Fruit Slush

More summer drinks! This one is for a Mormon favourite called "Slush". Most Mormons don't believe in drinking colas, coffee, caffeinated teas or alchohol so they have come up with some great alternatives drinks for special occasions.  A few of my relatives on my mother's side are mormon so I can remember trying this as a kid and really enjoying it. Usually slush recipes contain a lot of sugar, concentrated fruit juices, and gingerale - I've modified a yummy one to make it more healthy below.

Fruit Slush

• 1 1/4 cups fresh squeezed OJ (mix in some of the pulp if using a juicer)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 bananas
• 2 cups pineapple juice (same mix in a little pulp --- helps keep the slushy consistancy)
• 1/2 cup tart cherry juice (I cheated and used the bottled kind)
• 1/4 c maple syrup
• 1 knot ginger that has been added to 3.5 cups of water and boiled then simmered on the stove top for 10 minutes to make ginger water (strain out ginger)
• 1 bottle of carbonated water

Mix all ingredients except for ginger water and carbonated water. Blend the banana with fruit juices. Freeze mixture. Turn fruit mixture into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan or put into ziplock baggies. Freeze for several hours. Take mixture from freezer about an hour before ready to serve so it becomes a slush. Mash frozen fruit mixture with a potato masher to slushify then with ginger water and carbonated water and serve.Will fill a large punch bowl

Rhubarb Saft.

Saft is a Sweedish sweetened syrup drink infused with fresh seasonal fruits, flowers or berries. Lingonberry and Elderflower are two popular types. People add it to flat water, mineral water or wines usually with lots of ice. It is a great summer drink. I've been given a lot of Rhubarb and thought it would make a nice Saft.

Rhubarb Saft

• 8 cups of chopped rhubarb
• 1 large knot of ginger scrubbed and chopped
• 4 cups water
• 2C of maple syrup (or agave, honey, or sugar --- to taste)

1. Boil rhubarb, ginger, and water to a simmer in a large pot. Cook until cooked :), 15ish minutes. Let cool slightly, then strain through a lined sieve (dish towel or cheese cloth) into a large pot, (Don't press to hard or the syrup will become cloudy.) Discard fruit. Add sweeter to taste.
   
   
2. Bring juice mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring often until sweetener is well mixed in. Simmer stirring often, until liquid reduces to a syrup, another 15minutes ish.Let cool. Transfer syrup to bottles or airtight containers. Refrigerate up to 3 months... Delish mixed with mineral water, reg water and ice or white wine *YUM! 

I haven't tried this with raw rhubarb/ginger juice because I've read mixed things about rhubarb juice (raw) not being great for your system... not sure may give it a try and will post if so.

Watermelon Marinade

 This sauce works nicely as a marinade for mushrooms, zucchini, onions, tomatoes, cabbage, fresh corn and red peppers (served as a salad) or as a dressing for marinated cauliflower and or broccoli OR as a tangy salad dressing

 Watermelon Marinade

• 1/2C fresh watermelon juice
• 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar 
• 1/4C fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 4 Tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 4 Tablespoons dry mustard powder
• 3 large garlic cloves minced
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

Preparation:

Stir all together and cover veggies. Let marinate over night

Full Moon In Capricorn - Love, security, creativity and connection

Tomorrow's full moon is the first free of an eclipse in over six weeks. The last few full moon eclipses stirred up a lot of emotional gunk for some and it is now time to figure out the best ways to clean up the muck. If your ego and emotions are not united and you may be feeling protective about things involving your career - some may be feeling judged. Fathers may find themselves challenged by their children (bosses by employees) actually anyone in a position of authority might find that people are challenging them for the next little while. This is a productive lunar phase when you can approach challenges with the energy and creativity to make changes. There may be emotional upset, and the need to deal with feelings of loss and disappointment. Old ways of thinking have crumbled and it is a good time to look at the world and how you move in it in a new light. If you want to create a fulfilling life full of love, respect and happiness, then you need to take the time to think about how you interact with people and react in situations - now is the time to make positive changes and take responsibility for your own emotional stuff. Get rid of people and situations that bring you down and don't support you in your growth. Challenging authority is the name of the game this moon - shatter your own illusions about what is real and what is not - follow your happiness and don't let anyone tell you what you can and can not do to attain it. Now is the time - jump.

Chickweed the get skinny weed - recipes.

So what can you do with chickweed - besides cursing it for trying to take over your garden every year? 
Native Americans traditionally have used Chickweed for respiratory problems. Chickweed is also used for skin conditions, indigestion, insect bites, stings, psoriasis, stomach ulcers, hemorrhoids, gout...  It is prepared as a ointment for some skin problems and taken internally for ulcers,  indigestion and bladder problems. Chickweed can be used as a laxative - Don't over do it if you are going to add chickweed to salads or cook it like spinach it can cause nausea and diarrhea (don't use it if you are pregnant or breastfeeding). Chickweed is high in vitamin C, GLA, Omega-6, saponins, niacin, B2, B1, Beta Carotene, Magnesium Iron, Calcium, Potassium, Zinc, Phosphorus, Maganese, Sodium, Selenium and silica. One of the most famous folk uses of chickweed is as a cure for obesity. Chickweed can help with weight loss because it acts as a diuretic and helps to keep people from feeling hungry and because it contains saponin which  thins cell membranes, increasing the body's ability to absorb nutrients.

To Use:
Tea: Take 1 tsp of the fresh herb to 1c boiling water 10-15 mins 3 times a day taken internally
* When cooled Chickweed in tea form is excellent for use as an acne wash
Juice: Juice fresh weed and take by tablespoon twice daily
Bath: An infusion of fresh or dried leaves added to bath water is thought to reduce inflammation caused by rheumatic pain.

Poultice: One way is to boil the plant, allow it to cool, and then cover the herb with a thin cloth or muslin, and apply directly to the skin. With chickweed, the fresh herb itself can also be used, again with a thin cloth. Apply the poultice for several minutes, or up to three hours. Chickweed itself is a cooling plant; it will become warm after it has completed its task. Remove once the poultice becomes warm and discard. Allow it to draw out any infection, dissolving and consuming bacteria and toxins. It soothes irritation and inflammation. Use a chickweed herbal poultice for bug bites, minor wounds, pimples, rashes, and eczema. Externally, it can also be effective in treating any eye inflammation or infection. Chickweed helps to heal pinkeye, conjunctivitis, sties, or even sore eyes from wearing contact lenses. Another way to make a poultice is to simply crush the fresh plant using a mortar and pestle and apply directly to the affected area.
Tincture: Clean and dry chickweed pack in glass bottle and cover with vodka turn weekly for one full moon cycle - strain out plant from vodka and put vodka in bottle, take twenty to thirty drops up to two times a day.

Warning

* Chickweed may cause contact dermatitis and people with allergies to the daisy plant family could also react to chickweed.

Note: It doesn't dry well, and will lose a lot of its therapeutic value when dried. Best taken/used fresh or made into a decoction.

Recipes...

 
Chickweed Besto Pesto

1/2C Fresh Chickweed

1/2C Fresh Basil

1/4C Pine Nuts

2 Medium Clove Garlic

2/3C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2C Nutritional Yeast

Combine basil, garlic and pine nuts in a food processor and puls until coarsely chopped. Add 1/2 cup of oil and process until smooth. Gently stir in remaining oil and nutritional yeast before using.

Chickweed Ointment (crock pot)

1 small jar of coconut oil

warm over low heat

pack in as much clean dry chickweed possible 

let simmer over night

in the am strain out chickweed - repack pot with fresh chickweed let it simmer all day restrain making sure all traces of the weed are removed from the oil - pack into small jars and keep in the fridge (excellent for diaper rash, as a lip balm or for bug bites).

* taken from tribe net how to make chickweed ointment

Chickweed Dressing

3/4 C Chickweed 

5T Fresh Lime Juice

2T Basalmic Vinegar

1/2 C Cashews

6T Nutritional Yeast

1/4C Olive

1T Maple Syrup

1 Garlic Clove
blend all together until smooth - great on a spinach salad with berries.