Thursday, May 14, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Femme de Fatale, a garden friend
I spent a good bit of time this mother’s day with my son in our organic garden, a lovely project shared by three local families. We were also joined by another mama and her two children. We laughed and both agreed as our kids ran around with the “good bug” identification chart, that even with our dirt smudged faces, pulling weeds and staking plants was definitely the most righteous way to celebrate our motherhood.
Garden time is like no other time on this earth. Intentionally, there is no clock in sight to measure or keep track of our time so the day becomes just one big experience where the structure just seems to fade away and something deep within takes over. We dig and we pull and sometimes our minds slip into a space that the ordinary daily “rat race” won’t allow.
My gardening partner on this special day has lost both her mother and grandmother. Many deep rooted memories can be triggered on occasions such as these and whether it‘s spoken or not, it can be felt. We talked a lot about her grandmother’s garden, back then it was all organic, and how they survived during the depression off of sweet potatoes alone.
It made me think about how women, as mothers, do so much for our children’s survival and well being.
We pulled some more weeds and flicked some interesting looking bugs and the conversation naturally shifted to insects and earth friendly pest control. We have forbidden the use of harmful chemicals to ensure safety for all in this garden we so dearly love.
We recently put up a parasitic wasp nest and also have bat houses on the way. We have learned so much about natural pesticides through this project. I’m thankful that my son is getting these lessons at age six rather than struggling later in life to learn the most basic necessity of all - growing his own food.
As we were discussing how our ladybug friends eat up to a 1000 aphids a day, my curiosity of the praying mantis popped up. They are so incredibly fascinating and have such voracious appetites. They will eat a variety of insects including aphids, grasshoppers, fruit flies, house flies, moths and crickets.
While on the subject of Mother’s Day, let me just say that is one serious mama right there. Yes, I’m aware that dining on the head of the daddy-to-be while copulating is a bit brutal but she does it to ensure proper fertilization.
Apparently, this femme de fatale protracts the entire sexual process as she chews her partner - which increases the chance of her eggs being fertilized. Oddly enough the male is able to continue even after he looses his head - literally!
The male doesn’t miss out entirely though. It appears that during this cannibalistic act, it may heighten the chances that his offspring will carry more of his genes.
Enjoying her partner as an afternoon snack is not required for successful reproduction but it is an added nutritive perk for this gutsy mama to be, after all she’ll have lots of babies to feed.
Depending on food intake, a female mantis is capable of laying up to 22 ootheca (a hard capsule-like casing with multiple eggs inside), as early as the day after mating. There can be anywhere between 30 and 300 eggs per ootheca. After laying the eggs she will only have about two weeks of life remaining.
Since praying mantises are quite large, some over 3 to 4 inches long, they are easy to spot and are loads of fun for children to watch. They are the only night predators that will feed on moths at night and are also the only ones fast enough to catch flies and mosquitoes.
Novice enthusiast and professional entomologist alike are fascinated by the praying mantis. If you’re a gardener ordering eggs for pest control, many recommend keeping a few mantises in an aquarium for children to observe it‘s lifecycle. However, after watching a very graphic documentary, I would strongly recommend keeping just one and letting it go for mating season.
Scientists say there’s no clear role in the male’s part of this ritual and whether he is compliant for unknown reasons in his own sacrificial death. Perhaps that’s a good discussion for this upcoming Father’s Day.
Garden time is like no other time on this earth. Intentionally, there is no clock in sight to measure or keep track of our time so the day becomes just one big experience where the structure just seems to fade away and something deep within takes over. We dig and we pull and sometimes our minds slip into a space that the ordinary daily “rat race” won’t allow.
My gardening partner on this special day has lost both her mother and grandmother. Many deep rooted memories can be triggered on occasions such as these and whether it‘s spoken or not, it can be felt. We talked a lot about her grandmother’s garden, back then it was all organic, and how they survived during the depression off of sweet potatoes alone.
It made me think about how women, as mothers, do so much for our children’s survival and well being.
We pulled some more weeds and flicked some interesting looking bugs and the conversation naturally shifted to insects and earth friendly pest control. We have forbidden the use of harmful chemicals to ensure safety for all in this garden we so dearly love.
We recently put up a parasitic wasp nest and also have bat houses on the way. We have learned so much about natural pesticides through this project. I’m thankful that my son is getting these lessons at age six rather than struggling later in life to learn the most basic necessity of all - growing his own food.
As we were discussing how our ladybug friends eat up to a 1000 aphids a day, my curiosity of the praying mantis popped up. They are so incredibly fascinating and have such voracious appetites. They will eat a variety of insects including aphids, grasshoppers, fruit flies, house flies, moths and crickets.
While on the subject of Mother’s Day, let me just say that is one serious mama right there. Yes, I’m aware that dining on the head of the daddy-to-be while copulating is a bit brutal but she does it to ensure proper fertilization.
Apparently, this femme de fatale protracts the entire sexual process as she chews her partner - which increases the chance of her eggs being fertilized. Oddly enough the male is able to continue even after he looses his head - literally!
The male doesn’t miss out entirely though. It appears that during this cannibalistic act, it may heighten the chances that his offspring will carry more of his genes.
Enjoying her partner as an afternoon snack is not required for successful reproduction but it is an added nutritive perk for this gutsy mama to be, after all she’ll have lots of babies to feed.
Depending on food intake, a female mantis is capable of laying up to 22 ootheca (a hard capsule-like casing with multiple eggs inside), as early as the day after mating. There can be anywhere between 30 and 300 eggs per ootheca. After laying the eggs she will only have about two weeks of life remaining.
Since praying mantises are quite large, some over 3 to 4 inches long, they are easy to spot and are loads of fun for children to watch. They are the only night predators that will feed on moths at night and are also the only ones fast enough to catch flies and mosquitoes.
Novice enthusiast and professional entomologist alike are fascinated by the praying mantis. If you’re a gardener ordering eggs for pest control, many recommend keeping a few mantises in an aquarium for children to observe it‘s lifecycle. However, after watching a very graphic documentary, I would strongly recommend keeping just one and letting it go for mating season.
Scientists say there’s no clear role in the male’s part of this ritual and whether he is compliant for unknown reasons in his own sacrificial death. Perhaps that’s a good discussion for this upcoming Father’s Day.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Chocolate Pamper Party
Stop by and sample my Raw Chocolate tomorrow, May 9th
at
A COMFORT ZONE DAY SPA!
9AM- 1PM
229-435-1906
It makes a great gift for mom!
Free Groovy Gift Wrap!
Sold by the pound and half pound.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Cayenne for headaches
Chef Franky G
Cayenne: Kicking up the heat for headaches
"If you master only one herb in your life, master cayenne pepper. It is more powerful than any other." ~Dr. Schulze
"In 35 years of practice, and working with the people and teaching, I have never on house calls lost one heart attack patient and the reason is, whenever I go in--if they are still breathing--I pour down them a cup of cayenne tea (a teaspoon of cayenne in a cup of hot water, and within minutes they are up and around)."
~Dr. Christopher
“Some like it hot so they turn up the heat till they fry,” the lyrics of this song run through my head every time I kick up the heat on some Cajun cuisine with cayenne pepper. From this point forward I have a feeling it will be the tune I whistle when I get a headache or migraine. Odd you may think but cayenne pepper is known for its healing properties and I just recently stumbled upon my own personal proof of this matter.
I had been suffering from an excruciating headache for almost two weeks and nothing was giving me that quick fix that I was so desperate for. I had gone days without eating solid food because the nausea and dizziness were overwhelming. I hardly slept but when I did I dreamt of having a headache.
I had decided to eat – no matter what. I made something quick as it was literally agonizing to stand in the kitchen. I was seasoning a delicious eggplant dish with red pepper flakes and with a slip of the wrist; a dash became a pile that was accidentally added. Starting over was out of the question so I stirred an endured a heat so intense that it brought on a wicked hallucination of Satan’s quarters.
The pain was also deep in my jaw so I was painfully aware of each bite. I noticed about halfway through, my jaw wasn’t hurting any longer and by the end of the meal, I was completely pain free. Even the pressure was gone.
I knew a few medicinal and nutritional facts about cayenne but would have never guessed it could cure a headache. I was already familiar with cayenne’s amazing power to stop bleeding in about 30 seconds from my midwifery days. I knew it increased the metabolism and also served well for detoxing.
Needless to say, it wasn’t long before I was pulling out books, researching on the computer, and calling my herbalist friends to discuss their experience with cayenne. Apparently, I was a bit behind the times with this information.
For centuries Cayenne pepper has been used medicinally to treat pain, inflammation, headaches, the circulatory system, digestive tract disorders, sore throat, and to boost immunity. It has been referred to as the most useful and valuable herb in the herb kingdom by many herbalists.
Capsaicin, the active ingredient in cayenne is who I have to thank for ending the pulsing and the throbbing. It brings relief by depleting Substance P, a neurotransmitter that helps transmit pain impulses. It may sound hard to believe, but studies show supporting evidence. In fact, over 3,000 scientific studies listed in the National Library of Medicine support the use of cayenne in preventing and reversing many health ailments.
Cayenne works in seconds and gets the blood moving faster than any herb known. The fact that it is such a great blood circulation stimulant makes it beneficial for many ailments. Our bodies need healthy blood flow to restore cells and to also carry away toxins and other waste material.
Before you go running to your spice rack for this miracle herb, you must know that cayenne peppers are measured by heat units (or "Scoville") that range from 0 to 300,000. What you have for cooking are usually around 5,000 heat units. Mexican habañeros have the best heat needed for medicinal purposes. They are between 250,000 and 300,000 heat units.
A tincture made from the hottest peppers is best. It is recommended that you refrain from taking it in capsule form as a good bit of the therapeutic value begins in the mouth. Also if you swallow a capsule, after the gelatin melts away you’ll have quite a bit of heat sitting in your tummy just waiting to be digested – without warning! Ouch!
Next time you feel a headache coming on; turn up the heat with cayenne. By the time you count to ten you'll wonder, whatever happened to the pain.
I had been suffering from an excruciating headache for almost two weeks and nothing was giving me that quick fix that I was so desperate for. I had gone days without eating solid food because the nausea and dizziness were overwhelming. I hardly slept but when I did I dreamt of having a headache.
I had decided to eat – no matter what. I made something quick as it was literally agonizing to stand in the kitchen. I was seasoning a delicious eggplant dish with red pepper flakes and with a slip of the wrist; a dash became a pile that was accidentally added. Starting over was out of the question so I stirred an endured a heat so intense that it brought on a wicked hallucination of Satan’s quarters.
The pain was also deep in my jaw so I was painfully aware of each bite. I noticed about halfway through, my jaw wasn’t hurting any longer and by the end of the meal, I was completely pain free. Even the pressure was gone.
I knew a few medicinal and nutritional facts about cayenne but would have never guessed it could cure a headache. I was already familiar with cayenne’s amazing power to stop bleeding in about 30 seconds from my midwifery days. I knew it increased the metabolism and also served well for detoxing.
Needless to say, it wasn’t long before I was pulling out books, researching on the computer, and calling my herbalist friends to discuss their experience with cayenne. Apparently, I was a bit behind the times with this information.
For centuries Cayenne pepper has been used medicinally to treat pain, inflammation, headaches, the circulatory system, digestive tract disorders, sore throat, and to boost immunity. It has been referred to as the most useful and valuable herb in the herb kingdom by many herbalists.
Capsaicin, the active ingredient in cayenne is who I have to thank for ending the pulsing and the throbbing. It brings relief by depleting Substance P, a neurotransmitter that helps transmit pain impulses. It may sound hard to believe, but studies show supporting evidence. In fact, over 3,000 scientific studies listed in the National Library of Medicine support the use of cayenne in preventing and reversing many health ailments.
Cayenne works in seconds and gets the blood moving faster than any herb known. The fact that it is such a great blood circulation stimulant makes it beneficial for many ailments. Our bodies need healthy blood flow to restore cells and to also carry away toxins and other waste material.
Before you go running to your spice rack for this miracle herb, you must know that cayenne peppers are measured by heat units (or "Scoville") that range from 0 to 300,000. What you have for cooking are usually around 5,000 heat units. Mexican habañeros have the best heat needed for medicinal purposes. They are between 250,000 and 300,000 heat units.
A tincture made from the hottest peppers is best. It is recommended that you refrain from taking it in capsule form as a good bit of the therapeutic value begins in the mouth. Also if you swallow a capsule, after the gelatin melts away you’ll have quite a bit of heat sitting in your tummy just waiting to be digested – without warning! Ouch!
Next time you feel a headache coming on; turn up the heat with cayenne. By the time you count to ten you'll wonder, whatever happened to the pain.
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