Making Chive Blossom Vinegar!

 

WOW!  What an abundance of colors as wild and cultivated plants show off their intense flowers!  With all that nature is offering us right now, in addition to a feast for the eyes, have you considered making a feast for your taste buds?  Never tried this before?  Chive blossoms can be an easy place to start.  Not growing your own?  Have no fear:  friends, neighbors and farm markets are good places to find them, usually through May and June here in the northwest corner of New Jersey.

If you are new to making herbal remedies and kitchen medicine, creating chive blossom vinegar is a wonderful way to dip your toe into this fascinating world.  And you don't need any exotic equipment.  You'll enjoy this vinegar all summer on salads and grilled veggies, and it is a unique gift to bring to that summer BBQ as a hostess gift.

Chive Blossom Vinegar Recipe:

(1-1/2) Cups Chive blossoms (approximately 20-25)
(1-1/2) Cups organic vinegar (rice wine, champagne, or white wine)
(1) 1-pint (16 oz) mason jar or other with tight fitting lid, washed and sterilized.

Directions:

1. Rinse the chive blossoms in cold water by submerging and swishing them around.  This will help remove and dislodge any remaining soil and bugs.  Rinse them several times, then pat dry with paper towels or even use a salad spinner to remove excess water.
2. Clip off the chive blossoms right under the flowerhead at the top of the stem.  
3. Using the Wise Woman simpler's method, we're going to fill the jar twice.
4. Fill the jar by placing all the chive blossoms into the jar, packing slightly.
5. Warm the vinegar slightly, but not to boiling for about 2 - 4 minutes on the stovetop.  Fill the jar a second time by pouring the heated vinegar over the chive blossoms right up to the top, wipe the rim of the jar and fit the lid tightly. It's ok if a little seeps out because you don't want any air in the jar.
6. Store in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks or until the flavor intensity is to your taste.
7. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, cheesecloth or coffee filter to remove any remaining sediment, and store in a cool, dry place.  Herbal vinegars can last for 6 - 10 months.

Return the used blossoms back to the earth in gratitude to Nature for her endless bounty!

Use your new flavored vinegar in your favorite vinaigrette recipe with flavored mustard, olive oil and fresh herbs, or in a marinade for grilled vegetables!  The possibilities are endless. 

If you try this recipe, please comment below and let us know how you used it!

Green Blessings,

 

In our most recent YT video, we share the time-honored practice of Ho'oponopono, it's origins, and far reaching message of Unity.

In these unsettled times, please take a few minutes with us to ground, go within, and espouse the principles of Ho'oponopono.

https://youtu.be/e-8jrK9i_ck

Share your energy!

 

Sunflower Affirmations

 

Check out our most recent video about Sunflowers! [Do you see a theme here today? ]

Please Like, Share and Subscribe!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaIYY7nl8dk

Fall Harvest: Motherwort Tincture

 

Fall harvest! Soon to be motherwort tincture: (Leonurus cardiaca) this 'lion-hearted' medicinal botanical from the mint family may be helpful for calming, for reducing anxiety, (who can't use that these days?) can help relieve palpitations, and is useful for PMS irritability. She can also be used as a mild diuretic and bitter tonic for digestive health. She was a volunteer this year, and a welcome addition to my medicinal backyard.

Our YT Sunflower Meditation

 

Enjoy one of our YouTube summer meditations. Here is our tribute to Sunflowers:

Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.) are in a genus that contains about 70 different species, and it is in the Asteracea family, which is the ragweed family of plants. Its botanical name, Helianthus, comes from the Greek word, helios, meaning the sun. SPIRITUALLY, Sunflowers represent spiritual knowledge and a worshiper's devotion to seeking the light of truth. It symbolizes faith and adoration for All-That-Is, the true faith and loyalty to something that is much bigger and brighter than themselves. For thousands of years, they've been held in high regard by many cultures to give protection and enlightenment. Its yellow petals represent the sun, the solar plexus and happiness. Who does not derive happiness when passing a field of sunflowers with their happy faces following the sun throughout the sky? TRADITIONAL and THERAPEUTIC uses for sunflowers range from the seeds for food, flour and oil (they contain Vitamins A and E and some from the B group, iron, sodium, phosphorus and calcium), and the petals contain anthocyanicglycosides, betaine and carotenoids (for eye health). Due to its deep roots and ability to soak up water and harmful substances, thousands and thousands of hectares were planted around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant to help remediate the radioisotopes from the soil! ENERGETICALLY, sunflowers are the ones to call on when you need to live like a superhero, and they are a powerful reminder or our Divinity. Who doesn't need both of those in 2020? Please Like, Subscribe and Share!

https://youtu.be/noLKA_RZfNw

TURTLE ISLAND UNITED -- NATIVE COVID-19 RESPONSE

 

Feeling humbled and honored to contribute to this endeavor for our First Nations' brothers and sisters. Thank you, Elizabeth Scopio Neary for inviting me to collaborate with you. I look forward to assisting again, and would ask folks to consider contributing to the support of this work if it resonates with you.

(From original post):

Heather and I are honored and humbled to have been asked to participate in this project. Our Master Tonic is being sent out west in an effort to bring some relief to the Native folk during this virus. They have been hard hit! We also had a request for herbal tea, so I asked my teacher and friend, Donna (Dee), from Willow Moon Herbals to help. We created a blend specifically for this time called Deep Immune Reserve.

Please take a look at this video it is beautiful. Consider supporting this work if it feels right for you.

With much love.

https://www.antinanco.org/turtleislandunited

What gorgeous weather to be out in the yard gathering wild spring greens!

 

WAIT! Don't toss those weeds you just yanked, instead, make pesto with those greens! While we're all still on quarantine, use what you have around:

Wild carrot, yarrow, plantain, ground ivy, purple dead nettle, artemisia, dandelion leaves, garlic mustard, heal all, violet flowers. Toss in food processor with olive oil, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, garlic. This time I also used some walnuts and a teaspoon of grated parmesan cheese. Freeze some to add to soups, chili or stews, or just another simple meal packed with nutrients. Partner with gluten-free sweet potato crackers, and sit outside to enjoy! I am.

Shanghai Government Officially Recommends Vitamin C for COVID-19

Mirrored from :  http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v16n16.shtml

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This article may be reprinted free of charge provided 1) that there is clear attribution to the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, and 2) that both the OMNS free subscription link http://orthomolecular.org/subscribe.html and also the OMNS archive link http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/index.shtml are included.

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by Andrew W. Saul

(OMNS Mar 3, 2020) The government of Shanghai, China has announced its official recommendation that COVID-19 should be treated with high amounts of intravenous vitamin C. (1) Dosage recommendations vary with severity of illness, from 50 to 200 milligrams per kilogram body weight per day to as much as 200 mg/kg/day.

These dosages are approximately 4,000 to 16,000 mg for an adult, administered by IV. This specific method of administration is important, says intravenous therapy expert Atsuo Yanagisawa, MD, PhD, because vitamin C's effect is at least ten times more powerful by IV than if taken orally. Dr. Yanagisawa is president of the Tokyo-based Japanese College of Intravenous Therapy. He says, "Intravenous vitamin C is a safe, effective, and broad-spectrum antiviral."

Richard Z. Cheng, MD, PhD, a Chinese-American specialist physician, has been working closely with medical and governmental authorities throughout China. He has been instrumental in facilitating at least three Chinese clinical IV vitamin C studies now underway. Dr. Cheng is presently in Shanghai continuing his efforts to encourage still more Chinese hospitals to implement vitamin C therapy incorporating high oral doses as well as C by IV.

Dr. Cheng and Dr. Yanagisawa both recommend oral vitamin C for prevention of COVID-19 infection.

An official statement from Xi'an Jiaotong University Second Hospital (2) reads:

"On the afternoon of February 20, 2020, another 4 patients with severe new coronaviral pneumonia recovered from the C10 West Ward of Tongji Hospital. In the past 8 patients have been discharged from hospital. . . [H]igh-dose vitamin C achieved good results in clinical applications. We believe that for patients with severe neonatal pneumonia and critically ill patients, vitamin C treatment should be initiated as soon as possible after admission. . .[E]arly application of large doses of vitamin C can have a strong antioxidant effect, reduce inflammatory responses, and improve endothelial function. . . Numerous studies have shown that the dose of vitamin C has a lot to do with the effect of treatment. . . [H]gh-dose vitamin C can not only improve antiviral levels, but more importantly, can prevent and treat acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress (ARDS)."

For more information, below is a list of previous reporting by OMNS on COVID-19 and vitamin C:

Mar 1, 2020	News Media Attacks Vitamin C Treatment of COVID-19 Coronavirus
Feb 28, 2020	Vitamin C and COVID-19 Coronavirus
Feb 23, 2020	TONS OF VITAMIN C TO WUHAN: China Using Vitamin C against COVID
Feb 21, 2020	Three Intravenous Vitamin C Research Studies Approved for Treating COVID-19
Feb 16, 2020	Early Large Dose Intravenous Vitamin C is the Treatment of Choice for 2019-nCov Pneumonia
Feb 13, 2020	Coronavirus Patients in China to be Treated with High-Dose Vitamin C
Feb 10, 2020	VITAMIN C AND ITS APPLICATION TO THE TREATMENT OF nCoV CORONAVIRUS: How Vitamin C Reduces Severity and Deaths from Serious Viral Respiratory Diseases
Feb 2, 2020	Hospital-based Intravenous Vitamin C Treatment for Coronavirus and Related Illnesses
Jan 30, 2020	Nutritional Treatment of Coronavirus
Jan 26, 2020	Vitamin C Protects Against Coronavirus

References

1. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/bF2YhJKiOfe1yimBc4XwOA

2. http://2yuan.xjtu.edu.cn/Html/News/Articles/21774.html

Nutritional Medicine is Orthomolecular Medicine

Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org

Find a Doctor

To locate an orthomolecular physician near you: http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v06n09.shtml

The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource.

Editorial Review Board:

Ilyès Baghli, M.D. (Algeria)
Ian Brighthope, MBBS, FACNEM (Australia)
Prof. Gilbert Henri Crussol (Spain)
Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. (USA)
Damien Downing, M.D. (United Kingdom)
Michael Ellis, M.D. (Australia)
Martin P. Gallagher, M.D., D.C. (USA)
Michael J. Gonzalez, N.M.D., D.Sc., Ph.D. (Puerto Rico)
William B. Grant, Ph.D. (USA)
Tonya S. Heyman, M.D. (USA)
Suzanne Humphries, M.D. (USA)
Ron Hunninghake, M.D. (USA)
Robert E. Jenkins, D.C. (USA)
Bo H. Jonsson, M.D., Ph.D. (Sweden)
Jeffrey J. Kotulski, D.O. (USA)
Peter H. Lauda, M.D. (Austria)
Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D. (USA)
Homer Lim, M.D. (Philippines)
Stuart Lindsey, Pharm.D. (USA)
Victor A. Marcial-Vega, M.D. (Puerto Rico)
Charles C. Mary, Jr., M.D. (USA)
Mignonne Mary, M.D. (USA)
Jun Matsuyama, M.D., Ph.D. (Japan)
Dave McCarthy, M.D. (USA)
Joseph Mercola, D.O. (USA)
Jorge R. Miranda-Massari, Pharm.D. (Puerto Rico)
Karin Munsterhjelm-Ahumada, M.D. (Finland)
Tahar Naili, M.D. (Algeria)
W. Todd Penberthy, Ph.D. (USA)
Dag Viljen Poleszynski, Ph.D. (Norway)
Selvam Rengasamy, MBBS, FRCOG (Malaysia)
Jeffrey A. Ruterbusch, D.O. (USA)
Gert E. Schuitemaker, Ph.D. (Netherlands)
Hyoungjoo Shin, M.D. (South Korea)
Thomas L. Taxman, M.D. (USA)
Jagan Nathan Vamanan, M.D. (India)
Garry Vickar, MD (USA)
Ken Walker, M.D. (Canada)
Anne Zauderer, D.C. (USA)

Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D. (USA), Editor-In-Chief
Editor, Japanese Edition: Atsuo Yanagisawa, M.D., Ph.D. (Japan)
Editor, Chinese Edition: Richard Cheng, M.D., Ph.D. (USA)
Robert G. Smith, Ph.D. (USA), Associate Editor
Helen Saul Case, M.S. (USA), Assistant Editor
Michael S. Stewart, B.Sc.C.S. (USA), Technology Editor
Jason M. Saul, JD (USA), Legal Consultant

Comments and media contact: drsaul@doctoryourself.com OMNS welcomes but is unable to respond to individual reader emails. Reader comments become the property of OMNS and may or may not be used for publication.

To Subscribe at no charge: http://www.orthomolecular.org/subscribe.html

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While intravenous Vitamin C therapy has been nearly banned in the USA, I have recommended Liposomal Vitamin C for my clients, family and friends for years.  Please reach out to me if you are interested in a conversation:  donna@willowmoonherbals.com.

Or you can order from my Sovereign Labs supplier directly:  

https://www.prosovlabs.com/#willowmoonherbals/

Full disclosure:  Willow Moon Herbals participates in various affiliate programs,

and we will receive compensation for qualifying purchases made through our links.
Your purchases through these links support our Herbal Outreach Initiatives!

Stay well in these uncertain times!  

Wild Hickory Nuts! Fall Foraging Win!

Having rounded the corner of Labor Day, here in the northeast the days are noticeably shorter as the Autumnal Equinox comes into view.  In less than three weeks, it will be Fall, and that is a perfect time to harvest the bounty of nuts that our forest and woodland tree friends provide.  American chestnuts, hickories, black walnuts, white walnuts - also known as butternuts - and beechnuts can all be used for snacking or in baking, and will enhance your recipes with a distinct nutty flavor.

Stately shagbark hickory, Roseland, NJ  (photo credit:  author)

As part of my herb/weed walks, foraging is interwoven with the medicinal local plants.  Wild nut trees are all around us, often dropping an abundance of food clearly at our feet.  Oftentimes when walking through the woods, I see the nuts on the ground first, cluing me in to their proximity.  Shagbark hickory trees are easily identified because they look like someone stopped while pulling long strips of bark away from the trunks.  They can grow to be over 100 feet tall, and can live to be well over 350 years old.  Once a nut takes root and grows into a sapling, it takes about 10 years to bear nuts, and can produce for about 90-125 years.  Their botanical name is Carya ovata, and they are in the Walnut family (Juglandaceae), which currently also includes pecans and beechnut trees.

Shagbark hickory fruit is rich and creamy, often tasting like a cross somewhere between a pecan and a walnut.  The nut will fall to the ground in a green husk, (also referred to as a 'bur'), and sometimes will appear with brown spots.  Usually four-five seams will be visible, and will widen as the husk dries, making it easier to remove the shell that encases the nutmeat inside.

It can be fun to gather these green hickory nuts with children and bring them home for an exquisite treat!  One method of gathering is to remove the green outer husk as you pick them up, and toss back onto the ground to re-fertilize the area.

Once home, check for any that look moldy or discolored, or even contain a distinct perfectly round tiny hole. (possibly from a nut weevil that exits after eating the yummy nutmeat).

Then toss the nuts in a large bowl about half filled with water.  The ones that float are questionable, so set them aside to crack immediately.  The nuts that don't float should be dried for several weeks and then stored unshelled in the refrigerator.  For longer shelf life, store them in the freezer.

Cracking tips:  Some folks will tap them with a hammer on a stone floor.  Others will cover with a cloth and use a hammer so that the sharp shell pieces don't fly around.  Use a nut pick to coax out the nut meat from the shell.  Extremely fresh nuts will be a little more oily, so some folks choose to let them dry for a week or so before extracting the nutmeat.  

Storing tips:  Other than eating them straight out of the shell (challenging to stop once you start!), you can try soaking the nut meats in brine, and then roast them for a crunchy, salty flavor.  Or you can roast them slightly in a dry frying pan, or bake at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes, but the flavor won't be as rich as directly roasted nutmeats.   Alternatively, you can store the nutmeats in the freezer for up to 6 months - but why would you?

Save the shells for the hearth or fire pit!  The shells are hard as rocks, but because they contain oils, they will burn slowly and evenly for a delicate hickory scent or toss them on the BBQ to add a subtle hickory flavor to meats.

So try them out this fall.  Let me know what you think!

Green Blessings,

-Donna