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Mountain Mama Wellness Box:  

Lemon balm, tea mix (apple-mint, lemon verbena, calendula and cleavers), collard greens, swiss chard, kale, tomatoes, peppers, nettle,  potatoes, zucchini, broccoli leaves, celery seed, wild food mix (dandelion, yellow dock and sheep sorrel), kohlrabi, garlic chives, celery, basil, beets, onions and tops.

If you don't have a CSA/farm share, no problem, check out the organic farmers at your local farmers market.  Fall crops are starting to come in, that means it is time to up your intake of more green veggies.  It also means it is time to stop the sugar intake, do not increase your sugar intake with all the holiday goodies.  Sugar brings down your immune system!  

Again increase the green veggies, the beets, the turn-up greens, mustard greens, collard greens, cabbage, wild edible weeds, kohlrabi, etc...   

JUST A REMINDER...........

Think Twice Before You Support Wholefoods: 

http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=B2DB9DDBCAAFBB5162760F0D61FD46FD

HAVE YOU MADE A GOAL OF NO FAST FOOD?  

YOUR BODY IS YOUR 401 K PLAN........

Zucchini Pineapple Bread: 

Wild Soup: 

Dandelion, yellow dock and sheep sorrel

Garlic chives, chopped

Celery, chooped

onions, chopped

1 tsp (or more thyme) 

1 tsp pepper

4 cups organic milk, (raw is best) never buy ultra pasteurized!  or Milk Alternative

2 tablespoons arrowroot or organic white flour

2 tablespoons organic butter 

Sea salt to taste 

Saute onions and celery then add chopped garlic chives. Cook about a minute

 Wash sorrel, dandelion and yellow dock and put in saucepan with a little water (not covered). Cook slowly for about 1/2 hour.  Strain and put in a soup pot. 

Add sauteed mixture

Put 4 cups of milk . Add 2 teaspoonfuls of butter and 2 tablespoonfuls of  arrowroot or flour (thoroughly blended to avoid lumps) to the hot milk.

Add thyme and pepper,  Cook on low for about 5 minutes, be careful not to burn. 

Enjoy! 

More on Sheep Sorrel:

http://blog.emergencyoutdoors.com/edible-wild-plants-sheep-sorrel-rumex-acetosella/

Kohlrabi and Kohlrabi leaves

http://www.thekitchn.com/top-five-ways-to-prepare-kohlr-60321

Kohlrabi leaves:  saute them like beet greens. Yummy! 

Sauteed Kale and Kohlrabi:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sauteed-Kale-with-Kohlrabi-354974

We like to eat ours raw.  Here is a great recipe below.  Remember if you do not have a certain ingredient, for any recipe, just omit it or get creative with what you have around the house.  

We also like to keep it simple and just slice it up and eat it raw.  

http://g0lubka.blogspot.com/2012/08/kohlrabi-avocado-salad.html

Garlic Chives

Barbecue Sauce: 

1 cup plain tomato sauce

2/3  cup organic shade grown strongly brewed coffee

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tabelspoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons coconut sugar or organic brown sugar

2 tablespoon organic unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1 or 2 chipotle chili pepper or  pepper of choice.  You can also roast them. 

 (never use green bell peppers)

4 shallots, or 1 large onion chopped

4 garlic cloves minced 

2 teaspoons finely minced fresh organic ginger root

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1.  Saute, shallots or onion, garlic and peppers. 

2.  Add minced ginger to sauteed mixture, cook 2 minutes

3.  Put sauteed ingredients in medium size sauce pan. 

4.  Place all  the rest of the ingredients in a medium size sauce pan.  Stir adn combine. 

5.  Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat.  

6.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until mixture has thickened slightly about 10 minutes.  

7.  Remove from heat and let cool in the pan. 

Enjoy!

Saturday Morning Fire

A great place to sit and drink tea after harvesting this morning

Thankful for the abundance of produce! 

AND PLEASE REMEMBER....

The body is a dynamic organism, constantly changing  constantly repairing.  Everything looks the same, with gradual signs of aging appearing as decade after decade passes.  But every second in life, cells are being born, are dying, and are being reborn.  new tissue is being laid, old tissue is carried out.  

Billions of new red blood cells are manufactured in the core of bone tissue every day.  Every two to three days, each cell lining the digestive tract dies and is reborn with new materials brought in from the outside.  Minerals are carried out of the bone matrix and deposited into the bloodstream, then drawn from the blood stream and laid down into the bone matrix again.

In the words of Deepak Chopra, as though you were living in a house in which bricks were constantly being removed and replaced.  In time, a new house will have been constructed, a house that looks and "feels' the same but is completely different.

Ninety-eight percent of the atoms in our body were not there a year ago.  The skeleton that seems so solid was not there three months ago.  The configuration of the bone cells remains somewhat constant, but atoms of all kinds pass freely back and forth through the cell walls, and by that means you acquire a new skeleton every three months.

The skin is new every month   You have a new stomach lining every four days, with the actual surface cells that contact food being renewed every five minutes.  The cells in the liver turn over very slowly, but new atoms still flow through them, like water in a river course, making a new liver every six weeks.  

Our body's ability to heal and rejuvenate is fantastic, beautiful and I think a precious miracle.  

Nerve cells do not undergo the type of renewal experienced by other cells, that once the  neuronal tissue is laid into place, it is there for life.  The Brain, cells are not replaced once they die.  

Are you doing all you can to slide into your senior years with as many brain cells intact as possible? 

Most humans are not even close,  They engage in  "antinutrition."   Instead of minimizing the damage to their nervous system, they are accelerating the damage by the very foods (or nonfoods)  that they are stuffing into their mouths.  Humans are digging their graves with their forks.  

Are you taking care of your adrenal glands by eating better food?

Do you drown your anxieties in more work,  junk eating, buying more toys, drinking more coffee, drinking alcohol, taking drugs...anything other than slowing your pace?  

Are you planning your foods carefully and enjoying the process of meal preparation?

Are you savoring a healthy meal with people you love?

Do you see good nutrition as yet another impossible task to squeeze into an overcrowded schedule?  

Do you schedule play days?

How is your exercise program ? ("NO EXCUSES")

You can design a program to feed your brain, and give your body the proper nutrients it needs to rebuild.  But, only by turning your backs on the "American Food Culture" "The SAD Diet is the Standard American Diet, SAD." 

It goes without saying that if you are serious about feeling better, you will need to stop indulging in your favorite junk foods, processed foods, fast food, most restaurants,  coffee drinks, soda, caned soups, hamburger helper, frozen TV dinners, deli meats, movie theater junk food etc.. (this list can go on and on) , that poison your body and brain.  

Are you making a point to get to your farmers markets once or twice a week and purchase organic foods, grass fed meats and pasture raised poultry?  

Here is a list of foods the Mountain Mama Wellness Box Clients received today.  How can you implement new and healthy foods in your daily intake? 

Mountain Mama Wellness Box

Hops, , nettle, cleavers, yellow dock seeds, apple mint, catnip, beets,  carrots, potatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, kale, swiss chard, salad mix, peppers, green beans, tomato, leeks  and basil.   

Nettle Bed

Green Mayonnaise:

1/2 cup cooked drained and finely chopped (steamed) nettle

1/2 cup mixed basil, mint, parsley, dill and chives

1/3 cup organic plain yogurt

3 Tablespoons coconut mayonnaise

http://www.selinanaturally.com/organic-mayonnaise-organic-mayo-with-coconut-oil/

1 Tablespoon organic olive oil

2 - 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

sea salt and pepper to taste 

Place all ingredients in a blender of choice.   Blend and Enjoy! 

Side note:   Sometimes, I love adding a little bit of roasted garlic and a small amount of minced onion.  

Apple Mint

Hops:

Make a tincture, combine with catnip mint

How to make a tincture: 

http://mountainroseblog.com/guide-tinctures-extracts/

Hops is a potent medicinal herb highly valued for its relaxing effect on the nervous system.  It is great for insomnia.  It is especially useful for hypertension and eases tension and anxiety in men.   Hops is one of the most potent bitters and is excellent as a digestive bitter.  Great for indigestion due to nervous energy and anxiety.  If you suffer with heartburn try taking a hops cincture with every meal ( please note that if you do suffer with heartburn, dietary changes need to be made). 

Catnip Mint :  Is an excellent calming herb and can be used for all manners of stress.   It is also a restorative digestive aid used for indigestion, diarrhea, and colic.   Also, used for lowering fevers and for the pain of teething or toothaches.  

Catnip Mint

Cleavers ( other names are goosegrass, grip grass, sticky Willie and Rubiaceae)

Make a tincture with your cleavers

http://mountainroseblog.com/guide-tinctures-extracts/

Cleavers have been widely used in herbal medicine for centuries, on account of the tonic, blood-purifying, and diuretic properties of the fresh plant.   In spring, after a starchy winter diet, the fresh green tops were made into a cleansing drink.  An infusion of cleavers is a traditional remedy for skin eruptions, while its diuretic properties are helpful for urinary problems.  Modern herbalists value cleavers tonic effect on the lymphatic system.  This encourages the elimination of toxins and explains the cleansing reputation of the herb.  

More information on Cleavers: 

http://www.eattheweeds.com/galium-aparine-goosegrass-on-the-loose-2/

 Yellow Dock Seeds: 

Yellow Dock Seed Crackers: 

http://www.methowvalleyherbs.com/2012/03/yellow-dock-pesky-weed-as-food-medicine.html

Yellow Dock Seed Vinegar: 

http://www.hardyecogarden.com/2011/07/eat-your-weeds-rumex-crispus-curly-dock.html

New Salad Bar Bed: 

Sunflowers that smile at you.... 

One of the tomato beds, patiently waiting for them to ripen.........

Tea mix of pineapple sage, stevia, nettle, apple-mint, rose petals, calendula, young blackberry leaves and lemon verbena, salad, collard greens, potatoes, cabbage purple, cabbage green, zucchini, cucumbers, celeriac tops, brassica mix, kale, basil and wild food of the week yellow dock seeds: 

Wild Food Of The Week -Yellow Dock Seeds, Wild Buckwheat 

Yellow Dock Seed Crackers: 

http://www.methowvalleyherbs.com/2012/03/yellow-dock-pesky-weed-as-food-medicine.html

Yellow Dock Seed Vinegar: 

http://www.hardyecogarden.com/2011/07/eat-your-weeds-rumex-crispus-curly-dock.html

Zucchini Bread and Butter Pickles:  Water Bath Canning Recipe

Yield:  6 qts.

2 qts. organic apple cider vinegar

2 cups local honey

6 tablespoons salt

4 teaspoons celery seed

4 teaspoons dill seed

2 teaspoons ground mustard 

8 qts. fresh zucchini, sliced 

2 qts. onion, sliced 

Bring vinegar, honey, and spices to a boil.  Pour over the zucchini and onions.  Let stand for 2 hours.  Heat mixture to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.  They will get mushy if cooked longer. 

Pack into hot sterilized jars.  

Insert a knife down the edge of he jars to remove any air bubbles   Complete seals, process for 15 minutes in a boiling-water bath. 

Zucchini Carrot Muffins - Grain Free 

http://veggienook.com/2013/05/22/grain-free-paleo-and-vegan-carrot-zucchini-muffins/

Zucchini Apple Spice Muffins - Grain Free:

http://paleomg.com/zucchini-apple-spice-muffins/

Basil- Shallot ( Or Walla Walla Onion) Mustard

Yield:  5 1/2 pints 

2/3 cup organic apple juice

2/3 cups organic red wine or organic red wine vinegar

1/2 cup dry mustard

1/3 cup spring water or filtered water

1/4 cup light mustard seeds

1/8 cup chopped organic basil

1/8 cup minced shallots or walla walla onion

2 tablespoons honey 

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 

Combine the apple juice, wine or vinegar, dry mustard, water, and mustard seeds in a glass or ceramic bowl and stir, mixing well. 

Cover the bowl with natural wax paper and a cloth and let stand for 4 - 6 hours, stirring occasionally. 

Process the mixture in a bowl of a food processor ( or blender) until the mustard seeds are coarsely ground. 

cook the mixture in a double boiler over simmering water, adding the basil, shallots or onions, honey, sea salt and allspice.  Cook for 20 - 25 minutes   The mustard will thicken as it cooks. 

pour into sterile jars. Cap and seal. 

Allow the flavors to marry for 2 - 3 days before using.  Will keep in the refrigerator for 2 - 3 months unopened.  

Tea Mix: Nettle, apple-mint, pineapple sage, lemon verbena, calendula, wild young blackberry leaves and rose petals. 

Empty bag into a gallon jug of spring or filtered water.  Let sit overnight, strain and enjoy.  

Pineapple Sage

Nettle/Apple-MintLemon Verbena