The Kids - Survived the 'Arctic Blast'

Here are some recent shots of the kids- the above shot was taken after the 'Arctic Blast' that made it impossible to get out of our street for 5 days (no snow plow- 3 ft of snow on the street) Of course I ordered a camera and it could not be delivered due to the snow storm so I was unable to get any really good shots of the deep snow:(

Announcing the new Medicine Woman Tradition and Animá websites

I have been enjoying taking a break away from the interntet so I can spend more time with family. I have missed the blog so expect some new posts coming soon:)
Oh, in other news- I finally got a new camera!!! (mine bit the dust a few months back) So expect some great new pictures too!

In the meantime.....Announcing the new Medicine Woman Tradition and Animá websites!

Announcing the new Medicine Woman Tradition and Animá websites:

THE MEDICINE WOMAN TRADITION SITE
& Correspondence Courses

http://www.medicinewomantradition.org

A home for all herbalists, healers and students of the living earth, featuring medicinal herb profiles, the inspiring writings of Kiva Rose, descriptions of the Medicine Woman Core and Herbal courses, and the magical Medicine Woman Gathering held each Summer in the forested mountains of New Mexico.

&

ANIMÁ

Correspondence Courses, & Wilderness Retreat & Learning Center

http://www.animacenter.org

A site offering empowering Shaman Path, Rewilding, Medicine Woman and Path of Heart online courses, and a free articles archive… as well as information on wilderness retreats, vision quests and workshops at the Animá Sanctuary, a wild river canyon and ancient place of power in the enchanted Southwest.

2009 Workshops:

ReWilding: Thriving in Hard Times as Good May 22-25
Shaman Path Intensive July 2-5
The Medicine Woman Gathering Aug 7-12
Wild Foods Weekend Aug 28-31

Animá is the way of vital, authentic, purposeful being… of heightened awareness, radical honesty, connective sentience, self knowledge and self love, purpose and conscious action, bliss and balance, health and wholeness… correspondence Courses, events and books drawn directly from the source, from the living earth and through our intuitive hearts, manifest in our commitments and acts on our unique individual paths. The Animá Medicine Woman tradition focuses in addition on the committed healing of self, others, and the world we are a part of.
.

Please consider a supportive Membership.
And thank you so very much for your interest and alliance, helping spread the word about this special place and service.
We are only able to give because of you.

You Tube Video Legal Issues In Herbalism

New You Tube Video


Legal issues in herbalism

Herbalist Roy Upton discuses the legal issues facing herbal practitioners- scope of practice.

Windy fall days- collecting bark and lichen!

We have had some pretty strong winds the past week. Many branches have broken off the trees.
Why not collect some medicinal tree barks and lichen!
Henriette's site has a good article on collecting bark.
Slippery elm Ulmus rubra is considered an at risk plant by the UPS- but if you are lucky enough to have a slippery elm tree or find some downed branches, the bark is a great remedy to have around. Kiva writes a great post The many fine qualities of ulmus pulila an alternative to ulmus rubra.
I have had an itch in my throat at night (probably from hanging out in the wind all day!)- I would hate to wake up the baby with my coughing! Slippery elm in a raw honey base has worked wonders! You can also make slippery elm lozenges.
Oh and we can't forget jim's great article about slippery elm to prevent oil rancidity!

Search for other bark remedies on kiva's blog as well; Alder is another favorite- also read her great post on usnea !

mama goin' wholistic!

I wanted everyone to know that I have another blog Mama Goin' Wholistic

I will still post herb, nature and health related posts here for moms and kids-
The posts on my other blog may be either off topic for this blog, be more geared toward alternative parenting styles, or a little more personal in nature.

I also want to support mom writers (writing motherhood is a great way to stay balanced, honor our everyday lives as mothers, work through problems etc) ~ this is really off topic for this blog.

If you are interested feel free to take a look:)

Preserving the harvest - First Foods For Baby

I will be spending most of the day steaming, freezing and food processing fruit and vegetables from my Dad's garden. Not only will they be handy to grab out of the freezer for dinner dishes and sauces this winter, a lot of the vegetables will be used for Wyatt's baby food.
Wyatt won't be ready to eat baby food for a few more months, but when he is, it will be nice to know exactly were his food came from and that it is free from pesticides and additives. I don't feed the kids anything I would not eat myself ( such as pre canned baby food) It really is not that hard to make your own food from local sources, all it takes is a little planning ahead.

Getting Started

Buy your food from local farms, grow your own, or buy organic.

If you are processing large amounts of food and want it pureed to freeze for later (to add to sauces and for baby food), you may want to use a food processor. However, you really don't NEED all the fancy equipment especially in the beginning when baby is only eating one teaspoon of food at a time - all these foods can be mashed by hand with a fork- baby food only needs to be pureed for about 6 months- you can get inventive without all the machinery:) The food processor is handy if you are busy and want to plan ahead, it is all a matter of personal preference.

Steaming

If you are going to be steaming lots of vegetables in one day, make sure you change the water or the bitterness from the water will leach into the next batch of veggies you are cooking.

Steam food such a broccoli and squash for about 5 to 7 minutes before freezing or pureeing.

Roasting

Butternut Squash can be cut in half and roasted in the oven on a cookie sheet at 400 for about 45 minutes. When they are done roasting you can either puree them for baby or put a little butter and cinnamon on them and eat them yourself - Yummm!

I like to puree foods such as avocado and banana right on the spot- these fruits are so soft it can be done by hand with a fork on a cutting board -these are great first food by the way:).

Fruit can be frozen or pureed fresh.


Tips: Feeding babies first foods

Know the foods that are common allergens!

Good First Foods

From http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/allergy.htm

Many commercial baby foods as well as foods targeted to babies and toddlers contain allergenic ingredients!

If your baby has a food allergy or your family has a serious history of food allergies - read the labels when purchasing commercial baby food!

A few examples:

• Cheerios (wheat, soy protein)
• Instant Infant Cereals (soy)
• Stage "2", "3" and Toddler Meals (wheat, soy, casein (milk protein), albumin (egg)
• Gerber "Puffs" (wheat, soy)

Babies don't need anything added to breast milk or formula before 4-6 months so don't believe anyone who tells you to add rice cereal to milk to "hold them over".



Below is an excerpt from the article In the Kitchen With Baby by Cythia Lair

"Have you checked out the taste and texture of commercial baby cereal? Pour some commercial rice cereal in a bowl. It has no smell. The taste is the very definition of bland. The cereal is made from refined rice that has been processed and precooked. Refined grains have nothing to offer but carbohydrates. Whole grains, on the other hand, contain not only carbohydrates but also protein, fat, fiber, vitamins, essential minerals, and life. The germ is still intact. If you put a whole grain in water, it sprouts. If you put commercial baby cereal in water, it makes paste. Why train your baby to want this? By pre-toasting organic whole grains, grinding them in a small electric grinder, and cooking the grains with water, you can create a fresh, delicious, nutrient-dense cereal with taste, texture, and aroma.

Commercial baby food is convenient, it’s true. But the price for this convenience is high. Besides paying companies to blenderize food and put it in jars, you also pay them to dilute the food with water and sometimes to add starchy fillers such as tapioca, rice flour, and modified cornstarch. Even the companies producing organic baby food sometimes use fillers. Such additives lower production costs and help mask off-flavors"

Here is Cythia's recipe for homemade whole grain baby cereal

When your baby does show signs he/she is ready for solid foods, introduce one food at a time for 3 or 4 straight days- that way if your baby does have food sensitivities they will be easy to spot.

If your baby does not act ready to eat solids stop for a few weeks and then try again later if the baby seems ready- no rush.

Use local and organic foods- or grow your own (of course without pesticides)

Begin with a small amount of food (only about a teaspoon) once a day- when you are introducing first foods you can mix your pureed food with breast milk so the taste is more familiar to baby.

After several weeks of successfully eating your baby can then graduate to organic healthy protein such as organic plain yogurt, egg yolks (whites can be a common allergen so start with the yolks), organic butter, and homemade soup stock.

Talk to your baby, model for your baby (tasting the food yourself) and have fun!!!

Resource Cythia Lair

Elderberry - Gettting close to harvest time!

I have noticed that some of the elderberry trees are starting to get their first berries (above picture was from last year)! Keep your eye open here in the Pacific Northwest- before you know it there will be plenty of berries to harvest!

For some recipes, ideas and a lively discussion in the comments section -check out my post from last year, Elderberry Sambucus a local forgotten medicinal?

Can't wait to harvest some so I can make kiva's Elderberry Sparkle!