Flavored Kombucha

I've been making flavored kombucha recently. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. It's yummy!  

After the kombucha is done brewing, (I've been letting it ferment for about 2 weeks. How long you ferment it is up to you. I've heard of people doing it from 5 days, up to a month) bottle it, (I got some great bottles from  here ) and add whatever you're using to flavor it to the bottle.

I've made ginger kombucha by adding crystalized ginger to it.
I've made cranberry, and pineapple by adding those fruits.
You can also add juice, I haven't tried it yet though.
Adding cranberry makes it taste like really yummy, less tart cranberry juice.
The ginger makes it taste like ginger ale. Yum.

Let the kombucha sit for a day or two or three, to let the flavor develop well.

If you use those air tight bottles, be EXTREMELY careful when opening it. Adding fruit/ginger to the bottle and letting it sit for a few days causes it to ferment again, and it also creates lots of carbonation..and kombucha can be sticky, and difficult to clean off the ceiling. I put a towel on top of the bottle, and open it VERY slowly, letting some of the pressure release, and I have a glass handy to pour it into right away if it's still bubbling a lot.

You can buy a kombucha culture Here. If you know me and want one, I have extras. They reproduce themselves. A lot. So you never need to worry about your culture dying..there's always more.

Mama's Milk Tea

As a nursing mom, I have had a few times when it didn't seem like I had enough milk. I had several days in a row where I felt empty most of the time.
 I found a fantastic tea that works really, really well. It boosted my milk supply within an hour or two. In fact, the first time I made it, I made a quart of it, and was engorged before I finished it. Needless to say, I didn't drink so much so quickly again.

It's a blend of Red Raspberry Leaf, Fennel Seed, Nettle Leaf, Fenugreek Seed, Dandelion Leaf, and Blessed Thistle.

I really like it. It tastes quite good with honey. I had some last night.

You can get it from bulkherbstore. There's a link on this blog. It's where I get all my herbs.  They sell great quality stuff.

Current Tinctures

At the moment, I have 2 tinctures going. A Hawthorn berry tincture, and an Echinacea tincture.

Hawthorn is THE heart herb. It does a really fantastic job of caring for your heart.
It regulates your heartbeat. It regulates high and low blood pressure. It calms inflamation of the heart muscle. It strengthens the heart muscle and the nerves to the heart. It's fantastic for preventing or treating a heart attack. If you have a history of heart attacks in your family, I would highly suggest taking this. I would highly suggest taking it anyway. It's just so awesome.
 The recommended dose is a dropper full 3 times a day.
 To make the tincture, steep 4 oz the berries in a pint of brandy for 2-4 weeks, then strain out the liquid.

Echinacea: It's a wonderful infection fighter, and a powerful natural antibiotic. A good cleanser for glands, and the lymphatic system.
One of the best herbs for helping enlargements and weakness of the prostate gland.
Used for ear aches and strep throat.
Blood purifier.
If used with chickweed, can help with weight loss.
Antiseptic.
Can help fight fevers.
Has been used to help with acne.
Can be used for imflammation externally.
It's good for many, many other things as well.

Regular use of Echinacea can cause it to have less of an effect on the body. Only use it when you know you need it.
It can be used by anyone. Men, women (including pregnant or nursing women), or children. Even animals.

Fill a quart jar up 1/2 to 2/3 full of Echinacea, then fill jar with vodka. Let sit 2-4 weeks, shaking a few times a week.

You can get these herbs, and many others at the link on my page that says Bulkherbstore. I buy all my herbs from there. They're a wonderful company. 

Sleep Glycerite

I made a sleep glycerite today. I have trouble falling asleep sometimes, and this really helps.
  A glycerite is an herbal tincture made of glycerin, instead of alcohol or vinegar.
 To make a glycerite, you fill a glass jar 1/3 to 1/2 full of herbs (1/2 full will make a stronger glycerite), put enough hot water in the jar to fully wet the herbs, then fill the jar 1-2 inches from the top with vegetable glycerin. You can find glycerin here. That website is also where I get my herbs from.

 The herbs I used for this sleep glycerite are:
 Chamomile, Hops, Catnip, Valerian Root, and Passionflower.
 You can also add lemon balm and oatstraw. It's really whatever combination you want. I didn't have Valerian the last time I made one, so this will be my first time using it.

 After you get everything in the jar, put a lid on it. Put a cloth in the bottom of a crock pot, fill the crock pot up halfway or more, and place the jar in it. Leave on low setting for 3 days. If your low setting is too hot, and it seems like it's cooking the herbs, then it will not take as long.

After 3 days, strain out the liquid, label a jar, and store it in a dark cool place. I keep mine in the fridge.

 I usually take a tablespoon at night before I go to bed.

Chemicals. Yuck.

Chemicals. Yuck.

Today I just feel like writing about health/products/unhealthy things/and whatnot. Just cause it's such a passion of mine, and I feel like it. This blog may be a bit random, since I don't have one set subject in mind. Sorry.
If you know me well, you know that my health, and the health of those I love is very important to me. I make it a point to do all I can to make our meals, our home, and our lives in general as healthy as I can.
 To start off my random health blog, here's an interesting article that confirms what I've been saying for a while.
http://www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com/2007/12/processed-meats-declared-too-dangerous-for-human-consumption/?ref=nf

Random Facts:
Did you know:
The butter flavoring in microwave popcorn is a chemical that is a relative to paint thinner? Hopefully you'll think twice before letting your children eat it.

There are unsafe levels of lead, nickel, and chomium in eyeshadow?

When chemicals are heated, they vaporize, and are absorbed into you blood stream really easily? So when you take a hot shower or bath, lots of the chemicals in your shampoo go right into your bloodstream.

A serving of sugar can cut your immune system in half, and it won't get back to top shape for as long as 4 hours? That is, if you don't eat anymore sugar in the time period...

Processed feathers, chicken poop, and plastic pellets are all considered acceptable things to feed cows. Now consider the phrase "you are what you eat"...yuck.

Aspartame breaks down into formaldehyde in your body. Think about that next time you drink diet soda.

When they pastuerize milk, they leave in all the dead bacteria. I am SO EXCITED about getting a cow in the nearish future, if the LORD allows. I love raw milk and I love my home made butter.

Over using antibacterial things, such as soaps and detergents, will have the same effect as overuse of antibiotics, eventually producing super resistant strains of bacteria.

Basically, everything is bad for you. Everything you buy to clean your house with. Everything you put on your body. Perfumes, lotions, shampoo, facial wash, toothpaste, (did you know flouride is a poison?) detergents, bleach, makeup, cleaners of all kinds, air fresheners (which DON'T even freshen your air by the way, they just pollute it further while masking scents with their own stink), the water that comes out of your faucet.

BUT, there are TONS of ways to cut back on your chemical exposure. That will be my next blog. I'll have it finished soon! :)

Garlic Wine

I started a new bottle of garlic wine yesterday. Yum (not). I'm sure you already know the fantastic health benefits of garlic, so I won't go into that. The wine helps to draw out the properties, and makes a wonderful medicinal/preventative drink.

 I quarter the cloves of an entire bulb of garlic, and put them in the wine, and let it sit for at least 2 weeks. This gives it plenty of time to draw out the properties of the garlic. I use red wine.

 This time I also added cloves, for their wonderful anti-lotsofbadthings properties. Maybe it'll help the taste a little.

 Any time we feel a cold or something coming on, we have a small glass. It's a pretty handy medicine to have around.

                                               

Kombucha!

I just started another jar of kombucha. What is kombucha? It's a cultured, fermented tea.
 You take a "mother" (the culture. It has several names: mother, scobie, mushroom, starter), put it in a large glass jar (you have to use glass), brew 3 quarts of tea (green or black), add 1 cup of sugar, let it cool to room temp. and add it to the large jar.
 Cover the top of the jar with a coffee filter, paper towel, etc, and put a rubber band around it to hold it in place.
  Let it sit for 1 to 2 weeks. The longer you let it sit, the less sugary it will be. You can let it sit for longer than that, but I don't think it would taste that great. Kombucha also has a very small alcohol content, and the longer you let it sit, the greater that content becomes.
  When it's done, put it into glass jars, and put in your refrigerator. Make sure to leave at least a cup in the big glass jar for the starter, since it will die if it dries out.
 It's super easy. You can get a culture from http://www.culturesforhealth.com/, or, if you live near me, and know me, you can get one from me. They reproduce themselves...a lot.
 In the last picture you can see that mine has 3 connected. You just separate them, and voila, you have three starters. :)