Sage Hill Gardens – Page 15 – Sustainable Living With Healthy FOOD

A Bog? The Bog At Sage Hill

When I was growing up on a farm, there was a place called the Lower 40…40 acres surrounded by tall trees, climbing vines , water holes and a creepy kind of atmosphere…(where my papa grew corn…tall, beautiful, so green it was almost black-corn.) to a very imaginative young mind…that would be mine…it was a most inviting place…..because of snakes and spiders and other harmful beast …it was off limits….to some!!

Well, as I am here and totally intact…I survived!

Wonders never cease or I never stop searching for/finding mysterious and interesting places to wander.

Come into my Bog said the voice to the ear….it’s dark, cool, green, damp, quite and a perfect place to escape reality…or…perhaps come face to face with reality….. You decide….

**In the real world a bog is…. with their primeval feel, they may be defined as areas in which woodland and bog (or mire) co-exist in a relatively stable relationship. They highlight the way in which Nature often blends the boundaries between one habitat and another.

What’s Life Without Pickles…my mothers bread and butter pickles!!

This last week has been a wonderful Independence Day Retreat for me…
Lot’s of family time, friends, and “me” time!
I feel blessed and refreshed…
Today was a welcome back work schedule…..

This Bread&Butter pickle recipe goes back generations in my mothers family….probably yours also.

God Bless America… Another birthday to be grateful for!

Thank you Lord for family and B&B Pickles!

Benefits of Lemon Water…Real Lemon Juice…

Benefits of Lemon in our diet!

Easy, inexpensive, and so good for the body…inside and out!

1. glowing skin

2. improved digestion

3 aids in weight loss

4. packed with vitamin C

One cup of fresh lemon juice provides 187% of our daily vitamin C needs…plus, potassium, magnesium, and copper.

Because lemon juice’s atomic structure is similar to the digestive juices found in the stomach, it tricks the liver into producing bile, which helps keep food moving through your body and gastrointestinal tract smoothly. Lemon water also helps relieve indigestion or ease an upset stomach.

The acids found in lemon juice also encourage your body to process the best stuff in foods more slowly. This drawn-out absorption means insulin levels remain steady and you get more nutrients out of the foods you consume. Better nutrient absorption means less bloating. Lemon water benefits the enzyme functions in your body, stimulating the liver and flushing out toxins. Because it’s a mild diuretic, you might find yourself using the bathroom more often, helping the urinary tract get rid of any unwanted elements. All of this helps detox body & skin.

Vitamin C stimulates white blood cell production, vital for your immune system to function properly. As an antioxidant, vitamin C also protects cells from oxidative damage.

The antioxidants found in vitamin C do double duty in lemon water. They fight damage caused by free radicals, keeping your skin looking fresh. Getting enough vitamin C from your lemon water also keeps the body producing collagen, essential in smoothing out lines in the face.

In a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, regularly consuming vitamin C led to younger-looking skin and less wrinkles. (what more do you need to know! )

Also increases our energy levels!!

I start my day with a cup of hot lemon water…You should consider it!

Squeeze 2 fresh lemons and add to one half gallon of good spring water…leave on the counter and drink throughout the day at room temp!!

Growing Garlic

Growing Garlic~

There are two types of garlic, Hardneck and Softneck.
Softneck is what we see in most markets and frankly is much better in all aspects in my thinking.

Softnecks also tend to keep longer once harvested than hardnecks. Break apart a large head of garlic, and plant only the biggest cloves. The bigger the clove, the greater the likelihood it will yield a nice, big head of garlic. Save the smaller cloves to use in the kitchen.

Planting~

To plant, place the cloves 4 inches apart in a loose, well drained bed, sectioned off in rows. Hold each clove pointed end up, and push it into the soil about 2 inches deep. After all the cloves are in the ground, smooth the soil surface using your fingers or a rake to fill in the holes, and water well. If you’re planting more than one variety, be sure to label each one clearly. I also make a map of my planting, in case the labels go astray. I wait to mulch for a month or more after planting to give the soil a chance to cool down. When it’s leaf-raking season, I put several inches of chopped leaves over the bed.

Depending on your location and growing times…garlic can be planted in late summer or very early spring. Sage Hill is located in the southeast…middle/south Tennessee…..I plant in late summer and harvest May-June.

Fertilizing and Watering

Top growth starts in earnest in spring, when the weather warms and the days lengthen. I fertilize twice with a solution of liquid kelp and fish emulsion: once, when the garlic has started growing strongly—about mid-April—and, again, a month later. Garlic isn’t greedy for water, but it doesn’t like to dry out, either. When the soil feels dry an inch below the surface, it’s time to water. In mid- to late June, I stop watering. By that time, the garlic has sized up and the heads are starting to form cloves.

Harvesting

Harvest in late spring or early summer when the plants have five or six green leaves, with no more than one or two beginning to turn brown. Each green leaf represents a wrapper layer surrounding the head. During harvest, you’re liable to damage the outer layer. Later, while cleaning the heads, you’re apt to lose another one or two layers. Your goal is to end up with two or three tight, papery layers enclosing each bulb.

To harvest, drive a garden fork beneath the plants (be careful not to damage the bulbs), gently pry them loose, and then pull them out. Shake off any excess soil, and lay the plants in a pile. As soon as you’ve finished harvesting, move the plants to an airy location that is protected from sun and rain. If you’re growing more than one variety, keep each variety separate and well labeled so that you know what’s what.

Cure, clean, and store the heads

To cure garlic in preparation for storage, hang the bare bulbs with their foliage in bundles or spread them out on a table or rack. You can begin eating them right away, but bulbs intended for storage must be cured.

After a few weeks of curing, it’s bulb-cleaning time. Trim the stalks to 12 inch above the bulb, and trim the roots close to the bulb. Rub off the outer layer of skin around the bulb, and use a nailbrush or toothbrush to gently remove any soil clinging to the base. Try not to remove more wrapper layers than you have to. Store the bulbs in a well-ventilated, dark spot. If you want, set aside the biggest bulbs for planting in the fall

Beautifully Healthy…Skin… A Journey

ATTN: I will continually add info and recipes that can be easily and affordably made as needed or in weekly batches.
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What does medicine have to do with skin care…Everything!

If the inside isn’t healthy, the outside will not be healthy…..
Good health cannot be bought from the most talented of doctors…
Healthy/beautiful skin cannot be bought at the most expensive cosmetic counters…..

Drugs weren’t the starting point of ancient medicine. First came diet, in the broad sense of your whole way of life, including food, drink, exercise, excrement and sleep. Health was seen as the balance of different fluids in the body. The focus on diet was never a call to eat raw foods, whatever the claims of modern charlatans who use the name of the ancient Greek doctor Hippocrates to sell their diet regimes.

A patient’s condition was thought to result not just from the balance of their body, but from how that body relates to the environment. With diseases related to obesity and mental health today taking an increasing amount of doctors’ time, it’s not surprising medicine is turning more and more to a Greek-style holistic approach.

Take a minute and read this site…..interesting food for thought…

http://theconversation.com/five-things-the-ancient-greeks-can-teach-us-about-medicine-today-43729

Without getting into our individual belief’s …. it doesn’t take a genius to know…without plants…medicine as we know it today would not exist…could not exist …..

Another thought to keep in mind…..In the late 1800/1900’s…two businessmen/one a politician put their heads together and agreed…”If we can discredit Holistic medicine/doctors/hospitals etc., we can copy the treatments, reproduce them in a lab and become famous and rich.” And so the modern miracles of “pills” began… ( more on this in another blog.)

But now….back to the lovely subject of our skin and how to make the most of who and what we are given at conception.

Diet, no question…without a proper diet, we will not have healthy/beautiful skin….Lots of clean/earth water…little to no alcohol, no cigarettes/tobacco and little to no white/refined sugar…..

The remaining diet has to be tweaked and tweaked…food today is not food of earlier times…..Caution!!

For a deeper understanding of that issue…Join me here and we will journey together. https://sagehillgardens.com/healthy-after

Yes….Miracles still happen….
Some come to us in small amber bottles called…Essential Oils!

The judicious use of essential oils in skin care helps to rejuvenate and beautify the face and body.
Essential oils are healing, nourishing, moisturizing, restorative, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic , full of vitamins, minerals, and on and on….the benefits are endless…when we use them correctly.

Interesting…Frankincense is my go to for skin care needs, it can be blended in different ways for a plethora of uses. Frankincense is a powerful astringent, meaning it helps protect skin cells, reducing and/or eliminating blemishes, large pores, reduces and prevents wrinkles, lifts and tightens the skin(also used in healing of surgical wounds.)….The interesting part…In ancient Greek usage it was the tool for embalming the dead…..Soooo….explains why it is so fabulous for tightening and over-all upkeep of our skin today. Improves circulation and in return reduces joint and muscle pain, digestive disorders and asthma.

All the Recipes you will find here are designed for dry, sensitive and mature skin. Whether we think we do or not…anyone over 55 has, at core level the making of dry skin…..

My blending recipes are simple, easy, and affordable….

Cleansing/Scrub …Face and body. (once a week)
2 tablespoons Shea Butter
2 teaspoons organic raw honey
4 tablespoons coffee grounds ( organic is best)
8 drops carrot seed oil
6 drops tea tree essential oil

Directions:

Pour the coconut oil into a small glass (dark) jar
Add coffee grounds and blend ( small wooden spoon or spatula is good)
Add carrot seed oil and tea tree oil (blend all until well combined)

Store in refrigerator for a week.

While this is basically a Scrub…I add a small amount to my nightly Face Wash…
Which is a small amount of my favorite all purpose lotion…gently removes make-up, dirt, bacteria etc., rinse and apply a very light amount of the Lotion with 3 drops of Frankincense oil…..
Or, blend enough and use as a full Body Rub.

( The lotion is (everyone Lotion)

Made with plant extracts and pure essential oils
(designed for face, hands and body)
Coconut and Lemon

Crafted from non-GMO and organic plant extracts and scented with pure essential oils. (Part of the Non GMO verified project….NO synthetics, No animal testing. www.eoproducts.com Awesome company Walmart sells the lotion and shampoo….some health food stores sells a full line….you can order directly from the company.
Comes in a quart size pump bottle…I Love it!!
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Hitchhikers In the Garden

I’m sure we all know at least one person who seems to always ride in on a White Horse wrapped in the coattails of another persons success.

In the gardeners arena we call that “compost!”

The bold and beautiful bounty that gets all the glory would not be if…the chore of Compost wasn’t working in the background…..

Reflections I snatched from the cyber waves today…..

Quote: “I am confirmed in my division of human energies. Ambitious people climb, but faithful people build.”

by Julia Ward Howe-U.S. writer (1819-1910)

The Color Journey!!!

I had a light bulb moment early this AM…I’ve looked through so many gorgeous colors and shades of those colors…my head is now full of paint pictures and swimming in …Indecisiveness!

However, I think I’ve hit on a solution….What is your thought on this idea?

I will use the color pallet of my personal style…( wardrobe, skin colors etc.) to design the pallet for Sage Hill House…of course inside these colors are many variations of shading…….

It’s a new option and one I like…now to make it fit!!

Behind Closed Doors~

Most always…the only barrier between what we want and actually having it…is a closed door…The only action required is opening the door and walking in~

For the best education about and around our food, our health, our legacy to the next generation…simply join us at…

https://sagehillgardens.com/healthy-after

Stir-fry Salad-Healthy Eating

I started with Curly Leaf lettuce, Red and Green Romaine from my gardens.

(always spray wash lettuce, shake and pat any excess water with paper towels)

(I also keep a spray bottle of lemon essential oil and water in the fridge…spray the lettuce lightly to zap any rouge critters/bacteria that might still be lurking)

Arrange lettuces on a serving plate/platter and set aside.

Chop carrots, sweet onion, and asparagus into bite size pieces.

Cut 1-or-2 chicken breast ( also lightly sprayed with the lemon oil mixture) into thin slices. Place in a small glass bowl with 1 tsp oil, a light shaking of sea salt, fresh ground black pepper and a teaspoon of “Sage Hill Cajun Seasoning Blend.”

In a skillet Wok, heat 2 Tbsp of grape-seed or avocado oil to medium high heat.

Stir-fry the chicken just until coated…
Add carrots and onion and stir-fry until almost soft…
Add asparagus and stir-fry another 3 to 5 minutes…depending on your desired texture for asparagus.

Spread mixture over the lettuce and serve with your favorite dressing and crackers or crusty French Bread

This recipe will easily serve two people…adjust amounts according to your needs.

Healthy Eating

Sustainable ingredients are those grown/raised without chemical saturation, added hormones and antibiotics.

My recipes are produced inside this practice, it makes a huge difference in the taste and the benefits of our food intake.

That being understood…all of my recipes are usually written in a way that you get to make the choice. ( not everyone uses my method:)
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CHIVE BUTTER

1 to 2 cups fresh chopped garden chives

1 to 2 pounds fresh salted-butter (sticks can be used)
Wax paper

Leave butter on the counter until soft enough to work with a wooden spoon.
(do not soften by heat method)

When butter is slightly soft, add your amount of chives desired ( I use 1 cup to 1 pound of butter…(I make 2 pound at a time so I need 2 cups.)

Make sure the chives are clean and dry.

(When washing chives, hold upright with open/cut end up…and spray lightly with water.
Roll in a paper towel to absorb excess moisture…then lay on a clean towel to dry.
When dry, chop and spread out again on a paper towel until ready to use.)

Add butter and chives together in a no-reactive bowl and with a wooden spoon work the two until chives are well distributed….only takes a few minutes.

Divide into 2 or 4 amounts (depending on amount you are making.) onto sections of wax paper…

With the palm of your hand …roll back and forth until you’ve formed a neat roll into the size you want….

Roll up into the same sheet of wax paper, fold ends under and place in a freezer bag /lay flat until frozen….

Can be stored in freezer for 6 months or longer…

Too use, just unwrap, cut off what you need and return to freezer.

Slices easily and softens quickly.