POEST and Earth Day

Some other members of POEST (Pagans of Etsy) are also having a Sale on Earth Day.

Check our Blog for more details:
http://pagansofetsy.blogspot.com/2008/04/earth-day-sale.html

APRIL 22ND: EARTH DAY SALE!

I'm having a sale on Earth Day.

On April 22nd, I will offer -20% off my shop's current offerings with the exception of items that are already on sale.

The amount of the discount will be refunded (the discount is calculated on the total amount before shipping).

My friend Hedgewitch will be donating all proceeds on the 22nd to 'Friends of the Earth', an environmental charity.

Feel free to check her shop: http://hedgewitchUK.etsy.com

Introducing Black Annis Cosmetics

Over the past few months, I've been thinking about having a small lines of natural & botanical cosmetics. I know that mineral powder have become very popular but they are also quite pricey.

I chose the name Black Annis Cosmetics because I wanted a Faery inspiration for my line. Since my products are natural and made with herbs, it seemed very appropriate (hopefully the Fairies will appreciate and bless my products as well).

In the Celtic Faery lore, Black Annis is a hag. Hags are often described as ugly & nasty old crones; I believe they are very misunderstood spirits of power and wisdom. One of my favorite tree to work with (both on a spiritual and medicinal level) is the Elder tree. The Elder is a Faery tree and portal to the Underworld. The spirit of the Elder is an old and wise crone who will gladly help and even bestow gifts if treated with all due respect. Elder is a tree of transformation as well.

My Fair Lady Face Powder is the first item of this new cosmetic line. It is a veil powder more than a foundation powder because it will prevent the skin to become shiny but won't cover blemishes (or very lightly). It's a powder that I recommend for light and fair skin complexions.
My Fair Lady is made of arrowroot powder and pesticide-free rose powder that imparts a natural pinkish hue to the powder as well as a nice rose scent. I really enjoy it ;).

I'm hoping to be able to come up with a matching blush but it seems that it'll be harder than I thought. Other than that, I will be offering herbally infused tinted lip balm in shades of pink and red (if I'm lucky maybe even a violet) similar to my Wise Woman Lip Balm in texture and goodness...

The Ten Most Indispensable Herbs according to Matthew Wood

http://www.woodherbs.com/Indispensable.html

Feminine Mystique & The Goddess

This is an online article from Nourished Magazine, feel free to leave a comment:

“How has the Goddess filled your life and how do you express Feminine energy?”

http://editor.nourishedmagazine.com.au/articles/feminine-mystique

Amber Forest Soap

This soap is handmade with saponified oils, coconut milk, ethically wildcrafted siskiyou cedar leaf infusion (with spring water), eucalyptus honey, ethically wildcrafted fresh pine needle infused oil (in organic extra virgin olive oil), unrefined beeswax, crystallized amber essence, amber tincture, ground siskiyou cedar leaves and juniper twigs.

It has a distinct sweet vanilla-amber like scent.

Result of the Nettle Kefir Experiment

Well, I'm pleased ;).
After 24 hours, I strained my infusion. The smell has changed.
The kefir grains turned brown. I rinsed them and put them back in their little jar.

The taste of the nettle kefir is very interesting: it's similar to an herbal wine. It's a little fizzy due to the fermentation, which produces a little bit of alcohol (the alcohol content of Kefir will vary from 0.06 % (Marshall 1984), up to a maximum of 3% alcohol. The average alcohol content in home brewing is around 0.5% with a loose lid and 1% in an airtight jar. Shaking the fermentation container during the fermentation time also results in higher alcohol content).

I have never tried kombucha tea but I believe it must be somewhat similar. I will experiment with some other herbs and maybe even juices.

The Nettle Kefir Experiment

I recently bought some live kefir grains to make my own kefir with organic milk. I tried twice and didn't like neither the taste nor the smell of it. I read that you can also you these kefir grains with herbal infusions or fruit juices...So I figured that maybe I'd like my kefir better in an herbal base.

I prepared 2 cups of nourishing nettle infusion that had steeped for 4 hours. Once strained, I warmed the infusion lightly and added 1 tbsp of honey (I used raw mountain honey). I rinsed the kefir grains thoroughly with spring water, since I only used them twice they haven't had the time to get used to a dairy environment, therefore they shouldn't take long to adapt to the herbal infusion. Once clean and strained, I placed the kefir grains into a 1 quart mason jar then poured the sweetened nettle infusion over it. I closed the lid and gently shook the jar.

It should take 24 to 48 hours but it can take longer since I don't know how the kefir grains are going to react to this new environment. I will keep a close eye on the infusion, gently shaking the jar from time to time. I will have to smell and taste the infusion to know if and when it's ready to be strained and enjoyed.

I hope it'll taste better this way ;)!

Celebrate the Goddess through Gratefulness

"There is no more profound prayer to the Great Goddess than a simple "Thank You."
And there is no end to the things you have to be grateful for.
From the first object your eyes behold upon awakening to the last thought before slipping into dreams, each day holds infinite opportunity for you to express your gratitude.
Each heartfelt whisper of thanks increases your blessings.
Each sincere expression of gratefulness opens you to bliss.
Each moment, no matter where you are, give thanks for the beauty and bounty that is yours."

From SageWoman 2008 Calendar

Yogurt Update

I forgot to mention in my previous post that the dried starters are from Yogourmet.

Apparently King Arthur Flour also offers 2 types or yogurt starters: a Regular Yogurt Starter and a Bifidus Yogurt Starter.

And last but not least, I found another supplier of fresh yogurt cultures: Nick's Natural Nook. They offer the followings: FilMjolk, Viili, Piima, Matsoni and Buttermilk cultures.

• FilMjolk yogurt starter powder makes a mild and creamy, soft-custard Swedish yogurt that has a very pleasant buttermilk taste (I tried it during a trip in Sweden and loved it).
• Viili is a fermented milk product (yogurt) that comes from Finland for which we supply the yogurt starter culture; it has a thick and viscous consistency, almost jelly-like. It is mildly sweet and pleasant tasting.
• Piima (pronounced pee'ma) is light and creamy Scandinavian yogurt with a slight buttermilk tang and a mild cheese flavor perfectly blended.
• Matsoni (pronounced madzoon) is a fermented milk product (yogurt) from the Republic of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus on the Black Sea for which we supply the yogurt starter culture; It is a smooth and creamy pourable yogurt with a mild slightly sweet savor.
• Cultured buttermilk is fermented sour milk that is commonly used in cooking.

Driven by Jealousy?

I'm not materialistic nor jealous in nature...It's just not me!
And I would never envy another woman for her looks, her wealth or whatever else she can have that I don't...But I would envy another Wild & Wise Woman, somebody who holds greater knowledge and wisdom than I do (especially if she lives close to Nature).

At age 17, I wanted to become a living encyclopedia...I believe that the Spirits heard me loud & clear thus I "cursed" myself to the point that I am convinced to be condemned to keep on learning for the rest of my life.

Gathering knowledge is great, but what is the point if you don't share it? Here's the side effect of my self inflicted curse: I have to teach what I know, somehow...

I've made a few attempts to teach about herbs before, but most people don't want to get involved with herbalism (even under its most simple form: folk medicine/grandmother remedies) because it requires time, reading, research, experimentation, patience, passion, and more... They expect a quick learning experience and fast results like popping a magic pill! We all know it doesn't work like that...

I don't know if it's the renewed & emerging Spring energy, a good timing or a token from the Spirits but I am now really driven and focused on teaching new classes that will blend herbs with nutrition, spirituality, energy healing and women's mysteries/the feminine divine.

I have a 3 part course already scheduled for May-June about The Path of the Wise Woman (I shall post the details of the classes next month). And I think I will have a first class on Shamanic Herbalism in the Fall, working with the introspective energy of the season (which happens to be my favorite).

Health Benefits of Yogurt, Kefir and other Probiotics

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=124

http://www.leaflady.org/yoghurt.htm

http://www.seedsofhealth.co.uk/fermenting/kefir.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kefir

http://www.wildfermentation.com/

Not your Grandma's Yogurt...

With the increasing awareness towards the health hazard of the (processed) food industry, people are starting to cook again and enjoying the pleasure of making (and eating) delicious & nutritious homemade goodies which can be proudly shared (as well as the recipes) with family and friends.

One of these trendy homemade goodies is yogurt...but I'm not talking about your grandma's yogurt anymore. Many of us are still enjoy the traditional whole milk yogurt plain or with fresh fruits (stewed or not)...But now you can choose to prepare sweet, savory or even gourmet yogurts!

What about a yogurt with smoked salmon and french sorrel as an appetizer? Or an orange blossom yogurt as a sweet and soothing snack in the afternoon? If you are fortunate enough to speak french, I recommend the 2 following books: Yaourts : Cent recettes de saison by Murielle Khamouguinoff & Juliette Ranck (which translates to Yogurts: one hundred seasonal recipes) as well as Yaourts exquis by Brigitte Namour, Garlone Bardel & Claire Curt (which translates to Exquisite Yogurts).

If you're interested in making your own yogurts, I recommend Yogurt for Life. They carry everything you need to make yogurts: from yogurt makers to thermometers and even starters. I have used (and still use) their freeze-dried kefir starter (no appliance needed for this one) as well as their freeze-dried yogurt starter. They also have a freeze-dried probiotic yogurt starter and a freeze-dried cheese starter.

If you are looking for live cultures instead, check the Happy Herbalist. You can choose from Caspian Sea Yogurt (which I have always known as Bulgarian Yogurt), Finnish Viili or Kefir Grains Cultures.

Fuzzy Heirloom Tomato

I'm always interesting in collecting seeds of heirloom, hard to find, unusual and nearly forgotten edible & medicinal plants.

Amishland Heirloom Seeds always carry interesting tomatoes, some of them you can't find anywhere else. I just ordered some seeds of an interesting variety named ANGORA SUPER SWEET TOMATO also known as VELVET RED.

"This might be the most beautiful ornamental vegetable you will ever grow! Guaranteed to turn heads! The unbelievable foliage of this rare tomato is a fuzzy silvery gray color. They truly look just like the plant dusty miller. No matter how many photos I took, I wasn't able to really show you how very silvery and fuzzy they actually looked. The one inch ( 1" ) red cherry fruit are also covered in a slightly fuzzy silver "fur" as well. While these tiny fruit are not nearly as fuzzy as the peach type tomatos like PECHE JAUNE, they do have a noticeably grey coloration over the red due to this fuzziness."

Can't wait to grow them ;)...

The Anti-Fatigue Cure

This is a recipe from renowned french herbalist Germaine Cousin-Zermatten.

What you need:

• Dried apricots: go for organic and even sundried (so you get a little bit of sun energy as well) but no oil or preservatives
• Spring water

This is a 3 week cure.

Every night, before sleep, fill up a glass with spring water and 2 or 3 apricots cut in half. Let them soak overnight. In the morning, before breakfast, eat the soaked apricots and drink the apricot water.

I haven't tried it myself but my husband is willing to give it a try ;)...

Spring Time Goodies...

I've been busy whipping up new nourishing & beneficial herbal creations for the Spring (Ostara is coming up this week ;)):

I have slighlty modified my trusty Wise Woman Cream recipe by adding some organic aloe vera gel, which happens to make the cream lighter and smoother. Plus I wanted the cream to be more beneficial by following the natural rhythm of the Seasons, so I listed my brand new Wise Woman Spring Cream ;).

1. I have created a must have lip balm: the Wise Woman Lip Balm. Moisturizing and nourishing with the perfect texture. It's made with calendula infused oil and orange blossom honey...Lightly floral and sweet.


2. Journey to Middle-Earth is a sweet-earthy tea with a touch of spice that will help you relax and stay grounded...One of my personal favorites.


3. Two seasonal blends to help you celebrate the return of the Spring and tune in to the renewed energy of this season: Spring Tonic and Spring Awakening.

Thank you for browsing ;).

Orange Blossom & Honey Soap(s)

Handmade with saponified oils, coconut milk, orange blossom water, homemade fresh calendula infused oil, orange blossom honey and organic calendula petals.

Who's Behind Your Favorite Organic Brands?

http://awesome.goodmagazine.com/features/009/009buyingorganic.html

Honey-Almond Cookies

I adapted the original recipe from The New Laurel's Kitchen (you can find it under my a-store). My husband and I really enjoyed these cookies, especially with a cup of my Journey to Middle-Earth tea ;).

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup of natural almond butter (raw, roasted, smooth or crunchy depending on your preferences)
2. 1/2 cup honey, preferably raw (I used a dark and flavorful mountain honey)
3. 1 egg, beaten
4. 3/4 tsp vanilla or almond extract
5. 1/4 tsp salt (I use Himalayan sea salt)
6. 1/4 tsp baking soda
7. 1 cup whole wheat flour, preferably pastry flour (1 used 1/2 cup organic whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup organic pastry flour)

>Preheat oven to 350F. Cream the almond butter and the honey together. Stir in the egg and the vanilla/almond extract. Sift together the salt, the soda and the flour, and stir into the butter mixture.

>Drop by teaspoonfuls into oiled cookie sheets (if you wish, you can also press a blanched almond down in the center of each cookie). Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until they just begin to turn golden brown on the rims. You'll need to keep a close eye on them because cookies made from honey can turn from golden brown to black quickly.

>This recipe makes 1 or 2 dozen cookies. It's said that they're good keepers ;).

You should preferably use organic, pesticide-free and/or raw ingredients for optimum taste and nutrition. Feel free to experiment with different nut and seed butters...

Celebrate the Goddess through Growth

"The Earth's awakening in springtime stirs an awakening of spirit as well. Like the Mother Goddess, we give birth to new ideas, new insights, and new undertakings.
It can be unsettling to feel the stirrings of change - call it spring fever, perhaps. But we are not meant to be settled or stagnant.
Like the waking Earth, we are meant to grow, blossom, ripen, and give back again in the natural cycle of life. Trust in the Mother to hold you safely in her arms through every change."

SageWoman 2008 Calendar