Tag: Eating

January 27 – Daily Feast

January 27 – Daily Feast

Habit has its beginnings in thought. Whatever becomes second nature to us has first caught on in our thinking – only to operate, in time, without thinking at all. Breaking with deeply ingrained addictions is something else again. Since we were old enough to understand we have been bent to a certain thought, molded to act and react until we follow through habitually. If what we did gave us comfort or made us feel good, we did it again. We have to fight habit with habit, deliberately changing one thought, one action, for another. If we simply try to remove a habit without filling the vacuum, we are opening the door for more and worse to come in. It is harder when we let thought drift back to remember how we were comforted. There is more than one comfort, more than one joy in forming a new habit.

~ We bury them from sight forever and plant again the Tree. ~

DEKANAWIDAH, 1720

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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The Witches Spell for Nov. 28th – Spell to Control Your Appetite In A Healthy Way

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Spell to Control Your Appetite In A Healthy Way

What you will need:

Blue (light blue is good) or white candle

A picture of yourself at a healthy weight

An apple sliced in half crosswise to show the pentacle shape inside

The apple serves as a symbol of healthy food provided by Mother Nature. After you say the spell, take a bite to demonstrate your internalization of the magick. If you want, eat an apple every day for a while to reinforce the spell. (Also, it’s good for you.)

Light the candle and spend as long as you need visualizing yourself being healthy and happy with your eating habits. See yourself eating good food in reasonable amounts and enjoying the occasional treat. Look at the picture you are using and set that image in your mind as a goal, then say the spell out loud. Finish by eating your piece of apple. If you want, you can eat half and bury half outside.

I ask the Gods to heed this plea
For balance, health and sanity
Curb my hunger, let it rest
So I might look and feel my best.
 
Let appetite be small but real
So I can savor every meal
Feed the body and the soul
Eating under my control.
 
Healthy image, healthy food
I’ll  eat for hunger, not for mood
My inner demons I will face
As my own body I embrace.
 
I pledge to do the work I need
Healthy thought and healthy deed
For figure firm and body whole
My appetite I do control.
 

So Mote It Be.

October 21 – Daily Feast

October 21 – Daily Feast

Don’t condemn yourself. Who of us have not made mistakes? No one is perfect, but we are too quick to call ourselves stupid. We have condemned ourselves for eating – even though that is what we have to do. It’s just that we eat because it is convenient, we see it, we eat it. If we can get it without having to cook it – all the better. And all the worse – because it doesn’t have in it the nutrients we need and it is gone too quickly and we are not satisfied. Laziness has overtaken our good sense. We let ourselves fall into making it easy on ourselves – and in turn we open the door to making it hard. It is a matter of choices, but not solved by self-criticism.

~ The ground says, “The Great Spirit has placed me here to produce all the grows on me, trees and fruit. ~

YOUNG CHIEF – CAYUSE

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Daily OM for Sept. 9 – Have Fun & Save The Planet

Have Fun And Save The Planet

Think Globally, Eat Locally

We all know that our planet needs our help right now, but we often feel unsure about what to do, where to make an effort, and what will really help. The good news is that we can heal the planet on a daily basis simply by buying and eating food that is grown locally. Food that has been transported long distances doesn’t contain much life force by the time it gets to your kitchen. Making a commitment to shop, buy, and eat locally is not only a very important part of creating positive change, it can also be delicious fun.

One of the best places to begin the adventure of eating locally is a farmer’s market. Stalls brim with fresh fruits and vegetables grown on nearby farms. Not only is this good for the environment, it’s good for the farmers since they benefit from selling directly to the consumer. The consumer benefits, too, from the intimate experience of buying food from the hand of the person who grew it. In addition, the food is fresher and more diverse. In supermarkets, particular varieties of fruits and vegetables are favored due to their ability to survive transport to a far destination. Alternately, at a farmer’s market, you will find versions of the fruits and vegetables you know that will surprise and delight your senses—green striped heirloom tomatoes, purple cauliflower, white carrots, and edible flowers, just to name a few.

Make an effort to buy as much of your food as possible directly from local farmers. You will become one of a growing number of people eating delicious food to save the planet and having fun doing it.

When Is It Time To Make A Change?

When Is It Time To Make A Change?

by Christy Diane Farr

 

Several years ago, I ended a very rocky off again/on again relationship. I  quit eating meat. A couple of years later, my daughter decided she didn’t want  to eat meat anymore either. My wife, who never ate much meat anyway, followed  suit too.

My charming son, who previously preferred potatoes and pasta to animal  protein, no questions asked, has now declared himself the resident carnivore –  the proud and mighty meat eating man of the house. I suspect the renewed  commitment to meat consumption reflects his quest to define himself, the lone  male, in a household with three girl people, three girl cats, and one neutered  boy cat, who he tells me “does not count for the boy team, because we had him  fixed”. So, testosterone driven or not, we support him in his life as a  meat eater, and he supports us in ours.

Several months ago, I gave up crack, I mean sugar… again. After more than two  years without the poison, I’d “relapsed” and felt sincerely mortified to find  myself deep in the throes of a toxic relationship with it once again. That is  always a good sign that you should stop eating something, when you realize that  you not only have a “relationship” with a food, but that you describe it as  toxic. Never a good sign, but if there is uncertainty, look for other  signs you need to give it up. For example, how often have you had a hysterical  fit of crying and screaming because someone used the last of the milk, without  warning you or replacing it, leaving you with a dry bowl of Fruity Pebbles? If  the answer is more than zero, you might want to give it some thought…

While I have no energy for the debate about whether one can be “addicted” to  sugar or not, my relatively recently established policy prohibiting “toxic  relationships” forced me to put down the spoon and walk away from sugar for  good. Yes, I miss cake but there really isn’t anything that tastes better than  sanity feels. I’ve resisted forcing my dietary choices on my family and friends,  perhaps excessively so, and the living by example thing works slower than I ever  imagined. It’s just me, living sugar-free, and while it is a difficult choice at  times, I live with certainty that it is best for me (and everyone who encounters  me).

Do you know the feeling that comes to let you know it is time to make a  change? It is a message that bubbles up from deep within, or sometimes the  universal brick to the forehead,  that the time to act is now. Sometimes they  are strong enough that by simply receiving it, we feel the strength and  certainty to move into alignment with it. These are powerful moments and I’ve  found that by taking action when the time is right, I have what it takes to  actually do it.

Well, not long after I released sugar,  I heard that the time had  come to make two other big dietary adjustments – releasing dairy and gluten.  I’ve done these two before, just long enough to know that my body wasn’t  responding well to them. I knew it would come eventually, but when word came  that it was time, I freaked out.

Immediately, the voice in my head started explaining how hard it is to give  up wheat, to give up dairy, to give them up in addition to sugar, to give them  up when I don’t eat meat. It told me that this was absolutely unreasonable. It  told me how this would be better to do later.

The good news is that I am impressively tenacious.

(“Tenacious” is the post-therapy translation of childhood labels like  bull-headed, stubborn, cantankerous, unmanageable, and just plain bitchy.)

I won’t listen to anyone, even  the little voices in my head, when I can  discern they are coming from a place of fear. Part of me felt afraid that these  changes would be too hard. Part of me certainly — and perhaps even reasonably —  felt afraid that I wouldn’t know what to eat or how to prepare my food. I was  afraid because I sincerely wanted to make these changes and that meant it  would  hurt so badly if I failed.

But all of that is about fear and we already know that nothing of value ever  comes from fear.

So, here’s the deal: I am a catalyst. I write and teach because these are the  gifts I possess to help me blow up obstacles to personal freedom — both in my  life and in yours — because that’s what I believe I was created to do. With that  in mind, what  I’m trying to tell you is this: Once you hear the whispers (or  feel bricks) about making changes in your life, the time to take action is now.  Period.

When you feel the energy surge, that’s your sign, jump on and ride it all the  way. Do whatever it takes to cultivate the health, sanity, creativity,  abundance, love, or whatever else you need and desire. That’s how this works.  And when you commit, the universe will rush in to support you. You’ll receive  the your life equivalent of friends who are masterful vegan cooks to  teach you how prepare what you eat now, Kundalini Yoga classes to help you heal,  and too-tight favorite blue jeans to remind you why you care about making this  change.

While I could write, at remarkable length, about the merits of sugar-free  food, being a vegetarian or vegan, food sensitivities, respecting an 11 year-old  boy’s need to carve a space for himself in the world by eating meat, and the  healing power of self-love, that is not what I want you to hear in this story  about what’s changing in my world.

Instead, I’m writing to ask you — plain and simple — to listen when your  intuition speaks to you. Regardless of what healing journey writers like me are  sharing with you, or what your partner/boss/mother/society believes you “should”  be, I’m asking you to find your own answers. What does your body need you to do?  What does your soul long for? What are the personal and professional dreams  waiting for your attention?

Listen to the beautiful voice inside your heart; the tender one who whispers  about your strength and your power; the one who knows, intimately, all the best  parts of you and who remembers the reason for your life on this earth. When that  voice says it is time, listen… act. Your life is waiting for you.

 

Food Can Nourish the Spirit

Food Can Nourish the Spirit

by Sarah Cooke

Today, a friend and I had a conversation about the role that relationships  can play in our enjoyment of food. For example, when I prepare dishes using my  mother’s recipes, the flavor is the same but the experience is often less  fulfilling than enjoying a meal she has prepared for me. Similarly, when I  prepare a meal for my fiancé and myself, I often enjoy the dish more than I do  when I am the only one eating.

It is not only the flavor of a dish or the quality of the ingredients that  contributes to our enjoyment. It is the energy surrounding the food – and the  consumption of it. When a meal is prepared and eaten with love,  it is generally more enjoyable.

Yes, this phenomenon can lead to emotional  eating when we try to recreate the positive memories and feelings associated  with particular foods. But it also has the potential to be quite beneficial.  When we enjoy food on the level of the spirit, we are often more likely to feel  more fulfilled, meaning we consume fewer empty calories than we do when we eat  processed foods, which are less fulfilling. When we eat processed food, we often  must eat more to feel fulfilled. In addition, when we learn to appreciate the  deep, emotional nourishment that food can offer us in a balanced way, we are  likely to choose high quality foods that can offer that kind of sustenance.

 

Common Ground: The Most Practical Meat to Eat

Common Ground: The Most Practical Meat to Eat

by Eric Steinman

Ground meat has gotten a bad rap of late, and deservedly so. With reports about “pink slime” dominating the headlines, along with the various pathogen outbreaks from ground beef contaminations, and the fact that a single pound of conventional ground meat is barely traceable back to its source (likely originating from 100+ animals spread over six different states), there is substantial reason to avoid the stuff (even if you are not a vegetarian or vegan). However, for the intrepid meat eater who is not deterred by such findings, ground meat is one of the most inexpensive, flexible, and a more ecologically wise choice than those more pricey cuts of meat.

This is at least the opinion of Brian Halweil, the editor of Edible East End and publisher of Edible Manhattan and Edible Brooklyn (and a colleague of mine) along with Danielle Nierenberg, the director of Nourishing the Planet. Both co-authored a recent New York Times opinion piece on the subject of ground meat being the “kindest cut” of meat available. The logic behind this argument is, once an animal is butchered and the popular cuts like steaks, chops and roasts are utilized, the rest of the meat is ground — 26 percent of a hog, 38 percent of a beef cow, 41 percent of dairy cows and 46 percent of lambs (science has yet to figure out how to breed a cow that is comprised of only filet mignon). Because such a high percentage of what is left over can only be ground for consumption, eating ground meat becomes a more cost efficient and practical way to consume the whole animal. As the article states, “In the same way that nose-to-tail butchery can save a household money, buying ground meat can encourage small-scale, diversified livestock farming, since it helps supplement income from the pricier cuts.”

But what about all of the pathogens, pink slime, and health risks that are associated with ground meat? Well, if you purchase and consume conventional feedlot ground meat, you are taking your chances and decidedly contributing to all of the problems that go hand-in-hand with feedlots, the mistreatment of animals, etc. However if you purchase grass-fed, local, and/or organic meat from a small (or environmentally and ethically responsible) producer, you are more likely to be consuming a safer and higher quality product (albeit a bit more expensive one as well). Still, eating meat is not for everyone (nor should it be) and the production, and harvesting of animals remains the most energy- and resource-intensive ingredient in our national diet. So if you have to have that meat fix, you are better off not paying top dollar for some top round trucked in from who knows where, and instead, source out some ethically- and environmentally-raised ground meat that utilizes the entirety of the animal.

If you are not a vegan or vegetarian and actually have a taste for meat (and are not boiling mad at this point) do you think you could be convinced to drop the steak and go ground? Is the low cost nature of ground meat unappealing to you?

Eating Invasives: Delicious or Dangerous?

by The Nature Conservancy

By Matt Miller, The Nature Conservancy

Warm spring days evoke a strong memory of my grandmother. She’s hunched over the yard, seemingly picking randomly at the grass. Her short stature and rapid movements give the appearance of a dervish. She grips at a plant, plucks and plops it into the bucket, then moves a short distance away to resume her harvest.

My grandmother collected dandelions, a spring bounty she served with a bacon dressing. The bitter greens were not unlike spinach or kale, bitter yet tasty. My grandfather used the flowers to make a potent wine.

This time of year, I so often encounter dandelions shriveled from hefty doses of herbicide. Recalling my grandmother, it seems a waste: here are delicious, nutritious greens that could be providing some free meals. Instead, they’ve become toxic reminders of the so-called “war on weeds“—the scorched earth approach to invasive control favored by both surburban lawn owners and conservationists.

Why aren’t we instead looking at some non-native, invasive species as a sustainable source for fresh, local food?

The idea is popular. Books like Jackson Landers‘ upcoming Eating Aliens encourage local foodies to eat such invasives as iguanas and nutrias. Marine conservationists have launched campaigns to encourage restaurants to carry lionfish, a species devastating coral reefs. Even governments have urged their citizens to eat non-native gray squirrels (in Britain) and camels (in Australia).

As history shows, people can certainly eat their way through populations of species. As such, eating invasives doesn’t only provide good food, it’s good conservation.

Or is it?

An upcoming paper by ecologist Martin Nunez and others to be published in Conservation Letters, the journal of the Society of Conservation Biology, encourages skepticism to this approach. In the paper, they argue that encouraging people to eat invasives may have unintended consequences. There’s a real risk, the authors argue, that people will start actually liking said invasives.

Entrepreneurs could develop markets for them; hunters could enjoy pursuing them. Invasives could become a part of the local culture. As a review in Conservation Magazine points out, native Hawaiians often oppose eradication measures for non-native pigs because pig hunting and eating is so clearly linked to their culture.

I can relate: On a recent weekend, my friends and organic gardeners Clay and Josie Erskine asked me to their farm to hunt the non-native (in Idaho) wild turkeys that had begun raiding their gardens. As we looked across their farm, ring-necked pheasants ran from the kale patch. Valley quail called from literally every corner of the property.

“Every one of them is a non-native species,” Josie sighed. “And they’re all absolutely devastating to vegetable farmers like us.”

Non-native quail, pheasants and turkeys have a constituency, though. Membership organizations advocate for their conservation. Landowners can receive government funding for practices that largely benefit these birds.

I reluctantly admit, as a non-native gamebird hunter, I would oppose any effort to eliminate these species.

Could campaigns to eat kudzu or camels or carp actually have the reverse effect? Could such campaigns lead to people protecting or spreading them?

It bears serious thought.

The risks need to be recognized. So, too, do the benefits.

Intensive invasive species control poses risks of its own. With its war metaphors and scorched earth campaigns, invasives eradication often requires hefty doses of toxic chemicals. And just as often, weeds or invasive animals still flourish. Aside from cases on small islands such as Santa Cruz, complete eradication is usually impossible.

Recognizing dandelions as a food source will not eradicate the plant. But spraying dandelions doesn’t, either.

In many ways, eating invasives is not a control measure so much as it is a new way of interacting with non-native species. Through eating them, they become part of our environment rather than “enemies.” And because they’re prolific and abundant, they make ideal sustainable, low-carbon, local food sources.

Despite our best efforts, invasive species already thrive in our midst. Is serving them for dinner really going to make them even more prevalent?

Doubtful. These species are here to stay. It’s time to recognize them as a truly sustainable and abundant food source. I’ll take the fried iguana served over a bed of dandelion greens, please.

Matt Miller is a senior science writer for The Nature Conservancy. He writes features and blogs about the conservation research being conducted by the Conservancy’s 550 scientists. Matt previously worked for nearly 11 years as director of communications for the Conservancy’s Idaho program. He serves on the national board of directors of the Outdoor Writers Association of America. An avid naturalist and outdoorsman, Matt has traveled the world in search of wildlife and stories.

HERBS FOR THOSE WITH STOMACH ACHES, ULCERS, AND HEARTBURN

HERBS FOR THOSE WITH STOMACH ACHES, ULCERS, AND HEARTBURN
c. 2002, Susun S Weed

1. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE ABOUT STOMACH ACHE?
Calling it stomach ache. The stomach (fortunately) does not ache. Usually when people say their stomach aches, they mean they have a gas pain. Gas pain can be severe pain. My friends who work in emergency rooms say you wouldn’t believe how many people come in for what turns out to be gas pain.
2. WHAT HERBAL ALLIES WOULD YOU RECOMMEND FOR THOSE DEALING WITH:
2A. HEARTBURN?
Herbalists, myself included, see heartburn as a lack of HCL (hydrochloric acid) in the stomach, instead of the prevalent opinion, that it is caused by too much acid. So instead of trying to turn off production of HCL (as drugs attempt to do), herbalists seek herbs that increase HCL, such as dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). In my book Healing Wise I devote an entire chapter to dandelion, with lots of recipes and ideas on how to use it.
You can use any part of dandelion: the flowers make dandelion wine, you can cook the greens, or eat them in salad, you can even cook the root, or make a vinegar with it (my favorite), or tincture it. Some people make a coffee substitute from roasted dandelion root. Any way you take it seems to work. (A standard dose would be 10-20 drops of the root tincture taken at the beginning of the meal.) Dandelion, and its friend chicory (Cichorium intybus), which is a fine substitute should you have access to one and not the other, are true tonics. That is, the more you take them, the less you need them. You don’t have to keep taking this remedy forever. After 3-6 weeks you’ll find you need it less and less.
In Europe it is customary to take bitters before a big meal. Most mild bitters, such as yellow dock (Rumex crispus), cronewort/mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), gentian (Gentiana lutea), barberry (Berberis vulgaris), and Oregon grape are liver tonics and digestives. They aid in digestion, and decrease risk of heartburn, by increasing production of both HCL and bile.
A few more tips for those who suffer from heartburn:
~ Eat less at each meal
~ Stay upright after eating; no lounging around or sleeping
~ Avoid eating late at night
~ Reduce the amount of coffee you drink
~ Don’t overdo it with the orange juice, either
~ Use slippery elm lozenges (available in health food stores) for immediate relief from heartburn
2B. ULCERS?
The herbs that increase HCL in the stomach, such as dandelion, also decrease ulcers, which are the result of a bacterial infection. When stomach acid is increased, that bacteria has a harder time of it and is less likely to cause ulcers.
Amusing isn’t it that medical science says “OK, there must be a mind/body connection, because gastrointestinal ulcers are caused by stress”; only to find out what my herbal teachers taught me long ago: bacteria cause ulcers.
Here’s one way to kill that bacteria (besides taking drugs): Get a food grater with a very fine grating side. Grate a large potato as finely as possible. Into another bowl, grate ¼ to ½ of a cabbage. Let them sit for 10-15 minutes, until liquid starts to collect in the bottom of the bowls. Use your hand, or something hard, to press and squeeze the potato until it is dry. Throw away the pulp and keep the liquid. Repeat with the cabbage. Don’t use a juicer. There are plant starches that you don’t get when you use a juicer. A food processor is ok.
Put the liquids in separate jars in the refrigerator, taking 1-3 tablespoonfuls 2-3 times a day. The more severe the symptoms, the larger and more frequent the dose would be. I expect symptomatic relief within 36-48 hours. But this remedy is safe to take for weeks at a time if needed.
If you can’t make the potato liquid, you can buy potato starch and mix it with water. Instead of the cabbage liquid, you could buy coleslaw. It isn’t the same as grating the potato and the cabbage, but it is better than nothing. And even if it doesn’t work as fast, if that is what is available to you, use it.
2C. STOMACH ACHE?
To me, this means gas pain. Herbs that relieve gas pain are called “carminatives” because they make you “sing” (carmen). Many aromatic herbs are carminatives, especially the seeds of members of the Apiaceae family including dill seed, caraway seeds, fennel seeds, anise seeds, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds. Just put a big spoonful in a cup, cover well with boiling water, steep five minutes, sweeten if you like, and drink.
Ginger is another readily-available carminative. Especially warming to the guts. You can make a tea with powdered ginger, or use up to a tablespoon of fresh ginger per cup of water for a strong brew. Ginger works best sweetened with honey. NASA found it would counter the nausea of space-sickness. You can also buy crystallized or candied ginger to take traveling with you.
The fastest remedy for gas pain is two capsules of acidophilus. I expect pain relief in 5-10 minutes. And I don’t pay much attention to the expiration date on it. I keep mine in the refrigerator, and use them so rarely that I often have a bottle for ten years – and they still work.
Eating yogurt helps prevent gas pain, and can be used as a remedy, but it is not as fast as the acidophilus. A quart of yogurt a week is a good goal. And buy plain yogurt. No need to pay a fancy price for white sugar and poor quality fruit. Add maple syrup or honey and fruit of your choice, fresh or frozen at home. Make your own fantasy yogurt creation.
And the bitter tonic herbs mentioned above are also excellent allies to take long-term if you have frequent gas pains.
When I was in Spain I often had to eat late at night. Then I would take a sip of their very strong coffee, served in tiny cups. It had just the right amount of push to get that food into my digestive tract and still allow me to fall asleep at a reasonable time.
But most people in America drink coffee in the morning on an empty stomach. Might this be one reason so many are in such digestive distress? Instead of coffee, try this:
~ Put one ounce by weight of dried peppermint leaf in a quart jar and fill to the top with boiling water.
~ Cap tightly and allow to steep for 4-8 hours. (OK to let it steep while you sleep.)
~ Strain the plant material out after the allotted time, squeezing it well.
~ Then drink the liquid: hot or cold, salty or sweetened, with milk or whiskey or what have you.
~ Refrigerate what you don’t drink then. This will stay good in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.
Peppermint helps move the intestines and make you feel really awake, just like coffee. I would not use it if someone were feeling nauseated, as it tastes vile on the way back out.
3. CAN PEOPLE EXPECT QUICK RELIEF FROM THESE REMEDIES?
(See above)
With dandelion, you often see results in the first 24 hours.
4. HOW OFTEN WOULD YOU HAVE TO TAKE THESE REMEDIES?
(See above)
5. DO YOU THINK THE PUBLIC DISMISSES HERBAL REMEDIES AS A LAST RESORT?
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 90% of the health care given on any day is given in the home by the woman of the home. Just by cooking dinner a woman can heal her family and keep them healthy. She can protect her husband’s heart by using lots of garlic. And protect his libido by serving less soy.
Many Americans have food phobias. Think about how many people are frightened of drinking milk. How many won’t eat bread. I go into the health food store to get bread and there are loaves with no flour, and those with no yeast, and those without wheat, and I wonder where all the bread has gone.
We have a national history of food phobias, starting with Graham (inventor of the healthy graham cracker), continuing with Kellogg (of breakfast flake fame), and right into the modern day’s current fads (no fat? no carbs? all protein? all raw?). Not too much has really changed. More and more people are learning about herbal medicine, but I am sure many of them think it is difficult and arcane. They may be unaware that herbal medicine is the medicine for the people, of the people, and by the people.
6. ARE THERE ANY WARNINGS ABOUT ANY OF THE HERBAL REMEDIES TAKEN TO RELIEVE STOMACH ACHE?
I specialize in safe, food-like herbs. I prefer them to drug-like herbs. The remedies I have suggested here are as safe as foods, taken in food-like quantities. When herbs are powdered and encapsulated, they can be dangerous. They are more like a drug and you have to be more careful. I use herbs because they aren’t drugs.
7. ARE THERE FOODS THAT CAN INITIATE A STOMACH ACHE?
Beans! The magical fruit. So good for us, but so hard on the guts. And even worse when they are soy beans. The gas people get from tofu and tempe and soy beverage is outrageous.
From regular beans, try this simple five-step approach – guaranteed to reduce how much you “toot”
(i) Soak your beans overnight in a generous amount of cold water. Add a piece of wakame or kombu if desired.
(ii) Rinse beans thoroughly in cold water (retain seaweed).
(iii) Cover beans with fresh cold water, add retained seaweed, and cook until tender.
(iv) Cool.
(v) Reheat beans to serve.
8. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD?
Yes, I believe all peppers are upsetting to the digestive tract. I suggest avoiding black pepper and cayenne, jalapeno and all others if you are prone to heartburn, have frequent gas pain, or suffer from irritable bowel or even simple diarrhea.
Green Blessings!
Susun Weed
 

November 7 – Daily Feast

November 7 – Daily Feast

 

Few children still have the chance to be innocent. They have been made to look like miniature adults, taught to act adult, and abused because of it. We sympathize with abused children and say that is the way the world is, what can we do? It is an easy loophole that lets us go on our way – wishing things were different but doing nothing to make it so. This is why we have so many throwaway children. We have cut loose from our responsibility to pray. Where did we go wrong? We made children competitive and gave them nothing for inner strength. We curled their hair and twisted their minds. They are going to learn it somewhere – so why not from us? Sadly, we haven’t given them what they need because we don’t have it ourselves.

~ Can it be that you and your children will hear that eternal song without a stricken heart? ~

EAGLE WING

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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November 1 – Daily Feast

November 1 – Daily Feast

 

ELEVEN
Du

BIG TRADING MONTH
Nu Da Na ‘Egwa

Great Spirit, the council here assembled, the aged men and women, the strong warriors, the women and children, unite their voice of thanksgiving to Thee. Na-Ho!

IROQUOIS THANKSGIVING FESTIVAL

November 1 – Daily Feast

The danger point comes after a victory when we think there are no more battles. How many wars have been fought thinking this is the war that will end all wars? Even in our own private battles we cannot lie back and think we have won the right to peace. We do need to know and remember that we are more than conquerors. It is a life promise, but we have to claim it. Other claims have taken precedence – weariness, lack, sickness – but we are conquerors, even more than conquerors. We are winners and overcomers. Believe it, because it is true, and the more we claim it, the stronger it is.

~ Where is our strength? In the old times we were strong. ~

CHIPAROPAI – YUMA

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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How To Hold a Samhain Rite to Honor Animals

How To Hold a Samhain Rite to Honor Animals

By Patti Wigington, About.com Guide

Celebrate Samhain and honor the animals in your life.

This ceremony is designed to honor the spirits of the animals – both wild and domestic. Man’s relationship with animals goes back thousands and thousands of years. They have been a source of food and clothing. They have protected us from the things that lurk in the darkness. They have provided comfort and warmth. In some cases, they have even raised and nurtured our discarded children, as in the case of Romulus and Remus. If you have animals in your home — pets or livestock — this is their night. Feed them before you feed the humans in your family. Put some food out for any wild animals that may happen by as well.

Difficulty: Average
Time Required: Varied
Here’s How:
  1. If you have a pet that has passed away during this last year, you may want to include a photo or keepsake of them on your table during this rite.

    Prepare a stew for your family that includes small amounts of as many different meats as you may have available — beef, pork, game, chicken, etc. If your family is vegetarian or vegan, designate a non-meat ingredient to represent each animal and adapt the ritual as needed, eliminating lines that reference the eating of animals. When your stew is ready, gather the family around the altar table you prepared during the previous night’s Harvest End Ritual.

  2. Place the stew pot in the center of the table, with a large serving spoon or ladle. Make sure you have some good dark bread to eat as well. Each member of the family should have a bowl and spoon handy. Say:

    Samhain has come, and it is the end of the Harvest.
    The crops are in from the fields,
    And the animals are preparing for the coming winter.
    Tonight, we honor the animals in our lives.
    Some have died that we may eat.
    Some have provided us with love.
    Some have protected us from that which would do us harm.
    Tonight, we thank them all.     

  3. Go around the family in a circle. Each person should take a scoop of stew from the pot and place it in their bowl. Younger children may need an adult’s help with this. As each person gets their helping, say:

    Blessed are the animals,
    Those who die that we may eat.
    Blessed are the animals,
    Those we love and who love us in return.     

    When every family member has their stew, each takes a piece of bread. As they do, say:

    As the Wheel of the Year continues to turn,
    The harvest has ended, and the grain has been threshed.
    The animals sleep for the winter.
    We thank them for their gifts.     

  4. Take your time finishing your meal. If you have pets, don’t be surprised if they come visit while you’re eating your stew tonight — animals tend to be very aware of the spiritual plane! If there is any stew left over, leave some out for the spirits. Any extra bread can be thrown outside for the wild animals and birds.
Tips:
  1. If you want to mix a bit of stew in with your pet’s everyday food, it’s a good idea to check with your veterinarian first.
What You Need:
  • An altar table
  • A pot of stew
  • Some hearty dark bread

September 27 – Daily Feast

September 27 – Daily Feast

 

Walk with me to the edge of the woods and hear the birds. They haven’t all gone south, some stay the winter. The cardinal will later perch in the evergreens and make snow seem whiter – but now he sings in the bottom land that is protected from the wind. See the last of summer’s flowers, the sunflower that is a great deal bigger than the palm of your hand. And watch the lone jet draw lines from one horizon almost to the other before the wind scatters his lines. Even when the season seems to be taking away all that the land has produced – remember the potential is still there, and so is yours.

~ We gave you our hearts. You now have them. ~

SATANK – KIOWA

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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September 9 – Daily Feast

September 9 – Daily Feast

 

There are ways you have not dreamed existed – until you can see beyond your own limited vision to possibilities of real substance. It takes a certain Mindset to stop believing in shortages and start seeing good things happen. Some people believe they will never see their dreams fulfilled – they accept it. And that acceptance solidifies such beliefs into reality. You have developed a consciousness of ga lu lo gi, the Cherokee’s expression of lack. In the words of the prophet, “Is anything too hard for God?”

~ We are all poor men; and I think others have got all the goods. ~

SATANTA – KIOWA

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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September 6 – Daily Feast

September 6 – Daily Feast

 

We’ve known extremes. We have pushed beyond common sense and we have paid a price for it. Most of us know what is good for us, but we allowed ourselves to be influenced where we should have stood our ground. This is true even of the little things – though often the results are not little at all. Things like eating and drinking and talking too much, these things are not bad in particular, but so easily overdone. There’s no obvious stopping place so we are well past the stop sign before we know it is there. Education? Awareness? Group understanding? These things may help, but a thorough adjustment in the soul and spirit is the only lasting answer.

~ My Great Father…..told me that fire and water were alike, and that we cannot live without either of them. ~

LONE WOLF – KIOWA

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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August 25 – Daily Feast

August 25 – Daily Feast

 

We have a flair for convincing ourselves that there is nothing we can do about certain things – when it is more likely we don’t want to do anything about them. As long as we still care enough, we go on looking for solutions and hoping for miracles. But every day that goes by distances us from so much that no longer stirs us. Gradually, those things we thought so important fade and slip out of our daily thoughts. It is called gv ge wi s di in Cherokee, and means neglect in anybody’s language. It is one thing to let something go when it means nothing, and another to think we still have control and find the urgent need to retrieve it. What is important? It is vital to know what we want and need – if we are ever to have it.

~ I was very sorry when I found out that your intentions were good and entirely different from what I supposed they were. ~

SITTING BULL

“A Cherokee Feast of Days” by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II” – July 14

A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II” – July 14

Eating the greens Grandmother gathered was a trial, an imposition on a
child remembering the fried or roasted meats of wintertime. But she
persisted in gathering them and she insisted that I eat them because
their medicinal properties would ward off many diseases. Grandmother
would have been appalled at many things from fast-food to the tasteless
cooking of greens. She was the matriarch and in many ways remains so,
because her mindset set our minds and even now an unwanted salad comes
with the command, “Eat!” We remember and are the better for it.

~ Our village was healthy and there was no place in the country
possessing such advantages. ~ MA-KA-TAI-ME-SHE-KIA-KIAK ~ SAUK AND FOX CHIEF
.
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Herb of the Day for May 23rd is EUCALYPTUS

Herb of the Day

EUCALYPTUS

Do not use on the faces of small children.

Folk Names: Blue gum Tree, Stringy Bark Tree

Gender: Feminine

Planet:  Moon

Element: Water

Powers:  Healing, Protection

Magickal Uses:  The leaves are used to stuff healing poppets and are carried to maintain good health. To relieve colds, ring green candles with the leaves and pods and burn them to the socket, visualising the person (or yourself)) as being completely healthy. Also hang a small branch or twig of eucalyptus over the sick bed.

String the immature (green) pods on green thread and wear to help heal sore throats. Placed beneath the pillow,the pods guard against colds

The leaves are also carried for protection.