I’ve grown accustomed to doctors never knowing what’s wrong with me. As a child, one of my pediatricians took a vested interest in my bizarre maladies and would frequently send me to the Hospital for tests upon tests. I grew to hate going to the doctor; for every time I did, I was poked and prodded like some sort of guinea pig. Eventually I learned to stop telling my mother when I was feeling sick. Now, this probably was not the best idea, but it was the most commodious way to avoid blood tests and hospital food. I had a few more bouts with my health until about 7th grade, as I was learning the right way to manage my Veganism. Eventually, I realized the best way to ameliorate my body was by eating fresh, natural foods— not through modern medicine! 

I must have temporarily forgotten my healthful manifesto, because I had been diluting my diet of nutrients essential to everyone, especially vegans. The lack of energy I had  been experiencing was parallel to my diminutive eating habits. So, after leaving Solantic with a $30 co-pay and no diagnosis, I remembered my childhood creed—”VEGETABLES!”, shouted my brain. I haphazardly strolled through the doors of Publix, towards the spinach and out the door; after paying, of course. I went home and made the most ridiculously sized bowl of spinach I had seen in quite some time. I ate the leaves slowly, savoring the fresh aroma and soft crunch of the green stems. “It tastes like the rainforest”, claimed my boyfriend. And what a lovely thing to taste like, if you ask me!

Collectively, I have spent the last week thoughtfully boosting my iron and protein levels and I feel mirthfully rejuvenated. And the best thing about using food as mother natures elixir?— No potentially paralyzing side effects! 

References

1. Youtube

Lighthouse Music, an au courant band of musicians from St.Augustine, Florida, thrive not only harmoniously but tactfully, as well. The musicians just finished a three-week East Coast tour. They played places ranging from Asheville, North Carolina to Brooklyn, New York. Before the tour, the band converted a school bus they bought to run entirely off of veggie oil! They installed two auxiliary fuel tanks under the bus as a way to store the vegetable oil. In a nutshell, the vegetable oil has to be heated before burning in a diesel engine, so the engine coolant heats the oil, which allows it to run through the engine. Once the oil has been heated, it may flow through the fuel lines and into the engine. It combusts just like diesel, and is even cleaner and smoother than diesel. The oil, when burnt, is carbon neutral. This means that it does not put any new CO2 into the atmosphere because the oil simply releases the carbon absorbed by the plants used to make the veggie oil.

            Apart from their conscious effort to be kind to the earth, Lighthouse Music also creates some of Northeast Florida’s most diverse art, as all of the members play multiple instruments and listen to various fusions of music.
 

You can give them a listen on their Myspace or go to their website to savor the Lighthouse Music melodies. 

Pumpkin-Dandelion Soup                                       

Prepare in advance:

1 large handful Dandelion greens:

   Chop leaves into bite-sized pieces.  Cook in boiling water until tender.  Pour off water and taste.  If they seem too bitter for your taste, boil again and strain.

1 small pumpkin:

   Bake whole pumpkin on baking sheet at 350° for 1 hour or until completely soft, so that you can put a fork or knife easily through it.  Let cool.  Cut in half and discard seeds.  Rind will peel easily.

1 medium to large onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. butter or olive oil

6 cups water

4 cups mashed pumpkin, prepared as above

1 cup heavy cream

½ tsp nutmeg

1½ tsp salt

1. Sauté onion and garlic in oil or butter in a  heavy-bottomed soup pot.

2.  Add 6 cups water

3. Add dandelion greens and pureed pumpkin to soup.  Stir well.

4. Add salt.  Cook at a gentle simmer for 30 minutes.

5.  Just before serving add 1 cup heavy cream and ½ tsp nutmeg.

Dandelion Chai 

Chai is a Middle Eastern word that means “tea” but here in America we’ve adapted the term to mean a very spicy tea made with milk and sweetener.

1 cup roasted Dandelion root

6 Tbsp Fennel or Anise seed

36 green Cardamom pods

72 Cloves

6 Cinnamon sticks

2 Tbsp dried Ginger root

1½ tsp black peppercorns

12 Bay leaves

1.  Add 1 Tbsp tea mixture for each cup of water.

2.  Simmer 5 minutes, then let steep for 10 minutes.

3.  Add 1 Tbsp honey or brown sugar (or dandelion syrup) per cup.

4.  Add 2 Tbsp milk or cream per cup.

5.  Gently reheat and serve.

Roasted Dandelion Root Coffee Ice Cream

Here’s a recipe for the really adventurous from the Herbfarm :

2 ½ cups heavy cream

1 ½ cups half-and-half

1 ¼ cups sugar

5 egg yolks

1.  Grind Roasted Dandelion Roots roasted Dandelion roots into a powder using a coffee mill and sifter.

2.   Place cream, half-and-half and sugar in a medium pot (double boiler might be best, or perhaps a crock pot).  Bring it just barely to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

3.  Add Roasted Dandelion Root powder.  Maintain heat at a bare simmer, be sure not to boil.

4.  Let the roots steep this way for 45 minutes.

5.  Strain out and discard root material.

6.  Whisk up egg yolks in another pot.  Gradually add the warm Dandelion Root cream.

7.  Heat gently and stir until sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.

8.  Strain one more time and chill.

9.  Freeze in an ice cream machine according to directions.

References

1. Prodigal Gardens

2. Youtube

Today I was scootin’ around on Youtube when I found Grizzly Bear’s new music video for “Ready, Able”. Their videos are generally pretty trippy so I wasn’t expecting anything less, but I wasn’t apprehending there to be such huge symbolism behind the video itself. I know everyone has their own interpretations, but art in particular sends a personalized quality through ones brain waves. I, myself, see this video as representing the lack of nature in our lives. Mother Nature is being sucked dry to fuel synthetic creations and her lush, green beauty is turning to raped and desolate vast lands without a pulse. I admire this video for its creative beauty and metaphorical statement.

 What do you think it symbolizes?

References

1. Youtube

References

1. Youtube

References

1. Permaculture

2. Youtube

In order to become a lean green environmental machine, one must first fall wholeheartedly in love with Mother Nature and all of her beautiful eminence. Step one—GARDENING! Gardening is a fabulously organic way (no pun intended) to develop a personal relationship with the earth. However, a large amount of gardening techniques condone the use to chemicals that vamp up plant production but hurt the environment itself. The more natural the gardening process is, the more success you will have! Here are a few helpful environmentally sound gardening tips to get your long lasting relationship with Mother Nature up and running.

• 1. Use organic matter (manure, compost, seaweed, peat moss, leaves, grass clippings, etc.) to condition the soil, for this aids in holding water, nutrients and inciting earthworms
• 2. Use mulch! Mulch conserves moisture and controls the production of weeds. It also keeps fruits and veggies clean!
• 3. Don’t overwork the soil, for this may destroy it…and never work wet or frozen soil
• 4. Have a proper pH level in your garden to spread out nutrients (ideally—a pH of 6.5-7.0)
• 5. Avoid using sprinklers as a source of watering, as it wastes water and can cause disease problems
• 6. Keep soil covered to prevent erosion
• 7. Plant on the contour so water will not take away the topsoil. Plant across the incline to catch any soil that may move downhill. You may also plant vegetative buffer strips to capture excessive nutrients and eroding soil
• 8. Avoid the use of fertilizer
• 9. Compost to recycle nutrients
• 10. Know which plants are right for your specific geographical location
• 11. Use plants that naturally repel pests

References

1. Maine Education