EARTH & SKY MORNING TEA

Earth and Sky chilled tea, a mid-summer hit.

Tea. It’s something wistful. It takes me back to distant childhood memories of how my Mom, sister and I, who had few luxuries, would sit down – feeling oh! so pampered – to our almost daily, afternoon tea break. Perhaps that’s why I’ve always felt that there is something extraordinary about a hot cup of tea in cold weather and iced tea in hot weather … the thirst-quenching liquid in the mouth, the flowery odor and, of course, the bittersweet taste. So, here I am, decades later, writing this post about tea making.

In all these years of drinking tea, I’ve tried out all kinds of teas, from the bags and loose tea purchased at the store and, more recently, my own blends, mixed from dried teas available commercially along with flowers, herbs and (yes) veggies – some of these from my garden. I find it highly satisfying to mix up several of these ingredients in particular ratios to get a custom blend for my own table and to share as a gift for others.

In my mind, tea making is a way of taking time for yourself - - on a regular basis. It’s also sometimes a way to combat brain-freeze or general negativity. Next time you need to have your perspective turned around, think about filling up your tea cup. It's an effective and common solution for replacing fluids, brushing off sleepiness and cheering up from most any kind of bring-down. As a bonus you get some antioxidants that help fight DNA-damaging, free radicals and give a boost to the immune system.

Just this past week I brewed up a new kind of tea that my husband and I shared in the mid-morning. We enjoyed seeing the bright fuchsia color along with the floating green lime slices and savoring the cool, thirst-curbing goodness of this tangy tea. I called it **My Earth and Sky** tea because of its ingredients - beets dug up from the earth, peppermint from an expansive, creeping vine hugging the earth and the bright flowers of the high branches of the hibiscus shrub, as well as the citrus of the lime tree.

For this blend I used a combination of already boiled and cooled beet juice, added to hibiscus tea with a final hit of the juice of limes and peppermint. The first two ingredients – hibiscus and beets – were purchased at the market. But, as a believer in family gardening, I was fortunate enough to be able to pick the last two ingredients from my own front yard. With all that thrown in together, the tea turned out to be a tasty cooler with the added benefits of being a stomach and nerve soother.

Here’s what I mixed up to achieve my blend.

Quart of hibiscus tea boiled with a bit of mint (or peppermint), cooled
2 cups of boiled beet juice, already chilled
juice of two limes with a few extra lime slices.
2/3 cup of light brown/natural cane sugar

Put all the liquids and sugar in a 2-quart glass pitcher, stir and chill.

As you can see, it’s easy enough to make up this Earth and Sky tea and, in my opinion, well worth the time. So get up and make some tea – this mix or some other that suits your mood - and, then, sit down to a comforting cup of warm or chilled tea. You will thank yourself for the positive mood-lifting and other health benefits that accompany that glass (or cup) of tea.

DIY SHAMPOO & SHOWERING SCRUB - GIVE IT A TRY

Years ago, in Mexico, a couple I knew told me that they had given up using soap and were showering only with water. Not only were they soap-free at that time, during a rather arduous 4-day aikido camp, but had been doing it for almost a year. They said that, for them, washing with soap - hands included - caused the skin to lose its natural resistance to germs – and, what’s more, that body odor resulted from frequent use of soap and water.  My husband (wasn't then, is now) and I laughed at that possibility. But we were forced to admit that this couple didn't stink any more than the rest of us – what was more than a bit, I must say, with all due respect to our training group, after  back-to-back two-hour training sessions. Nevertheless, our immediate thought was that the no-soap thing must be some leftover custom from the 60’s, even though the hippie era was over by at least a generation at that time. On the other hand, I have to admit that ditching the soaping-up routine was intriguing to me.

At the time, my husband and I couldn't imagine taking a no-soap shower - something we thought was highly imaginative and possibly unhygienic. But a number of years have gone by and now,  speaking for myself and not necessarily for my husband,  and I have had to question many things that we used to do in an almost robotic way just because somebody told us we should be doing it. Also, I read that a large number of regular people now live soap-free. Deciding to go without commercial soap for bathing and, possibly, for shampooing has finally ended up on my list of things to try. So far, I'm in my second week of no-soap showering, and it's all good, thus far. No shampoo hair care - without passing through a really itchy scalp phase - may still prove to be tricky. Time will tell.

It seemed to me that the most common reason people were using so much soap was because they'd been told – by constant commercial reminding - that they needed it. And, maybe all those harsh chemicals really messed up our bodies' skin oils balance. That might be the reason for so many skin problems that we are seeing at this time. Could it be that our supposed “need” for antibacterial solutions was somehow related? I wasn’t sure but decided that I would continue to hand wash with soap at most of the recommended – before food prep, after toilet - times of the day. (I never carry or use antibacterial products, except when traveling, when I can’t be sure to have sufficient water for hand washing for hours at a time.)

We’ve been programmed as super-consumers to wash our body every day with soap, wash our hair with shampoo most every day, and buy expensive products for all of this. Maybe it’s our over-use of hygiene products that caused us to smell bad in the first place? We've probably hyper-sensitized ourselves to body odor because of all the perfumed stuff that we’ve been using. When you “overkill” on ridding yourself of smells from natural oil, the body compensates by producing more oil, and you often end up with a bigger problem in the long run. Then, we find ourselves needing more specialized products to correct the problems we, ourselves, produced. All this, and not to say anything about the “need” for dermatologists to “fix” whatever skin problems we haven’t been able to solve.

Trying out the no-soap routine

Anyway, as to my initial self-convincing arguments, I’ve always had the idea that we, as sensible people, wanting to live healthy and sustainably, don't need a bunch of commercially marketed products rubbed on our bodies every day of the week. Anyway, two years ago, I stopped shampooing my hair every other day, something that I did faithfully for decades, in favor of once every 10 to 14 days. It seems that shampoo cleanses your hair but, at the same time, strips out all the natural oils. That causes the scalp to produce more oil to replace the natural oils. You end up washing your hair often because it gets greasy right away.

My results with less frequent shampooing have been acceptable, but I’ve also found out that, to cure occasional scalp itchiness, I need to do 100 brush strokes of my shoulder-length hair several times a week. I never could get the habit of brushing 100 strokes every day, as was recommended in the hygiene books in the middle of the 20th century. Later, that kind of rigorous brushing routine was totally lost - disclaimed - as an unnecessary custom when people started washing hair weekly or more often.

By the way, I haven't done any kind of hair dye for almost a decade. And I have gray hair that I’m proud of. My underarm care - without soap - remains the same. I use nothing at all or a bit of talcum powder when it’s really hot outside or when I’m going to be under some kind of foreseeable physical or emotional stress. From my experience, smelly feet, caused by wearing boots and closed tennis shoes, are best overcome by using clean, dry cotton socks and a bit of talcum powder inside the shoes.

Added to all this, I'll share with you some personal history that provides more arguments in favor of the no-soap experiment.

You may have heard or remember that regular people didn't bathe every day until the middle 1950's. Did they stink? Well, some did but not as many as might suppose. In our family, back then, young girls were taught to bathe – no showers at the time – 2 or 3 times a week, when possible, and to wash the hair once every 2 weeks. Liquid castille soap was a usual shampooing item. Women and girls used a rinse of eight-to-one, water to vinegar, solution after washing.  This kept the hair healthy and relatively oil free. Vinegar contains acids and enzymes that kill the bacteria that lead to dry crust conditions causing dandruff and other scalp conditions. The DIY vinegar hair rinse, used at that time, seemed to be an adequate treatment for the usual 2 weeks between shampoos. At least, no one I knew had any major scalp issues.

Anyway, since the first days of this month of October, I’ve not used any soap while showering. Do I stink? No, I definitely don’t. I still shower daily for about 5 minutes, the same time I did when I used soap. Amazingly enough there was no adjustment time. From the first day, I felt squeaky clean. My dry skin is gone, and the hard to exfoliate rough skin on my legs is disappearing. As to the no-shampoo experiment, it’s only now time to wash my hair, and I’ll let you know later about this, later.  

Now, before you think that you can just enter the shower, rinse off and jump out clean, think again! You can’t be lazy and just stand there under the shower. I believe that it's important to rub a soft washcloth with  some kind of DIY non-soap scrub, all over your body, the same as if you were using soap.

Make your own DIY showering scrub

You'll need –

Sea salt

Apple cider vinegar (ACV is best but you can use the vinegar that you have on hand to get started)

Olive oil

Instructions (You can vary the proportions of  the 3 ingredients however you like.))

-          Take a large mixing bowl and pour in 3 tablespoons of 100% sea salt.

-          Mix in 4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.

-          Stir the paste together until the salt is blended in a consistent texture.

 -          Pour in 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  

-          Stir the mixture until uniform. 

-          Pour the scrub mixture into a bottle – plastic is always safer to use in the tub. Fasten the lid tightly. 

-          To use the scrub, stand in the shower stall and shake up the mixture. 

-          Turn on the shower and put a dab of the scrub solution on your washrag. 

-          Use just as you would soap. (I usually end up diluting this mixture, somewhat, with a combination of shower and washrag water.)

-          Rinse yourself thoroughly afterwards to remove any leftover salt and oil.

It’s possible that the same scrub mixture will work OK for hair washing, too. Try it and see how it works for you. That's what I plan to do. Just like shampoo, it’s important to shut or just barely open your eyes to avoid eye irritation. No bubbles are produced but scalp cleansing occurs, nonetheless, according to reports. See notes below.

If you tend to have oily hair, you can prepare a baking soda paste for the scalp instead of using your DIY scrub. (I’ve read this, but not had to resort to it - yet. It certainly seems worth trying.) The somewhat thick scalp-scrub paste is made with baking soda and water, along with a couple of drops of olive oil mixed up in a small bowl just before hari washing. You use this paste just like shampoo.   Rinse hair and scalp twice - once with the vinegar solution, mentioned above, and again, with just water.

Note (added later the same day)
After shampooing with the DIY scrub, my scalp seems to be good and clean. Hair smells good and is soft with the oil acting as a conditioner. I did have to add water to the mix in order to get the "shampoo" feel as I massaged the mixture on my scalp. I rinsed my hair thoroughly under the shower and didn't use a vinegar rinse.

2nd note (added three days after the DIY scrub head wash)
Sadly, it turns out that the DIY scrub, while doing fine as a body wash, hasn't been as successful as a shampooing method. My hair is greasy - back to the drawing board on that question. I think it would be better to use only a couple of drops of olive oil with those proportions of vinegar and sea salt. I'll be trying that out soon...

3rd note (2 and a half months later). Still showering & shampooing with my concoction. Has varied just a bit. I use less olive oil. All that wasn't necessary for my skin type & definitely oiled up my hair too much.

4th note (2014) Now lathering up hair with a healthy (I hope) regular soap bar - the kind that, according to its label, doesn't have sodium laurel sulfate or parabens in it - and thoroughly rinsing with my DIY without any olive oil.

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WHAT WILL YOU DO IF THE JAVA STOPS FLOWING?

What do we do in the early a.m.? A lot, if not most, of us have a routine. You wake up, open your eyes, put your feet in our slippers or shoes, and after a stop in the toilet, start out for the kitchen. You know what you need. It's the caffeine rush - java - that's calling your name. It's our long-time, morning friend beckoning us, and we don't know what we'd do without it. But, wait a minute. What if the price of that steaming, brown liquid goes too high? You know the answer, even  if you want to deny it. Like so many other luxuries, if the economics is wrong, the purchase must slow or stop. And, afterall, it's really not part of our nutrititional needs and we could eliminate it, couldn't we? But, oh, the pain...

And, the news is out. Just recently, there has been talk all over the newsmedia about the cost of the bag (or whatever the measure is) of fresh coffee beans. It seems that the coffee bean is the next peak crop (sort of like peak oil), and that means we may have to modify our coffee drinking habits. Soon a pound of those precious beans will cost us more - maybe a lot more than the milk and bread. Already, the careful grocery shopper must have noticed the increase in its price on the supermarket shelves. Next week, if not sooner, coffee shop consumers can bet that their morning brew will give them a bit more of a burn. And this is almost certainly a permanent trend for a number of reasons.

We will have to pay more.
For the first time in caffeinated-civilized history (Or would that be civilized-caffeinated history?), java consumption is outpacing production in all countries with possibly the exception of Brazil and India. That means everyone else is vieing for the tasty, brown stuff on the world market, including importantly the Chinese. (The Chinese were tea drinkers, weren't they? Yes, of course, and they still are. The problem seems to be their shear numbers and the fact that some fraction of their population has learned to drink coffee in addition to tea. That spells trouble.) The bad news is that there is no commercial - zero - production of coffee in the US and Europe where the demand is no less than outrageous.

What's more, in "our heart of hearts", we know that we really haven't been paying the true cost of coffee, either for the coffee workers' labor or for the ecological damage to the hilly areas where it's grown and the contaminants that end up in the waterways below. These are the real economic facts, but as a coffee-guzzling population, we just aren't emotionally  ready to grasp the fact that we'll be paying higher prices. On the other hand, we can't hide forever from the grim reality, that for coffee growing to be fair to the workers and sustainable for the environment, we should be paying far more than we are. Sad but true, coffee drinking adds a big load to our carbon footprint. And, if we aren't already drinking organic, what we're consuming is guaranteed to include a hugh dose of ugly things that we don't need in our bodies.

Here's another thought. What most of us are "enjoying" in the morning is already the cheap stuff - for three or four dollars a pound in the can and one dollar a cup in the gasoline station. You know that it's really bad coffee. It tastes rough and is barely palatable, but we drink it, at least some of the time, because it's coffee. And java, in almost any form, is our caffeine rush of choice. We know we could find some caffeine somewhere else. There are, afterall, a number of other cheap, commercial caffeine-delivery packages out there. There generally known as sodas. But, they're hardly recommendable, either. Looks like we have to make a painful change. Maybe we should be thinking more seriously about fine coffee like you do fine wine, very expensive, but worth it now and again, just to enjoy some of the good rubust, aromatic stuff.

My coffee-guzzling story
Now, everyone has their own coffee drinking history, like the stories of their other habits (notice I refrained from saying addictions). Let me mention something about my history.  I never drank coffee as a young person. My Mom and Dad drank a lot of it, but made tea for my sister and me. So, when I went off to college, I was a convinced and proud tea drinker, who was also just a little snobbish about all those coffee drinking students around me. Needless to say, after one semester, six term papers and six final exams, I had settled into coffee drinking as a much better caffeine-delivery system. So much for being a tea-drinking snob. Even then, I continued to drink both coffee and tea, coffee in the early morning and mostly tea in the afternoon and evening. Coffee in the evening has always affected my sleep.

After my university years, I went to live in Mexico City.  My husband's family was from the south of Mexico and they knew about good coffee. They refused to drink anything else. So, members of the family would always return from their hometown visits with the really good stuff, high-mountain coffee from Chiapas, and share the wealth with all the other relatives. It was a good system. That coffee was superbly good for both  morning and afternoon coffee-drinking sessions. I seldom had to drink coffee from the supermarket, and only did so, with the thought that it was a poor substitute for the "real" item. And, given that all kinds of teas, including herbal teas, were (are) commonly available in Mexico, I also drank a couple of cups of tea each day. Other than taking a few rests, several weeks at a stretch, to dry out from such a high caffeine load, I happily continued to drink good coffee almost every day.

But then, about fifteen years ago, I left Mexico and returned to the US to live. I was jolted. The coffee that others around me were drinking, the same that was available in the supermarkets, was really of poor quality. For a while, I tried to drink only tea but later, for social reasons (that what we addicts often say about our chosen mood-swinging drugs), I gave in and started drinking a couple of cups of the regular brew everyday. Sometimes, I would throw budget caution to the wind and buy the higher priced stuff, but not too often. Also, I found that the standard, national-brand coffee shops served pretty good coffee, and once or twice a week, I paid the higher price for a morning or afternoon cup. And so, on the whole, my java-drinking habits continued mostly uninterrupted ... until recently.

Oh, and sometimes, when I'm in Northern Mexico, a place where I spend part of my time, I can buy at a reasonable price (and truly enjoy) good-quality Veracruz coffee, ground to taste, in a downtown, coffee specialty store. But, in general, I find that, what with the poor (and getting poorer ) quality of the product that I buy at the supermarkets along with the rising price-tag, I'm drinking only one cup of coffee in the morning. Sometimes, I don't even finish that cup. It's doesn't have a good taste and makes my stomach a little uneasy. Also, I'm a little worried about all the contaminants that commercial coffee has in it.  But, being all too-budget conscious, I'm reluctant to pay the substantially higher cost of organic coffee. Tea drinking, at least black tea drinking, isn't really a good alternative either. It’s the same story. The tea that's being sold at most stores is of poor quality, and there's inflation in its price-tag, too (like just about all other basic commodities at this time). Besides that, tea production also does significant ecological damage  (then again, apparently, somewhat less than that of coffee).

So, what are our real alternatives?
The good news is that humans, even the U.S. population, has lived very well for long periods drinking hot beverages other than java. Many Native American tribes brewed up ceremonial drinks with caffeine-like properties, and European colonists adopted some of these beverages. They called them "cassina". What's more, U.S. people never were great coffee drinkers until after World War II with the huge expansion of markets that finally created the Great Consumer Society. Before that time, imported coffee was a minor product and only certain groups of urbanites drank a lot of it. The bulk of the population made somewhat similar drinks from roasted grains and brews of other plants. Some of the traditional ingredients for these pre-java-age drinks included: nuts - almond, cottonseed, acorn, beechnut; grains -  wheat, rye, and barley; and fruits and vegetables - beetroot, carrot, chicory root, corn, dandelion root asparagus, fig, cane molasses, okra seed, peas, persimmon seed, potato peel, sassafras pits, and sweet potato.

Obviously, you and I could also survive and learn to wake up in the a.m. with a hot cup of one or another of these products. We just need to find one we like and get started on a new habit. And some of these coffee-substitutes could even be grown in our own gardens. Will they have the same level of caffeine-delivery? Probably not. But then again, even very mild stimulants are usually enough to get you going in the morning. (The best way to feel good in the morning is to get enough rest the night before, and we can start doing that right away - even before we find a new morning brew.)

Some possible substitutes
Ground roasted chicory root, an easily cultivated crop, has been among the most popular coffee-like drinks since before the American Civil War. It even made a strong comeback during World War II when coffee imports were drastically reduced. Mixed with coffee, this brew continues to be a favorite in the South, especially in New Orleans. (Personally, I like chicory coffee a lot and have bought it from time to time, at the big-box stores. Unfortunately, it's now packaged as a "gourmet" product and priced 50% higher than regular coffee.)

Postum is (or was) an instant coffee substitute made from wheat bran, wheat, molasses, and corn maltodextrin. During World War II, it was very popular in the United States due to coffee rationing. For a few decades after the Second War, it was still available on the grocery shelves, but, at least, according to one source, has recently been discontinued. Most Postum-like beverages are now found in health food stores and, otherwise are available through Internet sources. You possibly could concoct your own Postum-like beverage by buying all the ingredients and finding some traditional recipe for the hot, grain-based beverage that you looking for.

Another product that has been used in rural areas throughout the centuries is the roasted dandelion root. They have to be 'true' dandelions (Taraxacum spp.) and not some other little yellow flowers that can be confused with the dandelion. True dandelions have thick straw-like roots and look a little like scrawny carrots. These roots are ground into granules for dandelion brew. This drink can be bitter and is usually more palatable diluted with milk and sugar. While it’s supposed to be a good tonic for the liver, you should be careful to closely follow an original recipe because a strong dose of dandelion root has laxative effects.

Note (added 3-12-11)
After writing my blog post yesterday, I remembered - And how could I forget? - that it's not necessary to make a brew in the morning and that gruels have happily been served as hot beverages throughout the centuries.  Here's a recipe that I often make.

ATOLE (another a.m. - or p.m.- drink) is a traditional Mexican drink based on corn. For centuries, It's been made with masa harina, the flour used for tortillas and tamales, but modern versions also make it with cornstarch or rice flour. It is, of course, a type of gruel but it's a thinned down version that's easy to drink. It's always served hot, and is a main feature for certain Mexican holiday celebrations but is also popular just about any time of the year. A usual Mexican breakfast includes atole along with pan dulce (a sweet roll) or a torta (a thick sandwich).

Recipe for Chocolate Atole
1/2 cup masa harina or 1/3 cup of cornstarch or rice flour
5 cups of water
1/2 cup of dark brown sugar (or the quantity that you like)
3 heaping TBS.of cocoa powder or one large chocolate tablet
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
(milk to be added as an option)

Heat the water and starch substance over a medium fire, stirring briskly until it's free of lumps. Continue heating and stirring until it just begins to thicken. Then add the sugar and other ingredients and bring it to a boil. If desired, you can add a cup or two of milk with the atole for the last three minutes. Be careful to stir constantly and watch the pot because it boils over very easily. (You can make fruit atole by omitting the chocolate and cinnamon and adding pureed fruit in the last three minutes of cooking.)


Related posts:
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WHAT WILL YOU DO IF THE JAVA STOPS FLOWING?
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FIVE COMMON FOODS THAT CAN CURE YOUR AILMENTS.

Some home remedies are already in your kitchen
Some simple foods, found in most kitchens, are not only culinary geniuses but also can be home remedies for your ailments. Maybe we don’t know exactly how these foods cure, but all of them, especially when combined in the diet, tend to detoxify the body and strengthen the immune system. That’s a great start toward health. So, why not give them a trial to see if they help your complaints? Since they’re common foods, none of them are likely to hurt you. They’re also items that won’t stretch your grocery budget. And, with their frequent dietary use, you may be pleasantly surprised to find that you need a lot fewer doctor visits.

This is the short list of nothing less than five miracle-foods: APPLE CIDER VINEGAR - GARLIC – HONEY – CINNAMON - ROSEMARY

VINEGAR (Especially, apple cider vinegar)
Vinegar in any of its forms is a tasty and healthy ingredient in cooking. Throughout the ages, vinegar has been indispensable in the kitchen as a food flavoring, preservative, and medicine. In more recent times, scientists have evaluated how vinegar burns fat, reduces cholesterol and increases vitality. As an effective detox for the blood stream, vinegar is linked with healthy kidneys, bladder, and liver.

While wine and balsamic vinegars are great tasting, apple cider vinegar ia a lot cheaper than some of the more “fashionable” vinegars. And apples are among the most health-giving fruits available as they contain a many valuable minerals such as potassium and magnesium. All of the goodness in apples is found in apple cider vinegar. Cider vinegar helps the blood to flow more freely instead of becoming thick and pasty, a condition that leads to high blood pressure.

GARLIC
Garlic is a pungent bulb that has been used as a medicine as far back as 5000 years in ancient Sumeria. Called Russian penicillin, garlic can help treat respiratory infections and prevent heart disease and cancer. Somewhat like onions, garlic is a wonder food rich in powerful sulphur compounds, chromium, beta-carotene, vitamins B and C, potassium and selenium. Garlic in the diet helps fight infection and reduces cholesterol levels and cancer risk. It also stabilizes blood pressure.

COMBINED GARLIC AND VINEGAR
Combining garlic and vinegar in the diet isn't a new idea. Both ingredients have been in use together for centuries as both food additives and medicines. According to traditional sources equal parts garlic and vinegar is good for health maintenance and medical use. Taking 2 to 4 teaspoons of the mixture after each meal helps to fight off many different diseases. Also, using both garlic and vinegar for cooking and as a salad dressing is a good idea. But, cooking any of these miraculous foods causes the loss of some health benefits.

HONEY
Honey is a natural sweetener, prepared by the bees from the nectars of various plants. It’s a great source of energy, containing about 69% glucose and fructose and providing 64 calories per tablespoon. It has occupied a outstanding role in traditional medicine throughout human history.

Honey contains a variety of vitamins and minerals. It’s good for your skin and has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Traditionally, it has been used as a treatment for wounds, burns and ulcers. Honey contains antioxidants that improve body immunity, including respiratory health. It can also help prevent cancer and control cholesterol levels. In a series of experiments involving patients with type-two diabetes, honey proved itself to be the healthiest sweetener.

CINNAMON
Cinnamon is a tasty spice, obtained from the inner bark of several trees native to South East Asia. It’s medicinal value has been known from antiquity. This spice has antimicrobial action, can settle an upset stomach, and is even a remedy for diabetes. Apparently, cinnamon assists the body in the use of insulin. People with type-two diabetes achieved significantly lower blood sugar by taking just 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon every day. Cinnamon can also help to maintain a healthy weight. Since it stabilizes blood sugar, it helps control the glucose spikes that trigger the hunger cravings.

ROSEMARY
This flavorsome herb is also known as the Pilgrims Flower. It’s a member of the mint family, and it's associated with increased blood supply to the brain and with long life. It contains a particular antioxidant that works well with your immune system to block allergy triggers. If you find you’re sneezing from allergies or your joints are stiff, rosemary in your cooking can be a good tonic.

Drinking rosemary tea is a remedy for headaches and migraine. Just adding a couple of teaspoons of rosemary to a pint of boiled water. Remove from the heat and steep for 10 minutes. Then strain and drink.

TRY WHIPPING UP A COMBINATION OF ALL FIVE MIRACLES.
If you’re like me, it’s not always easy to do complicated cooking preparations – above and beyond what we have to do each day to put nutritious food on the table. And, then, there’s the problem to remember to take medicinal concoctions at intervals during the day. So I’ll share with you a recipe that goes well with our everyday menus and is easy to make. It’s a salad dressing that combines all five of these miracle foods. Use it one or more times a day on green salads and vegetables.

Five-Food Miracle Vinaigrette Dressing
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (organic is best)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsps. honey (raw honey is better)
3 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 tsp. crushed rosemary (fresh rosemary is better)
1/2 tsp. powdered cinnamon
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

The oil, vinegar, and honey can be combined with a blender or whisk. The result you want is to combine the oil, honey, and vinegar to get an emulsion (this is where the vinegar and honey separate and become suspended in the oil). After emulsion, whisk or stir in the seasonings. This dressing can be used safely for up to a week if it’s stored in a glass container with a tight lid and kept in the refrigerator.

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