Cuban's Lazy Day Bread
03:17 Aug 22 2013
Times Read: 465
This is the fastest, easiest, and as a bonus, possibly the cheapest bread you can make. My kids have helped me make this and they have the attention span of a gnat. It’s just that fast. And I’m lazy, so you know it has to be easy if I make it. The hardest part is the kneading, but I actually enjoy it. Its therapeutic.
With this recipe you can have two small rustic looking loaves in an hour and 15 minutes. It’s delicious warm with dinner, but also makes excellent sandwiches the next day.
I learned how to make bread when I was 12. My 4-H teachers would probably shake their heads at how easy this bread is to make.
I adapted the recipe slightly from one in The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyzyn. We use less yeast than the original recipe – it tastes better and the bread still rises just as much.
Cuban Bread
5-6 cups all purpose flour (you can substitute whole wheat for 1-2 cups)
1 tbsp dry yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
2 cups hot water (120-130 degrees)
1 tbsp sesame or poppy seeds (optional)
Mix 4 cups of flour with yeast, sugar and salt. Pour in hot water and beat for ~100 strokes (or 3 minutes with a mixer). Stir in remaining flour until dough is no longer sticky. Knead dough for 8 minutes.
Place dough in greased bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and let rise for 15 minutes (you might be tempted to let it rise longer, thinking it’ll be even better, but it really makes no difference in the end. 15 minutes or an hour and a half, the dough turns out the same).
Punch down and divide into 2 pieces. Shape into 2 round loaves and place on a baking sheet. Cut an X ½ inch deep on the top with a sharp knife. Brush with water and sprinkle with seeds.
Place on the middle shelf of a COLD oven. Place a cake pan of hot water on the lowest shelf. Heat oven to 400F. Bake 40-50 minutes until golden brown.
Slippery Elm Balls for Digestive Distress03:15 Aug 22 2013
Times Read: 466
Medicine doesn’t have to taste gross or be filled with ingredients that a normal human cannot pronounce (let alone comprehend where they came from!). In fact, one of our first lines of medical help can be in the form of healing, all-natural products from plants we can identify outdoors that are made in our own kitchens with ingredients we trust. This is herbal medicine. It is people’s medicine.
The following recipe is for a fun, easy to make, and even easier to eat herbal ball that helps to calm digestive issues. Eat too much? Have heartburn? Feeling a general sense of malaise in your digestive region? Give a slippery elm ball a try!
Even beyond the short-term digestive disruptions just mentioned, slippery elm can also be used as an ally in easing distress associated with more chronic digestive issues such as irritable bowel syndrome and colitis.
Slippery elm is derived from the inner bark of the North American elm tree (Ulcus fulva). This plant has been used medicinally for hundreds of years, and Native Americans were also familiar with its healing properties. This plant is effective because of its highly mucilaginous nature. This means that inflammation and pain are reduced when slippery elm forms a soothing, protective coating on our digestive organs. I like to think of slippery elm wrapping my insides with a cooling, comforting blanket. And she does help!
**Ready to read on? I first must ask that if you choose to incorporate slippery elm into your medicine chest, make sure you buy this herb from a trustworthy source. There are ways to sustainably harvest slippery elm, but there are also people who do so in an environmentally deleterious fashion. Do your research before purchasing herbs.**
Making your own balls is easy! Start with an ounce of slippery elm powder. I purchased mine from a local herb store, but I know that Mountain Rose Herbs also sells sustainably harvested products.
Add about 1/8 – 1/4 cup of honey (also a very healing substance!) and prepare to get a little sticky.
Mix everything with your hands until you have formed a ball. Break off fat blueberry-sized bits and line them up on waxed paper. You also have the option of dipping them into cocoa or carob powder to relieve any remaining stickiness.
Let them air dry for 24 hours and they will keep on the shelf indefinitely (this might be difficult if your kitchen is too humid), or the balls can also be placed in the refrigerator. The honey helps to keep them fresh for a very long time, but I bet you won’t have any trouble using these up before long!
Take one as needed. (And yes, they taste good, too!)
Just as a final note, the FDA has approved the use of slippery elm as a demulcent, but to my knowledge it has not been evaluated in pregnant or nursing women. And of course, you are responsible for your own health. I am not medically prescribing or advising you to do anything.
Here are some other resources to learn more about slippery elm:
Slippery Elm: “Go To” Herb for Digestive Relief
Susun Weed Video
Cheers to your green health!
Plaintain Healing Salve03:12 Aug 22 2013
Times Read: 469
September 20, 2012
Healing Plantain Salve
Awhile back, I posted about the medicinal benefits of the common “weed” plantain (Plantago spp.) and described the process of infusing it in olive oil. (Read about it here!)
Plantain Leaves
Recently, I went about making some of it into a healing salve, although I also reserved a small amount of the oil to keep separately for certain circumstances where an oil might be more beneficial.
After letting an herbal oil infuse for at least 6 weeks, making a salve is really quite simple.
Before beginning, however, the plantain must be strained out of the oil through cheesecloth.
Straining plantain oil through cloth.
You’ll be left with plantain-infused oil that has obviously absorbed a lot of the plant’s medicinal properties (look how green it is!).
Calendula oil on left; Plantain oil on right.
At this point, I recommend letting the oil sit for several hours. If any water is in the oil (from the plantain leaves) it will separate to the bottom of the jar and can be left behind as the oil is poured out to make salves or to be reserved in its own container. This will assist in the longevity of what is made.
To actually make the salve, I find it easiest to set up a version of a double boiler by placing a measuring cup into a small pot that contains an inch or two of boiling water. I measure out a tablespoon of beeswax for each ounce of oil that I’ll be adding, and the beeswax goes directly into the measuring cup where it is allowed to melt completely.
Melting beeswax in the double boiler.
After the beeswax has melted, add the oil (remember the ratio 1 Tbs beeswax to 1 ounce oil). The cold oil will make some of the beeswax bead up initially, but be patient and the mixture will soon turn homogenous. I use a chopstick for stirring to assist with this process.
When everything is blended together, test the consistency of the product by placing a drop of the liquid onto the counter. The drop will solidify and allow you to check the texture of your salve. If it is too runny, more beeswax is needed. If it is too firm, add a little more oil. Hopefully it will be just right!
The final step is to add the product to small containers. From there, you’ve got an all-natural, healing salve that can be used on cuts, scrapes, bites, and skin irritations of all varieties. It’s also a nice blend to put on chapped hands or lips. Perfect for the coming change of seasons!
Freshly poured salve. Ready to start solidifying!
Introduction to Nourishing Herbal Infusions – Nettle
03:08 Aug 22 2013
Times Read: 473
Many people have jumped on the green juice bandwagon, and for good reason — these juices are a welcome addition of vitamins, minerals, and other nourishment to our diets. They work well at helping people to feel more energized and healthy. Unfortunately, many green juice recipes call for produce that is not always, if ever, in season in my region.
Are there other ways to get a local, sustainable, and easy punch of chlorophyll, vitamins, and minerals?
Why yes there is. Hello lady nettle.
Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)
I remember my first encounter with nettle. It happened as a young child when I was helping my mother to weed the garden. I innocently pulled this ‘weed’ and soon thereafter had a nasty irritation all over my hand. Ow, nettle! She certainly has evolved an excellent defense mechanism.
Luckily, that early interaction did not deter me from learning about nettle and her many benefits.
Susun Weed reports an impressive list of nourishment found in nettle:
Nettle is a superior source of protein; 10 percent by weight.
Nettle is a rich storehouse of readily-absorbable minerals, trace minerals, and micro-nutrients:
calcium (1000 mg per quart of infusion)
magnesium (300 mg per quart of infusion)
potassium (600 mg per quart of infusion)
zinc (1.5 mg per quart of infusion)
selenium (.7 mg per quart of infusion)
iron (15 mg per quart of infusion)
manganese (2.6 mg per quart of infusion)
plus chromium, cobalt, phosphorus, copper, sulphur, silicon, and tin.
Nettle is super-charged with vitamins:
Vitamin A (5000 IU per quart of infusion)
Vitamin B complex, especially thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folate
Plus Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Vitamin K
All of this combines to provide an excellent source of energy and nourishment that is easy to come by and easy to use!
After experimenting with nettle infusion for about a year now, I would not turn back and I drink this infusion about 3-4 times a week. I find that I crave the nourishment of this drink when I haven’t had it for a few days. When I drink it, I feel as though I am drinking Earth milk (but I have not tried it on cereal!). I feel nourished and more connected with the natural world. Plants (commonly considered weeds!) right outside my door can contribute to my health and well being.
The process starts by measuring out an ounce of dried nettles. I’ve seen other people write about nettle infusions using just a few tablespoons of herb — this will not result in the full benefits of nettle. When I was beginning, I measured this ounce out with a scale, but I have measured nettle out enough times now to visualize an ounce of the herb in my quart jar (and I must note my newly x-stitched napkin!).
Ounce of dried nettle
Next, I boil water and distract myself with teeth brushing or other before-bed chores. When the water is ready, I pour it over the herb, seal the jar, and am off to bed. The minimum time to leave an infusion is 4 hours, but it is fine to leave it over night.
Nettle infusion ready to sit for the night
In the morning, I strain the herb and drink the resulting infusion throughout the day. I drink it cold and straight out of the fridge, but it could also be warmed. When I first started drinking nettle I added honey a few times to see if I preferred it that way (I didn’t, but I know that others do. Mint is also a popular addition.).
Straining the infusion
What isn’t used right away can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. If it isn’t used in that amount of time, it can be used as a hair rinse or to water houseplants.
Don’t forget to compost leftover herbs!
Remember to Take Your Pine Needles for Good Health!
03:06 Aug 22 2013
Times Read: 474
Did you know that pine needles can provide you with more vitamin C than orange juice? And that they can help to heal your body from respiratory ailments, colds, and the flu?
Some say that the Native Americans taught the early settlers about drinking pine needle tea to help prevent death from scurvy!
Pine needle tea is easy to make, but what are some other things that can be done with pine needles?
They can be infused into a variety of menstrums (liquids used to extract the nutritional or medicinal properties of plants) other than water. For example, tonight I got a nice dose of vitamin C by using vinegar infused with pine needles in my salad dressing. White pine needle vinegar (the type I made) tastes similar to balsamic vinegar.
First, you’ll need to gather some needles. I collected a bunch from a white pine.
White pine needles
Pick through them to ensure the best ones are being added to glass jars. I also tore these up as I was adding them.
Fill the jar!
And then cover with the menstrum. In this case, it’s apple cider vinegar. I get large jugs of the raw kind so I boiled some first to ‘pasteurize’ it before making this vinegar (and I was able to boil enough extra for future use). Make sure to completely cover the needles — poke them down so that they’re an inch below the liquid line.
Let the finished product sit for 4-6 weeks before using. Also, use a plastic lid or put a piece of wax paper on top because vinegar will eat away at the lid.
White Pine Vinegar ready to be strained!
What’s another use for the pine needles? Infuse them in olive oil! The oil can then be used as a relaxing massage oil or as a chest rub to help with respiratory issues.
Cover a jar full of pine needles with the oil and let sit for 4-6 weeks.
When you’re ready to use the oil, strain the needles out.
And you’re left with pine needle infused olive oil!
The oil can also be turned into a salve that can help to remove splinters (although it seems that the actual sap of a pine tree might be best at this!), or it can be put on small wounds to help them heal. I’ve also been having a fun time using it as a lip balm!
To make a salve, create an easy double boiler by putting a measuring cup into a pot of boiling water.
Add 2 Tablespoons of beeswax (I just guessed at the amount when I made this…) to the measuring cup and let melt.
After it has melted, add 2 ounces (1/4 cup) of the oil infused with pine. Stir with a chopstick until you reach an even consistency. Test to see if you’re done by putting a drop on your counter. It will allow you to quickly see if the salve is firm enough or too runny. Too runny? Add more beeswax. Too firm? Add more oil.
When the mixture is consistent, pour it into a reused container and let sit to become a salve! Use and enjoy knowing exactly what went into your product!
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