Honeyed Peach Lemon Balm Sorbet

Each summer finds me eagerly awaiting the arrival of the peaches.  To me peaches are the best of summer captured in fuzzy orbs of juicy deliciousness.  Blessed are we to have a local farmer's market just minutes from our door where the most amazing organic peaches are sold freshly picked off the trees.  And each week the stout farmers from Morton's Orchardsdrive their beautiful fruit through the Rocky Mountains to bring those of us on the Front Range of Colorado peaches, apricots and cherries.  And, it gets even better because they sell seconds.  Seconds!  I really shouldn't be telling you this because the seconds are coveted and they go fast.  You have to get to the market before it even opens and stand in line to get your box of seconds.  The "second" peaches are super tasty even if they are a little funny looking at times.  I consider it an honor when I am lucky enough to get my own box of seconds.

This past weekend I was one of the happy few to get a box of seconds.  And throughout the week we have enjoyed munching on bright juicy peaches savoring each tasty bite.  But now the week has grown old and I still have a lot of peaches.  After a bit of thought I decided to whip out the ice cream maker to create some peach sorbet.  For a bit of pizzazz cheery lemon balm seems like the perfect accompaniment.  If you have never had lemon balm, I highly suggest you seek it out.  Bright and happy, lemon balm has a beautiful lemony scent that lends it's self well to many foods.  Plus it is a beneficial plant for the nervous system and it great during the heat of summer for crankiness that comes when we get tired and overheated.  Click here to read more about this special plant.

Making Sorbet

Here is what you will need:

• 6 to 8 super ripe peaches, pit removed and chopped
• 1/4 cup of farm stand honey (plus more to adjust for taste, just in case)
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 5 sprigs of fresh lemon balm, chopped
• 1 Tbs. lemon juice

Easy Instructions:

Mix the hot water and honey to dissolve the honey.  Place everything in the blender and whirl it up until well blended.  Then just pour it in your ice cream maker and wait, patiently...

For a more in-depth discussion about making sorbet visit Simply Cooking.  She recommends using just a bit of alcohol to keep the sorbet from getting rock hard.  I think this is ingenious yet I didn't do it with this sorbet because I wanted my kiddos to partake.  I am looking forward to someday giving it a try.

Shared on the Living Green Link-upand the Natural Living Link-Up 

Violet Equinox

A Children's Solstice Celebration

We have a lush happy little patch of violets (Viola odorata) outside at the preschool.  I noticed them last week quietly poking their deep purple heads through the soil and smiling with a delightful fragrance.  I knew that we had to get outside and be with the violets.  Violet are often one of the first flowers to grace us as the sun makes its way closer to us each spring and they are truly a treasure to behold.  So what better way to celebrate this first day of spring than by smelling, harvesting and eating violets?  Hence today we made our way to the violet patch.

I taught the kids a little song my teacher taught me, a song for the violets.  A song to say we are here and we are friends.  To say thank you to the violets for giving away to us.  And we marched out to the patch singing and excited!

The kids did a wonderful job being careful with the plants and picking just the flowers.

As we all tried the flowers it was delightful to watch little faces light up with the amazing taste of violets.

The children loved them.  We talked about how the violet's are good for us and they taste good too!

What a treat!

After gathering a good amount we took the violets inside, washed and dried them.  We put them in a jar.

Then we covered them with agave.  I usually make violet honey but the preschool is vegan so we are trying using agave this year.  We will see how it goes!  So far so good.  I plan to keep the violets infusing in the agave for a good week or so.  Then the agave and violets too will both go into a jars, one for each child to take home and enjoy!

We also read Mother Earth and Her Children by Sibylle Von Olfers.  This is an amazingly beautiful book about the coming of spring.  It is based off a gorgeous quilt made by Sieglinde Schoen-Smith.  There is a little Violet child in the book and we had fun hunting for her and her violet plant.  The kids were able to recognized the flower and the leaves in the book!

Click here to learn more about the amazing little violet

How are you celebrating spring?  It is such a wonderful time of year, so full of energy and life!

Blessings for a beautiful spring!

Shared On: Friday's Nature Table, Multicultural Kids

Planting Peas

This is really a story about the beauty of a child.  For children can't help but be beautiful when we slow down enough to let them share that beauty.

"Where are you Vi?" "I am in here on the potty.  Will you read my bug book to me?"  Vi implores. I start to panic, it is 7am and I have my full morning of timely responsibilities pressing on me.  I know if I stop to read to Vi, everything will run late. Sadly I tell her "maybe later" feeling like I say that way to often.

Happily later that very afternoon I remember the bug book.  We snuggle up for a good read of this brightly illustrated lift-the-flap book about all kinds of bugs.  Vi is so snuggly and enjoying the book so much it is pure delight to be with her.  I suggest that we go bug hunting after reading our book.  Bug hunting will get us outside to plant the pea seeds we had planned to put in the ground that afternoon.

With the book finished we head out to the garden for good old fashion bug hunting.  At first we don't see any bugs despite Vi calling "B-U-G-S" in a sing-song voice.  I ask Vi where the bugs in the book were and she remembers that bugs like to hide.

"There's a rock Mommy!"  Vi points. We lift up the rock and are rewarded with a wriggly earthworm. "There's another!"  Vi exclaims.

On it goes until we exhaust our supply of rocks.  Now that we are outside I suggest that it is time to plant pea seeds we had planned to put in the ground that afternoon.

"That sounds great mommy!"

While I go to get the compost for amending the soil, Vi waits for me bouncing on the trampoline.  We, are as usual, are a few weeks late in our pea planting.  Sometimes it takes a while to get around to these kind of things.  And, I am feeling anxious to get the soil prepared and the seeds in the ground so we can enjoy the best harvest from our garden. Also, in that moment, I feel the lateness of the day and dinner is starting to loom as well as other things that need my attention.  I pull myself back to the moment and the task at hand.

After a bit of struggle I make it to our garden with a big bag of compost.  Vi and I start to shovel the compost into the garden.  As I had anticipated, Vi loves this.  She has a blast with each shovel full talking constantly about the dirt and how to grow plants.  After a bit she remembers two little pots which have been the focus of her attention over the past few weeks.  Into these little pots she had carefully placed soil, dug from the garden beds; planted little seeds from around the yard and two pea seeds given to her by me upon request.  She insists that these pots need compost of their own and I agree.  I get the rest of the compost into the garden while she works on her pots.  Still talking, she tells me long stories about seeds and how to keep them healthy.

After a bit I get her attention to plant the seeds.  At first it goes well.  We decide that I will poke the holes and she will drop in the seeds.  We hum along for a bit and she is pretty well focused.  But then we hit a snag and start to have an argument over how she is holding the seeds in her hand and how I am poking the holes.  Deep breath for me and I realize that I am getting grouchy and am pretty much the cause of our distress.  I look at her sweet brown eyes so earnest and loving and at her little pudgy dirt covered hands and I let go.  There is nothing here to be concerned about.  Just the beauty of a darling little girl and her desire to help, her desire to experience.  I realize that it doesn't have to be perfect and that I can't make it perfect because it already is.  We finish planting our peas and set up the sprinkler to water our new "babies."  I breathe again, a breath of gratefulness for the chance at motherhood.  With our garden started and a mommy lesson learned, I know this year the peas harvest will be the best ever.

I wrote this late last spring,  Have been waiting and waiting to share it!  Now we are close again to pea planting time and I thought the time was right at last to share this story.  In anticipation of earlier pea planting this time around, Vi and I are attempting to sprout our peas in the window before we plant them in the ground.  We took some peas left over from last year, put them in plastic bags with wet cotton balls.  First we soaked them overnight in water and then used that water to wet our cotton balls.

Then we sealed them and now they are in the window.  We will watch and wait to see how it goes.

I am hoping for little roots and leaves to show themselves soon.

When the peas are ready we can transplant to the yard.  The pea seed package I have says not to pre-sprout indoors, but I figure it is an experiment and like anything in life, you just gotta try to see what happens...

Shared On:  Sunday Parenting Party, Eco-Kids Tuesday, Kid's Get Crafty, Home Link Up

Elderberry for Winter Health

Nature has blessed us with so much.  Looking to Nature we can find a multitude of amazing plant allies that can help the whole family stay nourished and healthy during the winter months.  A favorite is elder berry which has an extensive traditional use as a preventative for the flu and as a support during the flu.  In fact modern research has found elderberries to be active against the flu virus.  You can easily make a yummy syrup from elderberries to take on a regular basis during flu season.  This is something that most kids really enjoy taking which is a major plus!  If you don't want to make your own syrup a ready-made preparation of elderberry Sambucol can be purchased at most natural food stores.  And if despite your best efforts, sickness should take hold, syrups can be used during a bout of the flu to hasten healing.

We make the following easy delicious recipe for syrup every year.

~ Elderberry Syrup ~

• One cup of fresh or ½ cup of dried elderberries
• 1 to 2 tsp of whole cloves (use less if you are using ground cloves)
• 1 to 3 tsp of cinnamon chips (use less if you are using ground cinnamon)
• 1 inch of fresh ginger root, chopped
• the peel of one organic orange
• 3/4 cup of raw unprocessed honey which acts as a preservative and enhances flavor
• 3 cups of water

Directions:  Simmer the elderberries and spices in 3 cups of water.  Once the berries have softened smash up the berries and spices in the water.  This is a fun part to have children help with.  I use a potato masher and closely supervise my kids while the squish away to their hearts delight!  Cook at a low boil for about a ½ hour or until the liquid reduces by one-half.  Strain the mixture with a fine mesh strainer.  Make sure to get all the seeds out, which can be somewhat irritating to the digestive tract.  Return the liquid to the pot and add the honey.  Heat until the honey just melts.  Then bottle, label (include the date!) and refrigerate your new syrup.  It will keep in the refrigerator for about three months.  Take 2 to 3 teaspoons for adults and 1 teaspoon for children (ages 2 and up) 3 to 5 times a week as a prophylactic during flu season.  If you do happen to get sick with a bout of the flu take the same dosage about four times per day.  Only the blue elderberries (Sambucus nigra) should be used as the red ones are toxic.  Elderberries are generally considered to be quite safe though they can be drying and irritating for folks suffering from migraines.  If you have a reaction, stop taking it immediately.

Recipe and information from Brigitte Mars's Elder.

A highly knowledgeable herbalist, Brigitte Mars lovingly offers her treasure trove of information for us to all learn from.  Her classes are lively, fun and interesting.  Her books offer an extremely valuable resource to those wishing to study herbs and learn about healthy living.

simmering elderberry syrup

Make your syrup special

The spices included in this recipe not only make it taste delicious but also help to warm the body, decrease inflammation and support healthy digestion.  Other herbs can be added to this syrup to increase its protective properties.  Rose hips are soothing and will provide nourishing vitamin C and bioflavonoids.  Astragalus has long been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine as a tonic to the immune system particularly to prevent illness.  However, this herb should not be used during illness as it can drive infection deeper into the body.  So do not take astragalus  during the flu or cold.  A great herb for children’s health is lemon balm.  This yummy plant is antibacterial and antiviral, while also calming the digestive and easing nervous energy.  Add any of these herbs by the handful to the pot with the elderberries be sure to also add a little extra water during the simmering and a bit more honey.

Enjoy!

elderberry syrup with rosehips

Note that this information is in no way meant to take the place of professional medical care.  Please use common sense and see a doctor if you need one.  See Healthy Use of This Information.

Thanks!

More Please...

Elderberry Day ~ Herbs for Kids ~ 

Shared on

Little Natural Cottage, Sunday Parenting Party

Herbal Infusions for Children

Herbal infusions are great for all people and are especially wonderful for

children because infusions are high in vitamins and minerals which growing bodies need.

The best herbs to use for infusions are like healthy foods and each have their own set of characteristics.  To appease children many herbs can be made into very yummy beverages.  You can serve infusions warm, at room temperature or iced.  Feel free to add lemon, agave nectar, honey or even juice to taste.  Below is a quick reference list of a few favorite herbs for children's infusions.  For further information about these herbs please visit the Materia Medica section of Mama Rosemary.

Chamomile ~ Tastes appley, bittersweet… kids say: great!

• calming, relaxing
• good for digestive stuff (tummy aches especially related to nervousness)
• promotes rest
• useful for complaining and whininess.

Contraindications ~ A very few people are allergic to chamomile and other plants in the Asteracea (daisy) familyImportant ~ Only steep chamomile for 3 to 8 minutes as it gets very bitter if left to steep any longer, my kids won't drink chamomile if I infuse it for longer than 4 minutes.

Lemon Balm ~ Tastes lemony, yummy …. kids say: delicious!

• refreshing and cooling so great during hot weather
• calming for hyperactive children
• helps relieve nervousness and crying
• good for digestive stuff
• antiviral and bacterial so great during cold and flu season

Lycium Berry ~  Tastes fruity, super yum… my kids love them soaked in apple juice!

• high in bioflavonoids and polysaccarides
• tonic for blood, eyes, kidneys and immune system.
• Can use as a substitute for raisins.

Mints (Spearmint/Peppermint) ~ Tastes yummy, classic mint taste… kids say: great!

• centering
• helpful for digestive stuff, eases gas and cramping
• antiviral

Nettle ~ Tastes green, milky, kinda like soup… kids say: not bad

• extremely high in vitamins and mineral
• whole body tonic especially for  mucus membranes and blood         

Oatstraw ~ Tastes bland… kids say: great

• soothing to nervous system
• high in vitamins and minerals

Rose Hips ~ Tastes yummy, kinda sour… kids say: great!

• high in vitamin C and bioflavonoids
• tones and nourishes mucus membranes
• Soak the hips in juice or water to make a super yummy "jam".

Note:  Taste ratings are mostly taken from Kids, Herbs & Health, this is a great reference book for parents!

 Yummy Combinations ~

 Equal parts spearmint, peppermint & lemon balm, add nettle or oatstraw for even more nutrients.

 Equal parts lemon balm, oatstraw and rose hips

  Equal parts lemon balm and chamomile

  Equal parts rose hips and lycium

  Equal parts nettle and oatstraw

♥

Click here for infusion making directions.

♥

Another Fun Drink for Kids: 

Almond Milk ~ high in calcium and protein, hypoallergenic (most kids do great with almonds)  To make fresh, simply soak 1 cup of  raw almonds overnight in water in the refridge.  Drain and rinse the almonds . Place in a blender with 1 quart of water and blend for 1 to 5 minutes.  Strain thru a jelly bag and enjoy!  Almond milk will keep for 2 days in the refridge.  Use the left over nut meat in baked goods, casseroles etc…

♥

 A Couple Great Books for further study:

• A Kid's Herb Book by Lesley Tierra 
• Kids, Herbs, and Health by Linda B. White and Sunny Mavor

From First Snow to Novice Chicken 'n' Dumplings

It is magic... looking out the window before bed there is nothing but Earth and Sky, or perhaps just a little bit of rain coming down. Then when you wake up piles of snow greet you while a soft pink sky glows above.

It is like someone came and brought a lovely present for everyone. I love living in Colorado. I love the changing weather, it is never one way for too long, not to mention the ever-present beauty of the mountains that we get to enjoy each day. Today is the first snow of the year and it came in overnight, just like magic.

When my daughter woke in the morning, I held her soft little hand and lead her over the window. We excitedly pulled back the thick velvety brown curtain and I showed her the peaceful beauty outside. She stood motionless and quiet for a few minutes. Then she asked if she could go out and play. It was still before dawn and we had to get ready for school. But who am I to say "no" to such a basic and justified request? If I had been 5 years old this morning, I would have asked the same question. So we got her all bundled up and off she went. She stepped into the yard and sunk in to just above her knees. There is a lot of snow out there today, way more than a dusting. With our dog frolicking around her plowing through drifts of white, Violet played for a good 30 minutes and was not ready to stop when she finally had to get ready for school. I know that she and her big sister will come home eager to play outside and enjoy this special snow, the first snow of the year.

I want to make something warm and healthy to support their bodies and spirits in their play. I am a big fan of homemade chicken soup because it too is like magic. There is something about it that really feeds the body, strengthening every part. Research has shown that chicken soup can be anti-inflammatory. But whatever it is, it seems to me that a nice bowl of soup made with love and intention is like having a warm hug for your insides. But, I really don't want to make chicken soup. I am thinking that chicken and dumplings would be fun. Maybe I can find a way to make it similar to chicken soup. I am sure the dumplings will not add to the health benefits, but I do think they will be fun and I know my eldest daughter has been craving this tasty dish. So off I go to search for a chicken and dumpling recipe that will help me on my way.

Ok, so I have done some research and found a bunch of interesting recipes.

My favorite came from Ree's site The Pioneer Woman that is filled with lots of humor and delicious looking recipes!

Here is the recipe I complied from Ree,  and about a dozen or so other places:

• Roaster Chicken(s) equal to about 1 whole chicken that you have been waiting to make soup with, I had 2 in my freezer waiting to be used up.

  

• 3 cups water
• handful of dried nettles
• 5 or so 2-3" pieces of astragalus

Simmer this all together until the chicken is ready to fall off the bone.

Let cool. Strain and reserve liquid. Pull chicken off the bone.

Why the nettles and astragalus you ask? What is this stuff you wonder? Nettles are a dark green highly nutrient rich plant that can be purchased dried.

Astragalus comes to us from Traditional Chinese Medicine. Astragalus builds the immune system and it great to use as a preventative during cold and flu season, though it is not to be used during acute illness. I add astragalus to anything that is cooked in liquid during the winter months to help my family, things like soup, rice and crock pot meals. You will want to remove the astragalus before eating your food.  Purchase nettles and astragalus at your local herb store or natural grocery.

Next the veggies:

• 1 red onion chopped
• Lots of minced garlic, to taste
• 2 italian heirloom zucchini, chopped
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 4 carrots, chopped
• Olive Oil, about 3 tablespoons
• 1/2 cup apple cider, courtesy of Ree, she says it is a great addition.

Really use any veggies you have that sound good to you.  This list is just what I had on hand in the fridge.  Cook this all up together until tender. Add salt, pepper and herbs like thyme, oregano and sage to taste.

Put the chicken and the stock (enough to almost cover the veggies and chicken, reserving about a cup) back in the pot and add the cider, you will have a very thick chicken soup at this point. I know that chicken and dumplings has more broth than this sometimes but I was scared. Scared to have a lot of broth because last time I made chicken and dumplings the dumplings dissolved into the broth and then I had a big pot of gravy stuff not really so very tasty!  Simmer to let flavors blend.

Then for the dumplings: These are right from Ree, her dumpling recipe looked great so I had to try it, plus she says to add cornmeal to the dumplings and anything with cornmeal is a winner with my family!

• 1 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour, Ree uses all-purpose
• 1/2 cup of cornmeal
• 1 heaping tbsp of baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cup of milk, I used 2%, Ree uses half and half
• 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley, if I had only had that to add... would have been yummy!

Mix together dry ingredients then add milk or half and half. Drop this by the tablespoonful onto the top of your chicken mixture. Cook, covered for about 15 minutes.

Last, I made a gravy:

• Reserved chicken stock, I had about a cup, you might need to tweak the proportions below based on how much you have left
• tbsp or so of butter
• 2 tbsp of flour
• Add salt and granulated garlic to taste

Melt the butter into the stock and then whisk in the flour. Whisk until the gravy thickens. Serve the gravy on top or next the chicken and dumplings if you wish.

Success!  

My family loved this.  And it did not turn into a big gooey pot of mess.

Yummy and perfect for the end of a cold day.