West Cork grown Comfrey Cream at Rebel Foods Market Stall

Comfrey Cream

Comfrey cream has got to be my all time favourite cream, lotion, balm, potion or anything else that I make around here. I can’t seem to find an end to all of the ways and means that it gets used.

We use it for everything!

In case you are not that familiar with this herb, it has been noted and used for many centuries for it’s ability to increase cell production, reduce inflammation and soothe irritated tissues. Thus, it can settle things down on the skin and at the same time lessen scarring. 

A few weeks ago I noticed an old scar on my arm from a barbed wire fence that I got years ago trying to help my cat through, away from the neighbours’ dogs. It was just a long thin scratch at the time and healed up right away. 

But it left a long thin, very noticeable scar straight across my arm. Funny how most of the other scars I have tend to fade over time, but not this one. It was still prominent on my arm, at least to me….

So, I started putting some ordinary comfrey cream on it, night after night and low and behold…it has faded to nearly nothing. I love this about comfrey – it is soothing, healing and a skin regenerator all at the same time.

I make my comfrey cream with only the finest comfrey around, ahem…my own West Cork grown comfrey, so I know it is quality, right from the outset. I also use only organic beeswax (my own until it runs out) and organic grade therapeutic oils such as coconut, sweet almond, jojoba and cold pressed olive oil.

For so many years I put nothing on my skin. Only water. And then once I started with my own creams, lotions, ointments, balms and salves – I can’t get enough! My skin is drinking them in.

And not only my skin. 

At least once a week (or maybe more) someone comments on my hair – even when it’s a mess, it’s still shiny or actually, sometimes glossy. Perhaps its’ also because I rub comfrey cream all over my hands and then through my hair once it’s dry or maybe it’s the nettle & rosemary rinse, but then it might also be the fact I am Nightshade free….

Or it’s a combination of all three of the above. But, we do have healthy hair around here – so whatever we are doing, I think I will keep doing it! LOL

Coming back to healing and protecting skin, for far too many years I suffered each winter with dry, chapped hands that would split at the knuckles and around my nails. If you have ever had this happen, you can probably appreciate how painful this is. And how much I would dread getting my hands wet.

But, half of my day is spent with wet hands – cooking, cleaning or making something or other. So steering clear of water is not an option – it is often a key ingredient in the many things I do around here.

Over the years I have used comfrey creams from many different sources (they have far more ingredients then mine do), then finally gave up because they simply didn’t work. That is until I made my own and combined it with body butters or on occasion cocoa butter. 

The bottom line here is that my own creams are so pure and natural they do no harm to delicate and healing skin. I add essential oils to back up the therapeutic effects while boosting their detox and repair properties.

One other area I have been plagued with is cold sores on my lips. For years I have fasted as a discipline and for detox purposes, however, because fasting pushes out whatever toxins, viruses etc. that are hanging around in the body, cold sores would always break out for me.

Until my trusty comfrey cream that is! I kind of don’t want to speak too soon, but this is the longest I have gone without a cold sore in years – all due to using my Fire & Ice Comfrey Cream blend. I think it killed the virus dead the last time it even thought of surfacing. 

Then, my son used comfrey cream to heal up an in-grown toenail, we all put it on minor scrapes, cuts and burns and there is a jar in the barn for the animals which we use when ever someone gets a scratch or sore spot. 

Comfrey is just an all round healing, comforting herb and a must have cream for the medicine cabinet, or next to your bed, or in your purse, on the kitchen window…..

April 

Rebel Foods Market Stall Comfrey Creams

Nature's Magic….Elder Flower Cordial, Champagne & Elder Lemonade!

Herbs are natures’ gift to us – they are the ultimate healer, delightful food and in complete harmony with our body’s needs. They are perfectly balanced and practical, in every way. A herb knows what to do within your body, and your body knows how to use the herb what ever the needs may be….

Of course there are so many to choose from….but really, we only need to be familiar with a few that grow locally around us during the various seasons and we can work with these to our hearts delight for healing and many wonderful seasonal eats.

Right now we are nearing the end of the elder flowers….many of these mythical trees have bloomed already and are well on their way to become the berries I look forward to each year. But, I love the blossoms too and look forward to them like nothing else.

The energy of the elder is quite something – it’s is different from anything else in the forest with a quality unlike other energy forms. An elder tree is a guardian, rooted and standing in place – willing to anchor and connect mortal time to eternity.

With this in mind (yikes!) each summer I pick a few elder blossoms to make our cordial and of course to dry for my herbal teas. In years past, I have tried making cordial without using sugar, replacing it with honey or apple concentrate to varying results.

But this year, with my newly 'healed and sealed' gut (after doing the mother of all cleanses/fasts/detoxes for the last 2 or 3 years) – I decided to try making my cordial with sugar, this time around, using a very traditional recipe…..

Basically, I took about 30 heads of elder flowers (a large bunch) washed them off under gently running water to get any bugs. In the meantime I boiled about 3 liters of well water and grated 4 organic lemons to get the zest, then I sliced them thinly.

Once the water was hot, I poured in about 2kg of sugar and stirred until it was dissolved and allowed this to sit about 10 minutes or so. Then I added the lemon zest and the thinly sliced lemons – it was smelling lovely already!

Last – the magic ingredient, all of those elder flower heads went into the big pot – this was stirred very gently and left loosely covered overnight. These old recipes often have varying lengths of time for leaving this concoction to steep, but I like longer time if possible. So I leave it for at least 24 hours or so.

Then, the liquid is strained off through a muslin cloth and placed into clean bottles….in a couple of weeks I will taste each of my batches….but I do remember from my childhood that we were still drinking elder cordial well up into Easter the following year!

This makes a thickish syrup which is great diluted with fizzy water, wine or fruit juice. Nothing else smells like summer to me, then when the house is full of elder flowers (right now I have cordials brewing and flowers drying as well)!

So far, so good - bring on summer!

April

Down a New Road....Still Wild Foraging Food

I haven’t really been cooking much of anything (new that is) these days…I’ve been very busy with the garden and farm work….all of these animals need tending as well as planting and weeding to be done.

Most evenings I have been exhausted and kept thinking I am too tired to write…but here I am, today making some more cheese for the weekend, with a pot of goat stew in the slow cooker and have made 6 jars of jam with all the dried berries left over from the winter.

That’s on top of the farm work LOL! And I think I am not doing much of anything….

One update I wanted to make is how after nearly 3 weeks we still haven’t bought any vegetables other then 2 bags of onions and a few carrots. Not so long ago this would have been unheard of for me….I would never have thought I could get by with just the greens growing around me.

But, I am and we are! I have made soups, stews, pesto, stir-fries, casseroles and what ever I can think of using just the wild greens in the fields and things that are growing in my own garden.

And we have more then enough to eat. Of course I combine these with fish, meat, beans, lentils, couscous and rice to create a different dish for every meal. They are all quite versatile and I know we are getting an abundance of vitamins and minerals like nothing else.

I actually think it has taken me this long to notice how I am feeling on this diet of mainly greens from the fields and our own milk, eggs, meat, cheese, garden greens, herbs and so forth. To say I am more in tune would be an understatement….

Its as if I am in charge. I can feel my gut changing, my outlook and thinking is less clouded. I actually feel more like myself right now then ever before in my entire life on this planet.

I know it’s because my food is nearly fully ‘mine’ – produced or made or grown or harvested by me. When I started this experiment over a year ago (make every effort to no longer buy finished products of ANYTHING) I knew I would feel better.

But right now, I guess I had no idea how much better and what other changes this line of thinking would bring…I can look back now and see how my new lifestyle in terms of eating has taken me down quite different paths then what I had been expecting.

Stay tuned, this is only going to get more interesting!

April

Duck and Guinea Fowl Eggs

Spirit Of Nature – Wild Food Foraging

This spring (and most springs) I do my best to use the local, fresh wild foods growing around me – it’s one of the main reasons I choose to live in the country. There is an abundance of clean water as well as lots to harvest at any time of the year.

This weekend is the May Day holiday – for me it has been celebrated already with a fire ceremony on Wednesday – but the weekend will be nice too. The way I am choosing to honour the spirit of this month of Bealtaine this year is to….

Bring more of the Spirit of Nature back into our bodies – and I plan on doing this by completely wild foraging our greens for the next few days. I actually have next to no vegetables in the house right now and will not be buying anything…..

They are over-rated anyway!!! LOL But, I am quite serious here….

So….as you may have guessed, I have been foraging quite a bit already this spring. Finding nearly anything and everything that is edible around me (nettle, dandelion, wild garlic, sorrel) – both in my garden as well as growing wild.

I am now hoping to take this a little bit further afield so to speak – and see what else I can find close by that will fit nicely with our meat or fish over these coming days.

Basically the challenge is to find enough greens (wild) to accompany meals for 4 people, 2 dogs and one ‘I’ll try anything once’ (just once) cat. The rest of the animals are already great at foraging out in the back garden…

Besides, the birds do it – and they manage. You can even raise a fully grown horse on grass and pasture…so at the very least, we should be able to find enough for a few days to supplement our meals, and make a tasty diversion!

Either way… eating like this has got me thinking (once again!) about this entire vegetable growing/eating, get your 5-a-day mentality. If we were eating wild harvest, even some of the time – you don’t need 5-a-day….

These plants are so rich and abundant in minerals, vitamins, phytonutrients, energy and spirit – we hardly need anything else. It’s no wonder we are all so depleted – eating vegetables and fruits grown in hot houses, under plastic, and devoid of nature is not, well, natural.

Our guts are not designed for that kind of lifeless food (it’s not really living is it?) and our tissues are waiting in hope for something real, natural and wild. This leaves a whole lot to consider with regards to this supermarket lifestyle we are encouraged to follow…

April

Does she look like she is smiling to you?? Me too!!

Steeped In Herbs....

 I am still on my herb thing here….can’t get enough of them this time of the year – plus I am out in the garden clearing the way for new growth spending quality time with my herbs. Over the years herbs have come to mean something very special to me for my family, my life and healing.

First of all I incorporate them where ever and whenever I can, into nearly every aspect of my cooking, baking, and for our food and drink.  Their healing magical qualities then can infuse throughout my entire mind, body and soul because I am literally steeped in their energy.

Even though I have been walking this path for such a long time I still know I have quite a ways to go. My body is a work in progress as is my mind and spirit. Herbs have been my friend, my guide and my help over these many years and continue to expand their role in my life.

No matter what I am eating or drinking or what stage of food, fast and feast I am in – I find a way to include a variety of herbs with every meal. Tonight we had fresh rosemary bread, onion, nettle and cabbage stir-fry with herbed cous-cous…

Of course when I am fasting – these are the mainstay of my diet – I love the way an infusion of herbs can absorb directly into my system through my stomach wall. Herbs have such an intelligence, they go to work right away on functions and systems – just as nature intended.

If you haven’t yet entrusted your health to something ancient and wise – an energy who knows how to work with your body while creating only peace of mind – perhaps it’s time to befriend a herb!

Start out small – try a chamomile tea (get organic or grow your own), add some extra rosemary, thyme or sage to your meal – take a bath in sea salt and lavender.

Find a few ways to include herbs into your routine – your body will sing and your spirit will soar.  

April

Yarrow

Universal Song - Vibrational Symphony of Herbs

I am loving this extended spring season at the moment (yes, only at the moment!) because it is finally warm enough to get outside into the garden and also the spring harvest keeps on giving up it’s bounty (yumm!).

Today was a garden day, here that means it didn’t rain much – I spent most of it outside on my hands and knees in the dirt (where I am at my best, I might add) weeding, organizing and sorting the herbs for this year.

Not that I have much of any say in it – but I like to pretend I am in control out there. I have long thought they have nightly meetings once I am inside – discussing where and how to grow amongst themselves.

Herbs really do have a mind of their own! And I am thankful for that too – this concept is key to how I approach and work with herbs for my Energy Medicine. They not only heal and uplift our bodies, the powerful affect on our minds is not to be taken lightly.

Our mind is a key element to our well-being, we want this part of our beings to be in direct alignment with all we set out to accomplish. No matter what those goals, desires or dreams might be.

Once ALL of us is on-board (mind, body and soul), there is nothing stopping us from moving things along. A carefully chosen herb or two, either fresh from the garden as food or steeped into a nourishing tea (or herbal coffee) works on those subtle levels of energy and spirit to gently raise our earthly vibrations.

I recently saw an article that caught my eye – 5 Top Ways to Raise Your Vibration or something like that….I was intrigued and gave it a quick read. Sadly, it was in a very well known publication – but the writer did not in the least understand what they were talking about.

They never even mentioned herbs and food was given a quick brush over.

The only way to raise your vibration (cellular frequency) upwards towards higher conscious awareness, is to begin with your body tissues. Our physical self is where it all starts…Change your diet, detox, eat properly, exercise, remove chemical toxins, use the herbal medicine of our planet and drink clean water.

Listen to the herbs…they will sing to you – their vibration is like the symphony of the Universe – and the song is for you.

April

Elemental Forces - Grasping the Nettle

I am still on a bit of a nettle, dandelion, young shoots and leaves diet here since I finished my last fast. I can’t seem to get enough of them and have found ways to include some of these delectable weeds in nearly every dish this week.

For everyone in the house and beyond – even the barn animals are getting lots in their feeds….

Tonight we just finished a meal of bean burgers – with (you guessed it) sautéd nettles and dandelion mixed into the blend. There were delicious! Of course anywhere you might use spinach or greens you can use nettles which taste even better.

Then, because I had fresh nettles this morning and did not want them to wilt I made a big pot of soup for tomorrow as well – Mung Bean Nettle Soup with pumpkins and carrots. It smells and looks lovely and I can’t wait to try it…

We even started off this morning with a jug of fresh Nettle & Dandelion juice – we refer to it here as Butterfly Juice, as opposed to Goose Juice (both of which contain my Energy Medicine Remedy) – some of the names of the juices I make for the market…..

So – right now I am taking stock of how I feel physically, mentally, energetically, after getting nettles and so many fresh greens into me over the past few days – I would have to describe the feeling as grounded yet lifted up.

If that makes any sense?

Or perhaps my body is giving me more of an indication of a rise in some elemental forces deep inside of my tissues and cells. My energy field has changed – I am stronger both inside and out and my outlook is better.

Life marches on.

April