Sage Hill Gardens – Page 20 – Sustainable Living With Healthy FOOD

A Cucumber is a Cucumber-waiting to be a Pickle~

Pickling Cucumbers Sweet Bread & Butter Pickles

Pickle relish is one of those items that must be carefully scrutinized when purchasing at the super-market…most have High Fructose Corn Syrup, and very high Sodium content…mine will have neither.
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Mothers Pickle Relish~no doubt my grandmother’s too~
( I’ve adjusted the amount to a smaller batch )
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5 pounds-small to medium size cucumbers
1 large sweet onion
1 Tbsp Pickling Salt
3 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups cider vinegar-5% acidity
1 Tbsp whole Allspice
1 Tbsp whole Cloves
1-3″ cinnamon stick
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Wash cucumbers and remove the darkest end of the cucumber( blossom end ) this is usually bitter.
Chop cucumbers and onion by hand or in a food processor-combine in a large -non reactive bowl-Sprinkle with pickling salt-mix well-cover and let stand overnight. ( refrigerate )

Next day…Drain well, tie all spices in a cheesecloth bag
In a 6/8 quart saucepan combine vegetable mix, spice bag, and all other ingredients.
Bring to a boil over medium high heat-stirring occasionally.

Boil for 10 minutes-stirring often to avoid sticking.
Remove from heat and remove spices.

Fill hot jars with mixture leaving 1/2 inch space between jar rim and lid.
Carefully run a non-reactive spatula around the inside of jar to release air bubbles. Wipe jar tops and threads clean.

Place hot lids on jars and screw bands on firmly.

Process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes.

I use pint size jars and an open top canner…place jars in canner-cover with boiling water to just over the lids…this will assure sealing and the proper action to avoid spoilage….

TIP: Jars that do not seal in a few hours should be left in the frig to eat or thrown out…never store unsealed jars. The content will spoil.

Poison to Obsession~

Americans may be in love with tomatoes today, but history shows us that the relationship got off to a rocky start.

During Colonial Times, we wouldn’t put a tomato near our mouths, let alone try to eat one. Folklore had it that if you ate a tomato, its poison would turn your blood into acid. Instead, the colonists grew tomatoes purely for decoration.

Great history of the tomato here, it’s a lot!!

History of Tomatoes

My brother and I just had a long conversation about…what else..Tomatoes!!

Today I celebrated the first tomato to ripen in the Sage Hill garden…this year..

That may not be exciting to some, but I’ve had a love affair with these “fruits” since I was a wee lass of 8/9 years old…my mother would save biscuits from breakfast, after school I would take one and head for the tomato patch..( we had a big tomato patch! Sitting in the sun, in the dirt, that was my after school snack!
So now you understand what this sandwich did for me today…brought back a flood of memories and helped we welcome the first day of the Summer Solstice,

It’s going to be a fabulous one!!! Lots more tomatoes to come…
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In case you would like to duplicate…

Choice of bread…I like an organic multi grain ( sourdough is good also)
(1) slice of Pepper-jack cheese ( place under broiler and slightly melt
Sliced spring onions-blades too
Thick slice the tomato
A sprinkling of fresh dill weed
Layer, a little sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

I add lettuce and sweet pickles to the side…you may layer them on the sandwich if you like.
You may also add Mayo…I use the cheese to replace the mayo.

Michael Pink…you were in my thoughts while happily consuming every bite!!

Bon Appetite ~

PS: Be aware, every part of the tomato plant except the fruit is toxic to humans and animals.

Accolades To Spinach~and good health~

According to Sage Hill Farms and Popeye 🙂

Spinach is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet.

Spinach is native to ancient Persia (Iranian regions). Arab traders carried spinach into India and China. Traders also brought this green leafy vegetable to the Mediterranean regions of Europe and ultimately to the US. Today, there are three primary varieties of spinach available on the market. Typically the most popular is baby spinach, but you could also go for smooth-leaf or Savory (has curly leaves). ( Sage Hill grows and prefers the curly leaf…buttery and smooth.)

Powerful Plant-based Steroids
Spinach contains its own type of vegetable steroids called phytoecdysteroids. These are similar to insect molting hormones and have been proven to dramatically increase glucose metabolism. This keeps blood sugar levels stable and minimizes the requirement for the critical fat-storage hormone insulin.

Spinach is filled with blood purifying chlorophyll.
This chlorophyll is quickly metabolized and used to develop new red blood cells and pull out carcinogenic substances from the body. Chlorophyll has magnesium which acts to strengthen the blood-brain barrier and protect the neurological system from environmental toxins. Spinach is really an amazing source of glycoclycerolipids that protect the digestive tract from inflammatory damage. These are the main fatty acids that makeup the cell membranes of light-sensitive organs in chlorophyll containing plants.

Helps Boost Immunity
Spinach is also an important source of copper, zinc and selenium which help boost immunity. Spinach also contains some very newly studied carotenoid anti-oxidants called eposyxanthophylls. The epoxyxanthophylls that have been researched to show remarkable anti-cancer properties include neoxanthin and violaxanthin.

Vision and Brain Function
Spinach is also filled with the powerful carotenoid anti-oxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. These phytonutrients are extremely important for healthy vision & brain function. The carotenoids act to protect chlorophyll from intense UV radiation. Under intense sunlight, chlorophyll can convert into an excited form called triplet chlorophyll along with singlet oxygen molecules which act as potent free radicals. The more carotenoids a plant maintains the greater the degree of survivability it has and the enhanced nutritional bio-availability provides.

Why Buy Organic?
When purchasing spinach be sure to choose organic, as the non-organic commercial varieties are considered the most heavily sprayed edible plants on earth. Also, look to buy it fresh to avoid chemical preservative agents and aluminum found in the cans. It’s also quite simple to grow in areas of mild temperatures–it grows beautifully for me in the spring and fall.

Spinach will also grow very well in a large/wide container.-you can grow enough in a old wash-tub or whiskey barrel for 2 to 4 people and if harvested about twice a week will give you an abundant crop all season.

Immune Building…key to a healthy body~

Herbs to build a strong Immune system.

1. Honey

2. St.John’s Wort

3. Sage

4. Garlic
5. Shitake and Reishi mushrooms
6. Hyssop

7. Oregano

8. All the warm spices…cinnamon, clove, cayenne pepper, black pepper, Sea salts, cumin,ginger, etc.

Any tea/tisane herb can transformed to medicinal by steeping longer than for tea. (10 minutes at least)

A cup of warm/hot water with 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon juice daily will help balance the pH level of the body.

(Apple Cider Vinegar and 1/3 tsp of baking soda will work also)

Drinking Water is best at room temperature, cold water slows and can stop the digestive process .

Eating In Season is the what our body is designed to function best with.

Friendship And Food~freezer Cole slaw…

Freezer Cole Slaw??? Yep, that was my thought also…

One might think when one has been farming and cooking for a lifetime, nothing new can possible come their way…that would be me….never, have I heard of Freezer Cole Slaw.

I wish to give thanks to my friend Paulette Williams , for turning me on to and sharing her recipe…I’m totally liking this and so…I’m sharing…thanks for your interest and do give us feedback on your degree of liking…..or not!
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Freezer (Friendship) Cole Slaw…

Paulette’s recipe is for 2 pounds of cabbage (green or red or mixed)
I chose the green, but will mix it in the next batch.

Enjoy and thank Paulette for being a good food and friendship steward!
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2 lbs. cabbage, 1 large green pepper, 3 large carrots and 3/4 cup chopped onion. Shred everything and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Let stand 1 hour and drain.

Combine 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon celery see, 1 cup vinegar, 5% acidity, 2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil and boil 3 minutes. Cool and ladle over cabbage mixture. Let stand 5 minutes.

Stir and pack in containers or freezer bags. Pretty simple. I usually double or triple
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(BK) Let me assure you, this is very good!! Will be amazingly delicious after it blends for a few weeks or until winter!

A Cookie Is A Cookie…Not!

I love special little stories about family members.

This is the story of my niece, Janet Lynn Woodruff-Gresham….now the mother of two grown daughters , one of whom will be a married woman as of June 11th-2017.
But…back to our Cookie Monster….for years, we all knew not to ask what she was having for breakfast, regardless what was on the menu…yep, you guessed it…Janet had a cookie! Most of the time they were fresh from the oven…and I do recall that wonderful aroma of chocolate chip, hot and gooey and calorie laden…and our family has always been known for skinny women…..some skinnier than others!!

I have mastered some really great healthy cookie challenges…this is one…
It is not Janet’s Chocolate Chip Cookie, however it is delicious and so very healthy…for a cookie!

Black Beauties…

½ cup coconut oil, room temperature
¾ cup coconut sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon Sea salt
2¼ cups (9 oz.) almond flour
1 cup (6 oz.) chopped dark chocolate
Sea salt to sprinkle on top (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Beat together the coconut oil and coconut sugar until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until smooth.
Add the almond flour, salt, and baking soda to the wet ingredients. Mix until well incorporated. Fold in the chopped chocolate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour (can prepare up to 48 hours ahead of time).
After refrigerating, use a cookie scoop to form cookies and press down slightly. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired. Bake for 10 minutes or just beginning to turn golden brown around the edges.Yummy for breakfast, brunch or after dinner dessert!

Dining At Sage Hill-In Season~ Eggs..a’ la coupe~

Eggs… fresh, straight from the hen-house is my preference…

If that isn’t an option for you…please consider organic…the negatives in grain today makes for unhappy chickens and the result are inferior eggs. If you’ve ever compared the two…then you know…the nutritional difference is deep and wide!
Spring/early summer is also the most productive time for healthy/happy chickens…so, it makes perfect sense that eggs are a staple in the spring/early summer In Season options.
A plethora of ideas from the egg, one can cook for weeks and never repeat a recipe.

I have been making Egg bread all my life…I just recently saw a demonstration of the same recipe called Cloud bread…..

Regardless what we call it, I think we can all agree it is simple, healthy, and oh so very tasty!

If you have a garden, gather whatever is growing, tomatoes, asparagus, peppers, parsley, spring onions and a few sprigs of your favorite flavor herb…basil, oregano, or thyme are my favorites.

Slice, dice, chop…whatever the item calls for…place in small bowl and drizzle no more than a teaspoon of grape-seed oil or real butter.

Sprinkle with a small amount of cayenne pepper or your favorite blend…I use the Sage Hill Cajun blend for almost everything!!
www.sagehillgardens.com

Heat a flat griddle pan, lightly cook all the ingredients you have chosen….break 2 to 4 eggs into the mix, flip a few times until desired doneness is achieved…
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For my Egg bread…separate 3 eggs, beat the whites until fluffy, add 1/4 teaspoon- cream of tarter and whip into the whites, add the beaten yolk to the whites and fold in until blended…add a dash of sea salt and drop by scoops onto the hot griddle pan and cook until light browning begins…flipping once or twice. ( or bake in oven on parchment paper at 300 degrees until lightly brown.) You can also add 3 Tbsp of cream cheese if you want a little smoother texture.

Add your favorite beverage and small amount of honey blended into some real butter for the bread….

Breakfast, brunch or dinner….in style!

Farm To Table ….every day and Sunday too~

Understand I’m not complaining…actually very grateful to see the movement taking on more steam…However…I was doing the Farm To Table extravaganzas before they were so….”the thing.”

I hope you will enjoy this new addition to The Stylish Gardener blog….check in often, new photo’s, tips, table-scapes,recipes, garden lore…basically all things “food” will be shared at least twice a week…the new addition will post on Facebook only as a link to the blog…

If you enjoy my website/blogs…please bookmark them and visit often…you’ll find a plethora of information on many topics, history, alternative options for better health, gardening tips, and recipes!!
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We really don’t have to give up tasty food to eat healthy….

Fresh, whole and safe foods are as gourmet as it comes…

Welcome to the Table at Sage Hill~

www.sagehillgardens.com

Eat Well-Be Well~

Food is the tool that can sculpt works of art….understand it, appreciate it, and use it with care~

Vitamin A

If you add a cup of chopped green cabbage to your diet, you’ll get 3 percent of your daily value of vitamin A. But if you opt for a cup of chopped red cabbage, you’ll add 19 percent of your daily value of vitamin A to your diet for. Vitamin A is an essential nutrient that helps maintain your teeth, skeletal tissue, skin and mucous membranes.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a necessary vitamin that your body needs to promote new tissue growth. Your body uses vitamin C to repair wounds and to keep your bones, cartilage and teeth healthy. Both red and green cabbage are good sources of vitamin C, but you’ll get a super boost from adding red cabbage to your diet. While a cup of chopped green cabbage contains 47 percent of your daily value of vitamin C, eating a cup of chopped red cabbage will get you 84 percent of your daily value.

Iron

Vegetables aren’t the best sources of iron, but cabbage does offer a small amount of this essential mineral. Eating a cup of shredded green cabbage will add 2 percent of your daily value of iron to your diet, while a cup of shredded red cabbage contains 3 percent. Your body needs iron to keep your red blood cells functioning properly, carrying oxygen to all of your cells. If you don’t get enough iron in your diet, you could suffer from anemia, which can lead to fatigue.

Anthocyanins

Red cabbage boasts an extra nutrient not found in green cabbage. Anthocyanins are the antioxidants that give red cabbage its purple color. These flavonoids are known for their health-boosting benefits including cancer-fighting and memory improvement. Anthocyanins may contribute to healthy weight loss by helping your body release hormones that metabolize fat and suppress your appetite.

Healthy, Beautiful, Deadly if Abused~

I’ve been writing negative reviews on sunscreens for many years…glad to see this from EWG.
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Certainly no secret that the sun provides all sorts of health benefits, including helping our bodies manufacture vital vitamin D.

If we don’t abuse the time in the sun we have no need for sunscreen at all.
Please know, all sunscreens are not created equally. In fact, a 2017 report from Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that nearly 75 percent of sunscreens didn’t work. That is to say these sunscreens provide inadequate sun protection and/or they contained harmful ingredients.

In EWG’s 11th Annual Guide to Sunscreens report, the results show that while there have been major improvements over the last decade, the vast majority of sunscreens available for purchase in the U.S. still contain damaging chemicals or fail to offer enough protection against ultraviolet rays.

Note: About half of the sunscreens sold in the U.S. would not be allowed on the market in Europe, according to Sonya Lunder, lead scientist involved with the sunscreen guide.

So…be kind to your skin and don’t take it for granted…it may be fashionable or just a personal like to bake oneself into a copy of Gingerbread girl/boy…but the rewards will be something not fashionable or to our liking!

http://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/