Most who know me know I am kindof deep into the “real food” scene these days…
I despise boxed food and the crap they are trying to pass off as “healthy” at the grocery store.
If there is one thing I have learned this year it has to be the power of natural healing via what we consume.
Since ditching the corn, soy and gluten (I am still a “cheater” from time to time) I have not only managed to heal my joint pain but an added bonus has been the disappearance of chronic, daily migraines/headaches.
I kid you not. I used to have bad headaches everyday.
I was living off of what we jokingly called “mommy crack”…aka Excedrin Migraine.
Really all I did was stop eating anything from a box, add in lots of raw foods during my day and I now try and drink 60 oz. of water a day.
Gone. I haven’t taken any kindof headache pill or even an ibuprofen for a month now! ibuprofen First time in years!
Once you experience that sort of healing/pain relief and realize it all has to do what you put in your mouth you can’t help but to become an evangelist of sorts. You try not preach it…but it is hard not to.
It just feels like nothing short of a miracle.
A year ago I couldn’t even hold my camera without being in crazy amounts of pain because it was to heavy!
I am sold.
I finally get it.
I totally believe that there are those of us out there that are highly sensitive to whatever the heck they are putting in our “food” now.
How many times do people have an ache or pain/illness and just cover it up with a pill and say “fixed”.
Big pharma runs the U.S. in a big way.
More people die every year from taking prescription medications than from illegal drugs.
Every person I have watched as I grew up who took a “maintenance” prescription of some sort has ended up with some horrible side effect from those drugs and in turn are prescribed another and another drug to treat the new symptom.
It is crazy to me.
Food. That is my medicine of choice for as long as it can be.
If I can put something different in my mouth and be healed…I am there.
So here is the funny part. I don’t miss a thing!
I don’t crave crap food…or dream of it or feel jaded in any way.
The food I eat now has such great taste and better flavor I actually feel like this is a great thing that happened.
Granted. I do love to cook. This may really suck for someone who hates cooking.
I do make just about everything from scratch.
By nature of this journey I have been on for the last few years I have become this photographer of sorts for my local farmers.
I even managed to be blessed with getting to photograph our local VABF (Virginia Association of Biological Farmers) conference this year.
I have learned all that these amazing farmers are willing to share with me (camera always in hand…lol!). There are things about your food supply only those closest to creating it can tell you…Teach you.
If you do not know where your food is coming from I can tell you it is time to introduce yourself to a farmer. They will tell you stuff about the big grocery suppliers, FDA and local inspectors that will make your jaw hit the ground and your stomach do flips.
The stories will make you angry and awaken you to the real issue of lose of our freedoms within the food world.
When I first took a tour of Forrest Green Farm I fell in love with this chunk of heaven!
I mean…hello! AMAZING.
The farm is so peaceful…
It’s that kindof place that you step out of your car and your soul just goes “awe……peaceful.”
When I heard about Krista’s Whole Living class I just knew this was something I needed to do.
The choice was do I go back to college in the Fall or take her 6 month class? Her class was a clear winner.
Topics like:
- Teas, Tinctures, and decoctions
- Wildcrafting
- Harvesting of herbs and preservation
- Vinegars & oils
- Seedling and crop intensives
- Herbal Honey’s
- Cordials/Liqueurs
- Fermented Foods
- Poultices with herbs (why and how)
- Ways to Pickle (canning/pickling/fermenting)
- Diagnosis, Treatment, Formulating, Ongoing analysis (medicinal herbs)
- Jelly
- Yogurt, Cream Cheese, Kefir making (thank God because Lucas is a Kefir addict!)
- Grinding your own grains/bread making
- Cosmetics & personal care with herbs
- Mustard making
- Bone Broths
- Cough syrups and elixirs
- Smudge making
- Green Cleaning supplies
- Salves and lip balms
- Gardening knowledge of all kinds
- Harvesting of root herbs
- ETC…….
Sounds like it was a class designed just for me! Doesn’t it?!?!?
God bless them for sharing this knowledge with others.
I will now be spending 2 glorious Sunday’s a month, surrounded by like minded new friends, learning everything and anything they are willing to teach me.
Yesterday was our first class and I learned so much I couldn’t possibly share everything BUT of course my camera was never far.
Because it is my better half and has an excellent memory recall when I forget something. So much to remember each class and I don’t want to forget a thing!
First off…you know it is going to be a good day when it starts off looking like this.
We started off learning the how and why of herb use for medicines. I have a vast knowledge of herbs but so far the knowledge is more culinary rather than medicinal so I was loving this part!
We went and harvested Stinging Nettle to dry.
And yes…it does sting. Ouch!!!
Check out that view from Krista and Rob’s front yard! Can you imagine waking up every morning to that?
We headed back and learned a ton of good things and then they spoiled us with a marvelous lunch!
Can you believe the salad alone?!
OMG! Who knew? I knew you could eat some flowers but no idea you could eat all of them Krista used!
After eating far too many Lemon Balm cookies (I will share that recipe this week for sure!)
It was time to move onto learning about Catnip and harvesting it for a tincture (hence the 100 proof Vodka…nope didn’t get to drink it
)
Then it was time for some Tincture making!
Time to break out the Vodka and Brandy…no drinking though! It simply pulls out the “good stuff” out of the herb as it sits in it for 6 weeks.
Oh and Lemon balm! I almost forgot the Lemon Balm tincture!
And we made a ground ivy (which I thought was a weed but apparently NOT!) oil.
I learned so much I know there is no way to share it all…
How about just a lovely bunch of photographs of Krista’s amazing herbs.
FYI…They sell just about every herb you can dream of out there! Totally worth a visit to their store!