinal irritation.  To make the syrup add fresh green pokeroot tincture to a base of syrup or honey.  (Click Here to Learn How to Make Tinctures.)  Tierra recommends using 5-10 drops every three hours.

Some research has shown that a protein contained in pokeweed, called pokeweed antiviral protein (PAP), has anti-tumor effects in mice and laboratory studies. In test tube studies, PAP has also shown action against viruses such as herpes and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Research has shown that pokeweed contains a compound that appears to enhance the immune system and has some anti-cancer effects in animals. According to one animal study, pokeweed antiviral protein (PAP), a protein contained in the plant, demonstrated anti-cancer effects in rodents. Another study found that PAP, when combined with an immunotherapy drug called TP-3, holds promise as a potential treatment for advanced osteosarcomas and some soft tissue sarcomas. Laboratory studies have suggested that certain formulations of PAP may be turn out to be useful against cancer cells that depend on hormones for their growth, such as cells from prostate, breast, and ovarian cancer.

PAP also acts against some viruses such as herpes and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and it is being studied as a possible antiviral. In laboratory studies, it seemed to help protect cells against HIV, and researchers are studying whether it might help protect people from HIV infection. However, even though animal and laboratory studies may show a certain compound looks promising, studies in people are necessary to find out whether the results hold true for humans.

-Cancer.org

In her book “Jude’s Herbal Home Remedies”,  Jude Todd stresses that pokeweed should be used with caution in any home remedy.  “I call it the chemotherapy of herbs, as it is it is an extremely strong purge.  It duplicates the effects of cortisone, which stimulates the entire glandular system.”  She also indicates that it should be used “only when drastic measures are called for and when all other methods have failed or not suitable.”  Ms. T0dd also explains that pokeweed is a violent laxative and diuretic that cleans the entire system.

Adult Pokeweed with Unripe and Ripe Berries

HERBAL RECIPES USING POKE ROOT

Poke Root Tea

1 tsp powdered or cut dried pokeroot
1 cup water
Simmer pokeroot herb in water.

Recipe courtesy of “The Way of Herbs” by Michael Tierra.  Tierra recommends taking one mouthful several times throughout the day.

Poke Root Tincture

Click Here to Learn How to Make and Herbal Tinctures

Formula for Glandular System, Arthritic, and Rheumatic Complaints

Dried Poke Root
Sasparilla Root
Dandelion Root
Burdock Root
Spikenard
Ginger
Licorice Root (1/2 part of this)

Use equal parts to make a standard decoction.

Recipe courtesy of “The Way of Herbs” by Michael Tierra.   Tierra recommends taking two or three cups daily.

My Personal Use of Pokeweed

We eat pokeweed as a boiled green in our house.  I use the leaves only from all sized plants, making sure there is no red or purple in the vein of the leaves.  I do not use the stems, flowers, root, or berries.  To prepare the greens, I boil them three times discarding the water each time.  My family and I think pokeweed is delicious.  It is very tender and mild, it reminds me of asparagus.  We eat it as Poke Salad using the recipe above and in omelettes and quiche.

I have a great poke story! When my hubby had cancer last year..all of a sudden a poke plant started growing right outside my front door. I have lived here 23 years and never had one there before. Poke berries are a natural remedy to cancer. Don’t tell me nature doesn’t know our needs!

 -Jyll Renee’, Master Herbologist

Click Here to Visit Our FREE Online Guide to Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants

Click Here to Visit Our FREE Online Herbal Materia Medica

Sources:

Brill, S., & Dean, E. (2002). Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places. New York: HarperResource.

Cancer.org. (n.d.). Pokeweed. Retrieved July 26, 2011, from Cancer.org: http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/pokeweed

Cooks.com. (n.d.). Poke Salad. Retrieved July 20, 2011, from Cooks.com: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1650,150172-232192,00.html

Tierra, M. (1998). The Way of Herbs. New York: Pocket Books.

Todd, J. (1995). Jude’s Herbal Home Remedies. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications.

http://www.luminearth.com/2011/07/25/violet-leaf-sweet-bread-a-recipe-from-luminearth-com/ http://www.luminearth.com/2011/07/25/violet-leaf-sweet-bread-a-recipe-from-luminearth-com/#comments Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:00:03 +0000 Becki Baumgartner http://www.luminearth.com/?p=6746 Violet leaves are very tasty and quite good for you!  This recipe uses the leaves of the violet plant, and creates a bread similar to zucchini bread. 

Note:  Only use leaves from the wild common violet plant that grows outdoors.  The houseplant, African Violet is poisonous.  If your are unsure how to identify the common violet, you should not attempt this recipe.

If you are not sure how to identify violet leaves, or the edible and medicinal uses of the plant, you can learn more here:

COMMON VIOLET (Viola odorata) ~ LuminEarth.com’s How to Identify Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants

VIOLET LEAF SWEET BREAD

1 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup sugar

2 cups finely shredded violet leaves, packed tightly

1/4 cup olive oil

1 egg

1/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a mixing bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. In blender combine sugar, violet leaves, cooking oil, egg, and lemon peel; puree until violet leave are finely shredded. Add flour mixture; stir just till combined. Stir in chopped walnuts.

Pour batter into a greased 8 x 4 x 2 – inch loaf pan. Bake in a 350°F oven for 50 minutes or till a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Remove bread from the pan; cool thoroughly on a wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing. Makes 1 loaf. (16 servings)

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http://www.luminearth.com/2011/07/12/bull-thistle-cirsium-vulgare-luminearths-guide-to-wild-edible-medicinal-plants/ http://www.luminearth.com/2011/07/12/bull-thistle-cirsium-vulgare-luminearths-guide-to-wild-edible-medicinal-plants/#comments Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:00:02 +0000 Becki Baumgartner http://www.luminearth.com/?p=4197 Names: Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare), Common Thistle, Spear Thistle, Fuller’s Thistle

Appearance: Thistles are easy to spot because the leaves and stems are prickly and hurt when you touch them. There are no poisonous look-alikes to thistles. None of the true thistles are known to be toxic, but the flavor varies from plant to plant.

Visit Our FREE Online Guide to Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants

You can distinguish bull thistle from other thistles by rubbing the leaves. Bull thistle leaves. The top of the leaves are prickly and hairy, and the underneath is cottony. Bull thistle leaf tips have stiff pointy spines and the flower heads are purple and spine-tipped.

Edible: The midrib of the leaf is edible after the rest has been carefully stripped off. Don’t try to remove the individual thorns, just peel off the entire leafy portion and the spines will come off also. The midribs are similar in texture to celery and taste a somewhat sweet. These can be eaten raw or cooked.

The stalks of the Bull Thistle are edible from late spring through early summer by removing the leaves, then peeling off the outer layer of the stem. Inside is a vegetable that can be eaten either raw or cooked. To avoid getting pricked it is best to use a long knife and start at the bottom, cutting off the thistle’s stem leaves while the plant is still standing. Then cut the base of the plant and sever the top. After this, peel off the dark green outer layer to get to the edible core.

The taproot of the bull thistle is also edible. These are firm, crisp and light in color. They can be eaten raw or as a cooked vegetable.

Medicinal: Bull thistle roots have can be used as a poultice and sore jaws can be treated with a poultice made from a decoction of the plant. An herbal steam can be made from an infusion of the entire plant and used to treat rheumatic joints. A decoction of the entire plant can be used internally and externally to treat bleeding piles.

Click Here to Visit Our FREE Online Guide to Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants

Click Here to Visit Our FREE Online Herbal Materia Medica

Sources:

Brill, S. (1994). Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places. New York: Harper Collins.

Colorado State Parks Best Management Practices Weed Profile. (n.d.) Bull thistle

Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Tenore. Extracted October 10, 2010 from http://parks.state.co.us/SiteCollectionImages/parks/Programs/ParksResourceStewardship/Bull%20Thistle.pdf

Montana Plant Life. (n.d.) Bull Thistle – Cirsium vulgare. Extracted October 10, 2010 from http://montana.plant-life.org/species/cirsium_vulga.htm

Thayer, S. (2006). The Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants. Ogema, WI: Forager’s Harvest.

The Books We Use:

• A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America (Peterson Field Guide)
• Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers: When and Where to Find Them by William Hutson
• Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places by “Wildman” Steve Brill
• Jude’s Herbal Home Remedies: Natural Health, Beauty & Home Care Secrets by Jude C. Williams, M.H.
• Ortho’s All About Herbs by Maggie Oster
• Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health by Rosemary Gladstar
• Secrets of the Chinese Herbalists by Richard Lucas
• Sunset Herbs: An Illustrated Guide by The Editors of Sunset Magazine
• The Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting and Preparing Edible Wild Plants by Samuel Thayer
• The Herbal Drugstore by Linda B. White, M.D.
• The Natural Physicians’s Healing Therapies: Proven Remedies Medical Doctors Don’t Know by Mark Stengler, ND
• The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine by Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D.
• The Way of Herbs by Michael Tierra, L.Ac., O.M.D.
• Wildflowers of the Land Between the Lakes Region, Kentucky and Tennessee

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http://www.luminearth.com/2011/07/10/common-milkweed-asclepias-syriaca-luminearths-guide-to-wild-edible-medicinal-plants/ http://www.luminearth.com/2011/07/10/common-milkweed-asclepias-syriaca-luminearths-guide-to-wild-edible-medicinal-plants/#comments Sun, 10 Jul 2011 12:00:15 +0000 Becki Baumgartner http://www.luminearth.com/?p=4092  

Common milkweed with goldenrod in the background.

Names: Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), Algodoncillo, Broadleaf Milkweed, Cottonweed, Herbe à la Ouate, Kansas Milkweed, Silkweed, Silky Sallowwort, Seidenpflanze, Seidenpflanze Virginia Silk, Wild cotton

Visit Our FREE Online Guide to Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants

Appearance: Common Milkweed is found throughout the US in old fields and on roadsides, in disturbed habitats, and in poor, sandy soil near the seashore. It grows 3-5 feet tall and is thick-stemmed and unbranched. If leaves are broken you will find a bitter, sticky white latex or “milk”. This protects the plant from insects. The long-stemmed purplish-pink flower buds are 1 ½ -3 inches across and look like loose heads of broccoli. The mature seedpods look like warty cucumbers and are filled with fluffy seeds. During World War II children collected the milkweed fluff to stuff life preservers for the armed forces in the Pacific. Even today you can find pillows, jackets, and comforters stuffed with milkweed down. It is very soft and fluffy, and reportedly insulates better than goose down.

Edible: Other milkweed species are poisonous, so make sure that you use Common Milkweed that grows in the Eastern United States. Most parts of the Common Milkweed can be eaten as a cooked vegetable, but must be boiled in two changes of water to get rid of the bitter sap that is mildly toxic. This is done by covering the milkweed with boiling water and boiling for 1 minute. Drain, then boil for 10 minutes.

The shoots are edible when are 8 inches tall or less, when they first appear in mid-spring. Later on, you can eat the tender tops of the older plants and the young immature leaves near the tip of the plant. The unopened flower buds are edible and look and taste like broccoli.

The opened flowers are also edible. These contain much less sap and only have to be parboiled one minute. They can be cooked as fritters or used in soups, stews, casseroles, etc.

You can also eat the young Milkweed pods and silk. When fully grown, the seedpods are 3-5 inches long. The pods are best when under an inch long and can be eaten whole. They are similar to okra and can be used in stew, stir-fry, or eaten plain as a cooked vegetable.

Medicinal: A decoction of the root strengthens the heart and soothes the nerves. It is also a diaphoretic (will make you perspire) and expectorant (loosens mucous in the lungs and throat) and because of this is often used for coughs, colds and arthritis aggravated by colds. It has also been used for asthma, bronchitis, female disorders and diarrhea.

Native Americans rubbed the milk of the milkweed plant, rubbed on several times daily, to remove warts.

Click Here to Visit Our FREE Online Guide to Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants

Click Here to Visit Our FREE Online Herbal Materia Medica

Sources:

• Brill, S. (1994). Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places. New York: Harper Collins.
• Thayer, S. (2006). The Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants. Ogema, WI: Forager’s Harvest.
• Williams, J. (1995). Jude’s Herbal Home Remedies. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications.

The Books We Use:

• A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America (Peterson Field Guide)
• Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers: When and Where to Find Them by William Hutson
• Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places by “Wildman” Steve Brill
• Jude’s Herbal Home Remedies: Natural Health, Beauty & Home Care Secrets by Jude C. Williams, M.H.
• Ortho’s All About Herbs by Maggie Oster
• Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health by Rosemary Gladstar
• Secrets of the Chinese Herbalists by Richard Lucas
• Sunset Herbs: An Illustrated Guide by The Editors of Sunset Magazine
• The Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting and Preparing Edible Wild Plants by Samuel Thayer
• The Herbal Drugstore by Linda B. White, M.D.
• The Natural Physicians’s Healing Therapies: Proven Remedies Medical Doctors Don’t Know by Mark Stengler, ND
• The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine by Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D.
• The Way of Herbs by Michael Tierra, L.Ac., O.M.D.
• Wildflowers of the Land Between the Lakes Region, Kentucky and Tennessee

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